Guardian (16 page)

There were a million reasons for Raven to stay dead and only one reason to be alive. Nikki. But the fact remained, Nikki was with Mace. Which made dead a whole lot more appealing.

It was the kiss that sealed it. Its power reached out toward anyone who happened to be standing nearby. It was what he’d always wanted her to feel when she kissed him.

He’d said he’d give her time. Against his better judgment, but hey, what did he know about this love thing? Now he was left with that day playing out over and over in his head. As if intent on making the anguish last, his mind forced him to watch Nikki rush to Mace even though all three of them could have been killed by the speeding train.

Her concern, her fear, her attention had been Macecentered. And if anything, if anything at all, Raven had been a brief afterthought.

Women were nothing but trouble. Hadn’t he known that before? The thing that really got to him was that he’d left the van of goons to go back and save Nikki when he heard Mace scream her name. By the time he changed course and got to her, other Halflings were there helping Mace hold the train car off the ground. They could have gotten her out. But he’d dived inside, tugged her ankle free, and took the weight of the car while she scampered into the sunlight.

And the van full of bombers drove away as the train met the ground. The screeching of metal still hung in his ears.

So, after the narrow opening closed and he knew she was free and, oh yeah, in Mace’s arms again, he’d scooted into the back of the train. When no one was looking, he’d shimmied out the back and leapt. They were probably crying over his death. Oh well. It was better this way. For all of them.

His first stop had been Dr. Richmond’s house. The doc was glad to see him, and they’d even formed a bit of a bond since Raven visited him each evening. In fact, Raven had become an almost constant shadow of Dr. Richmond, helping him in the basement lab. Raven explained to the doc he was homeschooling now, and Richmond bought it. Or so he said. The madscientist-gone-high-school-teacher tried to broach the subject of Nikki leaving town and Raven and his “cousins” leaving school all in the same weekend, but Raven always redirected the conversation. Seriously, what could he say? Yeah, well, we don’t like Vessler, her godfather, because we think he’s connected to an ancient being so evil he’s actually seeking to destroy the human population. Did Nikki leave town with us? Why, yes she did. We all piled onto a yacht and headed to Europe. But I had to leave when I realized the girl I love is in love with someone else. So, here I am. Surprise. Did I mention I really need information on the laboratory you used to work for because they are also tied to that ancient being I mentioned earlier? Sorry to tell ya, but you were helping a group who is trying to destroy your race. But hey, don’t let it ruin your dinner or anything.

What Raven hadn’t expected was that his plan to discover what Richmond knew had spawned a shocking revelation. One that caused the back of his neck to sweat.

He’d found unconditional approval.

Though there remained specific reasons for their time together, Raven couldn’t discount the acceptance he received from the older man. Round and partially bald, Richmond personified the weakness of man, his inability to control even his appearance. But deeper than the surface, the doctor gazed upon Raven as if he admired and … appreciated him. As if he respected and cared for—

Whoa! Enough with the sappy crap. Richmond had answers and Raven needed them. End of story.

Tonight, the good doctor seemed unusually excited.

“Can I trust you with a secret?” Dr. Richmond asked over reading glasses that magnified his cheeks and made the clogged pores even more visible.

Finally. “Sure.” Raven shrugged, acting interested in the bubbling contents of the beaker. But inside he perked up. This was it.

“Do you like horses?”

Raven turned off the Bunsen burner. “Yeah. My uncle has a stretch of land in Europe where he kept horses years ago. It was sort of a remote area, so he’d sell them to people in the village— horses were an easy way to get around, especially in the winter. I always thought they were powerful animals. Pretty cool.”

Richmond’s face lit. “My boy, I could show you the most magnificent horses alive.”

Raven slid the beaker aside and gazed at the doctor through slashes of long bangs. “Really?”

