Dust of My Wings (22 page)

“Ambrose,” Shade growled.

Ambrose merely raised a brow. He pulled the axe from around his back and sat. Jamie gasped, but Ambrose polished it, unconcerned.

“You have an axe,” Jamie stated.

Ambrose blinked, and Lily bit back a grin. She’d only known the angel for a little while, but she already knew he was a supernatural of few words and a large weapon collection. Odd how the sight of a large weapon didn’t freak her out so long as  the weapon was in his hands. Talk about life changes.

“Observant.”

“Stop acting like an ass, Ambrose,” Shade scolded.

Ambrose lifted his other brow. How did he do that?

“Do you usually carry large pointy things around like that?” Jamie asked.

“Yes.”

“Talkative, aren’t you?”

“I’m a regular old chatter box.”

Shade let out a laugh. “Was that a joke, old man?”

“Perhaps.”

“You did it again,” Lily teased.

“Don’t count on it happening again,” Ambrose said.

“Of course not,” Jamie agreed.

“Well…” Shade froze, his body tense, a frown on his face, and the room quieted. “Lily, take Jaime and stay behind Ambrose and me at all times.” He tossed her a set of keys. “Go if I tell you. Take Ambrose’s car.”

“What’s going on?” She walked to him.

He crushed his mouth against hers, the urgency of it sending tremors of fear down her spine. He pulled back and brushed her bangs from her face.

“We’ve got company.”

“Do you know who?”

“No, but they’re getting closer.”

She nodded and pulled Jamie to her side.

“What does he mean, Lily?” Jamie whispered.

“I think Striker, that angel behind this, may be coming. I’m not sure, but whoever it is, isn’t our friend.”

“I believe it’s Striker.” Shade looked down at her, and her breath caught. “I will protect you.”

“I know.”

Ambrose raised the axe he’d been polishing, a cold frown on his face. “They’re here.”

A crash from the front of the apartment made the blood in Lily’s veins freeze. Shade and Ambrose would protect them. If all else failed, she’d figure out how to find her strength. Hopefully.

A metal canister rolled into the room, and Shade yelled, covering Lily’s body with his. The canister exploded, sending a dust that smelled of sulfur through the room.

“Shit, demon’s dust.” Ambrose growled and fell to the floor.

“Demon’s what?”

Shade coughed, blood trickling from his mouth. “I’m sorry.”

Her pulse raced. “Shade! Oh, God.” Jamie ran to Ambrose’s side. The other angel lay on his back, blood pooling around him from his pores. Lily held Shade’s head in her lap, tears running down her cheeks. Was he dead? She felt for a pulse, her body relaxing when she felt the faint flutter.

“Oh, he won’t die…yet.” A man walked into the room, an even scarier looking man trailing behind him. “It’s demon’s dust, made up of one hundred bodies of demons burned alive. Very rare, and very potent.”

“You must be Striker.” Her voice didn’t betray her fear; good for her.

“In the flesh. I’m sorry that our first meeting will also be our last. Don’t worry though. Your death will help us all.” He gave a laugh of pure menace. “Well, at least it will help me.”

The other man cleared his throat and glared at Striker.

“Oh, and, of course, my friend, Law, here.”

“I am not your friend.”

Striker let out a breath. “Fine. My ally, Law, here. Better?”

“No.”

“Whatever. We’re here to kill the girl.” Striker turned to Jamie and tilted his head. “Kill the spare woman first then this one will feel distraught over it. Then kill her.”

Law raised his brow. “Is that all?”

“For now.”

Law smiled and pulled a sword out of who knew where and stalked toward Jamie. He lifted the sword, and Jamie screamed before ducking.

“Bitch!”

“I’m not going to sit here and die for you!” Jamie ran to the kitchen while Lily lifted Shade from her lap to chase after them. Jamie lifted a butcher knife and held it in front of her.

“You think that can best me?”

Lily picked up a stool and smashed it across Law’s back. The angel—no, boulder—didn’t move.
Shit
. Law turned and pushed her across the room, her back crashing hard against the wall in the dining room off the kitchen. Pain ricocheted up her arm, and she saw it sat at an odd angle. Her body rolled, and she almost vomited. Not again. She didn’t want to die. She staggered to her feet, her vision blurring.

