Eden's Creatures (20 page)

“Yes,” he confirmed hoarsely.

At Cal’s admission, Stassi cuddled deeper into the crook of his arm. She wanted nothing more than to stay here forever, basking in the aftermath of their mating. It felt so right, being here with him. And yet, she meant it when she said she was terrified. The depth of her feelings overwhelmed her. She had spent her whole life with the Faedin and never cared this deeply for anyone. It felt like she had been wearing blinders and Cal had ripped them off, opening her eyes to another world of feelings and colors and sensations.

“Oh!” A sharp pain suddenly lanced through her lower back, popping her eyes open in shock. It was followed by another violent spasm that roiled her stomach. She stood in a rush, ran to the edge of the forest and vomited.

Cal was by her side in an instant. “Stassi! Are you all right?”

She shook her head as another stream projected from her mouth. “Please, leave me,” she cried when she could get a breath.

“I’m not leaving you like—”

Bolts of white-hot agony stabbed through her and she screamed and fell to the ground. “Cal!” Her entire body felt like it was being ripped apart. She writhed in anguish, her limbs jerking uncontrollably. “The… pain… Cal!”

“What can I do?” he asked in a panic.

“I… need… help.”

He shoved his hands beneath her body to lift her just as an enormous pressure exploded in her back, throwing Cal backwards through the air.

In that instant, the pain abruptly disappeared as though it had never been.

A feeling of unimaginable ecstasy slowly seeped into the marrow of her bones, tingling every nerve and drawing a gasp from her. She straightened in surprise and a pair of glorious white wings snapped open behind her, lifting her off the ground.

Cal stood with a look of wonder on his face. “Stassi,” he breathed. “You have your wings!”

Tears pouring down her face, she spiraled into the air, her arms lifted in rapture. The wind sliced over her body as she ascended upward, higher and higher, reaching for the heavens. She never dreamed that her wings would feel this miraculous! This powerful! Her spirit sang with new purpose and she began to cry anew.

With a heart full to bursting, she closed her eyes and fell back, floating gently down to earth.

“Why are you crying?” Cal asked her as she neared. “They’re beautiful.”

“I know. I can feel their beauty, Cal. You opened me up to feel.” She hovered close to him and ran a hand down his cheek. “Allow me to thank you.”

She picked him up into her arms and wrapped him tight in the cocoon of her new wings.

More howling ensued soon thereafter.

Despite the early morning hour, the village buzzed with activity. Shop doors were opened wide for business, children played along the trails, and warriors sparred with wooden swords.

“Here they come!” one of the Faedin shouted out. “They’re back!”

The ever-inquisitive Abram shot into the air to have his own look. “Stassi has her wings!” he confirmed loudly to those gathered around. “Just in case anyone did
not
hear the loud cries.”

Laughter rang out. While Cal felt a flush creep over his face, Stassi walked proudly with her chin up and wings fully extended.

Cal caught sight of Gilad leaning insolently against a tree, his familiar scowl in place. Cal couldn’t blame him. He just hoped the warrior would now accept that Stassi truly was his mate.

He suddenly stopped. “Wait!”

Stassi looked back over her shoulder. “What is it?”

“I just realized,” he whispered. “I… I didn’t get my wings.”

Stassi frowned as though she, too, hadn’t realized. “I am sorry, Cal. Perhaps your humanity prevents you from developing them. Our union is not something that has ever been done.”

Cal didn’t know whether to feel relief or disappointment. “Whatever,” he mumbled with a wave of his hand.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

“Famished.”

“I’ll go get us something.”

He watched her walk away and then studied those in the village. Any regret he had over his wings was diminished by what he saw. Everywhere he looked, the Faedin were doing
human
things. Helping each other with tasks. Giving encouragement with a pat on the back. Smiling more.

“Cal!”

He turned to see the Elder, standing by his tent, signaling to him. Cal hurried over. “Nice to see you again, Elder.”

“You as well, child. I see that you have given Stassi her wings.”

For the second time, Cal felt heat on his cheeks.

“Do not be embarrassed, Cal. Our Maker wishes for us to love.”

Cal nodded toward the tent. “Do you have a moment, Elder? Can we talk?”

“Of course. Come right in.”

Cal ducked through the opening and folded himself down to the floor. He waited for the spiritual guide to sit before asking what had been on his mind. “Last time we talked, Elder, you said that evil stirs. What did you mean by that?”

“Sulfur fills the air, Cal.”

“Sulfur?”

“The scent of the underworld and all those personally touched by the serpent. His reach has extended beyond the chains of his prison.”

Cal’s throat tightened in disgust as he remembered the smell he detected from both Zakiel and Rebeka. “What can we do?”

“There is not much that can be done. The time of the Faedin is over.”

“What?” he asked in alarm. “That’s what Zakiel said.”

“I am afraid it is true.”

Cal scrambled to his knees. “No! We can stop the serpent! We’ll fight!”

The Elder nodded sadly. “The Faedin will fight and they will lose.”

Lose?
“Have you had some sort of vision of this?” Cal knew he was grasping at straws here, but had to know why the Elder sounded so sure.

“Yes.”

