Tigress (Night Hawk Series) (6 page)

Chapter Eleven

“It’s cold in here,” Michael said from the other side of the mattress. He had folded his knees in and crossed his arms to try to find some body heat in the frigid space.

I checked the time on my phone and glanced at him in the dim light. We had only been in the truck for a couple
of hours and while I was just as chilled as he was, I wasn’t about to admit it. Instead, I climbed to my feet and crossed to the duffel bags.

The light was dim but enough for me to make out the meager pickings and I wondered why I hadn’t had the forethought to grab a few sweatshirts while I was at it. I found a couple
of thick work shirts that would help us deal for the next few hours. Stripping my coat, I slipped one on before tossing the other one to Michael. I slid my coat on just as my phone decided to drop into sleep mode.

My eyes took a few minutes to adjust to the dark while I repacked the bag and then I grabbed the phone and pressed the button to brighten the space.
Michael had followed my lead and zipped up his down vest over the layers.

“I guess you’re not used to being human,” I mumbled and settled back on the mattress with my back propped against the wall. I pulled the
backpack over and unzipped it, finding the mural stuffed into the space. I pulled it out of the bag along with my computer. “This might help as well,” I said and tossed the fabric to him.

His expression bordered on grateful and I rubbed my face before opening my laptop. The light illuminated the space and I plugged my phone in and started the web browser. Typing commands, I pulled up the same email address that Lucifer sent the note to yesterday and grit
ted my teeth. Another unopened email sat in my inbox and I put the laptop aside, ignoring it for the time being.

“Come lunch time, I’m sure Naomi will let you out,” I said and Michael met my gaze.

“It’s been a very long time since I took human form,” he said. “I tend to forget how fragile the human body is along with all the other needs that go along with it.”

“I’m sure,” I said and sent a text to Naomi so she wouldn’t forget that Michael needed to eat and use the facilities just like she did, so she would be wise to remember that at the next rest area. I didn’t want to deal with a mess back here if I could help it. I raised my gaze and studied him.

He had the same physique as I did, along with the dark curls that matched mine and my limited recollection of my father carried the same qualities.

“I gather you and Gabriel looked a lot alike,” I said and he nodded. “So
, what happened with your other brother?” Lucifer was the polar opposite, with the more traditional Viking complexion as opposed to the decidedly Greek aura of Michael.

“God only knows,” he sighed. “He’s always been different, rebelling in heaven long before he was cast out.” He shivered and brought the mural together around his shoulders.
“Gabriel was the musician and much more sensitive than either of us were. He used to disappear for months on end, and finally, when he had made the decision to be with your mother, he came back to share the news. As I said before, by that time, our brother was no longer welcome in heaven and had already turned bitter, so I suggested Gabriel keep his decision to himself for now and I wouldn’t say anything either.”

“You mean, keep me a secret?”

Michael nodded. “I didn’t know just how important that decision was until after my brother killed my son.” He paused and blew on his hands to warm them. “I should have known Greece wasn’t far enough away from his wrath, but I knew you were there and because of the family bond, you would be compelled to protect Athena.”

“I still can’t get past the fact that she was my cousin and you never said a word. You just gave us your blessing and let us live as man and wife,” I said, finally voicing my distain.

“Things were very different back then and yes, I allowed it because it was my best option of protecting my daughter.”

“But I failed,” I said and he met my gaze with a shake of his head.

“No, you didn’t. I was the one who failed both of you. I didn’t make it back in time to stop my brother from slaughtering Athena, but I did get there in time to pull you from that pit before you were too far gone to survive. I let you drink from my veins and the double infusion of angel blood made you into what you are instead of a raving mad killing machine.”

I stared at him for a long time before my gaze dropped to the computer.

“Is that why Naomi turned out the way she did?”

“I don’t know. She’s so far removed from Zoe that I can’t be sure. It could be a combination of my bloodline along with her Indian heritage, which has its own unique qualities that are just as rich as my bloodline. Or it could be a wild fluke, but she’s just as unique as you are.”
He offered a shrug. “It could also be because she bit me as well.”

“You know
, she was stronger than I’ve ever been,” I said.

