Avenger (7 page)

He studied her eyes, still inches from his face, yet suddenly miles away.

“If this is your plan, take me back to Viennesse.”

The muscles in his body twitched, and he hoped she hadn’t noticed her words caused him to loosen his hold. Since when did Nikki react to him like this, and with such conviction? Since when was he no longer irresistible?

“Take you back? That’s a stupid idea.”

She cocked a brow. “Maybe, but I didn’t come with you so you could try to change my mind.”

“If your mind couldn’t be changed, you wouldn’t be so worried about it.” Though his grip had loosened, his hand pressed into the small of her back. He knew what that did to her.

She lifted a hand and pushed firmly against his chest. “I’m serious.”

Maybe I am in trouble
.

“I don’t want to put them in danger, but I’ve hurt Mace over and over by being drawn in by you. He saw us kissing when we fed the dolphins, and at my house the night my parents died, and I … I left Viennesse with you.” She gathered fistfuls of hair in both hands. “I can’t believe I did that. How’s he going to feel?”

“The same way I do, like we need to do whatever it takes to keep you alive,” Raven spat.

Her eyes cooled. “I won’t hurt Mace again. If you’re going to play the “get her alone and make her forget her boyfriend” card, you can forget it. Because I’m not playing that game with you anymore.”

He’d gotten plowed by an ATV once, before he’d tapped in; this felt about the same.

“We have to concentrate on staying alive, staying ahead of the seeker. All our energy needs to go there. If you’re not committed to that, take me back.”

She was right, even though it killed a part of him to admit it. Raven released her and opened his wings. “Okay, okay. What’s our next move?”

The wind caused her to shutter while she scrutinized him, no doubt judging his motives. “You’re still willing to help me?” There was a new strength in her voice, her posture.

“Of course.”

“And you won’t be trying to …” She pointed between them and made small circles with her finger.

Frustration increased but he fought it. “No.”

Nikki’s chin dropped and she eyed him. “Not at all?”

He released an angry breath. “Not at all, Nikki.”

A mix of triumph and relief were visible in her crooked smile. “Good. Thanks.” She turned and tromped toward the cabin’s front door.

“As I said, what’s our next move, oh dear person I see only in a platonic manner?”

“Our next move is to go wake up Solomon’s friend. And if you keep up that tone of voice, I’ll dig my fingers into your eye sockets.”

Huh
,
so this is what it feels like when the shine wears off
.

Introductions had gone as well as one could expect. Christopher, Solomon’s friend, invited them in with barely a word. Raven had entered slowly, trying not to gawk at the weirdness of it all.
Hello, we’re here to pick your brain. Why? Oh, we’re being chased by a seeker. Got any coffee?

Once they were inside, he was only slightly shocked to see the entirety of the cabin’s walls were covered in shelves and shelves of books. Books to the ceiling. No paintings, no photographs, just books and the occasional window. Every direction held evidence of either an untidy housekeeper or a very one-track mind. Stacks of folded clothes had taken over one corner, while piles of dirty ones comprised another.

The tall, thin man had been kind enough, though he’d taken one look at Nikki, one glance at Raven, and demanded there would be no discussions until they’d all rested. “It will take all of your strength. All of your cunning to stay ahead. Tonight, you need your rest,” Christopher had said, like some Dad trying to make sure his kids got enough sleep before the big algebra test. Moments later he’d shooed Nikki into a small bedroom and shut the door behind her, leaving Raven alone with him in the living room.

Why were the men who helped them always such weird dudes?

After several minutes in the Twilight Zone that was Christopher’s cabin, Raven slipped back outside, trying to wrap his mind around the situation.

He wouldn’t sleep, of course, so he sat on the front porch beneath a patio heater that actually kept the temperature comfortable. The quiet and stillness of the Swiss Alps closed around him like a protective armor. He lingered there, thinking about all the things he should leave tucked into that other protected place, his heart.

Nikki’s words had stung. But he’d give her what she’d asked for. Shoot, he’d slice open his side and give her a kidney if that’s what she needed. Maybe by backing off, she’d actually see the truth. That’s what she’d wanted him to do on the boat, and in the end she’d raced off to his favorite place, choosing his motorcycle, just because she had an urge to be near him again. She just had to see he wasn’t a back off kind of guy. Regrettably, that was part of the path he’d chosen. A choice that hadn’t quite gone as planned.

