Providence (39 page)

“And why would he do that?”

“He didn’t want a filthy demon for a house guest,” Claire growled.

Shax eyed me with curiosity. “Or was he trying to avoid us coming near his Taleh? I understand he’s fallen in love with her. How precious.”

“You can leave, now,” Claire said, more of a demand than an offer.

Shax’s crooked mouth pulled up into a half-smile. “Thank you, Claire. We were just on our way out. But we’ll be taking Nina with us. Jack owes me that.”

“And I owe Jared one,” Grahm said with a smirk.

“I’ll rip out your throat before I’ll let you touch her!” Claire snarled. The guttural sound that came from her throat when she spoke was frightening.

Grahm signaled his men, and they walked cautiously past Shax. Claire gestured behind her for me to stand back as she crouched slightly, set to defend me. One of the men lunged at her, and so quickly that I missed some of her movements, she incapacitated him without effort. The second man tried to swing at her, but she jerked to the side just as two other men rushed from the side. I took a few more steps back as I watched her head butt one of the men, blood spattering in the air, and then strike another in the throat with her fist. The man made a horrific gurgling noise before falling to the ground.

Just as Claire turned to face Shax, Grahm pulled out a gun and held it to Claire’s forehead. She froze.

“I was just going to take Nina, but I think it would better settle the score if he came home to see your pretty face blown away and a sweet little note to let him know we’re violating his girlfriend in a hundred different ways before we kill her.”

I felt my legs disappear, and I reached back to steady myself against the table as Grahm gave me a lewd once-over with his eyes.

Claire smirked. “You’ll fit right in where Jared’s going to send you, Grahm.”

Grahm cocked his weapon, and I felt a solitary tear seep from my eye and trickle down my cheek. Time passed in slow motion as I looked at Grahm’s arrogant expression and then back to Claire. The scene was surreal: Full grown men sprawled on the floor in pools of their own blood, and tiny Claire, a fair-haired teenaged-girl moments away from execution. I held my breath as I watched her slowly close her eyes and wait for the bullet to leave its chamber.

In the same second that Grahm’s finger pressed against the trigger, Claire’s body blurred. The bullet from his gun whirred past me and into the tile above the stove, and Claire rammed her elbow in Grahm’s face, sending blood exploding from his nose. The blow sent him flying through the air, landing at Shax’s feet. Grahm sat up on his knees, teeth gnashing in pain. The blood pooled in his palms and dripped through his fingers onto the floor.

“Enough!” Shax commanded.

Claire immediately backed up against me. She turned her head slightly, still keeping her eyes on Shax. “I’m going to hold him off, Nina…you’re going to have to run. Jared will find you,” she whispered.

“You think you can hold me, Claire? You’re nearly human.”

Claire smiled. “Maybe so, Shax, but my angel side can still kick your ass.”

Shax wasn’t amused. He crouched in preparation to attack, and a strange snarl emanated from his chest. Inside his throat, a screech and an animalistic growl intertwined. It was the most terrifying sound my ears had ever experienced. The demon’s black irises bled into the whites of his eyes, and I braced for impact.

As if I had blinked and missed a second of time, a dark massive figure stood between us and Shax. Claire’s body relaxed and she maneuvered us around him, bringing Shax back into view.

Jared stood in the doorway, glowering at Shax with a lethal expression. Sensing my fear and relief, his attention broke to me and instantly he was at my side, pulling me from Claire’s grip to the safety of his arms.

Shax was cautious in the Archangel’s presence. “The book is mine, Samuel!” His sinister eyes were wild and shifted between each of us like a cornered animal.

Samuel tossed the book at the demon’s feet, just beside Grahm. “Take your blasphemous book and leave from here. In the name of the Most High, I will end your existence if you come near this family again, foul beast!” Samuel bellowed, his voice shaking the walls.

Shax recoiled from the command of the Cimmerian and backed slowly out the door, hissing at his injured minions to follow.

Grahm smiled at me with blood-stained teeth. “I’m going to see you again soon, baby doll.”

Jared lunged at him, but Samuel held his hand to Jared’s chest. “Let them go,” he ordered.

Jared watched Grahm, reluctantly allowing him to retreat with his wounded partners. Claire stood at the entryway and made sure they were gone before she closed the door.

“Has anyone told you that you have excellent timing?” Claire asked, smiling at her brother.

“Once or twice,” Jared said.

