A Gift of Wings (18 page)

He interrupted her hurried thanks. “Where are you going tonight?”

“There’s this dance at Mo’s mom’s country club. She wanted Mo to go, and Mo wanted me to go with her.”

Aidan said nothing for several seconds as emotions warred on his face. When he spoke, both his voice and features indicated his reluctance. “I don’t suppose you would be willing to take me with you?”

Lucky shot him a look of surprise. “You’re welcome to come. Mo said I could bring a guest. You don’t sound like you really want to though.” The last sentence came out sounding like a question.

“Well, I’m not exactly a dance kind of guy,” Aidan said, looking uncomfortable. “But I don’t like leaving you alone knowing that a Dark One might be after you.”

“Dark One?” she asked.

He raised his hand, saying only, “It’ll keep ’til later.”

“Fine,” she said, watching as he dismounted the bike. “Does this mean you’re coming with me?”

He nodded as he took her arm and pulled her toward the stairs. “You better hurry up and get in there, or your friend is not going to be happy with you.”

Mo buzzed them in almost as soon as Lucky rang the bell, and Lucky raced up the stairs to the second floor with Aidan on her heels. Before Lucky could knock, Mo opened the door with an impatient “It’s about time!”

Any further comment died in her throat as she registered Aidan’s presence. A look of surprised speculation crossed her face, but to Lucky’s relief she said nothing more than “Aidan! This is a surprise!” as she held the door open for them to enter.

Mo ushered Aidan into the living room, asking if he’d like something to drink while he waited. Lucky slipped out of the leather jacket and handed it to its owner, before hurrying down the hall to Mo’s room.

She was sliding the multi-toned green dress over her head when Mo burst through the door. Slamming it behind her, she hurried to Lucky’s assistance, tugging the dress into place and pushing Lucky’s arm aside so she could pull up the side seam zip. Then, dragging Lucky over to her dressing table, she pushed her into the chair and started pulling a brush none too gently through her long curls.

“Ouch!” Lucky exclaimed, grabbing the brush from her. “Let me do this part. You clearly don’t have curls.”

“Well, not like those,” Mo acknowledged.

Her blonde hair was wavy, and she usually wore it in a messy, shoulder-length bob. Tonight, Lucky saw, looking at Mo’s reflection in the mirror, she had twisted it up into a loose knot, with tendrils escaping at the sides of her face. From what Lucky could see, two bejeweled chopsticks seemed to be all that held the knot in place. The style somehow managed to be both casual and sophisticated, and it looked perfect on Mo. The bright colors of the gemstones on the hair chopsticks were duplicated in the earrings that dangled halfway to her shoulders. The jewelry offset the soft champagne color of the off-the-shoulder gown she wore.

“Mo!” Lucky said. “What are you wearing? I thought you were going for short and black.”

Mo’s reflected cheeks flushed. “My mother gave me the dress, especially for tonight. She was so excited, and I couldn’t disappoint her.” She caught Lucky’s eye in the mirror and grinned. “Besides, it is pretty stunning,” she said, executing a spin to show off the back of the dress.

“It’s beautiful,” Lucky agreed.

“I didn’t completely sell out though,” Mo said. Lifting the hem of her dress, she alternately stuck out each of her sandaled feet for Lucky’s inspection. True to her word, her toenails were painted in various shades: turquoise, yellow, lime green, and hot purple. In addition, a jeweled ring decorated each of her second toes. “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”

When Lucky laughed, Mo reclaimed the brush from her and began to tug her hair into some kind of up do. “Now,” Mo said, “enough about me. What’s going on with Aidan? Can I assume the fact that he’s here means he’s going to the dance with you?”

“Yes,” Lucky sighed. “He’s going to the dance. It’s a long story, Mo, and I don’t have the time or the energy to go into it all right now. I will tell you later, though.” As the last words left her lips, Lucky wondered if they were true. Would she be able to tell her friend the whole story? How much could she reveal of what had happened this afternoon without endangering Mo too?

Mo’s eyes sparkled at her in the mirror as she brandished the hairbrush in a threatening manner. “You better, girlfriend. I want
all
the juicy details.”

