Sky Warriors: Poleuthan's Thief (Sky Warriors Saga Book 1) (47 page)

She glared at him with fury despite the heat she felt building in her face as her heart hammered painfully in her chest.

“What are you talking about?” she hissed.

He grimaced as he met her fiery gaze. “It’s obvious you like him,” he stated unremorsefully as he jerked his head towards Showl who was a good distant away from them as Vera chatted to him while he silently listened. “The Ange I know wouldn’t just leave the people she loved behind, so it must be his fault.”

Ange glanced at Showl for a moment, he had been keeping himself from her mind so she could talk comfortably with Daren but now she blocked him to assure he wasn’t startled by her anger and confusion.

“No,” she replied, her voice sounded broken and it surprised her as she finished quietly. “It’s forbidden…”

Her heart slowed painfully in her chest as a pit of cold formed in her. She painfully realized Daren was right, she liked Showl, more than she should and she had been denying it this entire time. Just like Amaris obviously loved Corvus but could never express her feelings to him because of their laws.

Suddenly broken hearted she felt her body become weary as she let go of Daren’s arm who grabbed it again quickly. She met his sympathetic green gaze with her hazel eyes full of despair.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered
tragically. “I had no idea.”

She sighed and shook her head, there was nothing that could be done and the pity Daren showed only manage to make her angry at herself for having such a foolish weakness.

“Daren, you look well. I was worried when I heard you were sick.”

They both froze at the sound of the voice.

Daren turned to look at Jason, blankly. “I’m fine,” he assured in a disguised polite voice.

“And what lovely flower have you brought along, Daren?” Jason asked stepping around him to look at Ange. “I didn’t think you had the charm to get a lady,” he
jested before freezing in surprise.

Ange looked up at him, locking a vicious cold gaze at the tall boy that held a tall wine glass in his right hand.

After his momentary shock he smiled pleasantly, gazing at her with hungry eyes and cooed. “Why if it isn’t our lovely Fox back from the dead. My dear that color does not suit you in the least. A lovely red or black would have been better, or perhaps a shade of green to match those stunning eyes of yours.”

She continued to glare, her body becoming rigid and her face creased with streaks of anger.

“Such an expression is unbecoming of such a lovely creature,” he censured disappointed with a sensational voice. “Why didn’t you tell me she was fine after that little mess?” he asked Daren disappointed.

Daren glowered at him. “You didn’t ask,” he replied sharply as they took a step to walk around him.

Jason blocked their path with a graceful sidestep.

“Don’t be cold, Daren, it was only business. Can’t we leave such unpleasant memories behind and look to a bright future between our families?” he implicated with a cynical glare that made Daren cringe. His voice grew pleasant again as his eyes softened. He grabbed Ange’s hand much to her chagrin and disgust as he asked sweetly. “Shall we dance my beautiful Fox, and let this little squabble rest?”

She tried to yank her hand away but he squeezed tighter, his eyes growing possessive as he pulled her close and out of Daren’s arm.

“Let me go!” she spat.

Jason’s tight grip suddenly released her as another hand shot into their view and snared Jason’s wrist with unyielding force.

Ange stepped back surprised as she looked up at Showl as his hand tightened on Jason’s wrist and his yellow eyes stared coldly and blankly at the young man’s blue glare.

“Did you not hear her?” Showl asked with a deadly voice. “She instructed you to release her.”

Jason snarled furiously. “Do you know to whom you’re speaking to?” he demanded confidently.

Showl smiled sadistically, a pleasant smile masking a furious snarl. “Yes, you’re the boy who threatened my Angeline’s life with an assassin’s contract and used her best friend to destroy her entire life.”

Jason’s eyes grew wide as he shot a glare at Daren before looking around to assure no one was within earshot.

Jason snarled with a wicked smile. “Then you should know better than to touch me and interfere with my business,” he replied pointedly.

Showl pulled him closer, his voice quiet and colder than ice, his smile menacing and his eyes flinty. “Tell me, do you know the sensation of having all your bones being broken one by one…then being frozen solid slowly as your breath slowly escapes you and you blood sloshes painfully through your veins as your heart slowly paces to its final beat?”

Fury rushed through Jason, his hand jerked up and the red wine rushing for Showl’s face.

Showl didn’t even flinch as his eyes suddenly glowed for a split second, the wine freezing in midflight in a cluster of red crystals then crashed into the floor with a crackling screech.

Ange sucked in a painful breath as eyes turned to look at them and she stared relieved as the wine fell apart into a puddle of liquid on the floor before them again.

Jason though hadn’t missed the supernatural display, his eyes stretching wide with horror as he stared up at Showl trying to free himself from his inhuman strength.

Showl leaned in, causing Jason to freeze completely, his frame trembling as sweat beaded down his face and neck.

“Stay away from her, or that will be you,” he threatened, his eyes glowing briefly as his teeth sharpened into a feral fanged smiled.

Jason gulped a scream, nodding vigorously just as Showl’s face returned to normal, “By the way, that color suits her perfectly,” he stated and pushed him away. Jason fell to the floor before he quickly fumbled back to his feet and rushed away, the eyes of the other nobles gathered followed his hasty retreat confused as they glanced at Showl, Ange, and Daren perplexed, talking amongst themselves quietly.

Showl seem unbothered by the attention as he grabbed Ange’s hand and gently pulled her along as she grabbed Daren and pulled him from his frozen state of shock.

“Are you alright, my little thief?”
he asked quietly as he met her eyes for a moment.

“Alright?! I thought you were going to kill him, not that I would have any objections,”
she stated truthfully.