Claire ran towards Samuel at full speed, leaping up to wrap her arms around him, her legs dangling two feet from the ground. I jumped at the sudden movement, but as soon as Samuel hugged her and a wide smile flashed across his face, I sighed in relief.

“I think you missed your calling, little girl. You were meant to be Cimmerian,” he chuckled.

Claire giggled and squeezed his neck. “I’m half human so it evens up the odds, Sam. If I were Cimmerian, you’d be out of a job.”

Samuel bellowed a laugh and shook his head. “And you accuse Shax of lacking humility!”

Jared turned to me. “Are you all right?”

I didn’t want to lie, so I remained silent.

Jared pulled me into his chest and kissed my hair. “It’s over.”

“Not according to Grahm,” Claire said after Samuel set her on her feet.

“It’s over,” Jared said in a firm voice.

Claire wiped the blood from the floor and straightened the furniture. She skipped about, the confrontation and victory making her a tad giddy. I watched her as she hummed an indistinct tune while she cleaned.

An hour later, Claire said her goodbyes to drive to Ryan’s hometown as the sky outside faded to deep blue. The loft was as before, the furniture in place, the broken glass hidden in the trash, the blood mopped up and the red stained rags thrown away.

“Are you hungry?” Jared asked, poking his finger through the bullet hole above the stove. I shook my head and Jared turned to face me. “No?”

I shook my head again.

“Nina,” he chided. “You’ve barely said a word since I’ve been back. Are you sure you’re okay?”

I closed my eyes. “I’m fine.”

“It’s normal to be afraid. Talk to me.”

“Just…don’t leave me again. Okay? Claire was prepared to defend me with her life, but I was so scared, Jared. I was so afraid they were going to kill me and you would die.”

He walked across the room and held my cheeks gently in his hands, raising my eyes to his. “You were afraid to die only because I would?”

I smiled, but my face crumpled around it. “I’m so weak, Jared. I’m just a stupid, weak, human, and that makes you so vulnerable. It’s not fair.”

Jared chuckled in amazement and shook his head. “Nina…,” he breathed out a small laugh, rendered speechless. He leaned down and kissed my lips, his mouth conveying what he couldn’t say.

Chapter Nineteen

Saving Grace

Over the next weeks life had returned to normal. Jared and I spent our time painting and rearranging the furniture, and the space metamorphosed from Jared’s dark loft to our bright and cheerful home.

I wouldn’t have thought to change a thing, but Jared insisted I add a feminine touch. I hung up self-portraits we’d taken of ourselves, bought a new floral comforter, and even picked out new china. Jared regarded the transformation with wholehearted gratitude. There were times that I thought Jared wanted me make the changes so that he had tangible proof that I was in fact living there.

A month after I had officially moved in, Jared wanted to celebrate with an evening out. I put on a strapless black dress with red pumps and Jared made the effort of putting on a tie. We walked out to the curb and Jared straddled his Vulcan. I raised an eyebrow, pointedly looked down at my short skirt and then back at him.

Jared laughed out loud and dismounted. “Just kidding.”

He walked over to the Escalade and opened the door.

“So, where are we going?” I asked.

“Somewhere new. You’ll like it,” he said before closing my door.

We pulled up to a dark, brick building. He helped me to the curb and held open a glass door, kissing my cheek as I passed. A small Asian woman greeted us, and Jared grabbed my hand, leading me to a table bearing a beautiful arrangement of pink and white tulips. We were the only patrons in the small eatery and I smiled at Jared as he sat in front of me. The woman walked half-way across the room to a waiter’s station to fill our water glasses, and I leaned against the table.

“Are they getting ready to close?” I whispered.

Jared chuckled. “No…I arranged for us to have the place to ourselves.”

“Oh,” I said, watching the woman bring our water and menus.

Jared uttered something in Japanese to the woman and she nodded, leaving us alone.

“Have I told you how exceptionally beautiful you look tonight?” Jared asked.

“Only four or five times,” I smiled. “Thank you.”

The woman returned, chattering something I didn’t understand. Jared looked to me and then back at her. “No, I think we’ll need a few more minutes.”

“Are we meeting your mother here or something?” I asked.

“No. Why?”

“I was just wondering…why all the effort? The tie, the flowers, the empty restaurant…the secrecy.”

Jared raised an eyebrow. “What secrecy?”

“You were sneaking around the loft earlier. I may be human, but I’m not blind.”

Jared’s laughter filled the room. “I can sneak past trained assassins, but I can’t get anything by you.”

