Tethered Wings (Hidden Wings Series) (2 page)

“Believe me…I know,” I giggled. Tippy-toeing to give him one last kiss, I said, “I’ll see you later.” Then headed for the door.

“See you later.”

As I stepped into the hall, Dominic, Malachi, Thomas, and Alexander were sitting on the stairs talking amongst themselves. I dreaded the thought of walking past them because I knew they would have something negative to say. I had one more flight of stairs to get up to my room, and no way of avoiding them. I was probably the topic of their heated discussion, and at this moment, invisibility was what I needed. I wondered if the suit could still make me invisible.

I wished and wished, but it didn’t work.
Dammit.

Dominic’s voice called out. “Hey, Emma. Are you alright?” He must have thought I was going to pass out, standing there with my eyes tightly shut, wishing to disappear.

“Hey Dom,” I smiled, “I’m fine.” I quickly made my way to the stairway.

“You look like you’re in a hurry,” he said.

“I am. I’d like to wash Hell off me as quickly as possible. It’s giving me a headache,” I said, trying to avoid eye contact with any of them. I could feel their stares, wondering, waiting for me to give them some kind of answer to what happened earlier.  

“Yeah, I’d like to wash away the stench you dragged in too,” Malachi blurted.

I knew it would never go away, but all I could think about right now, was a hot shower, and falling into a deep, restful sleep with no dreams. 

“Sorry, boys. If you’re looking for answers, I don’t have any for you right now,” I said, stepping past them and bounding up the stairs.

“I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough,” Malachi answered. Their voices went low again, murmuring amongst themselves.

I quickly made my way down the hall to my bedroom. As soon as I was inside, I snapped the door shut behind me and locked it.

Finally. I was alone.

Standing here for a moment, the complete silence became a bit unnerving. Ever since I left to find Caleb in the caves, I hadn’t been alone. Mixed emotions swirled through me. On one hand, I was happy because I could finally breathe and was safe - for the moment. On the other hand, I was alone…

The curtains were drawn, making the room dark and eerie. Clicking on the light, the first thing I noticed was my spotless room. Someone had cleaned while I was away. Quickly, I made my way to the dresser, pulled out pajamas, and headed for the bathroom.

As soon as I stepped inside and clicked on the light, I gasped, taken aback by the figure staring back at me. She looked tired and weary, blood and dirt smeared all over. Her face was war-torn, and strands of misplaced hair hung over her brown eyes. She had changed so much from the last time I saw her.  

Slowly peeling off my super suit, I dropped it in the hamper. As soon as I became disconnected from it, overwhelming feelings of sadness and loss rushed over me. Its magic must have been holding me together. The emotions were so unbearable, I quickly turned on the bathwater to drown out the sounds of my uncontrollable sobs.

As soon as the bath was filled, I sunk deep into the hot bubbles, trying not to let the sadness drown me. Here, I could release my emotions and not worry about anyone seeing or hearing me, and it felt good.

I had been strong and tried to hold myself together to finish our quest. And I did survive, doing whatever I had to. I pulled every ounce of strength and courage out from depths I never knew existed, and now, all that remained were the remnants. Kade, Samuel, and Alaine were the silver lining in my new dark world.

I stayed in the tub until the water turned cold, and then dragged myself out and dressed for bed. Before my pruny-butt turned in for the night, I decided to boot up my laptop and check my email. Lia and Jeremy must have been going crazy wondering what happened to me for the past four months. Lia was such a worry wart, and I had a feeling my email was probably filled with her concerned messages. Knowing Lia, she probably thought I’d been mauled by a bear.

“OMG,” I breathed out loud. Sure enough there were 47 new email messages, mainly from Lia, and a few from Jeremy. Most of the subject lines read:
HELLO?
Or,
Are you alive?
Or,
WTH?

I clicked on the most recent email which was written two days ago from Lia.

-------------------------------

Emma,

What the hell? I just called again, and your Aunt said you were camping and didn’t have service wherever you were. Damn it, girl!!! Is there service anywhere in that damn state? I’ve been trying to contact you for the past four months, and haven’t heard a single word back. You better have a good excuse. I swear I sprouted another white hair today, all thanks to you.

Any-how…school sucks without you. But, OMG! I can’t wait to come and visit you. Total hug fest! Jeremy and I will be there in four days! Eeeeeek! I swear, Emma, you’d better be back from camping by then, and you better message me. If you’re dead, I will resurrect you and slap you silly for giving me grief, white hair, and making me constantly worry about you. Well, you can spill when we get there.

So, is Kade still in the picture? Did he go camping with you? OMG. I still have visions of his yummy self in my head. You are so dang lucky. I will see you very soon!

Oh! Our visit is supposed to be a surprise, so don’t say anything and act surprised! Lol

Hugs and kisses,

Lia

-------------------------------------

Okay, wait…
What
?

I had to pause and re-read the part about her coming in four days. I quickly scrolled down and clicked on previous emails. I gasped, my head started spinning a million miles an hour.

It was true. But they weren’t coming in four days, they were coming in two!

Holy crap!

My heart instantly dropped and was filled with a sense of impending doom. They couldn’t come here. Not right now. This place wasn’t safe. I had to talk to Alaine in the morning. She must have given them the okay to come, but why?

As much as I wanted to see Jeremy and Lia again, I knew there was a real danger outside. But they already made their plans, and seriously, there was no way to tell them no. Lia wouldn’t dare pass up a trip to get away from her parents and visit me. 

