The Weight of a Wing (The Stolen Wings Book 1) (18 page)

Rafe pulled out his blade, and Vale following suit. That
cloud had covered the moon too quickly to be natural. Whatever it was, it
glided across the sky, heading in their direction.

“What the…?” Rafe murmured.

Despite their good eyesight, the cloud had gotten only
meters away before they could distinguish each individual in that mass. The
swarm avoided the vortex and stopped in front of the open window, hundreds of
wings batting in unison.

“I’ll be damned,” Rafe said. “She’s checking up on us.” He
sensed a faint trace of the magic he had tasted during their kiss.

“I’m surprised she can still do this.” Vale sounded
genuinely impressed.

So was Rafe. He stretched out his left arm and let the
butterflies touch him. Their wings brushed against his hand, tingles spreading
over his skin. He struggled to hold back a possessive growl. She shouldn’t have
done this, not when there was so little magic left. But since it was already
done, they better not let it go to waste.

He concentrated and channeled his thoughts, taking over the
insects. Normally, he shouldn’t have been able to do this. Guardians could not
command living creatures. Still, his connection with the Fairy transferred her
ability to him long enough for him to steer the swarm the other way.

The swarm regrouped. It turned around, hesitated, and headed
to the vortex. Rafe’s hand clenched on the windowsill while the butterflies
approached the darkness. Lightning flickered around them, but let them pass
unharmed. A hint of smoke and molten lava slipped through the opening.

Vale’s nose twitched, and he paled even more.

“So,
that’s
where he went,” Rafe said. While they had
only suspected it, they now had the confirmation.

“Where else could he find Werewolves to support him?” Vale
sneered and stormed off down the stairs.

Rafe looked after him. “Well, that’s not good.”

It helped knowing where Gorem was hiding, but if The Mists
supported him, that meant trouble for all of them. And it particularly put Vale
in a difficult position. Shaking his head, Rafe threw a beacon into the vortex
to warn him whenever someone passed through then went after Vale.
Someone needed to get drunk tonight.

* * *

“Oh…,” Alise uttered, startled.

“Oh?”

She glanced at Cassie who was sitting on the edge of her
seat. “They’re fine, but…” She frowned. “The little guys have disappeared.
Hmm…” Odd. She couldn’t picture the Guardians taking them down one by one.
Maybe the magic had run out, and the connection was cut off.

Alise swung her legs over and lowered her feet to the
ground, slipping on her sandals. She stretched and yawned under Cassie’s
inquisitive gaze. “Okay. Now that you know everything is all right in the
world, I’m going to bed. I don’t know about you, but I have to go to work
tomorrow.” She had already taken two days off, and the project she was working
on was not going to finish itself.

“How can you think about work? The entire world is falling
apart!”

“My world…” She leaned forward and placed her hands on
Cassie’s shoulders. “Not yours. And
someone
has to pay the rent.” The
hurt look from Cassie’s eyes tugged at her heart a little, and she sighed.
“Cassie, there’s nothing either you or I can do to change that. Not tonight. So
we better sleep.” The past few nights spent in foreign beds had not been
restful. It was time to do something about it while they could.

Obviously struggling, Cassie chose to listen to reason. She
got up and picked up the pizza box.

Good girl.

* * *

They didn’t sleep for long. Alise felt as if she had just
laid her head on the pillow when the loud knocks on the door began. She
scrambled out of bed and stumbled into the corridor to join Cassie by the door.
Whoever was on the other side was determined to get in.
Is that singing?

“It’s them.” Cassie gave her a wary look. “We better open it
before the neighbors start complaining about the noise.”

Alise waved a hand, signaling her to unlock the door, and
leaned against the nearby wall, her eyes heavy with sleep.

“We have the confirmation. We know where Gorem went,” Rafe
said. He had Vale’s arm draped over his shoulders, and he helped him inside.

The other Guardian didn’t seem to notice the change of
surroundings and continued to hum an old drinking song while he swung a bottle
around. Luckily, it was nearly empty so it didn’t spill.

