Sparks of Blue (Dark Light Book 2) (18 page)

“Sorry,” Knox offered as daylight cut through the darkness, briefly blinding her. “I had to spin us through a couple other trails to make sure we aren’t traceable.”

“It’s okay,” Belle said, swallowing and willing her stomach to settle. A flash of green a few feet ahead and to the right assured her Jaelyn had made the trip.

As soon as they materialized Jae released Gwen and said, “I won’t linger. I’ll inform Isabella of the possible interference of an Archangel. Pray if Kai’s hurt or knows more.” She disappeared quickly, likely before her trail had closed, thereby leaving one continuing trail and, Belle hoped, taking any followers with her.

“Inside,” Belle commanded as she started toward the suite they’d abandoned earlier. She noticed in passing that the front window was fixed. Kai must have decided it would be easier to fortify and hold this location than continue jumping around for another. It was certainly a nicer, more isolated place to hole up.

“Are we really safe here?” Gwen asked as she followed Belle up to the door. “Demons already attacked us once.”

“Kai shouldn’t have need to leave us again, though,” Belle assured her, stepping into the living room. She turned to Knox as she stepped, adding, “You’re welcome to join us. I could heal you.”

Knox cast a glance down to his obviously broken arm and shook his head. “I’ll linger for a bit, but don’t worry. I’ll heal on my own.” He reached over and snapped his arm back into proper positioning to make his point.

“Ew, please never do that again,” Gwen said, cringing at the audible snapping sound.

“Belle,” Kai called from deep within the suite. “In here.”

Knox closed the door, flipping the lock, as Belle’s attention turned forward. Suddenly her heart was in her throat, and she found she couldn’t breathe.

Madelyne was just down the hall. Madelyne, her long-lost sister. Her tortured, probably unconscious, undoubtedly scarred and traumatized sister. And Madelyne needed her now, so much more than Belle could relate with.

For the first time, she feared she might fail someone.

Didn’t I already, though?

Chapter Eighteen

Belle’s eyes stung as Kai left the room. He was only returning their lunch dishes to the kitchen before going on his afternoon patrol of the area outside, as Gwen had requested to read on the deck. It was nothing abnormal; nothing they hadn’t done a dozen times in the past few weeks. But she was feeling emotional. Her emotions had been all over the place since Madelyne’s rescue three weeks ago.

Three whole weeks.

Madelyne had barely opened her eyes. She hadn’t said a word. Once, over a week earlier, Madelyne’s eyes had finally fluttered open after another lengthy healing session. It was as Belle’s power receded. Belle had overreacted, calling excitedly to her sister. All Madelyne had done was blink slowly and, after a beat, managed a smile. Belle was sure Madelyne had recognized her, but she’d drifted into unconsciousness before Kai and Gwen could rush into the room.

Now Belle continued to hope that Madelyne would open her eyes again. Maybe speak this time.

She brushed her fingers through Madelyne’s hair, remembering when she, Gwen, and Jaelyn had painstakingly washed Madelyne’s body and cut her unkempt hair. There had been so much of it, and it had been such a mess. If her captor had cut it once a decade, Belle would be surprised. Now it was clean, though paler than it should have been, and barely past shoulder length. The way Madelyne had always kept it.

I wish you’d wake up, Em.
Tears swam behind her eyes, and Belle took a sharp breath through her nose. She was emotional because she was tired, she knew that. She’d been exhausting herself on a daily basis for weeks now.

Gwen was still on the clock. She hadn’t yet healed out the curse. And a part of her worried that she was screwing up her priorities. Trying to heal her sister back to health at the expense of her mission, who had also become her friend. But Gwen insisted she didn’t feel neglected. But was an hour a day enough?

Belle doubted her own decisions now.

Back in the Clinic, which felt like a lifetime ago already, she’d usually given patients fifteen to thirty-minute sessions once a day. Critical patients got an hour, if she had an hour to give to one. And she had helpers; staff who took care of the less critical patients. Who dealt with smaller things. But she couldn’t call in staff for this. Angel Clinic was probably suffering enough with her and Serafina gone.

Jaelyn had offered to help, but the woman’s healing abilities were limited to self as far as Belle knew. Which was common among angels, to be sure, but not helpful now.

So she gave Gwen her mornings, an hour around ten o’clock every day, and as long as the day was quiet, she spent a lot of her afternoon keeping her comatose sister company, working on healing her. But that wasn’t fair. If she could muster enough strength to heal
anyone
for three or four hours out of the day—sometimes straight—then shouldn’t she be focusing on Gwen?

