Guardian
Heather Burch
Book 2 of The Halflings
Guardian
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Summary: As their mission becomes clearer, dangers intensify and tensions flare for half-angel, half-human guardians Mace and Raven, while seventeenyear-old Nikki, torn between them, desperately needs their protection from Damon Vessler and the powerful secret he holds.
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To the women in my life:
First, my mom, Mary Elisabeth McWilliams. You taught me to dream big.
Is this big enough, Momma?
Diane Burch, my second mom, and the one who pushed me to write. And write. And write.
Melodie Adams, my mentor and friend. You encouraged me and wouldn’t let me give up.
You’re truly a friend of the Halflings and easily my best friend in the world.
Chapter 1
"We are not going in.” Mace had Raven by the shirt, his hand fisted into the cloth.
Vine swallowed. Only two days ago Mace and Raven, along with their parental stand-in, Will, had rescued Nikki from her godfather, Damon Vessler—yeah, rescued. You could argue that she’d chosen Will and the Halflings, but decisions could always be revoked. As far as Vine was concerned, it was amazing Nikki was still staying at the house. Vessler was like a thundercloud on the day of a parade, hovering and waiting to strike. Vine could feel the approaching threat. So could Mace and Raven, which was one reason the two of them were seconds from tearing each other apart. The other reason was completely wrapped around Nikki herself. They both had it bad for her. And no one—including Will—knew if or when she’d go running back to Vessler.
And all of those factors caused Vine to stay alert. He’d even left the house without the bag of candy he’d spent an hour carefully packing after Zero discovered the location of a possible Omega Corporation storage facility.
Raven shoved Mace away from him. “If we can get inside, we can find out what Omega’s hiding. Why would a science lab need a giant warehouse?”
Mace’s shoulders dropped marginally. Vine could see he was trying to calm down, and that Raven’s smug smile wasn’t helping. “We were told to observe and report back to Will.”
“This isn’t Will’s journey, Mace. It’s ours. And the sooner we find out why Omega wants Nikki, the sooner this whole nightmare is over.”
At the mention of Nikki’s name, Mace’s eyes changed. The strange blue-green color darkened into a bubbling sea of frustration, and Vine watched Mace’s right hand flex.
Of all the days to forget gummy worms.
Mace and Raven were probably pretty evenly matched as far as Halflings go. It’d be a brutal fight—and Vine was ready. He’d stepped between the two once or twice. But their anger was boiling like a lava pit, and all that hostility was about to release somewhere. It wouldn’t be at each other. Vine wouldn’t allow it.
Mace’s fingers relaxed, but his eyes remained harsh and focused. “We also risk being caught. This place is crawling with men from Omega.”
“Exactly,” Raven argued. “We need to find out what’s happening inside or this trip was a waste.”
It wasn’t a trip; they’d simply gone to the edge of town on a surveillance mission. When they saw a van with the Omega emblem on the side, they confirmed what Zero had suspected: The lab was more than a harmless research facility. Their job was done.
“And if we go inside, we could ruin everything. We’re leaving.”
An engine whined above them, and the three boys ducked deeper into the tree line as a small private plane circled overhead. When it landed at the adjacent airfield, the boys relaxed. Sort of.
Raven challenged Mace with a look. “I don’t take orders from you.”
“You don’t take orders from anyone. You do whatever you want without even a thought to how it could hurt others.”
Raven angled closer. “Are you talking about Nikki? It’s not my fault she didn’t pick you, bro.”
That’s when the fist flew past Vine and sank into Raven’s jaw. Stunned for a moment, Vine waited for Raven to retaliate, but the return punch didn’t come. Instead a slow, devious smile formed on Raven’s lips. “It’s not my fault you lost. Get used to it.”
Raven walked away.
Mace stared down at his hand, then at the ground. And Vine’s heart ached for him. How many times would Mace have to relive Nikki’s refusal to get romantically involved? She hadn’t chosen Raven; she just decided not to be with Mace. Since their last date on homecoming night, the two of them had stayed apart, but it wasn’t hard to see they were both miserable.
She hadn’t gotten any closer to Raven either. She avoided him like she avoided everyone. But it didn’t take a Halfling’s senses to see her resistance was crumbling.