“Did the excitement make him get drunk?” Alise asked
sarcastically. He had said they knew where Gorem went, not that they had found
him. That was not much of an improvement, so she wasn’t pleased.

Cassie glanced at her friend and murmured, “Let’s get him to
the living room.”

Rafe steered Vale to the living room where he let him fall
on the couch, the bottle landing safely on a cushion. Vale groaned and went
back to his singing.
How had he managed to get this drunk?
Had he
drunk a whole store or something? How pathetic.

“Where is he?” Alise asked. She crossed her arms and tilted
her head, trying not to think about the bed hair and cute pink pajamas with
“Kiss the Fairy” across the front.

“He crossed over like we suspected,” Rafe said. “To The
Mists.”

Cassie looked at Alise. “Is that good or bad?”

Alise wondered the same thing. She breathed a little easier,
knowing they weren’t on the same side. But it wasn’t a solution, merely a
delay. “And
you
are still
here.” The disappointment in her voice
was hard to miss.

Rafe ran a hand over his face. “I told you. We’ve been
banned from going there.” He pointed at Vale, who ignored him, lost in his
stupor. “His fault.”

Cassie looked from one to the other and ended up shaking her
head. “So many rules…” She sighed.

“Tell me about it.” Alise eyed Rafe. There were a lot of
rules, but the Guardians were not normally specifically forbidden to cross
over. They must have really screwed up.

“Don’t worry. We’ll know when he crosses back. And he will,”
Rafe said. “For now, we wait.”

“Works for me,” Cassie said, a little too fast. She rubbed
her eyes. “Will you be all right here? Can I go back to bed now?”

Rafe nodded. “Yeah. I’ll keep him company. Do you have
something to drink around here?”

“Why? Can’t you watch him without a drink?” Alise went to
retrieve a scotch bottle from the cabinet.

“Did you hear his singing?” he replied.

She hadn’t paid attention to it and wasn’t going to start
now. “Here.” She thrust the bottle in his hand. “You better stay here.” Her
room was off limits.

 “Oh, if someone calls about a four digit bill, we’re not
here.” Rafe grinned and toasted with the bottle.

Rolling her eyes, Alise turned on her heels and left the
living room, determined not to give the impertinent Guardian another thought
until morning. She had a suspicion her dreams would have a different opinion,
though.

Soft music and low voices made the atmosphere feel like any
other day at the office. Seated at her desk, Alise studied the Palas
blueprints. Only the area surrounding the artificial lake remained to be dealt
with, and she was searching for the right selection of plants—strong and
pleasant to the eye—that needed as little care as possible.

She had tons of notes and, from time to time, she consulted
botanical catalogues and databases in search of plants whose names she didn’t
know. Every now and then, she discovered a species that had gone extinct or had
never existed on this side, and then her entire design got scrambled and she
had to start from scratch. It was a long and tedious process, like matching the
pieces of a puzzle that didn’t fit, but she preferred it to the alternative. At
least it kept her mind busy.

Her cell phone vibrated on top of a pile of folders, and her
heart skipped a beat at the name on the caller ID: Cassie. Alise held the phone
to her ear. “Yes?” Her free hand continued to browse through the catalogue.

“Are you sitting down?” Cassie asked.

“Huh?” Alise frowned. “Yeah?”

“Fabian is back.”

“What?” From the nearby desks, heads turned to look at her,
so she muttered, “Hold on.” She got up and stormed out of the office to lock
herself in the bathroom. “Are you sure?” Something didn’t add up. Cassie
sounded concerned and a little wary, but not as terrified as she should have
been after her close encounter with the Wizard. “Have you seen him?”

“No, but he’s about to have lunch with Sarah.”

“What?” Alise paced back and forth, the cell phone clutched
tightly in her hand. “How do you know this?”

“Sarah called me.”

“I don’t get it.” Sarah couldn’t know who Fabian was, and
why would she call Cassie?