Jamie screamed from the kitchen. Her body lay on the floor, blood pouring from her side. Lily took a step toward her. She had to save her friend. A hand pulled her back against the wall, and she cursed at the pain.

“Stupid bitch,” Striker growled. He slapped her across the face, the sting nearly blinding her. “You don’t get to help that little one in there. You get to sit here,” he pulled her hair and forced her head to the side to watch Jamie try to crawl away, “and watch your friend die. To be sure you can’t move…”

Sharp. Hot. Pain.

Something silver dug into her side, she couldn’t see what it had been, and a warmth seeped through her shirt. Her body swayed, but Striker held her up. Law raised his sword,  toying with her friend. Jamie tried to crawl away, but Lily didn’t think she would make it.

Rage bubbled up through Lily. It was as if she’d finally unlocked something. Energy pooled through her as her body strengthened. Her body glowed gold, radiant.

This was her true self.

She growled.

Striker pulled back, but still kept his hand on her. His face lost all color and he blinked. “What the fuck are you?” Striker yelled.

She pulled from his grip and knocked him back with amazing strength. With determination in her step, she walked toward the kitchen, picked up Ambrose’s axe that lay on the floor next to his motionless body, and growled again.

Law paused in mid motion, his sword in the air about to decapitate her friend, looked over his shoulder, and Lily struck. She cleaved his body in two at the neck, his head rolling to the ground, his body standing for a few moments before it crumpled to the floor. Blood seeped around them, and Lily dropped to her knees, the last of her energy gone.

“I’m sorry, Jamie,” she rasped out.

Blood trailed from her friend’s lips as she tried to smile. “You look good in gold.”

Lily rested her head on Jaime’s cheek, their tears mixing with their blood.

“You stupid bitch! You killed him. I don’t know what the fuck you are. You can’t be a brownie because you were a fucking human, but you’re going to die now.”

Striker swung his sword then stopped mid motion. A thin line of blood appeared at his neck.

“No…” Striker whispered, his eyes wide.

His head slid off his shoulders, and Lily gasped. Shade leaned against the wall behind Striker’s dead body, his face ashen, blood leaking from his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.

“Lily.”

Her spirit broken, her body in pain, tears rolled down her cheeks. “Save Jamie.”

Ambrose came into the kitchen, a look of sorrow on his face. “I will try.”

“It’s pretty bad.” Jamie coughed, blood coming out of the corner of her mouth.

Ambrose knelt by them and ran a finger down Jamie’s cheek. “Don’t ask questions, but you will live.”

Confusion covered Jamie’s face, and Lily felt the same.

“Ambrose…”

“I said no questions.” He gently picked up her friend, wincing as he stood, and carried Jamie away.

“Lily, let me look at you.” Shade walked toward her, and she met him halfway, sliding in the blood of their enemies and each other’s.

“I thought you were dead,” she croaked out.

He brushed her bangs from her face with a bloody hand. “I’m okay.” He winced. “Well, I will be. He didn’t have enough of the dust to do permanent damage.”

They staggered to the living room and collapsed. “Where did he get the dust?”

Shade shook his head and took off his shirt. He placed his wadded up shirt on her wound, and she winced.

“Sorry, baby. I need to get the bleeding stopped so you can heal on your own.” He kissed her, blood and all, and she melted.

She’d almost lost him.

“I don’t know where he got the stuff, baby, but we’ll find out. It doesn’t matter. We’re alive and there will be hell to pay with the council, but we’ll make it through.”

“Will you be in trouble for killing Striker?” If so, that didn’t make any sense. The other angel was a traitor and a murderer, but did they have proof?

“I’ll get out of it.” Though he didn’t sound too sure.

“I love you,” she whispered.

He held her face in his palm and rubbed a thumb over her bottom lip. “I love you, too.”

“Don’t leave me,” she begged, uncaring of how she sounded. She couldn’t lose him.

He gave a sad smile. “Never.”

****

Jamie had passed out when Ambrose carried her to his room. He cleaned her wounds, ignoring the odd pain in his heart at the thought of this girl—no woman—hurt. She wasn’t a supernatural. Not yet, anyway.

