Destiny Strikes (21 page)

The Guardian returned moments later as if nothing happened.

After a few precious moments held tight within Travis’s embrace, Fallon eased away. When she gazed at each one of her brothers with questioning frown, they just shrugged.

The Guardian and the question she had for him could be put on hold now that they were family. All of them had walked into this blind, and her instincts said he had all the answers. But for now, she’d settle for one.

“Hey, can someone tell me how these people were frozen?” People in different poses, some with mouths wide-open, mid-blink, staring mannequins.

Travis answered with a goofy grin Fallon hadn’t seen before. “It seems now I have the limited ability to stop time.” Travis slowly turned back to her.

Sitting on the floor with her elbows resting on raised knees, she smiled, despite her bloody hands dangling between her legs.

Inching closer, he stated rather intimately, “Very soon I’m going to thank you properly for saving my life.”

Fallon saw the promise of commitment reflected back at her. Even though she accepted the Guardian’s terms, she was unsure she could fulfill her promise. Moreover, if what the Guardian said was true, she no longer had a say. Their lives were now linked.

She was about to ask the Guardian, who had remained silent the entire time, when Wallace interrupted her.

“Hey, Travis. You look very familiar.” Wallace removed his cell phone from his pocket and began pressing buttons. Suddenly, he stopped flicking his thumb over his cell. His jaw dropped, and he looked up at Travis to his phone.

Wallace’s antic may have amused everyone else, but all she saw in the Guardian’s expression was sorrow.

EPILOGUE

“I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that the archangel Gabriel is your father.” Fallon ducked her head, her knee brushing over Travis’s rising member. “That explains the glow. I had my suspicions.”

Travis’s Heavenly radiance shined brightest as he climaxed.

Fallon knew her thoughts weren’t right, but every time she tried to imagine the Guardian’s imposing figure, she could see his white wings shimmering with gold, unlike her unadorned black wings, and the sensual way they trailed behind him. Wicked and erotic versions of him getting down and dirty with a female made her shiver. “Brave woman” was all she could come up with. Proudly, well versed in the art of making love herself, she believed she would now see every male in a different manner.

Fallon peeked at Travis under lowered lashes and smiled. When it came to sizing up her man, he was perfect. Arms folded behind his head and her head resting on his naked chest. She ached deliciously.

“Yeah, it’s kind of cool knowing despite the years I felt abandoned and alone, he’d been watching over me ever since I was born.”

His chin lowered. “Any of Anebasi’s similarities went unconfirmed when I asked Gabriel, AKA our Guardian, about her. He refused even to speak on the subject.”

With startling speed, he rolled, taking her with him. With her underneath him now, Fallon recognized the look that entered his eyes as he came over her. Her tongue darted out, and a wicked smile formed on her lips. Drugged by his kiss, she relaxed further into the four-poster, king-size bed she had no plans to leave.

The boisterous sounds of her brothers drifted upstairs. After the day everyone had, she didn’t mind them raiding her video games.

The Guardian explained little about what New Fire meant. It was nothing as devastating as a full-scale apocalypse, but dire enough to change the face of the earth. Only Angels of the First Order understood its importance.

However, a call to every Halfling had gone out for sanctuary.

The archangel also failed to mention a telepathic link they utilized like a database for all Angels.

Setting the whole scene back to rights at the church, the guardian had stated before leaving.

“This was always a battle between Angels. Humans were never meant to suffer. Fortunately, they won’t remember a thing when this day is over.”

He even took care of the emergency responders’ memories. The abundance of lightning shorted electrical devices, so when they entered the church everyone who’d witnessed the bloody scene seemed confused, gushing about the uplifting time had by all.

The noises from below carried upstairs again and interrupted the soft brush of Travis’s lips against hers as Michael and the others couldn’t leave for Seattle until they refueled the plane and argued whose turn it was. With the hunt for Dennis, Anebasi, and the rest of Travis’s family, everyone had enough to do. They were also devising a way to search for Rafael now that everyone knew his involvement in this mess was not by his choosing. Then, there was Anebasi’s cryptic statement regarding what Rafael supposedly knew.

They planned to meet up in Seattle in a couple of weeks to see where they would go from there. She’d be sticking around until the paint job for her car was done.

Travis nipped her bottom lip.

“I put in my two-week notice with Captain Harris when I filed my last report. So close to his retirement, the Captain decided to keep the unexplained parts of the case under wraps.” Travis licked the seam of her lips before continuing. “To tarnish his record with such an unbelievable story after all his years of loyal service would be the real crime.” His sudden chuckle as he kissed the underside of her jaw tickled. He’d been distracted when they’d showered earlier, so she’d forgive him this once. “His words were, exactly, ‘Crazy isn’t how I want to leave this position.’ He was just happy to be done with this case, even if he’s the only one on the force able to put a face and name to the suspect.”

Her hands stroked over his smooth back. She wondered if he’d ever have wings of his own.

Pulled from the thrilling thought, she sensed deep emotion as Travis’s tone began to harden. “Putting his family back together and quality time with them are the top priority from here on out. It also helped when I assured him that from this day forward I would make damn sure Dennis and Anebasi are brought to justice one way or another. There will be an APB put out on Dennis. I doubt he will be showing his face anytime soon.”

“Did you also tell him why the people died?” she asked, kissing his neck and feeling the strong pulse beat beneath his skin. She shivered with the thought of almost losing him.

“I think the fact they had the blood of Angels running through them brought him the most comfort. I also called the woman I believed was a loon. I asked her if we could come and look through her Angelic bible. Since Anebasi and the Guardian are so secretive about who exactly is cleansed with New Fire, I think we should do some investigating on our own.”

Travis waited for her to speak. When Fallon remained silent, his face fell. She would let Travis suffer a little while longer. He was the one who died on her, and she hadn't forgotten he'd spanked her.

Seconds later, a growing smile spread across his handsome features. He probably saw the secretive smile she tried her damnedest to contain.

He was so easy.

She actually giggled.

“You haven’t asked me why I put in my notice,” he accused.

“It’s all still new to me, this sharing thing.” She hid her wide grin in his broad shoulder.

“Well, get used to it, baby. Since I was dead at the time, my dad said he married us.”

Fallon laughed outright when Travis playfully rolled her across the large mattress. When they stopped laughing, he gave her a deep kiss.

Obsidian eyes peppered with stars filled her vision.

“I love you, Fallon. I can wait for you to return the words and the commitment. Every time you hold me, I feel it here.” Taking Fallon’s hand, he placed her palm over his heart.

Truth.

While the declaration of a lifetime flooded unseen parts of her, Travis’s eyes returned to the most beautiful amethyst.

Even if they never learned why Gabriel chose to hide his children under Orion’s mark or what the death of certain members of the Halfling race meant, they had what was important. . For now, Fallon said the words she never thought she would have the opportunity to say, “I love you too, Travis.”

Grinning, Travis showed her why it would be wonderful loving him. Fallon knew their lives together would meet some difficult times, but today they had something they didn’t have a week ago.

Each other.