Belle reached up and wiped a tear from her face. Gwen herself argued that “hey, at least I’m conscious, and I feel great.” But Belle was starting to feel desperate for clinging to that as justification. Gwen was running out of time; Madelyne was stable. Unconscious, showing no signs of waking up, but stable.

Gwen’s birthday is barely two weeks away.
She had a lot of progress to make in only fourteen hours if she stuck to her plan.

Kai’s deep, comforting voice carried through the open door, though he wasn’t speaking to her or in the room at all. He was likely assuring Gwen that it was clear outside for the time-being.

Releasing a breath, Belle gave her sister’s shoulder a squeeze and said, “I’ll be back in a bit, Em. But I have a job I have to do.”
Call if you need anything.
Yeah, she should be so lucky.

To hear her sister’s voice again would be a miracle.

“Gwen, wait,” Belle called as she fast-walked through the kitchen and into the living area. Gwen was already nearly at the door, her latest book and her iPhone in hand.

“Yeah?” Her expression was curious, calm.

Kai looked over as well. “Is something wrong?”

Belle managed a smile she didn’t feel. “I think we should double your healing schedule. I want to make more progress.”

Gwen stared at her. Seconds passed before she finally asked, “What about your sister?”

Fighting another wave of exhaustion-inspired tears, Belle replied, “Her condition hasn’t changed in a week. And it’s not like I’m giving up on her.”

Sighing, Gwen shifted her weight and looked toward the deck on the other side of the window. “But it’s such a nice day. Can we at least do it outside? Do I
have
to be lying down?”

Belle glanced toward the window, squinting.
My God, has it been that long since I went outside?
She was going to go pale if she kept up her current routine. “Why don’t we grab some towels and spread out on the lawn?” She glanced at Kai. “That’s fine, right?”

Kai inclined his head, a smile visibly tipping the corner of his mouth. That more than anything made her realize how badly shut down she’d been. Kai hated to be caught showing emotion. “Of course. I’ll ward the suite so you won’t have to worry about Madelyne.”

I need a good night’s sleep, it’s official,
Belle thought as another tear slipped free. She reacted on instinct, moving to him and cupping his face in order to pull his lips to hers. He’d been nothing but supportive and it broke her heart to think of how unreceptive she’d been recently. He’d given up his spot on the bed for Madelyne’s sake and begun sleeping on the couch. They hadn’t made love since the night Madelyne’s eyes had opened, when Belle had been hopeful that she’d wake again in a day or two.

As Kai moved his lips along hers, she made another realization, too. That had been the last night she was sure she slept well.

“Oh, gross,” Gwen declared pointedly. “Okay, I’ll be outside.” A moment later the front door shut a little harder than was necessary.

Belle pulled back, her breathing uneven, and grinned up at Kai. “Thank you,” she said. She sobered, her smile becoming purely sincere and grateful. “Really, Kai. Thank you.”

Kai lifted his hands and brushed his fingers through her hair, over her ear. “You don’t have to thank me, Belle. I understand.”

Her heart warmed at his gentle words, and she took a moment to rest her head on his shoulder. “I should get to Gwen,” she whispered.

“You should stop exhausting yourself,” Kai said.

Still smiling, Bell gave his torso a squeeze. “Help me relax in the hot tub tonight?”

Kai curved an arm around her hip, his touch hot and solid. Possessive. “Gladly.”

Belle eased out of his hold after a moment, saying, “Then it’s a date. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a patient to tend to.”

Her sister’s situation was horrible, and it absolutely affected her. But she couldn’t let it destroy her. She’d be of no use to Madelyne or anyone in that shape.
And it isn’t what Em would want.

****

“I can’t believe I haven’t used this thing since we came back,” Belle declared as she stepped into the hot tub later that night. She was exhausted, surely, but the hot water already seeping into her muscles assured her she’d be able to relax.

It had been a long afternoon of healing. She’d spent nearly an hour and a half with Gwen, working out another invisible knot in the curse. They were lucky this curse was physical. Still, if she could manage to do what she’d said she wanted to and double Gwen’s healing regiment, Gwen would surely survive her birthday.

After taking a break for a snack and a short nap on the couch, which smelled like Kai now, Belle had migrated back to her room and her sleeping sister. Her captors had done such damage to her that the old scars alone took time to reverse. Kai had practically had to pull her to her feet when dinnertime rolled around.

But now the day was done. Gwen was reading in her room, or possibly chatting with her brother, and Belle was finally alone with Kai. She really did need to make it up to him.

Kai wound a strong arm around her waist as she neared him and tugged her into his lap. “You’re working yourself too hard,” he said softly. “I’m worried about you.”