Cal shook his head, quickly dismissing the veracity of spiritual omens. “I can’t believe that, Elder. Trust me, the Faedin are too strong to be defeated by a bunch of Fallen.” He reached out and squeezed the man’s hand. “Don’t give up.”

The Elder smiled.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have to find Stassi.”

“Do what you must, son of Adam.”

Cal exited the tent and hurried through the village. As he searched, he noticed that the Faedin were all gathered in a circle with looks of distress on their faces. He found Stassi among them.

“Stassi, listen to me,” he whispered urgently when he arrived at her side.

“Not now, we—”

“Yes, now!” he said, spinning her around by the arm. “I just spoke to your Elder and he told me—”

“Elder? What are you talking about?”

“I’m trying to tell you!”

“What Elder? We do not have an Elder.”

Cal whirled back to the spiritual guide’s tent.

It was gone.

Fingers of dread climbed their way up his spine. “What’s going on here?” he asked.

“Rebeka is missing,” she answered, misunderstanding his question.

He turned back. “Missing?”

“Disappeared. No one knows where she is. Her father hasn’t seen her since last night.”

They’re just now realizing she’s gone?
It had been several days since he’d last saw her in that tree.

A murmur raced through the crowd as people started to form into search groups. Shouted orders went up. Several Faedin took off running into the woods.

“Wait!” Cal yelled.

All eyes turned his way, and he knew instantly that his life with the Faedin was about to change. And there wasn’t a single thing he could do about it. He looked over at Stassi. Her face held open curiosity. Soon it would hold resentment.

But he couldn’t lie to them.

“Rebeka is not lost. She’s a Fallen.”

Gasps, snarls and growls filled the morning air, and Cal found himself taking a step back.

“What are you saying, son of Adam?” Gilad questioned, appearing close at his side. Too close. “You must be mistaken. The Fallen would never take a child. They are of no use to them.”

Cal’s shoulders slumped. “She’s a Fallen. I… I saw her. I was going to tell—”

Gilad’s fist slammed his next words back down his throat. He fell to the ground with white stars floating in front of his eyes.

“Gilad!” Stassi screamed and stood over Cal to address the advancing, murderous crowd. “Stop! There must be some explanation! Cal, tell them!”

Cal shook his head to clear his scrambled thoughts. “It’s… true.”

She stepped away from him and looked down. “You saw her as a Fallen and did not kill her?”

He nodded.

“But you joined our cause. You know how dangerous they are!”

“I couldn’t kill a little girl, Stassi. Never. I’m sorry. I told you I wasn’t a warrior.”

Several hands hauled him to his feet.

“He must be punished!” Gilad roared.

The villagers stumbled back to make way for Julius stalking toward them, his face a thunderhead of fury. Disgust curled his lip as he looked at Cal and then Stassi. “I should have listened to Gilad. This human cannot be taught the ways.”

“Sire! No!”

“You will forget this son of Adam and take Gilad as a mate.”

“No!” With a primal scream, Stassi snapped open her new wings wide, sending those around her staggering back. She ripped Cal from the arms of the Faedin holding him and swept him into the air. Unlike the jerky movements of her fledging wings, her white wings rocketed them powerfully through the sky at remarkable speed.

Cal turned to glance anxiously behind. The Faedin were giving chase. The element of surprise had given them a small head start, but it wouldn’t last. “Stassi, hurry!”

The panic in his voice propelled her faster, but the much larger males were moving fast.

He turned again and gasped.

Gilad had caught up to them, his face a mask of concentration as he reached for Cal, long talons outstretched to tear him free of Stassi’s grasp.

With a scream of effort, Stassi jerked them upward just as Gilad lunged, thwarting his attack. Her movement sent the warrior into an uncontrolled roll through the air. The enraged Faedin quickly righted himself and came at them again.

Down below, Cal caught sight of his clearing and pointed. “Stassi! There!”

She plummeted downward.

Cal heard Gilad’s howl just as they burst through the veil and into the clearing. Stassi dropped him unceremoniously to the ground and fell to her knees, exhausted.

Somehow, Cal managed to land on his feet and immediately ran to her. “Thank God you got us out of there,” he said in relief. “I didn’t know what they were going to do to me.”

Her hand darted out and slapped him across the face. Hard. “Why did you do it, Cal? You betrayed us!”

“No,” he answered, ignoring the biting sting on his cheek. “It had nothing to do with the Faedin. It had to do with me. Who I am.” He gathered her in his arms. “Don’t worry. I’ll make a home for us here. I’ll do everything I can to make you happy, I promise. Maybe in time, you can go back and visit. See Julius and Caliphy.”

Stassi pushed out of his arms and stood, the tension pulsing between them. He hardly recognized her tortured features. It scared him.

“You know nothing,” she spat as she held her hand out to him. “Give me the feather.”

“Give you…? What are you talking about?”

“The feather! Give it to me!”

Numb with shock, he took it out of his pocket and gave it to her. He wouldn’t need it anyway. There was no way he would ever go back into that frothing hyena’s den.

She took it and backed away. “You opened my heart just to tear it from my chest. How very cruel of you.”

“What? No! I didn’t mean to hurt you! You have to know that!”

“Goodbye, Cal.”

“Stassi! Don’t leave me!”

But she did just that, turning to run and vanish back behind the veil and taking his only way in with her.