“Yes.” Richmond tugged his glasses off, brow furrowed. He feverishly rubbed them along his shirttail. “I shouldn’t,” he argued with himself. “Then again.” He stepped closer to Raven, halting inches away. “There is something quite unique and … special about you, son.” Richmond searched his face.

Raven shrunk from the exposure. Special. Not the word most used to describe him.

“Something within me begs to trust you.” He offered a quick nod. “Yes. That’s what we’ll do.”

Raven’s brows rose. “What?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry, sorry.” Dr. Richmond moved briskly around the room gathering a flashlight, an umbrella, a notebook, and binoculars, balancing them all against his chest until he procured a backpack. “I’ll go. Tonight. You’ll accompany me. But you must swear—swear—never to utter a word of what you see.” He pressed a free hand firmly on Raven’s chest. The muscle mass he encountered seemed to shock him. Richmond patted around for several seconds, and Raven could almost see the gears whirring in the guy’s head. Eyes fanned to Raven’s shirt. Patted again. “You are unique indeed. And I think I was meant to share this with you.”

Yep. You were. And right after we’re done, maybe we’ll take a nice stroll to the special place where everyone gets their own rubber room.

Mace spread a blanket and held Nikki’s hand while she sat down. The foothills of Germany’s Black Forest anchored their picnic area and the palatial spread of Viennesse rested on a mountaintop just behind them. “It’s really beautiful, isn’t it?” she murmured.

Mace followed her gaze, taking in the panorama of darkly colored vegetation. “You should see it from above.”

Nikki lifted a brow. “Is that an offer?”

That devastating smile appeared on his face. “Just an observation.”

“Well, either way, you have to show me now.” Nikki scooted around on the blanket, refusing to cringe. Her muscles were still sore from the train incident, but she didn’t want Mace to know. Whenever she groaned, winced, or flinched, his face grew somber and his expression fell into worry. Worst of all, he’d search her with those cerulean eyes. It made her feel guilty for being such a wimp. The Halflings had all been more seriously injured than her; deep cuts and bruises on their hands, arms, and legs while she barely had a scrape, though her body felt like it’d been hit by a truck.

“What’s wrong?” Mace said, moving closer to her. He slid the contents of the picnic basket to the edge of the blanket. “Here, lean on me.”

He scooted behind her, and she tilted to rest her back against his chest. Her legs stretched in front of her and his to the side. This time he didn’t see her wince. A gentle breeze feathered over them and Nikki sighed. His chest was warm, and his breath and heartbeat mirrored her own. She released the tension she’d been carrying for days.

“That’s better,” he whispered, as she let her muscles melt even more.

But pressures tugged at the edge of her mind and Nikki knew time was running out. “Things are bad, aren’t they?”

Mace wrapped his arms around her. “I’d say things are pretty good.”

She chuckled. “I’m not talking about us, Mace. I’m talking about …” She couldn’t believe she was about to say this. “About the world.”

“It’s a delicate balance between good and evil, a tightrope we all have to walk. But yes, things are getting bad. Titanium shipments meant for wingcuffs can only mean one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“The enemy feels like he has enough power on the earth to take over. Stopping Halflings would certainly help his cause. We’re sent by the Throne, and the enemy hates the Throne.”

“The enemy? You mean—”

“Yes, Nikki. The hater of men’s souls. The despiser of all that is holy.”

“Is he after me as well? Is this all part of the reason you were sent to protect me?” She shivered.

“You don’t need to be afraid. We’re good at what we do. And everyone here seems equally taken with you, so I don’t think any of us will let our guard down.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone likes you. The females, Dash, Sky, and Ocean. Even Will.”

“Will won’t be happy when he realizes we are … well, we’re …”

“A couple?”

She nodded.

“Will isn’t stupid. He can see how I feel about you. How I’ve felt about you since the very beginning, when you were running through the woods with hell hounds at your feet. Even when you and Krissy went shopping that day—”

She sucked a breath. “You were there?”

“Just to keep an eye on you,” he said, smiling down at her.