“That’s because they’re not around you every second of the day,” I qualified.

Jared smiled, pressing his lips together. “We’re celebrating.”

“A month of cohabitation. You mentioned that.”

“Exactly,” he smiled, an edge of nervousness to his voice.

I narrowed my eyes and pursed my lips at his evasive answer, but I let it go. He was obviously having fun keeping it from me.

I chose a dish from the menu that seemed close to my usual. When the waitress returned, Jared ordered in perfect Japanese.

I tapped my finger on the table.

Jared watched me fidget with an amused expression. “Do you have somewhere to be?”

“No, I’m just waiting for the explanation.”

He leaned forward. “You’re very impatient this evening.”

I sighed and leaned back against my chair. “I’m sorry. I just feel a surprise coming on.”

“Do you, now?” he teased. “And why is that?”

“C’mon, Jared. I know something’s up.”

He smiled at the waitress as she brought our plates of food, and I sighed.

Jared led us into conversation about other things as we ate. He had made plans for us to have dinner at Lillian’s that weekend. Ryan had returned to spend a few days with Josh, so Claire was in town. I discussed my fall schedule, and we talked about the changes living off-campus would pose. We also decided to call Beth and Chad and invite them to our place for dinner as soon as possible.

“I’ve always liked Beth,” Jared mused.

“Me, too!” I teased, feigning surprise.

“She’s always been a good friend to you, but I particularly appreciate the talks she gave you in my favor. She’s a smart girl, that Beth,” he said, nodding with a smug smile.

I spun the noodles around my fork as I spoke. “There were moments I thought you had her on the payroll. She was very persistent.”

“That’s why I like her,” he smiled. “She knows what’s good for you.”

“She knew better than I did that we would end up together.”

“You didn’t think we’d end up together?” Jared asked, looking a bit surprised.

“Well…I wanted to. But at the time I didn’t think we should,” I explained, stabbing my fork into some type of meat.

“I’m glad you got over that,” he said, deep in thought. “I don’t know what I’d do if…,” he looked at me with deep affection. “You make me so happy, Nina.”

“You make me happy, honey,” I cooed.

Jared raised his brow at my uncharacteristic use of an endearing term and smiled, but his expression changed as his thoughts did. “I know things have happened pretty fast between us,” he grimaced. “Most people would say too fast, but we’re not most people.”

“Definitely not,” I said. I rolled the broccoli to one side of my plate and noticed Jared’s expression twisting to chagrin.

“I should have ordered that without broccoli, I’m sorry.”

I giggled. “It’s fine, Jared. I can separate the broccoli from my food.”

“I just want tonight to be perfect…I’m forgetting things,” he said, glowering at the broccoli on the rim of my plate as if it had insulted him.

That one phrase caught my attention. “Why does it have to be perfect?”

Jared shifted uncomfortably in his chair and sighed with relief when the waitress came to refill our water glasses.

“Where was I?” he asked after the waitress left.

I blotted my lips with a napkin. “We’re moving too fast?”

“No…I mean yes, that’s where I was at, but no, I don’t think we’re moving too fast,” he paused for a moment and then looked warily at me. “You don’t think we are, do you?”

I giggled and shook my head. “No.” My eyebrows moved in as I watched him get increasingly nervous. “Are you okay?”

“I’m good. I’m perfect. You okay?”

“Yeah…you’re kinda freaking me out, though,” I turned my head to the side slightly as I eyed him with suspicion.

Jared closed his eyes and then took a deep, relaxing breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little keyed up.”

“Relax. It’s just dinner,” I said, reaching across the table to his hand.

“Huh…yeah,” Jared said, laughing once at my suggestion, and then looking down at his plate.

“I was thinking St. Lucia for our vacation. They have air conditioners, there,” I smiled.

“I’ll make the calls tomorrow,” he said, distracted.

I pondered that for a moment and then narrowed my eyes. “My mother must pay you well.”

“Very well,” he nodded.

I rolled another piece of broccoli to the side of my plate. “Well, technically, I pay you well.”

“What?” Jared said, freezing in the middle of a bite.

I shrugged. “Well, when Jack died—his estate, his assets, everything…it’s mine.”

“What? I thought your mother….” Jared shook his head, taken off-guard.

“Oh, she can live there, she can deal with the bills and the taxes and the rest of it until I graduate. I can’t deal with it all right now.”

“So…you pay me?” Jared asked, grimacing. He didn’t seem happy at the idea.

“Why? Do you want a raise?” I smiled.

