Sparks of Blue (Dark Light Book 2) (20 page)

Which was probably why Belle was so startled at the unexpected, unfamiliar male voice that called to them.

“Nephilim. Cease your efforts.”

Beside her, Gwen casually rolled her head up and lifted her gaze. If anything she was
too
relaxed.

Belle’s eyes snapped open, and she found herself staring at a man she was sure she’d never met. A
demon
she was sure she’d never seen before.

He held himself almost professionally. Tall, slender, and still. He wore a charcoal suit sans tie and had his hands clasped behind his back. Black eyes remained locked onto her despite Gwen’s slow movements.

Gathering her resolve, Belle kept her hands where they were. “And if I don’t?”

His eyes narrowed marginally. “I believe you’re savvy enough to know the answer to that. I only want the human; you may keep your sister.”

“No. You can keep your head if you leave now.”
Big words for a vulnerable Nephilim.
But this was a moment demanding strength, not a show of weakness. She could be vulnerable and tired later.

His arms fell to his sides, revealing a gleaming dagger. “I was afraid you’d feel that way.” He started forward. “You must understand I cannot allow you to undo my Liege’s curse.”

His Liege?
Well, that was an interesting phrase.
Wait. Undo the curse?
She was close! So close, in fact, that someone was trying to
reason
her out of saving a life.

Without moving her hands, she cut off the flow of power to her sister temporarily and poured every ounce of it into Gwen. There was no time for finesse here.

Gwen groaned after a prolonged second, her head rolling to the side as she lost consciousness. It was too much, too fast. Something Belle normally admonished.

“A desperate attempt for a desperate woman,” the mystery demon declared as he stepped into striking range.

Looking him straight in the eyes she said, “Are you familiar with that old saying about the pot and the kettle?”

He raised his dagger. “I’ll kill all three of you if you don’t surrender her.”

A ring of blue flame suddenly wound its way around the bed, encircling them and standing between Belle and the demon.

The demon took a step back and lowered his arm. “I see. Creed has failed us.” He said nothing more before vanishing in an acrid puff of smoke.

“Damn.”

Belle turned and smiled as the blue flame faded away. Kai was leaning into the doorframe, sword at his side. “Too slow?”

Kai offered a one-shouldered shrug with a barely concealed wince. “At least Creed’s dead.”

“You’re hurt.” And she’d just about depleted herself.
Wow, Gwen, if you were only awake right now.

“How’re they?”

Belle looked down at Gwen and placed both palms more properly over her chest. “Actually,” she mumbled, letting her voice trail as she focused on scanning.

Gwen was out because her body was too relaxed to be awake. But now that the pour of power had stopped, her body was settling and … she’d done it.

Belle had cured the demonic curse.

She lifted her eyes, and a wide smile, to Kai. “I did it,” she said reverently a moment before the exertion caught up with her.

Chapter Twenty

Kai scowled at the bed before him as he stepped back. It was crowded with all three women in some state of unconsciousness upon it. Belle had collapsed, falling over Gwen’s lap awkwardly, right after declaring their mission a success. She’d done the impossible. She’d found a way to heal a death curse. When that sank in, when it
really
sank in, he was sure he’d be proud of her. More proud than he would ever know how to articulate.

Pride wasn’t a feeling he tended toward outside of his own accomplishments. But Belle had always been his exception. Only he didn’t think he’d ever told her. He wouldn’t have, for reasons that he now recognized were beyond foolish, before this mission. But he should have since they’d struck up this undefined relationship.

A relationship, Kai realized, that Belle was going to have to make a decision on now.

He knew she’d been using the constant distraction of their mission to avoid truly reflecting on how she felt about them, about their future. And for as much as he knew she cared for him he worried. If she wanted a future with him, wouldn’t she have figured that out by now?

I might have centuries to dwell on this. First thing’s first.
With their Master Healer unconscious, they would need another skilled hand to check Gwen and confirm Belle’s claim. And it was obvious Belle had been working on healing both Gwen and Madelyne while he’d been fighting Creed, so someone needed to check on Madelyne, too. There had to be a reason, after all, for her to have exhausted herself like that.

So he prayed for the one judgment he trusted. And given the news he had, Isabella didn’t keep him waiting.

“Creed’s dead?” Isabella asked by way of greeting as she stepped into the room. She seemed to have materialized in the kitchen.

Kai moved to the side so that he wasn’t obscuring her line of sight. “He is.”

Isabella’s gaze swept over the women before landing with a frown on Kai. “If she were awake I’d be demanding you go for healing, Kai.”

“I’ll be fine.” This wasn’t the time to be worrying unnecessarily about his injuries. “Belle says she’s healed the curse. And I’m concerned about Madelyne.”

Isabella nodded and moved toward the bed, reaching first for Gwen. “You’re not concerned for Belle?” If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought she was teasing him.

