SkyFall (Taken on the Wing Book 2) (45 page)

There is nothing else to do but wait for
Flay and Tempest.

 
“
Lady
Tempest,
”
Lawrence
lets himself into Cooper
’
s apartment. His clean white Cooper
’
s shirt glows under the full black apron
he wears when hauling stock around.
“
The full moon is only hours
away.
”

“
Yes,
Lawrence,
”
Tempest replies.

That it is and she
’
s running out of time.

Her late dinner
consists of canned soup and stale
crackers, all that
’
s left in Daniel Cooper
’
s barren kitchen. Tempest wears a
mid-calf length dress she borrowed from Deirdre
’
s room and a thick pair of socks. Even
with the patio doors locked tight against the cold it still sneaks across the
floor and since she
’
s in human form her feet don
’
t stay warm.

Something is very wrong with Lawrence. He
’
s agitated one moment and overly
friendly the next. Then he leaves her alone for hours with firm instructions to
not leave the apartment followed by companionship setting every nerve she has
on edge.

“
Not
’
til dawn,
”
she
continues.
“
But I will start trying the
lock after midnight.
”

Lawrence
is an awkward solid object blocking the
door. The heavy silver rings he wears make dull clicks as they knock together
and have been for days since he can
’
t
stop wringing his hands.

“
Why Tempest?
”

“
Pardon?
”

“
Why did they name you Tempest?
”

“
Um,
”
she wipes the corners of her mouth with a
half-piece of paper towel.
“
Well, my dame was a royal
gryphon and her magic was with the weather. I guess they thought I
’
d have a similar magic but my dragonkin
blood is too strong, I suppose. Other than a fondness for storms
…”

She shrugs. Lawrence seems to believe the
lie. She can
’
t tell any longer if he trusts
her. He doesn
’
t trust anything and turns
toward a blank patch of wall. In profile it
’
s clear his chest heaves though not in
time with his noisy breathing.

“
Take me,
”
he grunts.

“
I
can
’
t promise Daniel Cooper will
be there,
”
she shields her discomfort
with him behind a sip of water.
“
I
’
m
to leave the box if it
’
s deserted.
”

Lawrence
glowers and doesn
’
t try to hide the stink of threat. He
’
s become a dangerous gryphon, driven by
whomever tampered with his actions. The small tremors of his hands only still
when he resumes tangling his fingers. A menacing growl comes through Lawrence
’
s stiff lips and Tempest does
her best to return a smile in spite of his fused tooth plates.

“
But I understand you serve him best at
his side,
”
Tempest tries to ignore the
posturing. His cheeks flush but it fades as he gets some control of himself.

“
Yes,
”
he turns and stomps back to the door.
“
I
’
ll return by midnight.
”

“
Okay,
Lawrence.
”

The thuds of his booted feet track down
the hall, followed a minute later by the hum of the elevator. Once it
disappears, she waits for silence.

Tempest keeps her eyes and ears pointed
in the direction of the elevator, alert for any sign of its return, and goes
straight to Cooper
’
s room. The living room clock
chimes ten and she squeaks as the bells batter her sensitive gryphon hearing.

Once the ringing clears and she
’
s satisfied she
’
s still alone on the tower
’
s top floor she pulls the dress over her
head then lays out her armour. Then she stands on each foot with the other to
step out of the socks. With the key and leather piece in hand, she inspects the
tall opening. Bless Lawrence for being so thorough. He spent nearly an hour
vacuuming every corner of the room so there would be no dust for his pregnant
guest to inhale. Now there is no chance of dusty prints or disruptions around
the door perimeter betraying her early entry to the room.

She palms the stone plate to disengage
the lock and waits for any sign she
’
s
been heard.

Then she pushes the door open and strides
in.

With purpose,
she reminds herself.
In and out like
you were never here.

The box rests on the corner of a worn
sleeping mat. In Tempest
’
s memory, the room glows green
with the power of the relic. It isn
’
t
much larger than her palm. Such a small thing hides unimaginable power. The
days of agony under Aledaar
’
s gold relic give her a good
idea what this one is capable of except this one isn't the monster its gold
companion has become.

The key is long enough to go half way
through the box and the lock is far too small to fit but as she touches it to
the small hole it expands enough to allow the tip of the key to pass. Before a
single flash of green can enter the room, the lid opens and the piece of leather
covers the bracelet.

