Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1 (23 page)

His grunt was immediate. “I thought it was about time you understood your heritage. All this talk of killing is absurd.” His arm swept sideways. “What do you see before you?”

I shrugged. “Space stuff.”

The grin was back, but he nodded. “What do you think the vista before you is?”

I stared, attempting to put shape and form to the unending sea of whatever the stuff was. “I have no idea.”

“What if I were to tell you it’s the stuff worlds are made of?”

Several emotions crossed my face before I answered him. I couldn’t decide if I should be ticked he didn’t simply come out and tell me or if I wanted the satisfaction of being a smartass. The latter won. “Someone took cosmic soup a little too literally.” He smirked but didn’t comment. I was certain I’d never get him. “What does this have to do with me?”

“What do you know about angels, Travis?”

Since it seemed we’d be here a while, I lowered myself to sit on the ledge and dangled my feet into nothingness. Nicco joined me, keeping an arm’s distance between us. “Only what little of the Bible I got before I refused to listen anymore.” I studied him for a moment. “Are you really one … an angel, I mean?”

He nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

My brows knitted together. “What? Is it a bad thing?” He took a deep breath, which struck me as odd. For a heavenly being, he seemed rather ordinary. Before he could answer, I asked, “Where’s your wings?”

His voice remained steady, but there was a sharp edge to his tone. “I am not seraphim; therefore, I have no wings, and as for the good and bad of being an angel, it is what it is. We have a long memory, which is not as beneficial as you might imagine.”

I shook my head. “I have plenty of things I’ve done I’d rather forget, and I’ve only been around for twenty-one years, I think. Being in the damn fae realm so long, who knows how old I really am now?”

He flicked his wrist. “It matters not. Time is meaningless for our kind.”

He wasn’t exactly being subtle, but I had to be sure. “Are you saying I’m immortal?”

His smile hinted of pride. “You grow as a human, but you will never age like one.”

“So I’m an angel, too?”

“As all accounts would read, you are nephilim.”

I wasn’t sure what accounts he was talking about, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to ask. My Bible recall was a little rusty, but I remembered a few things. His reasoning didn’t seem sound. “I’m no giant.”

He laughed
— the sound a little wicked for an angel. “To be honest, you are the first of your kind. We do not know the extent of your abilities or your limitations.”

“What about the nephilim of old?”

He leaned back on his elbows as if to get comfortable. No amount of rearranging myself would relieve the unrest growing inside. A part of me wanted to discount what he said, but a bigger part of me waited for his words as if they were a steak dinner. “The origin of angels is not what humans believe. We are not benevolent beings eager to serve mortals.” He made a face. “I suppose my statement isn’t true for all. There are some who willingly and happily serve. Yet others of us are tired of waiting for what was promised us. As history recalls, those who were too impatient to reap their reward paid for their impetuous choice.”

I could barely breathe. “What do you mean?”

“Know this, my son, you were designed from the foundations of the world. I have waited long for the day I could call you such.” He stared at me as though searching my soul. “There will be a time when all will be revealed to you, but knowledge is best gained through true understanding. Experience is the only way to acquire true awareness. I’m afraid even I do not comprehend all.”

Jumbled thoughts bombarded my mind, but one kept getting stuck. “Why is everyone freaking out about the price on my head if I can’t be killed?”

“Your true power is yet to be tested. Since you are an unknown, I suppose they seek to keep you safe because they care for you.”

My sister would say the same thing. “Did you have this conversation with Rayla?”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “You and she are not identical. She is the Nexus. You are nephilim.”

I did my best to process what he said, but it didn’t make a bit of sense. “We’re twins, as I recall.”

“By birth only. Rayla has been given many gifts, among them the power to wield all elements, but you were created for a different purpose.”

A shudder ran over my back. “Which is?”

“To begin the age of angels.”

IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG TO SEARCH what was left of my
hometown. The outskirts had been leveled, too, but I’d realized we were smack dab in the middle of a national park, so who would really notice?

We traveled to Moab for supplies and dinner. As much as I would have loved to drift directly to Milt’s for a burger and a shake, we opted for taking my old beast. Amazingly enough, the thing still ran
— and had enough gas to make it to Moab. It was a tight fit, considering we had Levi with us, but he didn’t seem to mind having Natalie on is lap. She, on the other hand, sat rigid as a rod. I caught him touching her hair a time or two. Natalie seemed intent to ignore him. Sandwiched between Heath, who insisted on driving, and Lacey, who stared out the window with her mouth open, I followed her view. Before she could comment, I saw it — a door without a handle set into the painted cliff-face. Moab area was home to some of the most stunning scenery I’d ever seen. Bluff after bluff of sheer rock cliffs, striped and rugged lined the right side of the road, while the rock formations of Arches National Park played peek-a-boo on the left. Amid Mother Nature’s beauty, the door stood out, even though it had obviously been painted to blend in.

“What do you suppose it is?” asked Lacey, craning her neck behind us as we passed.

I shrugged. “It could be an old mine shaft or a military bunker.”

As hungry as I was, I still was curious enough to stop. It was too Order-like not to check. Heath snapped his attention to me and shook his head. I nodded, giving him my firmest stare. He shook his head again,
then focused on the road.

Curiosity had gotten me in trouble more often than not, so I could see his point. Yet the idea of leaving the area without discovering the purpose of the door would just be wrong. No one else commented, and Lacey let it go. I should have, too, but I sent a mental query to my husband, instead. I kept it simple. “Why?”

He rolled his eyes. We are on a specified mission. We cannot veer off course or risk losing our target completely.

He thought he had me. It was clear in the smug set of his jaw. This time, I spoke out loud. “What if our target resides in that disguised bunker?”

