Chapter Thirteen
Eden
I woke, wrapped in Alex’s arms. I blinked, taking in his beautiful face, and then it hit me.
The knock at the door. The box. Thomas’s bloody wing. The note saying that the Fallen would kill him if they didn’t hand me over to them. My life in exchange for his.
I closed my eyes and quenched the overwhelming need to cry.
No. I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t be the scared, vulnerable girl anymore. At that moment, I decided to channel my emotions. I was in charge of every decision and action I’d make from here on, and would be held accountable. My life was now tied, not only to Alex, but to Thomas, whose life was literally in my hands. I wasn’t going to curl up in a ball and cry while he was being tortured to death.
I sat up and sucked in a deep breath, wiping the away the tears that failed to fall.
“Hey,” Alex said, sitting up as well. His eyes assessing me.
“Hey,” I replied. I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the lips.
“How are you feeling?” he asked cautiously.
I twisted my body to face him. “I feel good. And I need to train.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Train? I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
I knew he was concerned about me. I would have been to, after the crying mess I was last night. But I was okay. Taking hold of his hand I squeezed gently. “I really am okay. I need to let off some steam.”
“Okay,” he replied. “We have to meet with Alaine first, and after we get a quick bite to eat, I’ll take you to train. It might be a good idea for Emma and Mateo to train with you. If the three of you can combine your powers, I don’t think there is a Fallen army that can defeat you.”
His words were like a healing salve to my soul. I threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
His arms enclosed around me. “I’m glad you’re okay. I was really worried about you.”
“I know you were. And I love you for it. But I have to learn how to survive on my own. There is a reason why I was given this gift, and I have a feeling that we’ll soon find out why.”
“No matter what happens, I will be right by your side.” He stood from the bed and offered his hand. I took it and he pulled me up, back into his arms. “Let’s go see what this day has in store for us.”
“Yes,” I said. “After I brush my teeth and change my clothes.”
“Ditto,” he said, smacking my behind as I headed for the dresser.
I turned and growled at him. He winked and headed into the bathroom.
***
Everyone was already standing in Alaine’s office when we arrived, and all eyes turned to me.
“I’m better today,” I said, reading their expressions.
“I’m glad,” Alaine replied, giving me a wide smile.
“Thank God,” Dom puffed. “I thought we’d have to call in a shrink.”
Emma slapped his arm. “Would you shut up?”
“Fine, but we haven’t had breakfast. And I’m not responsible for anything I say or do before eight A.M.”
“God,” she breathed.
“Emma, I told you not to call me God.”
“All right,” Alaine cut in. “We need to get serious. Thomas’s life depends on us.” She took a seat behind her desk. “Ephraim contacted me earlier and said that because Thomas is in the Underworld, Grandia cannot send anyone. But, he has assigned two more Guardians to come and help.”
“Who?” Dom asked.
“He didn’t say. But they should be arriving shortly. Please make them feel welcome.” Her eyes widened on Dom.
“Hey, I’m head of the welcoming committee.”
“Good.” She looked over to Samuel. “Samuel and I discussed many different options last night, and it seems that there is only one option.” She paused, her eyes meeting each of ours.
I already knew what that option was, because it was the only one I could come up with too. And Ephraim knew it.
“We will send a team into the Underworld to retrieve Thomas,” Samuel said.
Hearing them say it out loud made my stomach turn. In my head, it was just a thought, but now, it was spoken, and would soon become reality.
“We will not choose who goes and who stays,” Alaine said. “That will be a decision made by each of you. But Samuel and I will be going.”
Emma stepped forward. “You both can’t go. What will happen if I lose both of you?” Tears flooded her eyes.
“Emma, your father and I work best as a team. He has to go because he is the only Fallen member here and can help us navigate the Underworld. I am going because I can make him disappear.”
“Well, if you’re going, I’m going too,” she said.
Kade took hold of her hand. “Wherever she goes, I’m following. . . even into the very depths of the Underworld.”
I turned to Alex. “I want to go too.”
“You can’t go, Eden,” Alaine spoke. “You’re the one they want, and we can’t risk leading you right to them.”
“The Fallen probably think you would keep me hidden away, far from the Underworld. So what better plan, than to sneak right in under their noses, save Thomas, and walk right out.”