What was I supposed to tell them? That they couldn’t come because we were in the middle of an immortal war, and I was being hunted by a mad, murderous Fallen Angel who wanted to either kill, or capture me for his wicked gain? That’d go over like a fart in a spacesuit.

And how the heck was I supposed to explain about the Guardians or
Lucifer’s son?

All I could do was wait until morning and see what Alaine had to say about it. Until then, I would have to respond to Lia’s email. The key was brevity.

-----------------------------------

Hey Lia,

First…Holy crap! Are you seriously coming??? Oh my God. I almost dropped from a heart attack when I read your message. My heart is still pounding and I’m hyperventilating.  

Second…I’m ALIVE! I promise. I still don’t have a cell phone, but there is no need for resurrection.

I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, but the service here is horrible, and they’ve taken me all over this godforsaken state on an adventure to try and take my mind off of everything. Believe me, there isn’t much to see, unless you love landscapes of endless trees. It is beautiful though.

Yes, Kade is still here, and I’ve spent quite a bit of time with him. I’ll spill when you get here. Nothing major, but I really like him, and I know he likes me too.

Well, I better get to bed. We just got back from camping and I’m wiped. Don’t worry, I will totally act surprised. I can’t wait to see and hug you both. It feels like it’s been forever.

Love you,

Emma

---------------------------------

That message should tide her over until she arrived, and I knew she’d let Jeremy know I was okay. I suddenly yawned, and felt the lack of sleep catch up to me. My eyelids felt like lead weights had been attached to them, and my limbs were so weak they were shaking.

I shut down the laptop and jumped into bed, pulling the warm blankets over me. I relaxed and sunk my head into the soft pillow. I seriously took for granted the things which seemed so insignificant. Things like how amazingly wonderful sleeping on a real bed felt. I’d slept on rocks, in Hell, for the past week. Now, I felt like I was lying on a cloud. Snuggling in deeper, I pulled the covers up over my neck, and closed my eyes. In a matter of seconds, sleep found me.

I woke and was greeted with darkness, but the light outside was trying to peek in through the cracks. I debated whether or not to get out of bed, but my stomach insisted on it. It was demanding to be fed. 

A quick glance at the clock told me it was 12:12pm. Sheeze, I’d slept the whole morning away.

Begrudgingly, I peeled myself from the warmth of the blankets and shivered as I headed over to pull back the curtains. The sky was dark and gray. Heavy clouds hung in the sky making the world look even drearier.

My insides twisted at the sight of the labyrinth. What was supposed to be a beautiful work of art, brought back a rush of negative emotions.

The cottage looked cozy and had a column of smoke rising from its chimney.

I inhaled the cool air, then headed to the closet and grabbed a pair of blue jeans, a black t-shirt and, a dark gray hoodie to coordinate with the day. 

Inside the bathroom I caught my reflection again. It was amazing what a night’s rest could do. My hair was a matted mess, but at least I didn’t look like the walking dead. I quickly brushed my teeth, my hair, and applied some foundation, eyeliner, and lip-gloss. Lastly, I placed the Bloodstone amulet back around my neck. It had become my personal, warning-of-danger accessory. 

After a quick assessment and agreeing I looked like a normal human being, I headed out the door. As soon as I stepped out of my room, I saw a figure charging at me from down the hall.

“Morning, Emma!” Courtney sang. She was carrying a muffin in her hand. Blueberry. I heard my stomach rumble again.

“Morning, Courtney,” I smiled.

“You slept in late. I was waiting for you to get up,” she noted.

“You were? Were you waiting in the hall for me?”

“No, silly. I just came up from the kitchen. Miss Lily has lunch ready if you’re hungry, and there are still some yummy blueberry muffins left from breakfast.”

My mouth began to water as I eyed her yummy goods. “That looks really good.”

“It is, but lunch is way better. She made fried chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes with gravy. You better hurry because all the boys are down there. I even saw those two scary, huge guys in the kitchen.”

“Alright, I’m on it,” I said. “Thanks for the info.”

“No problem. Oh! And Alaine wanted me to tell you that she wants to see you in her study. She’s there now, so you’d better go there first.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll see you later,” I smiled.

“Maybe we can watch a movie or play a board game?” She asked with a raised brow.

“I’d like that,” I replied.  

Her face lit up, happy with my answer. “Alright, I’ll come find you later,” she said. Turning around, she skipped to her room and disappeared inside.

I smiled as I made my way toward the stairway, and was surprised at how quiet it was. Everyone must have been having lunch. The thought of food sent my stomach complaining again. The whole area was empty, so I bounced down the stairs and then made a right down the hall to Alaine’s study.

When I arrived at her door, I knocked and immediately heard her answer.

“Come in.” 

I twisted the knob and entered. The sweet smell of roses greeted me. 

“You wanted to see me?” I asked.

“Yes. Please come in and have a seat,” she said. She was seated behind her computer, but as soon as she saw me, her chocolate brown eyes sparkled. Her face was luminous and looked like porcelain; her dark, silky hair cascaded down in large ringlets. She was beautiful, and I did see a lot of me in her.

I headed toward her desk and took a seat facing her. She reached across and brushed my cheek with her hand.

“Good afternoon, sweetheart. How was your sleep?”

“It was great. I actually knocked out and don’t think I moved once,” I giggled.

“That’s great. You needed to rest and heal,” she said. “I wanted to discuss a few things with you, but first, I wanted to tell you how very proud I am. You really held your own in the Underworld. The boys keep saying how amazed they were at your strength. You saved them, and I cannot thank you enough for taking care of them and Samuel.”