Broken Wings (Hidden Wings Series Book Two) (11 page)

After wha
t seemed like hours, Samuel started to slow down, and eventually came to a stop. He tried to set me down, but my body was plastered to his. My muscles had been in that position for so long, that it took a while for me to release from him. Once down, I stretched my tired and achy muscles, but was thrilled when I glanced up to see Danyel and Kade walking toward us.

“We’ll stop
here for a short while to stretch and have something to eat. The Fallen are out there, so we cannot linger,” Samuel urged, in a hushed tone.

“Ho
w much longer will it be before we reach the porthole?” I asked.

“We’ve come about half
way,” he said, digging in his pouch. He pulled out a bag that contained pieces of jerky and a flask of water, and handed it to me. I unscrewed the cap of the flask and took a sip. The water was ice cold, and as soon as it began to run down the back of my dry throat, I instantly felt better. Rejuvenated.

All I could think
was if my aching, tight muscles could handle another few hours of traveling like this. They were still weak and trembling from the first half of our journey.

Kade came and took a seat next to me
on a downed tree stump. I handed him the bag of jerky and the water.

“H
ow are you holding up?” he asked.

I sighed and shook my head. I didn’t want to sound like a wimp, but I was totall
y feeling like one. “I – I guess I’m fine,” I lied. I had a feeling that he knew I was lying. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his blue vial.

“Here. Take a sip
,” he said handing it to me. I took the vial, placed it to my lips, and took a small sip. A wave of tingles started at my brain, and made its way down my whole body, numbing the pain and instantly relaxing my muscles.

“Whoa,” I breathed, getting
to my feet, stretching and feeling my body out. No aches and no shaky muscles. “That’s some pretty powerful stuff.”

He chuckled
as I handed back the vial, and he took a sip. He closed his eyes letting it work its magic. After a few seconds his eyes popped open and he smiled. “Yeah, I never knew how good this stuff really was until now. It’s awesome.”     

We
were deep in the middle a dense forest filled with spruce and birch trees. I glanced up at the beautiful green canopy provided by the leaves. The birds were chirping, and it seemed so peaceful.

Samuel and Danyel were quietly
chatting a few yards away, when there was a loud snapping sound, like a huge tree being broken in two. Kade jumped up, grabbed my arm, and then twisted me behind him, pressing my back against the trunk of a wide birch. He was facing me, our bodies pressed tightly together, so close I could hear his heart beating, and feel the heat radiating from his skin.

“What is it?”
I asked.

“
I don’t know. It could be a falling tree, but I don’t want to take any chances.” He glanced around me, and then slowly unsheathed his sword. Samuel and Danyel were nowhere in sight. They had to be near. They’d probably ducked behind some trees too.

My pulse b
egan to race, not only because of Kade’s closeness, but because if the Fallen were out there and had been following us, then we were in trouble. Big and dangerous trouble! I had no doubt that Kade would try and protect me, but as Dominic said earlier, he didn’t have the strength or quickness that he had as an immortal. I wish I knew where Samuel and Danyel were. Seeing them would make me feel a whole lot better.

A thunderous noise shook the ground around us. Suddenly, a whole tree, about thirty feet long headed toward us. The branches from the tree scratched my face as it flew past, missing us by mere inches.

“Shit
! That was too damn close,” Kade swore, grabbing my arm and pulling me away behind another bunch of trees. “Are you okay?” he asked, assessing my scratches. His fingers lightly touched the side of my face.

“I’m fine.” I said.

He nodded and grabbed hold of my waist and set me down between a large fallen stump that was wedged between two other trees. Then he grasped his sword tightly and stood behind another tree a few feet away.

“Shhhhh,” he said silently, holding his finger to his lips. He then mouthed the words, “Don’t move.” I nodded.

I suddenly felt heat on my chest, and as I glanced down at the Bloodstone amulet, it was glowing bright red. My heart started to hammer.

I slowly rose to my knees, and
peeked through the leaves, letting one eye spy. I had to know what was going on. I hated surprises, especially when it was a deadly surprise meant for me. But what my terrified eye spied was worse than I imagined. Three Fallen Angels were a few hundred yards away, sniffing the air.

Holy hell!
They’d found us.

I couldn’t really tell th
e difference between the good Angels and the Fallen; they all looked the same to me. The only way I could tell that they were Fallen was by the evil look in their eyes. They were on a mission. A mission of death and destruction. A mission to kill us.

I glance
d over to Kade, and knew there was no way he’d be able to take on all three of them on his own.

The
Fallen were well over six feet tall, tanned, muscular, and strikingly handsome. They looked like Gladiators. The one in front had long black hair, which hung in front of his face and his dark black eyes. He was holding a long, sharp, golden sword. The other two had long dark-brown hair with dark eyes, and they each carried their own swords.

“Danyel!
” The Fallen in front with the black hair called out. “Danyel, we know you’re out there! We can smell you and the others! If you give up the girl, even though our orders are to kill you, we will let you live!”

Yea
h right. I’d heard that line too many times, and we all knew the outcome of that scenario. With the Fallen…everyone dies. 

There was a brief pause
, and I watched as the first one nodded to the others. They quickly disappeared into the thick brush. One to the right, and one to the left. I turned back to Kade, and pointed to the sides of us. He nodded and closed his eyes. I assumed he was listening to the sounds around us.

