Broken Wings (Hidden Wings Series Book Two) (10 page)

It was Malachi.

Damn. His timing was impeccable, like he had some sort of alarm that went off whenever Kade and I were together.

“Where the hell is Kade? Does
anyone
know?” Malachi said, sounding like his normal, annoyed self.

Kade leaned down and
gave me one last kiss, which sent my head into a spin. He stood up, and I found the edge of the bed, still feeling the lingering effects of my very first kiss.

“I’m sorry
, Emma. I don’t know what came over me. I could be the fact that I’m human now, or…it could have been that thing you’re wearing,” he laughed, gesturing to my suit.

I
blushed, shaking my head.

“A
re you really sorry? That you kissed me?”

He
paused for a brief moment, and ran his fingers through his hair. Then his eyes found mine. “Actually, no. I’m not sorry. Not at all.”

“Then don’t apologize
. It would be beyond pathetic to die without being kissed, and I’m glad that you were my first.”

“Kade?” Malachi called again.

“I guess I’d better get out there before he comes busting down the door.”

“Yeah, I guess you should.
”

“I’ll see you soon,” he wink
ed.

My heart melted.

“Yes. I’ll see you soon.”

He then opened the door and left
, leaving me alone and my head in a whirl.

It was just a kiss, but th
e most unbelievable kiss. What would have happened if we were left alone? Hey, I was an Angel, but half of my genetic make-up was Fallen. I guess I’d have to keep an extra eye out on myself.

I knew
, deep inside, that it was fate that brought us together. I felt right, complete, and perfect whenever Kade was around me. He made my world a better place to be, whenever he was near. What kind of future would fate allow us to live? Would we be allowed to be together, or would we die trying? Only time would answer that question.

  I walked over to the closet and found a bunch of jackets off to the side. There was a black leather trench coat, so I slipped it on. It reached just below my knees, covering most of my upper body. Good. I didn’
t want the others to see me in this suit.

Chapter 5

Time flew by and before I knew it everyone had gathered in the living room, dressed and ready for battle. Samuel, Danyel, Dominic, and Alexander miraculously seemed to be as good as new. Completely healed and no scars. That was crazy. They were so lucky, and I was still amazed by it all. But then again, I was healing almost as fast as they were.

Kade
came and stood next to me. He looked tired and weak compared to the rest of them, but still managed a smile when he saw me. As always, it melted my heart.

Thank goodness
Alaine had some pretty strong medicine, which seemed to be working its magic, helping him to manage his pain and heal as quickly as a mortal could. She even returned his blue vial, which looked like it had been refilled.

“Hey Emma, you’re looking pretty
damn hot in that tight leather outfit,” Dominic jested, wiggling his eyebrows.

Oh God
. I quickly hugged the coat around me.

I glanced at Kade and he had a grin on his face. “Told you,” he whispered.

“Yeah, I have to agree with Dominic, which I hardly do,” Alex chimed, smiling at me.

All eyes were now looking
at me, making me feel like I was naked. My face flushed with heat.

“Hey!
Hey! Hey! Keep those eyes in your heads, boys. That’s my daughter you’re talking about,” Samuel stepped in.

“Watch out! Daddy’s gonna take names and kick ass
,” Malachi laughed, punching Dominic on the arm.

“Hey, watch the goods, man
. It just healed and it’s still a little tender,” Dominic said, rubbing his muscle.

“Whatever,
you big baby,” Malachi huffed.  

Samuel
walked over to me, and placed both of his hands on my shoulders. “You’re beautiful, Emma. You look so much like your mother,” he said softly with a smile. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. I smiled and he stepped to the other side of me, opposite of Kade.

“Okay. S
o let’s go over this one more time,” Samuel spoke. Everyone quieted and looked at him. “Once the cameras show the way is clear, the first team will go out and clear any debris before we exit. Malachi and James will go out first, Danyel and I will follow with Kade and Emma, and then Dominic and Alexander will cover our backs. Alaine will be staying back with Caleb, because he is still too weak to move.

“Once we’re out, we will make our w
ay to the porthole. Dominic and Alexander will head back to the house and alert Thomas. You all will need to find a way to get Alaine and Caleb back to the house safely. Then pray for us. Even if we make it to the porthole, it’s a deadly journey into Hell, and we’ll need all the help we can get.”

Everyone
stayed silent but nodded in agreement. They all knew what they had to do. It was the same as they’d always done from the beginning. It’s what they were born and trained to do. Fight. Even until death.

Samuel walked
up to Alaine, wrapped her in his arms, and softly whispered, “Alaine, no matter what happens, I want you to know that I love you. There has not been one day, nor one breath, nor one beat of my heart, in which I have ever doubted that love. If I don’t find my way back, please be strong, and rest assured that I will do everything in my power to make sure that Emma gets back to you safely.”

Alai
ne wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed.

I still had a difficult time
wrapping my head around the fact that they were my parents. They were much too beautiful. They didn’t even look like they were old enough to be my parents.

But what really blew me
away was the way that they looked at each other. There was something in their eyes that spoke loudly to everyone around them. They were meant to be together, and they knew and felt it. A perfect match. A bond. A love so true, and so strong that it withstood years of separation and pain.