But her ability to pull away this time was something different. Nikki was different. Maybe she’d been battered and knocked around so much, she finally settled into who and what she was. Even Mace wouldn’t be able to deny determination and strength came off her now in undeniable ripples.

She’d become a survivor. That, he could use.

And that, that quality he’d helped her hone, might be the thing that drove her away from him.

The door creaked open.

Nikki peeked out onto the porch, pulling the colorful afghan she’d found tighter around her shoulders. “I thought you were going to sleep.” She’d almost panicked when she’d left her cozy bed and found he was no longer in the living room. But a pale light from the front porch slipped beneath the door, and she’d breathed relief before coming out to him. Raven was still there. Guarding her.

“I guess I’m just not tired,” he said, and turned back toward the endless sea of blue-white mountains.

She stepped onto the porch and a shiver entered her feet and
climbed up her body. “It’s cold out here.” She considered the mountains, the smoky gray moon hovering above. “Is sitting out here really necessary?”
What is he looking at?

Raven pointed. “See that peak over there? It reminds me of my favorite place to ski.”

Nikki settled onto the porch swing beside him. “You’re exhausted, Raven. Why are you out here thinking about skiing?”

“Keeping watch. I don’t like being surprised.” There was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

“If you’re talking about what I said earlier —”

“I’m not.”

Off to the right, the wind moved a tree enough to collapse the small peaks of snow on the branches. Sparkling flakes fluttered to the ground.

“You only said what you’ve said all along.”

Ugh. That bitterness again, barely hidden under his resolve, but poking through each word like weeds in a sidewalk crack. Though he put on a good front, when she turned to study him, she saw it—the wound. She’d damaged something in him, and for that she was sorry.

An animal howled in the distance, drawing her attention from the Halfling she seemed destined to hurt. The long, moaning wail bounced off the mountains and played against the hardened snow around them.

Fear clawed across her shoulders. She pulled the blanket around her and looked at Raven.

“Relax. It’s just a wolf.”

“You sure?” Nikki scooted a little closer.

“Yeah, probably miles from here.”

“Raven?” She glanced over to view his profile. His hair
fanned across his forehead as if the breeze had its way with the strands. His eyes were rimmed with red, but it only added intensity to his features.

“Yeah?” The slightest move of his head angled him toward her.

“What if there’s no way to beat the seeker?”

Raven’s eyes slid closed. Defeat, or something like it, radiated from him. “Then we’ll just keep running forever.”

Nikki closed her eyes too, and didn’t realize the amount of breath leaving her lungs until she heard the hiss from her own lips.

He slowly slid an arm around her and pulled her into him. “It won’t beat us, Nikki. I won’t let it.”

Oh, she wanted to believe that. Believe
him
. Because he’d never let her down yet. Even when it seemed he’d abandoned her, he hadn’t. Like when he left a train accident to chase after some guys in a van. She’d later discovered they were the bombers who’d blown up the tracks, hoping to kill every last passenger. By going after them, Raven intended to destroy the threat. For good.

But he’d come back for her in the end, as if he’d known exactly when she needed him. And he came back to Viennesse as soon as the seeker was released.

She pushed back from him for a second. “How did you know about the seeker?” Why hadn’t she thought to ask sooner?

“An angel showed up at my ruins and told me.”

Told him? Not Will, the Halflings’ guardian. Not Mace, who’d practically made keeping her from any harm his fulltime job. An angel told Raven.

Nikki’s gaze drifted from Raven’s face to the snow-rumpled road leading away from the house. “Why would an angel tell
you
?” Each word was cautious, carefully chosen, but inevitable.

As was his answer. “Maybe the angel knows something about
us
that we don’t know.”