He answered anyway. “She’ll be fine. Sleep restores her.” That time he swore he heard Isabella laugh under her breath.

She rested a palm on Gwen’s forehead and an ivory wave washed over Gwen’s body. Isabella’s hand fell to her side, and she turned a proud, victorious smile to Kai. “I sense no demon energy. Her heart is completely healthy. Strong.” She didn’t wait for his response before moving around the bed and rolling Madelyne closer so as to repeat the motion.

Rolling?
Madelyne had been almost on her side. But would she have fallen that way due to the extra, shifting weight of Belle and Gwen?

“Hmm,” Isabella hummed. “I’m less familiar with her original condition in detail, but … I’d wager she’s improved significantly. This unconsciousness isn’t the same as a coma.” She released Madelyne carefully and looked back to Kai. “She may even wake up today or tomorrow.”

Kai let a small smile show since Belle wasn’t awake to hear the news. “Thank you,” he said.

Isabella nodded and started toward the kitchen. “I need to do damage control on that fight, and resume my investigation into Uriah. But you should be safe here to rest out the day.” She paused in the entryway. “Will you be ready for field work tomorrow?”

Kai’s frown slipped back into place, and he looked toward the bed. “No. I’d like to take a week off to get my life straight.” He phrased it like a request out of respect, not out of any willingness to go to work again the next day anyway.

Whether Isabella understood that or simply agreed to his choice, he’d never know, but she inclined her head and disappeared with a flap of ivory wings.

Kai released a breath, managed to extract Belle from between her patients, and claimed a seat in the single chair in the room. With Belle’s resting body safely cocooned in his arms, her head on his shoulder, Kai allowed himself to relax.

Their fight was over for the moment. They’d won the day.

Hell, they’d won more than the day.

He couldn’t wait to see her happy smile when he told her the news.

****

She was warm. Comfortable. Safer than she’d felt in a while—or than she usually felt without Kai, at least. But one delicious intake of breath assured her that she wasn’t without Kai this time. His arms were locked solidly around her as his chest rose and fell with a slow, steady rhythm that assured her he was asleep. Her nose was tucked up against his throat and, now that she was awake, she realized her feet were actually hanging awkwardly over the edge of his lap.

Knowing there was no way to move around without waking him in such a position, Belle carefully lifted her head and pressed her lips to his jaw. By the time she’d trailed her lips up to his, he was awake and ready to kiss her back.

“I feel like I just walked in on my parents,” Gwen declared pointedly from somewhere beyond them.

They jerked apart, and Belle finally lifted her gaze.

She was nestled in Kai’s lap in the armchair that took up one corner of the bedroom. The curtains were drawn, no light peeking in around the edges. Gwen stood in the entry to the kitchen, one steaming mug of coffee—she assumed—in hand, the kitchen light on behind her. A slight turn of her head and her heart stilled.

Madelyne was sitting up against the headboard, nursing another mug of steaming liquid.

Madelyne was
awake
.

“Em?” Belle gasped, tears welling up behind her eyes. Kai loosened his arms wordlessly, and she scrambled from his lap to rush to her sister’s side. “Em, you’re awake!”

Madelyne looked over, shadows dimming her once brilliant blue eyes. She managed a weak smile but made no effort to speak. That was okay. That was more than okay, it was fantastic.

Belle caught herself before she could do more than reach for her sister and instead of pulling her close in a bone-crushing hug, she settled for resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I know you’ve been through a lot, baby sister, but you’re safe now. I’m here, Kai’s here; we’ll protect you.”

Madelyne’s lips twitched again, and she looked beyond Belle to incline her head.

“I’m only sorry I couldn’t find you sooner,” Kai replied as if reading her mind.

Belle gave her sister’s shoulder a squeeze. “See?” Glancing at the drink—tea, she realized—Belle asked, “Are you hungry? We can make you something.”

“I already offered,” Gwen declared as Madelyne gave a short shake of her head. Stopping near the foot of the bed Gwen added, “I think she’s kind of disoriented. I know I would be.”

“That’s okay,” Belle decided. Making sure Madelyne was looking at her she said, “You take all the time you need, Em.”

After Madelyne, still weak despite all her rest, had fallen back to sleep, the trio migrated into the living area to give her some quiet.

“Okay, Belle, I’m dying to know what you did to me earlier. I feel … different.” Gwen paused, shook her head at herself, and said, “
Good
different, I mean.”

Belle opened her mouth to answer but found herself hesitating. She’d been practically high on adrenaline with that other demon looming over them. She barely remembered Kai coming to the rescue. “Sit down and let me scan you,” she said. “I don’t want to say until I’m sure.”

“I’m sure.” Kai’s calm, almost complacent declaration caught her off-guard. When Belle and Gwen looked over at him, he said, “Belle healed it. All of it. You’re completely cured.”

