Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1 (34 page)

The deeper we travelled, the fainter the elevator music became. Once past the boiler room and other maintenance tunnels, we reached an archway. William motioned me forward. “Have you decided who is to come with me?” He cleared his throat. “Forgive me, I’ve failed to mention, my men will stay here with your group
… for protection.”

I frowned.
“Of course. I will go, but I need someone without power to come with me.”

Natalie stepped forward, lifting her hand to take my arm. I leaned closer. “I want you to remain in the doorway. If I give warning, alert Rayla.”

She squeezed my arm and walked after William. I gave a glance to Faine, who nodded.

William opened the ten-foot door and waited for us to enter. A bustle of activity caught my attention. The place was filled with bodies and equipment. There were monitors everywhere.

I strode into the room and tested my power. It was available, although there was some kind of dampening field. Curiosity made my feet want to move forward, but it left Natalie, who gaped at the scene, to fetch the others.

Rayla looked on with concerned eyes as I came into the hall. “Well?” she asked immediately.

I shook my head. “It’s fine, but you aren’t going to believe what’s in there.”

MY MIND REFUSED TO FOCUS DESPITE my efforts. The room was spinning with my thoughts, and I could hardly see straight. A part of me recognized Ainessa was doing something wrong to me, but the rest was all for it. I wasn’t sure how we got back to Valen’s place when we were in the woods moments ago.

“Travis,” Ainessa said. “I need you to focus.” Her beautiful face came into view, and I smiled, not knowing exactly why. Her ring glowed against her finger as she lifted her hand to my face. “Say it now. Who do you be-long to?”

“You?”

She let out a frustrated groan and kissed me again. It was nice in a lot of ways, yet there was someone else I’d rather be with. Why couldn’t I remember? Ainessa’s hand traveled over my jaw to the
back of my neck where she laced her fingers into my hair. I pulled away and looked at her. “Why am I here again?”

Her green eyes rolled, and she leaned toward me again. “You’re my bondmate. It’s our honeymoon.”

“Why are we here? I don’t like Valen.”

She lifted her head until it banged against the headboard. “We’ve gone over it already, Travis. You must listen.”

“Sorry,” I said, but I didn’t feel it. Something was wrong. If I was bound to this woman why didn’t I re-member the ceremony?

“It’s okay. Things will be better once you give me your heart.” I hoped she didn’t mean literally. She laughed and ruffled my hair.
“Such a silly boy. If you were dead, you would be of no use to me. Don’t you see? I’ve saved you.”

I tried to recall the events, but things were too hazy to sort through.
“How?”

She gave a grunt and sat up, giving me an up close and personal view of her bare back. She was a thing of beauty. Her body perfectly molded to match my tastes, yet there was no real attraction. She turned, tears in her eyes. “You mock me. After all I’ve done. I should leave you for Valen to finish.”

I lifted myself until I rested my weight on my elbow. I hated it when women cried. I wasn’t exactly sure why, but I couldn’t stand to listen to it. Grace Keller had only cried twice when she raised me. The first time was when Rayla came to live with us, and the last was when she left for college. Sarah and Jenny had cried over any stupid thing, and a lot of times I thought it was to get what they wanted. Was Ainessa trying to manipulate me now?

Her ring glowed brighter, so I reached out to touch it. She pulled it back at the last second. “I’ll show you my ring once we’ve completed the bond.”

I frowned. “You said I was your bondmate already.”

“Don’t get so mired in technicalities, boy.”

Her inflection ignited a fire of hatred inside me. I stood. Gaining my balance was difficult. Finally, the room came into focus, and so did she. Ainessa was completely naked lying on an enormous bed, beckoning me to her. It was only now I realized my clothes were missing. I retreated a few steps, hoping the distance would bring more clarity. I frowned, piecing things together.

She’d found me in the woods and brought me back. I was leaving to go get help because Valen had
— why couldn’t I remember? “You’ve stolen my memories,” I said.