He met her gaze straight on by tilting her chin until she surrendered. There was no seduction in his midnight eyes. They simply sparkled as if a thousand diamonds danced beneath their glasslike surface. There was no hint of flirtation. Just a solid, convincing look he forced her to take in. To get the message he’d been proclaiming since they met. That he was her destined match …

Thanks a lot for confusing the one area I thought I was clear on
. Nikki swallowed. “You need to sleep. Go on in and I’ll watch for a while.” But when the faraway wolf howled again, Nikki scooted closer to him.

Raven cleared his throat, stifling a chuckle.

“I’m not scared to stay out here and keep watch.” She hated how unconvincing she sounded. After fighting a few hell hounds, she was still wary of any large, lumbering canines, and wolves fit into that category.

He shrugged away her suggestion and focused on the mountains again. The previous moment, with talks of angels and messages, was officially gone. “No. Go back inside. You’ll need to be rested for tomorrow.”

“I’m wide awake, Raven. I slept on the way here, then for another three hours inside. It’s your turn. I need you to be fresh tomorrow. After all, my life’s at stake.” Even she knew it was pitiful attempt at humor.

His eyes were almost cold. “Don’t joke about it, Nikki.” His gaze shot from her eyes to her mouth to her hair like he was taking it all in and snapping little pictures of her as he went.

She tried to swallow again, but her throat was swollen and
her tongue had become thick with apprehension. Little pictures. Little memories … in case …

Maybe they shouldn’t have left Viennesse. It seemed like such a smart and brave idea at the time.
No, I did the right thing. The others are safe. That’s what matters
. At least she kept telling herself they were safe. Mace would understand that’s why she left, wouldn’t he? It seemed no matter the choice she made, someone was always destined to be nicked in the fallout.

Beside her, Raven’s eyes closed far too long to be a blink. Ah, her chance. “I’ll stay out here with you a bit,” she said, glancing over. “Here, lean your head on my shoulder.”

It seemed to take great effort for him to open his eyes. “I know what you’re trying to do.” But already his words were heavy with sleep.

“Come on, I’ll tell you a story.” She reached over and placed her hand to the side of his face, leading him to rest on her blanket-covered shoulder.

With a sigh, he stopped resisting. “I won’t sleep.”

“Umm-hmm,” she purred. The tension in his muscles relaxed and his breathing slowed.

“Once upon a time …” Her voice was barely a whisper, soft enough she didn’t interrupt his journey to the land of sleep, but loud enough he couldn’t possibly accuse her of foul play.

His shoulder twitched once.

She held her breath then ventured on. “Once upon a time, there was a girl named Nikki. And she was soooo much trouble, it was determined that one handsome prince wouldn’t be nearly enough. So the great Throne sent three …”

Chapter 6

W
inter and Glimmer watched the sun rising over the Viennesse courtyard. Golden streaks of light spiked into the sky.

Glimmer rubbed her face with her hands. “Feels safer now with dawn approaching.”

Winter nodded, tried to smile, but it died on her face. It wasn’t safer. The seeker could hunt as well in the day as the night, but Glimmer was still young and didn’t need that knowledge weighing upon her. Winter often wished
she
didn’t have to know. But that was the penalty of living a long life.

Not that Glimmer had been completely spared the truth behind the seeker. She and Vegan had found the dead French Halflings. Winter knew what seeing that level of carnage was like. It’d taken her decades to erase the memories.

She placed an arm around Glimmer, who shuddered at the cold touch.

“Sorry,” Winter said. “Sometime I forget that popsicles aren’t very comforting.”

“You’re the most elegant popsicle I’ve ever met. Actually, you’re the only living, breathing, Halfling popsicle I’ve ever met.”

Winter cast a glance heavenward. “What can I say? I’m special.”

No one really talked about Winter’s ice-cold skin. She was a freak, like they all were, so a peculiarity like hers didn’t seem to matter — except when trying to comfort a friend.

“Do you think it’s still on the way?”

“No,” Winter said. “It would have reached us by now.”

Glimmer hugged her own shoulders, as if trying to hold in her body heat. “You think it went straight for Nikki and Raven, don’t you?”

“I should have insisted on going with them.” The sun continued its trek, rising higher and higher and chasing away shadows along the courtyard. “It all happened so fast.”

“I’ve never seen Mace so mad.” Glimmer’s golden, red-rimmed eyes widened.