“I almost did,”
he admitted quietly.
“It took me a great deal of restraint not to but it seems I failed to keep my temper under control despite the effort,”
he stated unapologetically.

Ange giggled at his attempt of indifference but admitted a part of her did find Showl frightening when he was angry but also
endearing when he was only violently so when it came to her.

They walked over to the others, Vera having disappeared. Ange gazed worried as Ileana and Grace glared at Showl with disappointment, Corvus showed amusement and sympathy as Amaris stared surprised at them.

“You could blow our cover,” Grace hissed furiously.

“No one will believe him,” Showl
scoffed unworried.

Grace snarled at his response. “This is immature of you Showl, you alone should know better,” she scolded.

Showl shrugged apathetically.

Grace was about to spat as Corvus touched her shoulder and met her eyes. They shared something briefly before she sighed defeated and snarled under her breath. “Males.”

“Incubus!” A horrified Daren snarled quietly next to Ange and the gazes of the entire group snapped on to him.

“
Shhhhh!” Ange hissed slapping her hand over his mouth.

He yanked her hand away as the gazes of the others scrutinized him. “That’s why you asked me that so many months ago!” he gasped as he gazed at all of them with fear, especially Showl.

“Shut up, Daren!” she spat before he could started rambling hysterically. “They are not incubi.”

“Then how do you explain what he,” he looked pointed looked at Showl, “just did? That wine froze in midair as his eyes glowed! Then his teeth grew too!” he gasped.

“Shush!” she hissed as the others continued to stare at him.

She met his eyes and he fell silent, they stared for a moment till he finally relaxed. His shoulders sagged with defeat as she begged him to trust her with her gaze.

“Enough. We can’t deal with this right now,” Grace snarled. “They’re here.”

Ange froze as a chill descended her spin as the chattering in the room fell silent of talking. She looked to the entrance of the grand room as three intimidating figures
strode into the room, capturing the attention of all with their overwhelming presence as three other figures followed behind them.

“Get away from me!” Ange snarled pushing Daren quickly away who stared at her confused. She shook her head and quickly understanding he walked away, glancing back at her worriedly.

She looked back and recognized Sora instantly, her slate hair as sleek as she remembered and her tawny eyes still fierce. The dragon to her right was a male that was barely more robust than Sora but the same height and had short copper hair, and fierce sand colored eyes.

At the lead was another female dragon, taller than the others and her frame wider and thicker than the other two and very streamline as if she was a proficient diver. Her hair was short, only to her neck and the same shade as her eyes that scanned the room, falling on them and Ange
cringed at the pitiless black eyes that inspected them carefully. These eyes were even more frightening then Corvus’s white irises.

The woman showed no emotion while Sora glared at them and the male dragon observed them and his surrounding with boredom. They walked deeper into the room with intimidating authority.

“That woman is the leader of the Adherent, her name is Forsteri, the Regina Aqua. The male is the Rex Terrae and his name is Athene,”
Showl explained in a clipped tone.

“
Forsteri looks…cold,”
Ange observed.

“She is merciless, she may be no match for us in the air for she can barely fly, but in the water…simple to say, it is best to quickly get away.”

A tremble ran down her spine at his words.

“Ange it is now or never,”
Ileana cut in mentally.

“See this window behind us?”
Amaris added as Ange looked behind them at the deep window sill and their long velvet red curtains that skimmed the floor.
“At the top behind the curtain is a vent, it’s not very big but it’ll lead straight upstairs and into the treasure room.”

Ange nodded only slightly, glancing at the Adherent as they were followed by their humans and approached the man with a caramel beard. He winced only slightly, speaking to them respectfully.

Ange had no time to observed, they were not looking their way and as Ange slipped behind Showl and into the curtains the spectral clone slipped past her and took her place.

She looked up at the vent that was still several feet above her head. She yanked out her small dagger from her thigh and ordered into become a grappling hook once more. One she carefully shot the hook into the vent between its metal bars she pinching the pendent Amaris had given her and rather than the strange sensation of liquid metal running over her skin it was if air, colder and more foreboding, was caressing her skin.

It caused her to shiver with dread the few seconds it lasted as her dress was replaced by her Black Owl’s armor. She caressed the material for a moment, feeling comfortable and familiar as a burning excitement took hold of her and she quickly climbed the cable up to the vent.

Amaris was right, it was small but so was she, like a snake dipped in oil she slipped in quietly and smoothly as her Key returned to a normal shape. A few feet in after placing the cover back in place and the cold, dark, dank ventilation system was abruptly traveling vertically.

She observed the metal sheets as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, as she stared up a faint light trickled in from somewhere far away. She opened her hand flat as it snapped to the metal and she smiled at the ingenious addition of magnetic gloves. She used the powerful attraction between the magnets and the metal to climb up the vertical passage, it only took her a minute to make her way up. All the while Showl lingered closely as did the others, their anticipation making her own emotions boil close to the surface.

Ange contemplated how tight the lasers in the treasure room might be, they were no ordinary lasers simply made to set off an alarm but to burn and slice whatever touched them.

She traveled the maze of intricate rectangular tunnels as she quietly counted the seconds in her mind, timing herself, she only had five minutes left if Ileana’s measurement was true. She would either have to take the vents again and find the nearest room with a window once the compass was in hand but she didn’t know how large it was. Or knock out the guards and find the nearest exit where Corvus would be ready to take her away as swiftly as possible.

She frowned as she turned a corner and light flooded in through another vent, she decided it would be more prudent to decide once the compass was actually in her hands. Still counting she approached the light, her stomach soundlessly sliding over the metal as she peered out of the vent into the room, the light blinding her momentarily.