Belle hummed and rested her head on his shoulder, letting water drip from her fingertips down his smooth chest. She wanted to lick the water from his skin. “I know,” she admitted. “And I’m sorry. I’ve been a wreck lately.”

“You’re upset,” he replied. “It’s understandable. I just wish I could help.”

“You can help me now,” Belle said, lifting her gaze to his. “Help me relax. Help me sleep.”

Kai arched a brow, his lips twitching. “You’re exhausted,” he reminded.

Looping arms around his neck, Belle leaned close to his ear and whispered, “I could be
more
exhausted. So bone-tired I pass out.”

Kai growled incoherently against her skin, tangled one hand beneath her hair at the base of her skull, and crushed her lips to his. He made love to her mouth with his tongue. Broad, slow strokes of his tongue followed by rapid thrusting and rolling, only to suck her tongue into his mouth. Belle moaned against his lips and shifted to straddle him, reminded readily that he didn’t own a pair of swim trunks. And he was quite eager to see her.

“Kai,” she gasped around his kiss. “Do something stupidly macho. Show me you want me.”

He pulled back from her lips to give her a curious look. Reaching up, he caught one of her hands and trailed it over his chest, down beneath the surface of the water, until her palm was flat over his hard cock. “This isn’t obvious enough for you?” he asked as he encouraged her to close her hands around his length.

Belle offered him a wicked grin. “I want more.”

Kai released her hand and swept both of his up her waist. He made quick work of the top half of her bikini, letting the material fall to the deck beside the hot tub. Then he skimmed his hands down her sides again, hooking his fingers into the waistline of her bottoms. “Like this, then?” He gave a sharp tug and snapped the material clean apart. Only then he slid one hand around and thrust two fingers into her core without warning.

Belle cried out and arched into him.

“Or like this?” He was teasing her now, fingers pumping in and out torturously.

Belle moaned and pumped her hand along his cock in time to his thrusting fingers. But she wasn’t sure how long she could last this time.

As if reading her mind, Kai suddenly withdrew and pulled her hand from him simultaneously. His hips snapped up, and he filled her, the little bit of friction caused by the water adding an extra layer of carnality. Suddenly Belle was full in the best of ways, Kai’s cock thick and firm inside her. So deep she was
almost
uncomfortable.

“That,” she gasped. “Like that.”

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Kai stood and turned until he’d rested her ass on the lip of the hot tub. Belle’s legs came around him immediately, and he held her closer, surging in and out of her at a maddening, delicious pace. She was nearly lost in his frenzy, and she loved it. He was doing exactly what she’d asked him to.

With his lips latched to her throat and his hips slamming into hers hard and fast Belle’s moans quickly filled the air. She gasped his name, fisting his hair in her hand as she dug her other nails into his shoulder. She was so close now.

Then he released her throat in favor of another searing kiss and rocked his hips up as he sank into her again. The motion dragged him right over the spot she needed, and Belle was lost, flying into oblivion and screaming her ecstasy into his mouth.

****

Kai fought to stay awake a little longer. Not because anyone else was, or because he’d sensed something nearby, but because he wanted to savor the feeling of Belle in his arms. After they’d made love in the hot tub, they’d lingered a while, enjoying themselves, until Belle was more asleep than awake. Knowing it was late, and she would insist on being up no later than nine, Kai swept her into his arms and carried her, naked, into the suite. Gwen’s light was out, so he let Belle rest on the couch while he retrieved one of his shirts for her.

Now she was nestled atop him, donning only one of his black tees, her breathing even and shallow in sleep. She was finally resting. Finally allowing him to help her the only way he could.

She’d been a mess since they’d rescued Madelyne. And while he understood, he hated it. Hated seeing her so distraught. Hated knowing she had a right to be. He hated seeing her beloved sister laid up like she was. He and Madelyne had never been the best of friends, but he respected her relationship with Belle. Admired it, even. All angels were technically only children, just as all of them were one big family. Their sense of family was vastly different. He would never have a sibling in the sense that Belle, and Gwen, did. He had comrades-in-arms.

Knowing he couldn’t fully grasp the depth of pain Belle must have felt when she’d seen Madelyne at her worst, on that first day, all Kai could do was wish he’d done things differently. If he had none of this would be happening now.

But he couldn’t change the past. For better or worse he’d made peace with that—mostly. So for the past few weeks he’d made do by taking his cues from Belle and trying to focus on his job. He was still worried about her, but he hoped tomorrow she’d be less tired. If he couldn’t help in any other way, he could see to it that she slept soundly.