The doorbell rang as she finished speaking. “That’ll be Eric,” she said, tossing the brush aside. “Your hair’s done. Use whatever makeup you want. The sandals I promised you are by the bed.” Before she closed the door behind her, she added, “Hurry up! We have to leave in about five minutes.”

Lucky barely glanced at her hair as she hurriedly brushed on mascara, blush, and lip gloss and inserted a pair of dangly rhinestone earrings into her ears. Wrestling her feet into the silver sandals, she took a deep breath and then opened the door.

Three pairs of eyes turned toward her as she stepped into the living room, the heels of her sandals clicking against the hardwood floor.

“You look amazing,” Mo said. A mischievous note in her voice, she added, “Doesn’t she, Aidan?”

Cheeks flushing, Lucky shot her friend a warning look before turning her gaze toward the young man in question. Intensely blue eyes scanned her from head to toe and slowly made their way back up her body. Lucky was sure her cheeks were flaming by the time Aidan’s eyes locked on hers. One corner of his mouth lifting lazily, he drawled, “I don’t think my leather jacket will work with that dress, so looks like we’re going to have to figure out another way to keep you warm.”

Though she hadn’t thought it possible, Lucky’s blush deepened. She said nothing as Aidan chuckled. Then Mo was thrusting a wrap into her arms and motioning them toward the door. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Lucky was surprised when Aidan took the wrap from her and settled it around her shoulders. His hands were warm through the soft cloth as he slid them down her upper arms, smoothing the wrap into place.

“Thanks,” she said, the word barely audible.

“My pleasure.” His voice was a breath against her ear.

Lucky’s breath caught in her throat.

Aidan moved to her side and offered her his arm for support as they descended the stairs. “I’ve never understood how women walk in those things,” he said, looking at her strappy high-heels.

“Honestly, I’m not always very good at it.” Lucky lifted laughing eyes to his, her hand closing around his arm. “You may be sorry. One wrong step and I could take us both down.”

He chuckled. “That might not be an altogether negative experience,” he said in a low, soft voice that Lucky felt like a feather-stroke down her spine.

Her thoughts completely scattered, she said nothing as they located Eric’s car and piled in.

The country club was in the northwest suburbs, and the drive took almost an hour. Mo and Eric bantered throughout the trip, with Lucky and Aidan interjecting an occasional comment. For the most part, the latter pair was silent. It wasn’t that Lucky had nothing to say to Aidan, it was just that everything she wanted to talk about was something that couldn’t be mentioned in front of the other two. She wanted to know more about Zeke and Malachi—and the seemingly ageless woman who, except for her single outburst, had said almost nothing throughout the entirety of their odd afternoon gathering. And what had her strange words meant anyway?

Casting about for something to say, Lucky remembered the statue of the Archangel Michael the old woman at the antique store had given her. She had intended to do some internet research to see what she could find out about Michael, but she hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Thinking that might be a safe enough topic to broach in company, she turned toward Aidan.

“What do you know about the Archangel Michael?” she asked quietly.

From the expression on his face, she could tell the question had taken him by surprise. He considered for a few moments before he responded, his voice equally quiet. “Michael is the fiercest of the Archangels. He’s a warrior, the leader of the Forces of Light. In your traditions, it’s said he defeated Lucifer in the battle in Heaven, causing the Light-Bearer to be cast out.” Lowering his voice to make sure that only Lucky could hear him, he added, “While that statement is accurate as far as it goes, the actual battle was—somewhat different. Why do you ask?”

“The other day when Mo and I were shopping, we went into an antique store, and I found this statue of an angel standing on a dragon and holding a sword. Something about it—I don’t know—
called
to me. The old woman who ran the store ended up giving it to me. She wouldn’t accept any payment. She kept telling me he was mine and that he would protect me from ‘the Dark that is coming.’” Lucky dropped her voice even lower. “Why would some complete stranger give me a statue of Michael? And what do you think she meant by ‘the Dark that is coming’?”

Aidan leaned closer to her, so that when he spoke she could feel his lips moving against her ear. “I don’t know, unless she means something like what Sambethe calls the Destroyer. I’d guess the woman may be a Naphil or a Sensitive. Maybe she sensed something similar in you. Then again, she could just be an eccentric old lady who gets her kicks making strange comments to impressionable young girls.”

