Tethered Wings (Hidden Wings Series) (7 page)

“Well, Courtney and Caleb were children of her best friend who died of cancer. Alaine was with her just before she died, and promised her she’d take care of them. They’ve been with her since.”

Ethon nodded. “That was a very brave thing to do, to rear another’s children. I have great respect for your aunt.”

“So do I,” I whispered. I scooted forward until I almost touched his leg, because it felt like there was something uneven under me. When I looked back, I noticed a perfectly square rock under the earth. Ethon’s arm quickly snaked around my waist, and pulled me in-between his legs, with my back resting on his chest.

“Are you more comfortable now?” he asked.

My pulse began to race, and my stomach twisted. “Yes,” I gulped.

I didn’t want to turn around because I knew if I did, I would be in trouble. The pull of the bond was just too strong.

I felt his large hands engulf my waist, and then was lifted and turned like I weighed nothing. I was now face to face with the deviled beauty, straddling him. His crimson eyes were ablaze with desire, and this time I could see little specks, or embers, burning deep within them. I was completely spellbound.

“You’re beautiful,” he exhaled. “Sinfully beautiful.” His fingers grazed the side of my cheek, leaving a trail of tingles.

“Ethon, what are you doing?”

“I think if you’re going to have to make a decision about one of us, I should at least get a chance to show you what I have to offer. Don’t you think that’s only fair?”

“Yes,” I automatically said, “I mean, no… I – I don’t know.” There was a war going on inside of myself, and he could see it.

“Don’t worry. I promise not to seal any bonds,” he assured me with a grin on his face. And then I
thought
I heard him whisper. “But we might get close.”

His arms suddenly wrapped around me. Electricity buzzed heavily, causing everything to melt away, except…I was hyper-aware of where our bodies touched. His eyes were fire, burning even brighter. They locked me in and took me captive.

Before I could blink, he pressed his warm lips to mine, and I melted against his large frame.

“Ethon,” I whispered into his mouth. The heat between us was growing, we were nearly combustible.

“I’ve got you,” he said, out of breath. He then rolled us backwards, his body stretching out on top of mine. Holding my arms above my head with one hand, he slowly left open kisses on the nape of my neck, across my jawline, and then back to my lips. I moaned with pleasure as his eager mouth found mine.

It happened so fast, but it felt so damn good.

I was warring with myself. We should stop, it wasn’t fair to Kade. But the bond wanted us to seal its magic. It was strong and tenacious, attempting to block all rational.

A cacophonous shrill suddenly pierced the air.

I opened my eyes.

Soaring high above, was a large black raven. It’s ungodly, shrieking caw persisted, completely terminating our heated make-out session.     

Ethon pushed himself up and yelled, “Ash, you stupid-ass bird. I’ll pluck out your freaking feathers out – one by one - until you’re naked, and then I’ll cook and eat you!”

The huge bird started to descend from the sky, and as it did, I sat up and tried to straighten myself. I had a disturbing feeling that Lucifer might have been watching us through his dark villainous eyes. I wondered how long he was above us, or how much it heard.

Ash finally flapped down and landed on a branch, just out of reach. Its head tilted back and forth, and its beady black eyes steeled on us.

“Father? Are you here?” Ethon asked the bird.

The raven gave a slight nod of its head. At least it looked like a nod.

“How the hell did you find me here?” Ethon yelled at it.

It flapped its wings a few times, and then floated down until it sat right next to him. Suddenly its beak began to move and intelligible words emerged. The voice was unmistakable. It
was
Lucifer.

I felt embarrassed he’d seen us.

“Ethon. Bane and Azzah are searching for you. The Darkling sent by Lucian have been exterminated, and the girl must be returned. You do not need a war with the Guardians on your hands. It will only complicate matters.”

“You know I could give a shit,” Ethon answered.

“Ethon,” Lucifer scolded. “You have an abundance of time to seal the bond.
Now
is not the time. Not while we are in the midst of war.”

“I’m fully aware, and we weren’t going to seal any bond,” he answered.

“Lucian was testing the strength of the Guardians. He is gathering an army and building his power, biding his time until he strikes. My army is ready and awaiting orders. But a word of caution. Lucian is sly. He is watching from the shadows. Be on your guard at all times, my son. He would revel in killing you and presenting me your head on a platter.”

“Don’t be concerned about me, father. I can take care of myself.”

“I trust in you, but a father worries. Take her back, Ethon. Bane and Azzah are nearby.”

“I will.”

The raven gave one more piercing shrill and took off. I watched it fly toward an almost invisible spiral in the sky, and then it vanished.

Ethon huffed, then stood and brushed himself off. “Well, that freaking sucked. I’m sorry we were so rudely interrupted.”

“I’m sort of glad we were. I think we needed it… we probably would not have stopped.”

His eyes snapped to mine and beamed. “I knew you couldn’t resist my charms.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. He was right. His charms were almost impossible to resist, even without the bond. The bond just multiplied it one thousand times.

We may have been complete opposites, but I kind of liked who I was around him. I had previously thought choosing was going to be really simple. Ethon wasn’t even on my radar until today. I couldn’t say that now. He was a spitfire, and very witty. He’d also endured his own battles, and was raised by someone other than his birth parents. Thankfully, Lucifer saved him and kept him safe. He was all that remained of his bloodline.   

Then, there was Kade…who was everything I’d ever dreamed about in a guy. He was the very first boy to steal my heart. A knight in shining armor. The bond chose us first, and I knew why. Kade had many good qualities. He was handsome, sweet, protective, a perfect gentleman, and he had his own spunk and charm. Most importantly, he had validated his love for me over and over again.  