“I didn’t catch it in the beginning, either,” Cassie said.
“She was rambling on about a meeting with a banking consultant from Frankfurt,
how he gave her a tip about some deposits with special interest for people
under twenty-five, and she said she’d thought about me. That was nice of her, I
guess…” Cassie stopped to ponder. “But you know me and finances…”

Yes, she did. Cassie always forgot to pay the cable bill.

“I told her we could talk about it, but I couldn’t wait for
her to hang up because Vale was showing me how to make a special sauce for
pasta and, no offense, it’s better than yours.”

Alise bit her lip so she wouldn’t tell her what Vale could
do with his precious recipe. “Okay, okay. Get on with it.”

“Anyway, she said she was going to have a business lunch
with Fabian. First, it surprised me to hear her being on a first name basis
with someone from work. It’s unlike her because she is so stuck up. But then
the name caught my attention. Fabian!”

Alise winced and pushed the phone away from her ear. “It
could be anyone.” She didn’t believe in coincidences, though, especially in
this situation.

“Yes, I know that, but then I started asking questions. Has
she met him already? How old is he? What does he look like? Guess what?” Cassie
made a dramatic pause. “The description fits. It’s him!”

Well, that blows.
“It sure didn’t take him long to
return.” She had counted on at least a few more days of peace. Going back in
time, draining the lake, and dealing with the Mermaid must have taken their
toll on his powers, but he had to be stronger than they had thought. Now the
Wizard was going after Sarah. Why? “It’s a trap.” What else could it be? She
lowered her voice, “He wants to lure us out.”

“Yeah, that’s what Rafe and Vale said, too.”

Oh, really? How nice of them to agree
. “What’s the
plan?”

“They’re going after him, of course.”

Of course. It was a matter of honor after all. Fabian had
tortured Vale. It was horrendous and beyond embarrassing, and he couldn’t be
allowed to get away with it. However, meeting the Wizard in plain daylight
wasn’t a good idea. What could they achieve, other than freaking out a bunch of
innocent bystanders? She let out a sigh. Poor Sarah. She had no idea what she
was getting herself into.

As she considered all possible options, another thought
crossed her mind, and Alise stopped pacing. “Cassie, where are you?”

She paused. “I’m hiding in the bathroom at the Union Hotel.”

“What are you doing there?”

“Sarah is having lunch at the restaurant on the top floor.”
The girl’s voice was merely a whisper.

Alise groaned. “Cassie, nooo…” This
was a bad idea.

“But Rafe and Vale are determined to catch him, and I’ve
seen what Fabian is capable of. They’ll need a distraction—”

“
You
better not be that distraction! Stay put, do you
hear me? Do not interfere!”

“I … umm… Well … okay…”

There was not enough determination in Cassie’s voice to
convince Alise she would listen.

“Don’t move! I’m coming over!” She was already walking to
the door and slammed it open in front of a stunned colleague, who hurried to
step back and let her pass.

“Alise, no. It’s too dangerous!” Cassie said.

“They want a distraction? Well, I’m going to give them a
distraction they’ll never forget. Wait for me in the lobby!”

“But—”

Alise grabbed her purse, announcing, “I’m going out for
lunch!” Then she walked out of the office and left the building.

Alise was all worked up after the hurried walk, and finding
Rafe on the front steps of the Union Hotel did not help improve her mood.

He scowled at her. “What are you doing here?”

She passed by him. “Is Gorem back?”

“Not that we know of.” Rafe followed her. “We put a hex on
every portal leading to this world. We’ll know it if he tries to cross over.”

“You didn’t know about
that
portal.”

“
That
has been covered. We will be informed if any
new portal opens.” He reached for her arm and stopped her in the middle of the
lobby.

Two security guards watched the exchange from the entrance.

Magic swept through Alise, making her stagger, reminding her
how good it felt. Pain flashed in her side as the poison also reacted. She
grimaced. There was little chance this could be cured by magic alone, not by
the way the two things interacted. The trip back home was going to be a hell of
a ride.
If
she ever made it back.

