FREED (Angels and Gargoyles Book 2) (22 page)

“Just in the nick of time.” He gestured behind him. “They’re over by the roller coaster.”

Ellie pushed Dylan. “Just you,” she said.

“No,” Wyatt said, refusing to let go of Dylan’s hand. “We stay together.”

“It’s not you they want,” Ellie told him.

“Doesn’t matter. We stay together.”

Ellie seemed to consider the idea for a long moment. The guard stepped over beside her and whispered something Dylan couldn’t hear. She moved into Wyatt’s side, closing her eyes to find Stiles. She could see him, still lying on the crest of that hill, his body still caught in the paralyzing effects of whatever it was Ellie’s weapon had injected into him. Sam was still on the ground a yard back. But he was coming to, rolling around on the grass and moaning deep in his throat.

You have to help Stiles,
Dylan projected to him.

Sam stopped moving. He reached up and touched his head. “Dylan?” he muttered.

Help Stiles,
she repeated.

Sam sat up and looked around himself. He seemed confused, as though he had no idea where he was or how he got there. It wouldn’t have surprised Dylan to know that was exactly the case. Then he spotted Stiles and began to crawl in his direction.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Ellie said, jabbing her weapon into Dylan’s shoulder. She lost the connection, opening her eyes to find not only Ellie, but the guard, standing in front of her, fear in their eyes as they studied her.

“Don’t try any of your tricks,” Ellie said. She gestured toward the path behind them. “Start walking.”

Dylan clung to Wyatt’s hand as they began to follow the path again. She wasn’t sure what to expect when they got to their destination. Luc and Lily was the most likely scenario. Or maybe the gargoyles again, but she doubted that. Angels were more likely. The only question was, which angels? The ones working with Luc and Lily, or the ones who wanted to blow up the world and start over? Neither seemed like a pleasant option.

Do whatever you have to do,
Wyatt whispered in her mind as they turned a corner, moving closer to the round tracks that marked the ride Ellie was pushing them toward.
But don’t let me stop you from saving yourself.

I won’t leave you,
she repeated.

Wyatt glanced at her and squeezed her hand.

A moment later, they turned one last corner and found themselves face to face with their newest captor.

Davida.

“I wish I hadn’t taught you so well,” she said as she approached Dylan. “You’ve made this far more difficult than it needed to be.”

A shiver ran through Dylan. But it wasn’t her shiver.

Wyatt clung to her hand with a crippling grip that threatened to break every bone in her fingers. She squeezed back, moving as close to his side as she could get.

“What have you done?” she asked.

Davida studied her face for a long moment before reaching over to run a fingertip along her jaw. It was a familiar touch, not unlike the many times she had touched Dylan before. It reminded her of dark, frightening nights after a nightmare, when Davida would come to her and hold her, humming songs to her to keep the fear at bay. Of long afternoons playing board games with Davida and Donna instead of extra lessons like many of the other guardians forced their girls to do. Of the affection Dylan had always believed Davida lavished on her because she saw who she was and loved her, not in spite of it, but because of it.

“I knew the moment I saw you in the nursery,” she said. “I knew you were something special.”

“Who are you?” Dylan asked.

“I, my love, am the woman who is going to deliver you to your fate.”

“Woman?”

Davida stepped back, but not before she first scraped her fingernail over Dylan’s face again. But this time she drew blood and laughed as she watched how quickly it began to heal.

“You are amazing,” she said. “You heal ten times faster than most angels.”

“Was all of it a lie?” Dylan asked. “Did you ever care about me? About Donna?”

“Donna?” Davida said the name as though it was a joke, something that was taken seriously when it was never meant to be. “Donna was nothing, just a healer who had no idea what it meant to have such powers.”

“Donna was my sister.”

“Donna is a child who will find herself as dead as those gargoyles she believes so deeply in.”

Dylan started to pull away from Wyatt, to strike out, but Wyatt pulled her back. He pulled so hard that she fell into his side. It was almost a lover’s embrace, the way his arm twisted and moved around her, protecting her from Davida’s touch.

Davida studied them, a slow smile touching her lips. “Isn’t this sweet. The two hybrids have discovered each other. Wouldn’t Joanna be proud?”

Wyatt stiffened at the sound of his mother’s name. Davida just laughed, as though it was the funniest thing she had ever seen.

“What do you want from me?” Dylan demanded.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Davida asked. “My sister, my only true sister, is dying. She’s being brought here as we speak. And you, my darling, are going to fix her.”

“Never,” Dylan said.

Davida’s eyes narrowed. “You haven’t much choice, child.”

She made a gesture and a group of Redcoats moved up behind her.

“Where’s my father?” Wyatt suddenly demanded.

Davida’s eyes moved to his, some real emotion suddenly shining in them. She really cared about Jimmy, Dylan realized. There was hurt there, a deep hurt that only an emotion as deep as love could cause. Dylan didn’t know much about the relationships between men and women, but she had learned that much from her time with the resistance.

“Not far,” Davida said, her voice low and controlled. “You’ll see him soon.”

The Redcoats moved forward, one grabbing Dylan’s arm as another moved to restrain Wyatt. As they did, a breeze washed over Dylan’s shoulders. She caught Wyatt’s eye and gave a little nod. Then she jerked from the Redcoat’s grip and wrapped her arms around Wyatt’s waist.

“Isn’t young love sweet?” Davida said.

And then they were floating.

They had underestimated Dylan once again.

She was pretty sure they wouldn’t do it again. That was, if she ever gave them the chance.

~~~