Gwen collapsed onto the sofa, inadvertently sitting on Kai’s pillow. “I’m … cured?”

Belle frowned. “Kai,” she said, “I should scan her before we go telling her that.”

Kai inclined his head and settled on the loveseat. “If you feel up to it. But I confirmed with Isabella.”

“You did?” Belle asked before she could stop herself. Instead of actually smacking herself on the forehead, she turned a beaming smile on Gwen. “Then it’s true. You’re going to make it past thirty.”

Tears spilled down Gwen’s cheeks, and she sprang from the couch, embracing Belle without warning. “Thank you! Thank you, Belle, I can’t believe it!”

Belle wrapped her arms around her friend and hugged her back. “I’m glad it worked,” she admitted. “And after we get you back to California, you’d better not disappear on me.”

Gwen pulled back, wiping self-consciously at her face. “Disappear on you? Girl, you’re coming to every single one of my birthdays for the rest of my life!” She turned and sprang her next hug on Kai, declaring, “You, too!”

Belle laughed out loud at the look of discomfort on Kai’s face as he slowly, awkwardly returned Gwen’s crushing hug.

It was nice to have good news for once.

Today’s been nothing but a roller coaster.
And it had started before she and Kai had climbed from their makeshift bed.

That was when it finally dawned on her. With their mission over not only would it soon be back to work as usual, but … she had to make a choice. A final, for real, live-with-the-consequences-or-take-the-risk choice.

“I-I think I want some fresh air,” Belle said, turning abruptly and moving toward the front door. She barely noticed the pristinely perfect field that should have been torn asunder. She pretended not to see Kai’s concerned frown as Gwen released him and stood. Instead, she walked all the way down to the riverside, letting the sound of the rushing river fill her ears.

She hadn’t spent as much time out here as she should have. She’d been so cooped up inside, focused on healing her sister. But it truly was beautiful. Kai had chosen them a dream location for their mission.

Kai…

Her heart knew what choice to make. She didn’t need to wonder about that. Even if she were the one who decided not to pursue things she’d be leaving with a broken heart. Or a re-broken heart, if that were a thing. The real question, then, was… did she trust Kai not to break her heart all over again? Or would she, in the end, be better off walking away while she could still breathe?

Something sharp stabbed at her chest, twisting her gut, and Belle pulled her arms around her middle. Arms that were still covered in Kai’s sleeves. As she looked down at those sleeves and inhaled a deep breath of riverside air mixed with Kai’s musk it occurred to Belle that she should find it stranger than she did. In less than two months she’d fallen back in love with Kai. So completely that it scared her. He was so easy to lose herself in.

But she didn’t know if she could shake the fear that he might walk away again.

What was it he’d said before? He’d left to protect her. To protect her from his people.
From Isabella…

This morning he’d told Isabella flat-out that he’d chosen her over the armada. He’d chosen
love
over the only lifestyle he’d ever known. Surely he wouldn’t have made such a bold declaration if he’d had any doubts.

Belle’s gaze traveled up, landing on the clear night sky and the blinking stars overhead. The moon must have been behind her. But she could tell it was at least almost full, given the brightness of the sky. And all those stars. She saw stars regularly, it was true, but never like this. Spiraling and clustering everywhere. Scattered here, dusting there. She felt as if she could see the entire galaxy.

“You must be cold,” Kai said softly as he came to stand behind her. He wound his arms around her waist and tugged her up to his chest. “It’s late.”

“I am a little,” she admitted, only realizing the truth of it when Kai’s heat chased that chill away. And with it the last shred of her doubt. “I love you, Kai.”

Kai rumbled and nuzzled her neck. “I love you.”

Letting herself enjoy the moment before she voiced her decision, the only decision she could truly make, Belle asked, “When do we have to leave?”

“I took a week off,” Kai said. “We could stay here if you want. Or try someplace new.”

“I can’t leave Madelyne.” She wanted to run away for a while with him, just the two of them, but she knew the timing was wrong.

Kai inhaled and let his chin rest on the crown of her head. “Raincheck, then? For when she’s strong enough to handle a week without you?”

Belle swallowed, tears stinging her eyes. “Are you sure?”

“I’m not taking no for an answer, Belle,” he declared. “In fact…” He spun her around in his arms and landed a hot kiss on her lips. He slipped his tongue into her mouth to dance with hers as he pressed her bodily into him. As he devoured her lips, her tongue, her senses, all Belle wanted to do was fall to the grass in his arms and make love beneath the stars.

But he pulled back, breath hot against her skin, and caught her gaze with his. “Belle,” he said with surprising softness, “will you marry me?”

Her eyes widened, a single tear escaping, and her heart took hold of her tongue without any argument from her brain. “Yes.”