Ainessa didn’t deny it. Instead, she gave a slight shrug. “It’s for your own good. You would have gotten yourself killed if I let you continue with your plan.”

Plan? None of this was part of the plan. Taylor had told her to protect me, and she’d brought me to Valen. A child’s face floated to the surface of my mind. I closed my eyes to block out the fae.

She came to my side, but I held her at arm’s length. “What did you do?”

A flash of guilt crossed her face before she smiled. “I made it possible for you to see your child. I helped you.”

Why did her answer feel like a lie? I didn’t think fae could lie.

She laughed. “A silly superstition. One of many humans were given to make them feel better.”

Humans
— fae — angels. It was the part of the puzzle I’d been missing. I wasn’t human or fae. I wasn’t Elemental, either. I was nephilim, and she was in trouble. I scowled. “Where’s Emily?”

Her features hardened. “You would be wise to forget her, Travis.”

It was my turn to laugh. “You’ve failed, Ainessa. You can’t bond with me, and I won’t give you what you want.”

The blue stone in her ring pulsed with a black light. “I could make you.”

I shook my head. “No. You couldn’t. It doesn’t work on me, does it?”

She reached for me, but I spun to avoid her touch. “You don’t know what you’re doing, Travis. If you want to keep Emily safe, you will do what I say.”

I stared, repulsed by the monster inside her. “You’re a liar, and I would be foolish to believe a word you say. I will find another way to help Emily.”

THIS WHOLE SCENARIO SCREAMED OF WRONG. Here Zach was acting as if he’d just experienced the eighth wonder of the world. I should have been chomping at the bit to see the magnificence for myself, yet I remained leery.

“What is it?” asked Heath from beside me. He sent a message for me to stay put, as if I’d race into danger. I shrugged and let him take over. It was more important for me to pay attention to the men surrounding us. They hadn’t made a move to advance, but the situation could change at any moment. Tension lingered in the air, despite an assurance from William he was meant to protect us. He hadn’t said a word about who had sent him, or why we needed his services.

Zach opened his mouth, yet the words didn’t come. “It’s something you have to see.
Lots of people ... Elementals.”

The word was all it took to get me to push past Heath and Zach. The
room was enormous with two mezzanine levels above the main floor, which seemed to have been designed with the same renaissance architecture as the rest of the building. The domed ceiling was decorated with ornate scrollwork and frescos I couldn’t make out from this distance. Massive columns supported the ceiling, each sporting a different gargoyle at the junction between the two. Imposing figures to be sure, but there was so much more to take in I had to move on.

Women and men bustled around carrying what looked like groceries to a kitchen area near the back. There was a section with monitors scattered over the walls. Wires hung everywhere, and I wondered what kind of power it would take to light the heavy chandeliers, let alone run the kind of surveillance they had. More than twenty people sat in front of a line of screens. Some scenes matched those above, but others were different. My mind hardly took everything in. It was all too much. Finally, I came out and asked, “What is this place?”

William smiled. “I think I will let someone else tell you.”

I searched the faces around us, but no one seemed familiar. A laugh sounded behind me, and I whirled. Jessica stood a yard away, arms folded with a stern set to her jaw. “You, my dear Rayla, are a hard person to find.”

My mouth fell open. I had no idea what to say. I’d lost track of Jessica after Heath and I reunited her with Adam. The last time I’d seen him had been back at St. Mary’s College when he and his friend had been hunting ghosts, but he stood beside Jessica offering an open grin. Jessica rushed forward, pulling me into a hard embrace.

Adam cleared his throat. “Ease up, babe. You’re going to crack a rib.”