Using a low tone, he answered. As if those in the back could hear over the road noise. “Unlikely. Elementals would not risk hiding this close to Castlerock, while Order operatives might use the place as a trap.”

“What if the Elementals used your logic and decided a bunker was the safest place they could regroup?”

“You don’t know it’s a bunker, Rayla. You don’t know anything about the place. The last thing we are going to do is risk our team in an unknown location.”

I could hardly understand his logic. “I thought our entire mission was to recover Elementals. If there is any chance they could be hiding in the bunker, either by choice or by force, we will find out.”

Levi shifted so Natalie was more on Finn than him. “If I could say something.” I wanted to give a cutting remark, but I chose to keep quiet. Giving me a polite nod, he continued, “Heath is right. We hardly have the support here to level an attack. Strategy calls for a better plan.”

That was where Natalie came in, but he didn’t need to know. I had asked her to do some digging after we got to the diner. If anyone could gather info in a short period of time, it was her. Heath gave a gasp, which made me groan. I had been doing my best to shield this information from him, but given the circumstance I let it slip. I turned to him, wrapping my arm around his neck and planting a kiss to his jawline. “She won’t raise suspicion. She’s human.” At his turbulent expression, I frowned. “What happened to my warrior?”

He sneered. “He got married. Rayla, I have no way of truly protecting you. If we were bonded fully, it might be different.”

I stiffened. “I think I’ve proven I can take care of myself. And I’m immortal, so you can’t lose me.”

His expression softened, and in one look his love encircled me. “Of course you have, sweetheart, but we’re talking about dark fae and the Order. In combat where power is not an option, how would you fare? You are a queen, and my first responsibility is to your safety.”

Dang it.
As much as I’d tried to become a ninja, my skills lay mostly in magical abilities. I wanted to argue. The thing was I really couldn’t. I’d been in the exact scenario, and without my powers, I’d been left to being manhandled by Lambert’s goon squad. Frick and Frack came into my mind and regret filled it shortly thereafter. I still hadn’t dealt with killing a man. I certainly didn’t want it to ever happen again.

When I let it go, so did Heath. Levi returned to his seat, and Natalie settle
d back in. Lacey gave me a questioning stare, but I shook my head. As much as I wanted to go in blazing, I couldn’t risk my team to save someone else. With Travis, I’d learned the cost of trading one life for another. I wouldn’t do it again.

I SAT UP IN A FLASH of confusion, seeking something tangible to tell me where I was. The soft sound of the wind ruffling fabric drew my attention to a balcony shielded by night. The billowy cloth floated on the air like dancing apparitions. I breathed in deeply, attempting to name the floral scent which filled my head with visions of paradise. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to appreciate it, then I stood, my heart aching for the absence of my son.

Soft silk fell from around my knees to pool against the floor. I was bare, other than the scanty nightgown I’d been place in. I’d long since gotten over feeling violated by situations like this. When Lambert first set his sights on me, I’d fought him. After a while, I’d become numb to his advances, but one day they stopped. I’d known it was Valen who had put an end to Lambert’s ideas for romance where I was concerned. I was grateful for the reprieve, but considering the two men, I would have preferred my chances with Lambert.

“You will come to see the folly in your choice.” The dark voice could belong to no other than Valen.

Chills swept me, but I remained still. My heartbeat spiked to a trotting cadence that echoed in my ears. I swallowed, forcing myself to focus. I was still within the age of power, so his thrall thrilled me, yet it was as ashes in my mouth when I let myself contemplate the feelings. “Where is my son?”

Out of the shadows, he emerged, wearing a long robe, his feet bare against the cool marble. My toes having registered the chill ached for covering. With each step he took toward me, I edged back in the direction of the bed until I realized I’d be trapping myself. I changed trajectory toward the door. “Do you still think to escape me?” He shook his head. “What has happened to the Elemental community? What has happened to obedience?”

My hand came to my throat as if for protection. With him staring so intently at my pulse, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he sprouted fangs. As if to mock me, he ran his tongue along his canines. “It is not your blood I seek, Emily.”

Heat flushed through my body, stripping my knees of strength. The way he said my name sent chills rippling over my arms. I hugged myself, praying for aid. I’d never minded being an Elemental until this moment. He advanced, but I could no longer move.

“Please,” I said, swallowing to keep my focus.
“My son.”

His fingers grazed my neck, following the line down to the curve of my left breast. “He is well, Emily. Do not fear for him.”

I closed my eyes, attempting to shake off his influence, but he was everywhere, including in the recesses of my mind. “I don’t want this,” I said, keeping my back straight.

I’d heard the horror stories of multitudes of Elementals being captured and held against their wills by the fae. My mother and father had sacrificed much to make sure I would not be one who met the same fate. As I stared at the man before me, I realized their sacrifice had been in vain. I felt myself being lowered to the bed. I felt myself yield to his touch. I felt my mind slip with each stoke until it was all I could do to keep the name in my recall. Blade, I said again and again. Valen raised himself onto an elbow.

“You have no need to fear, my love. I have taken care of your child. If you prove yourself a worthy companion, I will allow you to see him.”

Rebellion sang a call in my head, but I pushed it down. The fight for my future was futile, but I would do anything for my son. I let myself recall Travis’ kind face, his loving nature, and his voice. Then, I pushed those memories far into my mind, locking them away. With shaking fingers, I reached out to touch the smooth skin along Valen’s jaw.

He smiled, cupping my hand under his. “That is right,” he purred, letting me explore his features. When the tears came, I allowed them to fall, knowing I would never cry again. My heart was being blackened. My only hope was to keep this man happy — it was the only way I would ever see my son again.