“I bet.” She tried to ignore the flush of embarrassment. She’d bought underwear that day.

“I knew you weren’t safe.”

“Nothing happened though.”

“Not until later on your motorcycle, when the weird guy started chasing you in that beat-up SUV.”

“I still don’t know what he was so mad about.”

“He was an evil man, Nikki. Evil is drawn to you for some reason.”

She tilted her head, tucking it beneath his. Securely cradled against him, Nikki closed her eyes.

“But you’re safe now.”

Safe. But at what cost? “Mace, if all the Halflings here are busy protecting me, doesn’t that mean there are a lot of other people who aren’t being protected?”

His muscles tensed.

“I mean, so much attention for one person? It doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s the nature of the Kingdom—remember, we were sent to watch over you. It rarely makes sense to the natural mind. But trust me, it’s perfect.”

“This situation doesn’t seem perfect.”

“That’s because we’re flawed. The plan, as well as the Creator and Executer of the plan, is perfect, but we aren’t.”

“Like a broken vase.”

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just that a broken pot can still grow flowers if it’s not too badly damaged. It just leaks more than other pots.”

“Okay, I can live with that logic. We leak.”

“Mace, do you think Raven is okay?”

Mace became silent for several minutes, finally releasing a long sigh tinged with sadness. “He’s out there, but I worry about him being alone. It’s really hard to resist evil on your own. You need a support system. And some need it more than others.”

“I’m so sorry for breaking up your friendship.”

He leaned away and looked at her through half-closed lids. “What do you mean?”

“You and Raven. Since I came along, the two of you have acted like enemies.”

“Yeah, well, that’s pretty much how we acted before. You just brought it to the surface.”

“You mean you guys weren’t close?”

“No. We’re like brothers. Or maybe not brothers, more like brothers-in-arms. You don’t have to like the guy in the foxhole with you as long as you’re still willing to die for him.”

“I don’t get it.” The breeze lifted the edge of the blanket, where a line of ants marched toward the basket.

“It’s the nature of being in a war, I guess. Raven knows I’d lay down my life for him, and he’d do the same for me. But that doesn’t mean we have to like each other’s ethics. I’ve never agreed with how Raven operates. And I’m pretty sure I never will, because it’s destructive.”

She thought back to the train wreck. “I still can’t believe he left.”

“Yeah, well, that’s Raven. Not much of a team player.” Mace cupped an arm on her shoulder. “But you, you were quite the team player, Miss I-Can-Open-a-Railcar-Like-a-Can-of-Peas.”

“I hope that’s not my new nickname. It’s a mouthful.”

“I’m just saying you were really gutsy.”

“Yeah, right up to the moment I nearly got myself killed.” She shuddered. Or maybe that had been him; she couldn’t tell. Either way, Mace drew her closer.

“I’ve never been as scared as I was then, Nikki. I knew I couldn’t hold up the train car myself.”

“I don’t know how the other Halflings got there so fast. And Raven, he just appeared from out of nowhere.”

“That’s very Raven as well.”

She didn’t want to talk about it anymore. It had been one of the most horrible days of her life … and she’d had a few bad ones recently.

“What do we do from here, Mace?” Almost the entire time she’d known him, she’d been aware it was an act of rebellion for a Halfling to fall in love with a human. And that their mutual feelings put Mace on very dangerous ground where eternity was concerned. In a strange twist, practically losing each other had sealed their fate. Or doomed it.

“Nikki, I don’t know what the future holds.”

She swallowed past the dry lump in her throat. “You could be taken away, couldn’t you, when this journey ends?”

“Yes.”

“Gone. As quickly as you appeared?”

He nodded. But that gesture said something else too. She realized Mace had finally stopped pushing her into some role he wanted her to fill. On the boat he’d been almost unbearable. Now, he practically couldn’t get enough of her just the way she was. Almost like … like he knew their time was running out.