I hid my smile, because this was a time to be serious. Jessica had been part of the underground effort to free Elementals from the Order. She’d come to St. Mary’s to get the goods on the Wayne family and had been blocked at every turn. She and I hadn’t been best of friends from the beginning. To be honest, I couldn’t stand her, but when Taylor had compelled her right in front of me, it broke my heart. I’d learned of Jessica’s relation-ship with Adam and felt terrible because she had been nearly past the age of power, and I’d ruined it for her. If not for Heath, she probably would have still been bound to Braiden. It seemed my blood somehow gave her the ability to break the bond.

I stepped back, taking her in. “How?” I asked.

Jessica and Adam disappeared when the cards all settled. I couldn’t believe they escaped Lambert’s notice. I hadn’t seen the man this trip, and I hoped to avoid him at all costs. Until I was ready to take him down, I didn’t want to risk anyone in my company to his whims. Silent until this moment, he released a low whistle, nodding in approval while he surveyed the place.

Jessica laughed, taking her place by Adam’s side. “Do you remember w
hen I said I was part of the resistance?” I nodded, still frowning because I’d seen the rebels Aunt Grace once led. “I know what you’re thinking, and, yeah, I wasn’t part of this, but when Adam and I ran from Lambert, we caught the first ship to the UK. Somehow, I was recognized as an Elemental, and we were brought here. I had to find you because ...” She rubbed her arms as if they were cold. “There’s more going on with the Order than what you think.”

I frowned, not liking the chill in her tone. “What are you saying, Jessica?”

“The Order is not only experimenting on Elementals. Lambert is depraved.” She motioned down a corridor to the left. “Come with me. I need to show you something.”

Ice prickled against my neck. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know whatever made Jessica’s face fall. We already had so much to deal with. I didn’t know if I could take any more.

One of the workers picked up a remote and increased the volume of the large screen in the middle of the others. A wave of sadness seemed to sweep the room, and Jessica stopped to watch the broadcast. A news reporter spoke into the camera, her face as crestfallen as those surrounding us. “For the second time this month, a local woman was reported missing last evening after leaving a bar with friends.” A picture replaced the reporter. The girl couldn’t have been more than nineteen with sunny blonde hair and a crisp complexion. Her bright brown eyes were filled with mischief as she blew a kiss. The news woman was shown once again. “If you have information regarding the whereabouts of Lisa Childers, please contact the Merseyside Police.”

Her companion reporter, a man in his mid-thirties or early forties with graying at his temples shook his head. “Do the detectives have any leads?”

The woman shook her head. “Neighbors say young Lisa was quiet and kept to herself.”

“Mmm,” he said. “Tragic. Have the police connected the two disappearances to those in Belfast?”

“Not at this time, but the similarities are startling.”

Suddenly, the channel went off air. Disturbances happened from time to time, but most often, it was fae interference. I’d left Mom in charge, and I wondered if she’d pulled the plug on this broadcast or if it really was a problem with the station. When Jessica faced me, her eyes filled with regret. “This will all make sense once I show you. Please, come with me.”

Unlike the gallery, the hallway was cramped and dingy as if it didn’t get used often. An acrid stench hit my nose about the same time as the chill. “Is that formaldehyde?”

When Jessica nodded, Heath’s hand rested at my back. In silence, we approached a door with security glass in the square window. “You don’t have to go in,” he said. Turning to Jessica, he stiffened. “Why have you brought us here? There is nothing we can do to remedy the situation.”

Jessica’s voice turned gruff. “If you can’t help us, who can?”

A sharp tone was unusual for my husband, but he managed it now. “Human society is beyond our grasp.”

Without another word, she opened the door. Even from here I could see the gray of the corpse lying on the gurney. My breath hitched, and I covered my nose. “Who is it?”

Jessica squared her shoulders.
“Lisa Childers.”

I AWOKE TO THE SAVORY SCENT of sausage. My eyes blinked open in time to catch Valen brush past the bed and lift a tray off the dresser to bring to me. His soft footfalls were the only noise in the place. Sunlight streamed in from the bay of windows, casting the man in gold. He was beautiful enough to be an angel, yet something hideously dark lurked underneath. How could someone possess such duality?