How could there
be a law that forbade them to be together? Love should have no boundaries, no limits, and no law. Love should be free and given to whomever it wants.

I wondered
if I would ever share a love like theirs, and if Kade was the one I’d share it with? I still had lots of time to figure it all out. But right now, at this moment, love wasn’t on the top of my list. My number one priority was to stay alive, and help to keep the people around me alive.  

Kade’s hand reached
for me, and as I took hold of it he laced his fingers through mine. I glanced up at him, and he smiled, his eyes were bright, and a little more blue than green today. I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was.

As we watched Samuel and Alaine share their last kiss and embrace, he gently squeezed my hand and then let go
.

“Are you r
eady?” he whispered.

I nodded. 

Alaine walked up to me and wrapped me in her arms.

“I love you, Emma,” she sobbed.
“Please be safe, and take care of yourself.”

Even though I’d
only recently learned that Alaine was my mother, she was exactly that…my mother…and she obviously loved me.

What she did
when I was born was for my own safety, and I came to realize that it was done unselfishly. Over the course of these intense few days, she’d proven her love, so I, in return, would let her hear the words that I knew she wanted to hear from her only daughter.

Four
powerful words which could help mend her heart from the years we spent apart. She deserved them.

“I love you, too
.”

A
s soon as I spoke those words, she broke down even more, and my heart broke for her. Tears streamed from my eyes, knowing that I’d be leaving her, and not knowing if I’d ever see her again. I hugged her tight, one last time, and whispered, “Goodbye.”

Samuel
took her into his arms again, led her back into the room with Caleb, and returned a few minutes later.

“She’ll be fine. It’s been a rough few days for her, and she hasn’t had much sleep.”

I nodded, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“Alright sweetheart, it’s just like we did coming out of the cave
the other night. Just hold on tight, even if I have to let go,” he said with a smile.

“Got it
,” I replied.

Malachi and James were
already at the door.

“
You guys ready to kill some Fallen ass?” Dominic cheered, raising his blades in the air. He suddenly stopped and looked over to Samuel and Danyel. “Hey, no offense Sam and Dan. I meant the “other” Fallen…out there,” he said, gesturing towards the hallway.

“None taken,” Danyel responded. Samuel just laughed
and shook his head.

Malachi
opened the door, and started out.

“
As soon as we get to the next door, I want you to hop on,” Samuel said. I nodded, trying to slow my breathing. In a matter of a few minutes we were at the next door, and Malachi held his hand up for everyone to stop.

“This is it. You all ready
?” he asked.

Everyone
readied their weapons. Samuel took out a dagger similar to the one Dominic gave me, which was strapped to my waist.

“Ready!” everyone cheered in unison.

I hopped onto Samuel’s back and Kade did the same on Danyel’s. He looked so uncomfortable, and I tried not to look.

Malachi pushed the numbers on the
side of the wall, and my heart pounded as the door slid open. He and James charged out first, weapons drawn with war cries. But they were met with nothing.

The place was empty, but t
hey continued to sniff the air for any scents of evil.

“I
t’s clear! Go! Go! Go!” Malachi yelled, waving us to come.

I knew the Darkling
couldn’t be out in the light, but I had a gut feeling that the Fallen weren’t too far away.

Watching.

Waiting.

“Emma, whatever happe
ns, just hold on tight,” Samuel repeated.

“I will,” I
breathed. I was anxious knowing that anything could happen, and praying that nothing would.

“Danyel, follow me.
We’ll stay on the ground and use the cover of trees to stay hidden. We will be easy targets if we fly.”

Danyel nodded.

Fly? Did he just say fly? OMG! My father could fly, which meant he had wings! I wondered if they were black and beautiful like Lucian’s were.

Wow. My dad had wings.

I glanced over to
Kade who didn’t look too happy about being a passenger, so I shot him a smile. He smiled back and gave me a slight nod. I was just about to wish him luck, when Samuel yelled.

“
Let’s go!”

Be
fore I could think another thought, Samuel took off. I almost fell off from his initial burst forward, but quickly repositioned myself and tightened my grip. I gasped as the cold Alaska wind whipped against my face. Samuel headed for the cover of trees, and in seconds we were there.

He trie
d to avoid tree branches, but there were way too many. I knew I’d have tons of scratches on every single place that was exposed; especially since he was traveling like the speed of light. We were going so fast, it made me dizzy. Everything around us was a complete blur, so I kept my eyes closed, and my head down to try and avoid being hit in the face.  

It literally felt like we were flying, because I
didn’t feel or hear his feet pounding over the ground. Our journey was silent, and I wondered if Danyel and Kade were anywhere near us. I tried to peek behind us, and to the sides, but I couldn’t focus long enough to see a thing. I heard branches cracking ahead of us, and resigned myself to think that it was them. At least it made me feel better.

We must have been traveling for a while because my muscles started to
ache. I wanted to relax them because they’d been tensed for so long, but I was afraid that if I slacked, even the slightest bit, that I’d fall.