“I don’t think it will be as easy as walking right out,” Kade said. “Once they find out that Thomas is gone, and that’s if we can even find him, we will be up against armies of Fallen. How can three Nephilim, and two angels win that kind of war? Especially on their turf.”
“I’m in,” Alex said, grabbing hold of my hand.
I felt my heart thrum, knowing he would be with me. I never doubted it, but he wasn’t against me going.
“I’ll go too,” Mateo said.
“Mateo, do you know what you’ve just agreed to?” Dom asked.
Mateo looked up at him. “I do. We’re going into the Underworld filled with Fallen to rescue your friend.”
Dom’s eyes widened with surprise. “Well, if the kid is going, I’m going too.” He shrugged. “Hey, if we’re going to do this we should do it together, like we always have. Go big or go home, right?”
“Right!” Everyone cheered.
“I know it’s beyond the barrier, but I’d like to train,” I said. “There are a few things I need to strengthen, and I’d like to work on them, to be fully prepared.”
Alaine nodded in agreement. “Let’s have some breakfast and we’ll all head to the training area together.”
I was happy that everyone was so supportive. Even the new boy, who was probably still confused and trying to figure out who he was, decided to go.
After breakfast we all readied to go to the training area. It was tricky, but between Alaine and Emma, they managed to keep everyone concealed. Alex seemed extra quiet, but I knew he had a lot on his mind. If I was feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, I couldn’t imagine what he must have been feeling. Thomas was his best friend, and I was his bonded. His heart must have been torn in two.
The entire flight over, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest. Through the bond, I felt his love flow through me. No words needed to be spoken. It was a pure, unfiltered love, sent from one heart to the other. A love so deep it would do anything, risk everything, and give entirely with no conditions.
When we landed safely in the portal, we decided that everyone would train.
Samuel, Kade, Dom, and Alex would sharpen their warrior skills, while we Nephilim worked on strengthening our gifts. At first, we watched in awe as the guys clashed swords. They were fast and agile, with amazing skills that must have taken years to master. Samuel, at a much older age, seemed so at ease with his weapon. Like it was a part of him—a living limb used to inflict pain . . . or death.
They moved as if they were dancing, so fluid and strong. Each move calculated and deadly, but never injuring the other.
“I know we could sit here and watch them all day, but let’s focus on our own gifts,” Alaine said. She stepped over to Mateo. “Dom said you were fast. How fast are you?”
Mateo looked around at the landscape, and pointed to a tree in the distance, maybe two hundred yards away, that was the only one with yellow blossoms. “See the flowers on that tree?”
“Yes,” Alaine said.
In a split second he was gone and back with two yellow blossoms, one in each hand.
We all looked at him with wide eyes and mouths.
“How? What? Did you even move?” Emma stuttered.
“Would you like me to try it again?” he asked, dropping the two blossoms on the ground. “How about the red flowers on top of that hill?”
The hill was another hundred yards beyond the yellow blossom tree.
“Okay, sure,” Emma said.
Mateo gave a large, toothy smile. Then poof, he was gone and back before we could blink, holding two red flowers in his hands.
“Wow,” I gasped. “That is beyond amazing.”
“How long ago did you transform?” Alaine asked.
“Twenty three days ago,” he replied. “The day after my eighteenth birthday, I woke up late for school and missed the bus. My mom had worked a night shift so she was asleep, so I decided to run. As I started to run, my feet felt like they were floating off the ground . . . like I was flying. I could see everything clearly, and when I stopped, realized I was at school early and had beaten the bus.
“I didn’t tell anyone because I knew they would think something was wrong with me. So, I went to an abandoned property and ran. The more I ran, the faster I got. And the easier it was to see and maneuver. Every day after school, I would return to the property and run. I didn’t know how or why it happened to me, but I knew I was special.
“But one day, there were two men I’d never seen before. They smelled different and both of them started to run after me. I knew they wanted to hurt me by the looks on their faces, so I ran home as fast as I could. When I got there, I found my mother lying on the ground. There was blood everywhere. She was stabbed in the chest and she wasn’t breathing, and I knew those two men had something to do with it. Not knowing what to do, I ran again. And that’s when I ran into Dom. He knew right away what I was, and he saved me.” Mateo looked over to the guys fighting. “I owe him my life.”
“Dom is a Guardian. What he did was what he was supposed to do. It’s what he was trained to do. You don’t owe him anything,” Emma said.