Jared laughed. “As much as I love my job, maybe I should be paying you.” I smiled at his words, and he worked to relax his expression. “So, it’s been a month since you moved in. Are you comfortable? Does it feel like home, yet?”

I sighed, looking into his breathtaking blue-grey eyes. “It felt like home before I moved in. You’re my home, Jared.”

He beamed at my words and reached down into the inside pocket of his jacket. “Nina, there’s something I….”

The waitress approached the table and Jared slumped against his chair, looking slightly disappointed. She took our plates and left us alone with the dessert menu.

“Angel Food cake is on the menu,” he smiled.

“I’m definitely going to have a slice of that.”

I watched Jared scroll over the list of pies, cakes and ice cream. While he searched, I noticed a small, glowing red dot appear over his shoulder and then slowly make its way across the table. I lowered my menu as I watched it hit the edge of the table, and then travel up the bodice of my dress, settling over my heart.

“Huh,” I said in a higher, bewildered pitch.

“What, sweetheart?” Jared asked, still looking over the menu.

“There must be someone else in here. They’re playing with one of those laser-pointer thingies,” I said, still watching it quiver on my chest.

My body jerked, and I felt the world spin in slow motion. The sounds of war impeded the air around me and I struggled to gain my bearings. Glass crashed to the floor, and high-pitched buzzing noises accompanied the staccato of gunfire. My arms and legs felt constricted and heavy, but at the same time weightless; flying through the air, higher and higher. I closed my eyes and tried to sift through the confusion.

Jared’s voice called to me from far away, and as his voice grew closer, so did the buzzing and tapping noises.

“Nina!” Jared yelled.

Sitting on the ground with my back to the inside of the waiter’s station, time sped up and the noises blurred together. Jared reached above me, and I heard a ripping noise. With one hand he placed a large board behind my back, leaning me against it. He ducked once and called my name again.

“Nina!”

My mind abruptly caught up with the present. Jared had reached across the table the second he’d noticed the red dot, and we flew together under a slew of gunfire to the middle of the room. He quickly righted me and ripped the marble countertop off above us, placing it behind me as a shield.

A hail of bullets soared around us again, and I could hear the waitress screaming from the back in Japanese. Jared yelled something back to her and then turned to me.

The red table cloth had made the journey with us, and I was tangled in it. I covered my head as the next barrage of bullets surged through the restaurant. When I looked up, I noticed a red stain on Jared’s shirt that grew larger with every passing second.

“Jared!”

He looked at me with confusion and then followed my line of sight to his shoulder.

“It’s fine,” he said, shaking his head dismissively. “Are you okay?” he yelled over the breaking glass and gunfire, ducking as he spoke.

I nodded, watching Jared’s confused expression turn to concern. He looked down at his thigh and touched his pants.

“Did you get hit in the leg, too?” I asked, ducking with another onslaught of gunfire.

“No…I….” he said, looking back at me. Suddenly his eyes widened and he looked down to my lap, pulling at the tablecloth twisted around me. Finally freeing me from the fabric, he yanked up the skirt of my dress, seeing a bloody mess on my thigh.

“Oh my God, Nina, you’re hit.”

We exchanged fearful expressions just as the next barrage of bullets ricocheted through the room. My brain registered the pain the moment I saw the wound, and a searing sensation immediately radiated from the bullet hole in all directions.

“You’re going to be okay!” Jared yelled over the breaking glass, his face tightening.

The restaurant was being torn apart by bullets. The walls and tables were splintered, the floor covered in glass shards. He pulled the tie from his neck and looped it around my upper thigh, yanking it tight, and then he wadded up the table cloth and pressed it against my leg. The sting intensified as it shot throughout my body, and I cried out in pain.

Jared’s face tensed and he lifted his hand from the table cloth, both dark red with my blood. He put more pressure on it and I cried out again.

He shook his head. “I’ve got to get you out of here.”

He kept his hand on my leg as he backed up to the station beside me, and then slowly leaned his head out. He immediately jerked back, narrowly dodging dozens of shots aimed directly at him. Whoever was outside only had to keep us pinned down until I bled to death, and they would succeed in killing us both.

Jared’s eyes searched the room in desperation. He scanned the ceiling and walls, and attempted to see what was in the back, ducking at another set of bullets. When more firing resounded, I noticed that those shots sounded different, closer.

I pulled his hand from my leg and pressed my hand on the tablecloth, wincing. “Go, Jared. Find a way out.”