Whatever the lightning strike had given, it hadn’t manifested in her yet, if powers manifested at all. He suspected it would take Jamie meeting her true mate and consummating the relationship for that to happen.

He knew for a fact that wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t.

And, because of something that he couldn’t tell her, much less himself, he could help her heal her wounds. They would ask questions, but that didn’t mean he had to answer them. That was something left for later… or never, if he had anything to say about it.

He didn’t have answers anyway.

At least not any he wanted to give.

He bent over her and healed her side. The wound knitted together, and she sighed. He healed her other cuts and bruises, and an unexpected connection formed between; a bond that could not be denied. them

“Ambrose?” Jamie turned her head and opened her brown eyes.

His breath caught at the beauty, but he shoved it away. He’d had his chance at a happy ending. He didn’t need another.

“What is it, honey?”

Honey? She wasn’t his honey. His honey was long since buried. A dull pain throbbed where his heart used to dwell.

He didn’t like this brown-haired girl. She brought up too many memories of a life he’d rather forget.

“Thank you.”

A strange feeling filled him, much like… hope?

He shook it away.

“Do your best not to get stabbed next time.” He stood and turned his back, hating that he felt like an ass.

Jamie coughed from the bed, but he forced himself not to turn back. “You know me, always falling onto sharp, pointy things. I’ll be more careful.”

“Do.”

Ambrose walked out of the room, ignoring the pull to make him go back.

Jamie would be fine, and he could ignore her. He had other things to do anyway. Like figure out how they’d explain Striker’s death to the council. He needed proof of the angel’s traitorous acts.

He set his jaw, determined. Shade would not pay for another’s acts. The younger  angel was like a brother to him. He couldn’t lose him.

Because if he did, he’d have nothing left.

Chapter 22

A summons from the council never led to good things. Shade walked through the ornate hall, his fists clenched. The death of a council member couldn’t go unnoticed, as much as Shade would have liked to sweep it under the rug. Literally, in Striker’s case. As soon as he’d ensured Lily was healed, he’d felt the tug of a summons.

He’d kissed her softly, though she’d done her best to hold onto him. She had known as well as he did, that the council would not be happy. He would do his best to get back to her. He’d just found her. He didn’t want to leave her yet, or ever.

His body still ached where he’d healed from the demon’s dust. Fuck, just one whiff of that stuff could kill an angel. Thankfully, Striker hadn’t had enough for two, and he and Ambrose were warriors, though it’d almost killed him to feel helpless, then watch as Striker attacked Lily.

His Lily had done incredibly well as a warrior. She’d found her trigger and fought back. Even though the caveman inside him wanted to lock her away to keep her safe, the fact that she had the strength to take care of herself brought more pride than anything he could have done to protect her. He’d have done anything to avoid taking a life, even the life of an angel as horrible as Law. The look on her face…

She’d killed Law. He’d help her pick up the pieces for what she’d done, just as he knew she’d do for him. She wouldn’t face the consequences of that action because, according to the council, Law was already dead.

It was only the death of Striker for which they had to answer.

Shade was ready. He’d do whatever he could to go back to his Lily.

He walked through the doors that reached to the sky, and Shade couldn’t help but remember the last time he’d been summoned to a full council. That event had led him down this strange path and to her, and it had been worth it in all respects.

He just had to live through this meeting

“Shade Griffin, you’ve decided to grace us with your presence,” Caine drawled, his eyes narrowed.

Shade bowed his head. “You’ve summoned me.”

Caine lifted a lip in disgust. “You’ve killed a council member. Do you understand what you’ve done?”

Shade met the other man’s gaze. Caine flinched and Shade inwardly smirked. “I killed a traitor and a murderer. I’ve done our race a service.”

“You killed an angel in cold blood to protect a
human
!”

“That
human
is my true half, and I expect you to treat her as such.”

“A human cannot be a true half.”

Shade closed his eyes. The truth would come out sooner or later, but he couldn’t have the council think he’d hidden anything.

“She
was
human. Not anymore.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Actually, it is. A lightning bolt struck, awakening something in her DNA.” He was careful not to reveal just how many had been struck.