“Are you ready?” Ethon asked, stepping closer.

“Yes.” The air around us was alive and buzzing.

“Let’s fly, angel,” he smiled, holding his hand out to me. I giggled, placing my hand in his. Ethon yanked me to him, wrapping his arms around me. I decided to hook my legs around his waist…for safety reasons.

He gave me one last kiss.

“Hold on,” he whispered. His beautiful wings magically appeared and stretched out past his sides.

I tightened my hold on his neck and waist, and a look of pleasure washed over his face. He lifted his eyes to the sky, and with a flap of his wings, we shot up. I knew we probably wouldn’t have any more alone time, but I was glad I had a chance to learn a little about him.

We were flying in the same direction Ash had flown. I twisted my head up just to see if I could see anything, and noticed a small ripple in the sky.

As soon as we reached it, we were instantly transported from bright and sunny, to the dark forest, dodging trees. Ethon was flying so fast, everything was a blur. It made me nauseated. Closing my eyes, I burrowed my face into his neck and breathed in his calming scent.

“Please let me know when I can open my eyes again,” I murmured against his skin.

“Deal,” he chuckled.

There was a sudden change in direction, and I knew we were headed straight up. I quickly opened my eyes to peek, just as we burst from the darkness of the trees, into the dark open sky. Ahead of us, about a half-mile away, two dark figures were headed toward us. The goons.

Bane and Azzah looked just as excited to see us as we were to see them. Their faces were hard, and had Darkling blood splattered all over. They looked like the most miserable creatures on the planet.
Were they ever in a good mood?

I had a sneaking suspicion that Bane and Azzah were bitter to the core; it exuded from their pores. Anger and hate flowed through their veins. 

“So, did we have fun slaying the Darkling?” Ethon jested.

They growled in response, glares were evil, and their faces started to turn a shade of red.

“Ethon, don’t,” I pleaded. I knew he had a love-hate relationship with them, but I was on a hate-hate basis with them right now. He was making it worse.

He glanced at me with a nod, as if he was complying.

“They’re all dead,” Bane said in a deep voice. “Samuel wants the girl.”

“I know. We were just on our way back.”

“We’ll escort you,” Azzah said. His voice low and showed no emotion.

“If you can catch me,” Ethon antagonized.

Flapping his wings, we shot off. I screamed and burrowed into him again, as he flew at a crazy supersonic speed. I knew we lost Bane and Azzah and I was pretty happy about it.

A little over a minute later his cheek pressed on mine. “We’re here.”

As I opened my eyes, Alaine’s house came into view. It was a beautiful site from the air, except the Labyrinth. There, the ground was covered with death.

A small crowd was gathered out by the cabin in the back, and Ethon chose to land directly in the center. 

Dammit.

My stomach churned as we made our descent.

As soon as our feet touched the ground, Alaine ran and grabbed me, pulling me into her embrace, away from Ethon.

“Oh my God, Emma, are you okay?” She questioned, checking me over. Samuel also came and wrapped his arms around me.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I answered. 

I didn’t want to raise my head because Kade and Ethon were on either side of us.

Alaine paused and walked me toward the house, in Kade’s direction. Her arm was still cradled around me.

“Are you okay?” Kade asked. His hazel eyes focused on me, pulling me back into his world. I knew his words had more meaning behind them. He wanted to know if Ethon hurt me, or sealed the bond.

“Yes, I’m fine. Nothing happened,” I answered, reassuring him.

I was really glad that Ash showed up when he did. He saved us.

Kade nodded and his face instantly washed with relief. “Good,” he breathed, and then glared behind me at Ethon.

“I’ll talk to you later, okay?” I said softly. 

“Okay,” he answered, lifting his fingers to graze my face.

The bond with Kade was still as strong as it was with Ethon. It was just that Kade is a bit more restrained with our intimacy. However, I knew if the chance presented itself, he would willingly unbridle his passion, and we could easily get into a lot of trouble. Bond-sealing kind of trouble.

I was trapped. Tethered between two hearts. Both wanting nothing more than to love and protect me. That’s why the bonds were created. For two separate beings to find their one true love, spending the rest of eternity making each other happy.

Whoever was in charge of dishing out my Immortal Bonds, must have been really drunk.

At first I didn’t understand the influence of the Immortal Bond, but I was starting to find out firsthand how powerful it really was. Most mortals would mistakenly call it insta-love or just plain lust, but the Immortal bond far surpassed any reason. It was magical. It was something so mysterious and so complex. A conjoining of two fated hearts, destined for each other, finally finding their perfect companion. A single touch connected them, and at that moment, the pull of the bond was unyielding, and only upon consummation, would the bond be sealed. Two hearts would be bound in an enchanted love, devotion, and burning passion, which would last for all eternity. It was beautiful, yet indescribable and unexplainable, specifically designed by the creator himself.  

“Is everyone alright?” I asked her.

“Yes. Thomas was the only one who sustained an injury. A blade to his thigh. He’s already been bandaged up and is resting.”

“How many Darkling were there?” I asked.

“At least five dozen,” Samuel answered.

“How many Darkling are there?”

“More than we can count,” he said.

“We defeated these, and that’s all that matters. Lucian knows how strong we are, and it will take him some time to regroup, which is good, because your friends arrive tomorrow,” Alaine said.

Crap on a stick.

I’d completely forgotten my friends were coming to visit me…for four days.

God would surely have to help us.