Vine wanted to say something to alleviate even a little of Mace’s pain, but there just weren’t words. Instead, he placed a reassuring hand on Mace’s shoulder. “Everything’s falling apart,” Vine muttered. The words popped out unrestrained.
“Let this be a lesson, Vine.”
Even now, Mace was watching out for his “kid brother.” They weren’t actually related, of course. Not by blood. Like all Halflings, their family was due to providence, destiny. And Vine was grateful he’d been given a wise older sibling. Two, actually. Raven was just as smart—he simply chose to go after instant gratification sometimes rather than follow wise counsel. Vine had learned from both of them. What to do … and especially what not to do.
Falling for a human was on the latter list. It had been the Achilles heel for both boys. If Mace and Raven lived through their broken hearts, maybe things could get back to normal. They’d survive, at least. Nikki’d sworn to Vine she wouldn’t get involved with either of them. He hoped she was telling the truth.
Nikki heard the voices right after that unmistakable sensation of heaven breaching earth. Lightning particles danced across her fingertips and she knew something ethereal was happening downstairs. She left the room—her sanctuary, her hiding place from the boys—and paused at the top of the stairs. The air in the room below was electric. So much so, she wasn’t sure she could enter. It was reminiscent of the first time she’d met Mace, Raven, and Vine. Back when she had normal things like a family and a real home.
Now she was an orphan. But best not to dwell on that when there were so many more important issues, like how she nearly was the cause of Mace—and Raven, for that matter—losing his one chance at eternity. A good eternity. Everyone would spend eternity somewhere, she now understood, but for Halflings there was no salvation, only obedience. Either by choice or by rebellion, all half-human, half-angel beings would either rise or sink. She nearly sunk the two she cared for most.
Last night she’d found Vine with tears in his eyes, sitting alone on the back porch. He knew as well as she did that she held the power to destroy Mace and Raven. What she hadn’t realized until then was how strong that power still was—and what it was doing to the rest of the house. She promised Vine she wouldn’t lead either boy on, and that she would do everything she could to keep them on the side of the Throne. Now she had to concentrate on keeping that promise, even though it only made her feel deader inside. She truly was alone. But though the solitude cut like a razor against her heart, it was a vacation compared to the thought she’d send either one to hell. That she couldn’t bear.
Nikki blinked and put one foot on the first step, intent on dealing with whatever awaited her downstairs, when she heard Will’s voice slice through the haze of regrets and promises. She tried to piece the conversation together. All she could understand was a ship had sunk.
The heavenly angel’s words were filled with concern. “Is the crew of The Journey all right?”
“All accounted for,” a voice replied.
She could practically feel Will sighing with relief. For a heavenly angel who wasn’t equipped with human emotions, Will sure seemed to experience them.
“Why has this news brought you to my door, brothers?”
His brothers? More heavenly angels? Maybe that’s why the room felt so alive with the essence of heaven. She shifted her weight just enough to make the stair creak. Nikki’s eyes closed at the sound. How could I be so stupid? Eavesdropping on heavenly angels. She felt the gravity of their stares, though she couldn’t see them. A few heavy moments passed.
“Come,” Will said. “Let’s go into the kitchen where we can talk.”
Stupid, stupid, stupid. She was lousy at the stealthy thing. Maybe she should have studied ninjutsu instead of karate.
“Who was that?” Vine asked Will as two heavenly angels disappeared from the house.
Will didn’t answer.
“Things going okay here?” He reached across the counter and grabbed the bag of candy he’d forgotten earlier.
“We may be leaving.” Will’s expression looked pained.
Vine frowned while several thoughts splashed through his head. Leaving Missouri, this journey? “Why, and where would we go?”
Will faced him, hands resting against the countertop. “The two angels who were here informed me a transport ship went down at the hands of The Journey. They think we need to accompany Sky, Dash, and Ocean to Europe.”
Vine needed a sugar fix and fast, because that just didn’t make sense. “We’re on a journey already, Will. Why would we need to interrupt this journey to start another one?”
“There’s no reason at all.”
“You’re not making sense.”
“It makes perfect sense. The Journey is part of our journey.” Will forced a smile. “Ironic, isn’t it?”