Michael smiled at me. “She’s a descendant of multiple warrior bloodlines. You, on the other hand, are a musician’s son.”

“Fuck you,” I said at the condescending tone in his voice.

“Considering your bloodline, you aren’t as lame at fighting as I expected,” he said and rubbed his shoulder, offering up a grin.

“I’m a mixed breed, what’d you expect,” I sent back, opting for humor instead of letting the aggravation eat away at me. Besides, my head was starting to throb and my arm was itching up a storm. I shifted and forced myself not to scratch my mending arm. I knew from experience, once I started, I’d only succeed in the tearing welts in my skin. “So do I start calling you Uncle Mike?” I asked and sent a tired grin in his direction.

He just laughed and wrapped the mural tighter around his shoulders. “This truce doesn’t mean you have free rein to kill innocents though.”

The beginnings of good humor vanished and I sent a glare in his direction. “I know.”

With the irritation already forming over me, I reached for the computer and opened the email
, sucking wind through my teeth at the words spilling over the page. Lucifer’s plans were far worse than I ever imagined and I turned the computer toward Michael, sliding it along the mattress until he took it from me.

Michael’s expression morphed into guarded fury and he glanced up at me.

“This cannot happen,” he said and slid the computer back to me. There was no leeway in his statement and absolutely no argument from me.

Chapter
Twelve

The deceleration of the van along with the sharp turn gave me a clue that Naomi was pulling off the highway. A few minutes later, the cut of the engine confirmed it and I closed my laptop and got to my feet, stretching to get the kinks out of my muscles. The swelling in my arm had gone down and I was able to move it without sharp pain. There was still some discomfort, but Michael was right, by the time the sun set tonight, it would be fine.

The lock on the back
was unclasped and, as the door rose, I backed up until there was nowhere else to go. The bright sunlight colored half the floor and I exhaled when the upward progression of the door stopped half way. Naomi peered inside.

“I figured if I was hungry, you’d have to be
, too,” she said to Michael and her gaze shifted to me while Michael stood and handed me the mural. He gave me a nod and I returned it before glancing back at Naomi.

“You doing okay?” she asked as Michael climbed out of the vehicle.

“Yeah,” I said. There was no reason to tell her how fucking cold it was in here because there was nothing she could do right now to warm me up. She gave a nod and closed the door. The lock clicked into place, leaving me drenched in darkness.

No more than ten minutes went by and the lock unlatched again and the tail lifted part way. She stood with an armful of blankets, sliding them inside with a smile.

“I thought these might help.”

If I could have kissed her at that moment, I would chance the blisters, but both she and the blankets sat in the direct sun.

“Thank you, babe,” I said and the door dropped again. The moment the lock engaged, I scrambled to the pile. She bought six heavy blankets with different Indiana sports teams on them. I didn’t even look at the logos, instead, I stretched out on the mattress, wrapping myself in the warm fleece, thankful she had given it some thought.

Soon after, both doors to the cab slammed shut and I sighed, curling tighter
into a ball to retain warmth and dragged the laptop closer to me. I stared at the email, reading Lucifer’s ultimate threat again. Each word shot pain through my entire form and I closed the cover, rolling onto my back and staring into the dark.

I had to make damn sure he never got
a hold of her otherwise I’d relish facing the sun.

My arm ached and I held it to my chest, letting myself drift off. Sleep seemed to be the secret to the ultra-healing and with the lull of the engine, I drifted off into a plague of nightmares.

Each one was in excruciating detail of every deviant act Lucifer promised. It was far more vivid than any other nightmare I could remember and I woke in a cold sweat, with my chest constricted to the point that drawing a breath was nearly impossible.

The hum of the engine brought me around and my lungs opened. I sucked in a mouthful of cold air, thankful for the burn of it and I closed my eyes, pressing my palms to them until the images from my nightmares surfaced.

My phone buzzed and I pulled it from my pocket and glanced at the text.

“You okay back there?”

Naomi’s question took me by surprise.

“Yes, why?” I sent back.

“I could have sworn I heard you yell.”

“Sorry. Nightmare.” I texted back and
glanced at the time. I still had a few more hours before I could be set free from this tin can.