“But if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you. He dragged me here, through multiple portals, for this moment. I believe I was given this gift to help you save your friend.”
We all stood around him, then Emma called us all in for a group hug. It was as if the four of us were connected . . . part human, part angel. We were a rare breed, nearly extinct thanks to the Fallen. But we were survivors.
I wondered how many more Nephilim were out there, confused and scared, not having a clue who they really were. Maybe we were the first of more to come.
“All right, Eden. You’re up,” Alaine said. She and Emma started to walk away.
“Where are they going?” Mateo asked.
“To take cover.” I twisted to him and laughed. “I can manipulate the weather. The other day, I dropped a tornado on Alex by accident. But please don’t tell anyone.”
“Are you serious?” Mateo’s face brightened up. “I can’t wait to see this.”
“Maybe you should take cover too,” I warned.
“I think I can get to safety quick enough. Besides, I want a front row seat to see this.”
“Suit yourself.” I giggled. “So, what do you want to see first? I can blow up that boulder on the hill with a lightning bolt, or I can pick it up with a twister and toss it.”
Mateo looked at me with a furrowed brow. “You can do those things?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s do the twister first. Can you toss the boulder into the lake over there?” His finger pointed to the lake, hundreds of yards away from us.
“Umm, I can try.” If I could do that, it would be a miracle. The distance between the hill and the lake was about five hundred yards. And the aim would have to be precise. The lake wasn’t huge.
“I believe in you,” he said.
“Thank you, Mateo.”
I stood, my feet planted on the ground, my mind focusing on the task ahead. Again, keeping my eyes open, I called the wind and watched it swirl above us. Small debris, flowers and leaves, started to swirl around us.
With my hands, I formed the funnel, and began to push it toward the hill. When it reached the boulder, I willed it to drop on top of it. The funnel obeyed and landed right over the boulder, consuming it. Then, I turned my head to the lake and focused at its center. With a quick flip of my arms, I watched the boulder launch from the twister and shoot across the field, landing directly in the middle of the lake.
It was as if a meteor had struck. The collision sent water spraying at least a hundred yards, spraying the guys who had stopped to watch. They all hollered and cheered. Soaked, they stripped off their shirts and threw them to the side.
Holy heavens. How can all of them be so damn perfect? Muscles, abs, and looks. Sebastian would literally kill to have seen this. I wished I had my cell phone so I could snap a shot. But we kept our devices at home when practicing. Besides, if I sent a picture like that to him, he would probably hop on the first flight out to come visit me. He couldn’t be here. Not while there was danger creeping all around us.
Before the water settled, I called the clouds. Lightning and thunder cracked overhead. At the far end of the lake was a smaller boulder. About three foot in diameter. Focusing on the stone, I flicked my wrist. A bolt of lightning shot from the sky and hit the boulder, sending shards of stone and dust shooting into the air.
“Holy shit!” Dom yelled. “Are you kidding me? We don’t have to worry about Eden. The Fallen are the ones who should be crapping in their pants, because this girl can send down lightening and blow their ball sacks off.” Dom’s laughter echoed through across the field.
I smiled, not feeling any after effects from using the gift. In fact, I felt stronger than ever. Maybe it was because they were all here cheering me on. Maybe it was because my confidence was growing.
Across the field, Alex’s eye caught mine, his beautiful face glowing with a smile as bright as the sun. He shot me two thumbs up, and I returned them.
We spent some time training with the Guardians, learning some easy but effective hand-to-hand tactics. Samuel schooled the guys on some moves he’d created and mastered. He called it the spin-and-swipe.
He held a dagger in his palm, upside-down, the blade jutting out from under his pinky. Then, with a few quick spins, Samuel demonstrated how they could take out an enemy with a quick slice to the throat, gut, and thighs . . . with three spins, in mere seconds.
Then, they called their wings, and practiced throwing objects at each other, using their wings as both a defense and as a weapon.
After countless hours, when we were all worn, we gathered around in a circle.
“You all did well today,” Samuel said.
“Yes, you did,” Alaine added. “I think we’re as ready as we can be. And with that, I think our best chance of getting Thomas is to go when they aren’t expecting us. Tomorrow is the second day. They will think we are scrambling to find a way out of it. But they’ll be shocked to know we will be right under their noses.”
“I agree. I think going tomorrow will be our best chance of saving Thomas,” Kade said, and everyone else agreed.
Tomorrow was D-day.