I tried not to breath
e, but my adrenaline had kicked in, making it nearly impossible. Being frozen was easy, because fear had already done that.

I kept my eyes on
Kade, and couldn’t believe how handsome he looked. His brown hair waved slightly in the wind. His face showed no sign of fear. He was perfection. Keeping my eyes on him made the evil world around me temporarily disappear.

Bran
ches snapped loudly to the left of me.

As
I whipped my head around, I saw one of the Fallen charging at us. His eyes were dark and set unwaveringly on his target. Me. His sword was positioned over his head, and he had a look of pure hatred and determination embedded on his face.

“Kade,”
I gasped, frantically pushing myself backwards toward him.

Kade
jumped in front of me and charged straight at the Fallen. A loud clanging of metal against metal pierced the quiet around us. As their swords clashed, sparks rained down like fireworks.

“
Kade!” I screamed. My heart frantically beat against the walls of my chest as I watched him fight.

The Fallen
kicked him in the gut and knocked him to the ground. He landed hard on his back. The Fallen smirked at him and charged again with a look of murderous intent in his eyes.

“Kade!”
I cried as the angel thrust his sword at his chest.

Kade
rolled to the side, letting the blade pierce the earth just inches from him.

My heart stopped
.

Kade
quickly turned and kicked the Fallen’s blade, sending it flying out of his hand. It landed a few feet away from me. He lunged for his weapon, but I jumped forward and pulled it just out of his reach.

The Fallen
glared at me, and his eyes had gone completely black. That was terrifying.

He
then lunged forward, but Kade jumped, landing on his back and sent him crashing back to the ground. As he pushed up, Kade swung his sword and took off his head…quick and easy.

I was in
shock and complete awe. He was still a killing machine, even as a mortal. It was as if he hadn’t changed. He was still my Guardian…still my hero.

He stared
at me with a look of satisfaction; he’d saved me again.

One down. Two to go.
Hopefully there weren’t any others lingering out there.

Th
e earth suddenly shook around us again, and out of nowhere, a body came flying at me, crashing against the tree behind me and hitting the ground. I dropped down and shielded my eyes from the splintering debris.

What the - ?

I peeled my eyes open and gasped.

It was Danyel. And
he wasn’t moving.

Oh G
od. He better not be dead! Please don’t let him be dead!

I nudged him and there was no response.

Holy hell!

When I looked up Kade was gone,
but the body of the dead Fallen Angel was still on the ground in front of me. His head was a few feet away, but facing the opposite direction. Thank goodness. I didn’t think seeing his mangled face would be good for me right now.

I
quickly unsheathed my dagger and moved a little closer to Danyel. I placed my fingers on his neck, trying to feel for some type of pulse or any sign of life.

I felt it. It was faint, but
it was there. A small pulse. He was still alive!

“Danyel,” I whispered in his ear,
giving him a quick shake. “Danyel!”

He
still didn’t move.

I could feel heat on my che
st and as I glanced down, the Bloodstone amulet was glowing bright red.
What did it mean?

I
suddenly heard the crunching of branches on the ground.

I was
almost certain that the red glow meant…DANGER.

I stood up
and pressed my back against a tree, opposite the direction the sound came from. The footsteps grew louder and louder.
Ouch
! The Bloodstone was hot! It seemed to be warning me.

I c
arefully snuck a glance around the tree, and I saw him. It was the leader. His eyes were steeled on Danyel, and a wicked smile was adorned on his lips.

“Danyel.
Danyel,” he said sarcastically. “See what happens when you become soft? When you turn into a traitor?” He walked over and kicked him.

Danyel’s
body flew up against another tree. I covered my mouth and tried not to make a sound.
That bastard!
 

The Fallen
paused, and started sniffing the air.

He was onto me!
Shit!

I suppressed my will to run
because he’d catch me way too easily…so I froze. My pulse raced madly, and my hand gripped the dagger so tightly it hurt.

He stepped a
round the tree; his body mere inches from mine. I held my breath, and then he turned and stared directly at me.

I was dead.

I shut my eyes
tight and awaited the inevitable. 

“Where are you
, Nephilim?” he growled. “I smell you. I know you’re here. I know you’re close. Come out and I’ll make sure you and your friends live through this.”

He then stepped around the tree and
out of my sight.

What the hell just h
appened? He was staring right at me!

I looked down
at my body and almost passed out.

I WASN’T THERE!
My hands, my body… they were gone! Completely gone! I held my hands out in front of me. Nothing!

I was
freaking invisible!

Chapter 6

Was it the suit? It had to be the suit. I remember Kade telling me that it was magical…that it could blend into its surroundings and even make the wearer invisible. I thought he was kidding, but he was telling the truth. It
was
magic.

I
looked back down at my hands again, and even the dagger I was holding was invisible. The more I focused, the more I could start to see an outline of myself; it was like a thin line tracing my shape, but everything inside of that line was gone. Invisible. I was invisible. This was crazy!

Maybe
I should have tried to kill that bastard, but if I missed or just injured him, he’d have known I was there and probably would have killed me. At least he was gone for now. Not far enough, but away… and right now, away was awesome.