“How are things going up there?” I added.

“Good. Michael’s driving and I got a nap in. He said you two had a nice talk.”

I burst out laughing. I learned a great deal, but I’m not sure I would categorize it as nice.
That simmering anger was still present and I wondered if it would ever go away. I dropped back on the mattress and took a closer look at my motivations.

Chapter
Thirteen - Naomi

“He just had a nightmare,” I said, trading a glance with Michael. “You know, I can take over driving if you’d like.”

“I’m fine,” Michael said with his gaze locked on the road, but ever since I fished him out of the back
, conversation had been scarce.

“So what did you and Damian talk about all morning?”

He slid his gaze to me and then back at the road. “You.”

I glanced out the passenger window with a head full of questions and bit my lip. “What about me?” I finally asked when he didn’t continue.

“He asked why you were different,” Michael said, pulling my attention to him. “Why you were stronger your first day as a vampire than he was after over two thousand years.”

“And you said?” I wanted to hear the explanation because it was something that intrigued me as well.

“Because he’s the offspring of a musician and you, you’re the offspring of warrior bloodlines.”

I glanced out the window at the crowded highway. “You aren’t just referring to your bloodline, are you?”

He sent his hard gaze in my direction. “No. There were many angels who chose to have intimate relationships with humans in the beginning,” he started. “Raphael, Gabriel and I are the only ones who were blessed with offspring.” He paused, slowing down for traffic. “Damian is Gabriel’s only child, so his bloodline ended when my brother threw him into that pit. But both Raphael and I have quite vast bloodlines, and up until you were conceived, they never intersected,” he said and glanced at me, offering up a smile that cascaded a wave of chills down my back. I hugged myself to ward off the tremor. “You’re Indian heritage is much richer than you thought.”

Silence filled the cab as I gawked at him.

“And the moment you bit Damian, Gabriel’s blood was introduced into the equation.”

“How does that make me stronger than he is?”

“You are a trinity, not a pure trinity, but close enough. You are a mixture of three angelic bloodlines and that is why you are different.” He let that settle as he navigated the afternoon traffic. “Imagine if it was possible for you and Damian to have a child?”

The statement stunned me and my jaw dropped.

“This world has not encountered a pure trinity in over two thousand years,” he said with a sigh and focused back on the road.

“I thought you said that this was the first time the bloodlines converged.”

He nodded. “I did and it is. But the only pure trinity born to a human was not created from angel blood,” he said.

My brain tried to
wrap around what he was saying but I kept drawing a conclusion that was insane. “Are you referring to the holy trinity?” I asked, voicing the unlikely conclusion.

He nodded
and my pulse quickened. The idea that I could produce the second coming was as farfetched as this conversation and I let out a frantic laugh. “You mean I could...” I trailed off unable to voice the mad idea, but the look Michael sent me confirmed my thoughts.

“
Either that or the other side of the equation.” His gaze bore into me and I shivered.

His assumption irritated the hell out of me. “Damian’s not evil,” I snapped
.

“No, but my brother is. If he ever got it in his head to use you as a fertility experiment, w
hat kind of monster do you think that would create?”

My eyes widened
and a wave of nausea flowed through my form. Just the thought of being Lucifer’s baby-maker made me want to vomit. “Does he know about our heritage?”

Michael’s
exhaled. “He has no idea about Damian’s.”

“What about mine?” I asked and a shadow passed over Michael’s face.

“I don’t know, but you can damn well bet that if he does, your death would no longer be his highest priority.”

I stared at him
, turning as cold as the frigid winter air. “You didn’t tell Damian this, did you?”

Michael pressed his lips together and offered up a sideways glare before concentrating on driving
again. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s still overwhelmed with this morning’s revelation.” he said. “And I shouldn’t have told you, but you need to know in the event Luc...” he stopped talking, his features morphing into that same expression Damian gets when he almost screwed up.

When he regained composure, he continued, “In the event my brother does get a hold of you, there is really only one option for you if you can’t escape.”

“I have to kill him?” I said, hoping that was what he was driving at.

When his gaze slid in my direction, my heart lurched in
to my throat and I bit my lip to keep it from quivering.

“
You have to die.”