Before Lucky could begin to argue that she wasn’t as impressionable as all that, Mo twisted around in her seat. “Okay, you two. We’re here. Time to stop being such lovebirds and start interacting with others.”

Lucky was glad for the dark when she felt her cheeks stain with heat once again. Keeping her face turned away from Aidan as the car doors were opened triggering the inside light, she silently cursed fate for giving her fair skin that blushed so easily.

Her embarrassment was forgotten as they approached the doors to the country club. Tiny white lights wrapped the pillars on either side of the entrance, and more lights were strung on the elegant potted topiaries that created a pathway leading to the ballroom. It was like something out of a fairy tale—or at least a Disney movie version. So far, this day had turned out nothing like she’d expected; she wondered what other surprises it might hold.

***

Aidan stayed at Lucky’s side as they fell in line with the other guests to file into the ballroom. White-draped tables topped with candles and fall floral centerpieces lined the edges of the room. A band playing soft jazz occupied the raised dais at the room’s far end. Otherwise, the floor was open, providing ample space for dancing. Aidan clenched his jaw as he looked around the room, wishing he were just about anywhere else. He had spoken nothing less than the truth when he had told Lucky he wasn’t much of a dancing sort. Nor was he much into formal social gatherings. He had had to attend enough of them with his mother, and he hadn’t liked them then. Now, affairs like this made him want to break out in hives.

His jaw relaxed a bit as his gaze came to rest on Lucky. Not that spending time with her was any hardship. In addition to feeling protective of her, he was also realizing that he liked her. She was tough and intelligent, and she had greeted the afternoon’s revelations with a strength and acceptance he hadn’t expected. Rather than being traumatized by the experience, she seemed curious and eager to learn more. Of course, she was frightened too. Not only had her whole life been upended, but she was also being tracked by something Dark and nasty. In her position, who wouldn’t be scared? But she had seemed to take it all in stride, and even after the afternoon she’d had, it hadn’t occurred to her to back out on her commitment to her friend. He had to admire that.

And that wasn’t the only thing worth admiring about her. Lucky’s wrap had slipped down her arms when she leaned over to greet Mo’s mother, and Aidan’s eyes lingered on the graceful line of her neck and the smooth planes of her upper back. Getting to look at her in that dress might just make the evening bearable. Resisting the urge to slide his palm along her bare skin, he thought maybe he could even manage a dance or two, if it gave him an excuse to touch her.

Hearing Lucky introduce him to Mo’s mother, Helen, he held out his hand and made the appropriate polite responses, mentally shaking his head to change the direction of his thoughts. The point of his being here at all was to protect the girl, not to seduce her. Instead of wondering if he could get his hands on her, he needed to pay attention to their surroundings. If the Dark One used that locket to track her here, then there could be trouble, especially if he brought friends. He needed to be at the top of his game, not distracted by her pale skin and jade green eyes.

“So, young man,” said Mo’s stepfather, raking Aidan’s jeans and leather jacket with a critical eye, “do you, like my stepdaughter, have a compelling need to disregard the niceties of appropriate attire?”

“Gerald,” Mo’s mother cautioned, casting a concerned look toward her daughter, who quickly masked the hurt in her eyes.

Unconcerned with his own appearance, Aidan replied, “My decision to attend this event was kind of last minute, so it was something of a ‘come as you are’ for me. Your stepdaughter, on the other hand,” he added, glancing at the blonde girl before directing his eyes back to her stepfather, “looks absolutely stunning. I wouldn’t be surprised if my friend Eric has to fight off half the guys here in order to dance with her.” He looked back at Mo as he finished speaking, acknowledging her expression of gratitude with a small smile. Her stepfather, he decided, was either an arrogant ass or completely clueless, and odds were in favor of the former.

Fortunately, the MC for the evening chose that moment to ask everyone to be seated, while she offered some opening remarks about the dance and the dinner that would be served. As she spoke about the charity which would be the recipient of the proceeds of the event, the wait staff moved discreetly about the tables, supplying the guests with freshly baked bread, butter, and small, beautifully plated salads. Aidan was seated between Lucky and Mo’s mother, and he turned toward Lucky when she touched his arm.