Tempest scoops it up and folds it deep
inside the leather while making the packet as thin as possible. As she snaps
the box shut the hum of the rising elevator reaches through the open chamber
door.

“
Oh,
crap,
”
she hisses and gets to her
feet. Lawrence hasn't been gone very long.

There
’
s no handle on the outside of the stone
door with which to pull it closed and her fingertips scrabble at the edge
before finding purchase. The door thuds shut at the same moment the elevator
comes to a stop.

Tempest tucks the leather packet in the
lining of her red leather chest piece. It will be uncomfortable but with it
concealed between her breasts at least there won
’
t be a bulge. She returns the key to the
thigh pouch on her trousers. Then she pulls Cooper
’
s bathrobe over her bare skin and draws
several slow breaths to ease the furious pounding of her heart.

Lawrence
lets himself into the apartment as she
goes to the bedroom door and turns toward Cooper
’
s private bathroom. She starts walking so
he can catch her moving in that direction and avoid giving him any clue she
’
s already been inside the stone room.

“
Lady
Tempest.
”

“
Goodness,
Lawrence,
”
she turns and clutches the
robe shut. She can be excused for not hearing him with human ears and the sight
of Lawrence winged and dressed for battle is enough to set her pulse pounding
again.

“
Door,
”
he points at the stone
panel she just closed.
“
Door.
”

He can
’
t have been gone more than ten minutes
and he
’
s returned in full armour. The
deep grey chest piece, leggings and helmet draw the colour from his blue eyes,
leaving them flat and cold. His fingerless gloves are made of the same thicker
and shinier black leather as his knee-high boots. A single, heavy blade rests
down the centre of Lawrence
’
s back. It lays still until
the nervous twitch of his tail sets it swinging, the jeweled handle moving with
it.

Even the soft brown of Lawrence
’
s brows and feathers brings no warmth to
him.

“
I was going to shower and get a bit of
sleep.
”

“
Try the door.
”

“
Not until I
’
m armoured, Lawrence,
”
she sighs.
“
Because
we
’
re not waiting around for a
second before we go.
”

“
Dress then,
”
he
says while his fingers work. The urgent rattling of his silver rings troubles
her and he exhibits far more agitation than usual. The tendons in his neck
swell until the sharp vibration of his grinding teeth sends a shiver over her
body.
“
But then the door.
”

 
“
Alright,
”
she
concedes.

Tempest gathers up her armour and steps
sideways to the bathroom since it looks like he isn
’
t going to leave. Feathers flush the
sides of his neck before he tilts his head roughly to the side and releases a
single gunshot pop of the vertebrae.

“
Alright, Lawrence.
”

Once the door shuts, she sheds the robe
and shifts to dragonkin form. The bathroom is so spacious that she could bathe
winged and she has more than once.

As she threads her long tail through the
slit in the rear of her red leather trousers she draws them up and adjusts the
fastenings. Where they once tied neatly below her navel they now ride up a
little higher and tie on either side over her hips. As she fusses with the
relic hidden in the front of the chest piece, Lawrence bangs on the door.

No comment accompanies the thunks and
when they stop the clatter of his rings resumes just a few feet away.

Once she
’
s satisfied the small, precious packet is
concealed, she steps out and pushes past Lawrence to sit and get the rest of
her gear on.

“
Where are we taking it?
”

“
I won
’
t say, Lawrence,
”
Tempest says, chin up in careful
submission.
“
What if they grab us before we
portal?
”

He grunts then grasps his grey leather
helmet in both big hands as a moan of pain escapes. Whatever he
’
s allowing her to do goes against his
programming.

“
Okay,
”
she sighs as she pulls her backpack on
over her stomach. With the top open she can drop the box inside the moment she
’
s back in the stone room.

Lawrence
steps aside and stays close as Tempest
places her palm on the stone. With a thud the door opens and she steps in,
looking around as if she
’
s never seen inside.

“
Ah,
”
she says as she snatches the box up and
drops it in her bag.

“
Run,
”
Lawrence
barks and pulls her from the room before
she can close the stone door. Pictures mounted in the hallway are sent flying
by their wings as they tear across the heavy carpet. Breaking glass and
splintering wooden frames mark their passage.