Preoccupied by her own mortality, Alise hadn’t been paying
attention to what Rafe was saying. She only looked up when he asked, “What
do
you think you’re
doing
?” A ray of sunshine sparkled in his eyes, making
them gleam like diamonds instead of the usual quicksilver, but he was too
furious, he wouldn’t have noticed even if a rock had hit him in the eye.

“What are
you
doing?” she retorted. “Bringing Cassie
here? What were you
thinking
?”

“We both know she wouldn’t have stayed home, not once she
knew Sarah was involved.”

He had a point. Cassie would not let an innocent get hurt,
regardless of how she felt about Sarah. She was a sucker for lost causes. And
she could talk her way out of anything, which came in handy sometimes, but not
now.

“You could have restrained her.” Alise glared at him.

“How? Tie her down and gag her?” Rafe asked. “Yes, we
discussed that option, and she enumerated all the laws we’d be breaking. All
sixty-seven of them.”

Alise arched an eyebrow. “Since when do you care about human
laws?” She looked around, expecting to see Cassie, but couldn’t find her. She
had told her to wait in the lobby, hadn’t she? “Where is she?”

“Outside the restaurant.” Rafe headed towards the elevator.
“She’s with Vale. They’re keeping an eye on things.” He pressed the UP button.

“Have they already arrived?” Alise asked.

“Oh, yeah. And they’re
very
cozy.”

“Wow…” She found it hard to believe. Sarah, who had clung to
Mark for years, flirting with a stranger? Very unlikely.

A middle-aged couple stepped out of the elevator, and Rafe
and Alise took their place. One look from Rafe made the older lady waiting
behind them move back and let them have it all to themselves.

The moment the doors closed, Alise ran out of air. She felt
Rafe’s presence next to her. So much magic in one place drew her like a magnet,
and the poison added to the ordeal, needing the magic to conquer her body
faster. The double pull on her system was excruciating.

“Just breathe.” Rafe’s words were a mere whisper.

She inhaled deeply and then slowly exhaled. The entire
process had to be repeated a couple of times—it took forever to get to the
twelfth floor—but it did the trick. She was calm and in control when they
walked out and into the hall. Fortunately, she was calm enough not to glare at
Cassie when they met her.

“I told you not to come!” Cassie wailed as soon as she laid
eyes on her.

Rafe’s quiet chuckle tickled Alise’s ears.

“How’s it going?” she asked as they walked to the restaurant
entrance.

Vale emerged from behind a big ornamental plant. “They’re
having lunch.”

He waved his hand at them to follow him through a corridor
that led around the restaurant, straight to the terrace on the opposite side.
From there, they could watch the action going on inside and had plenty of
ground to maneuver around.

Sarah and Fabian occupied a table away from the windows. The
Wizard looked at ease in his smart business suit. He returned the menu to the
waiter and said something. Sarah laughed, revealing more teeth than usual on
her narrow face.

Cozy indeed
.

“He must have put a spell on her, right?” Cassie frowned at
them.

“Yeah, his charm,” Vale muttered.

“He’s not charming,” Cassie mumbled.

“He is when he wants to be,” Rafe said, eyeing the couple.
“It might come as a surprise to you, but unlike
some
people,”—he smirked
at Alise—“humans are quite into us.”

Cassie looked from him to Vale as if asking if he was
serious.

“It’s the magic they never knew they were missing that
attracts them,” Vale said.

“The fact that we’re mysterious, smarter, and better-looking
doesn’t hurt, either,” Rafe said.

A roll of her eyes was not worth the effort. Besides, her
eyes were getting tired of doing that. Alise said, “Smarter?”

“On occasion.” Rafe grinned.

“But …
I’m
not attracted to you,” Cassie said.

“Are you kidding?” Rafe asked. “You live with a Fairy, and
you let two Guardians into your home without giving it a second thought. You’re
hooked on it already.”

Alise considered Rafe’s theory. She had been around for a
while, and they had spent plenty of time together, but there had been little
magic involved. A few more days spent with the Guardians were not going to
change that. She shook her head. Cassie was safe.

On the other side of the window, the second course arrived
at the table. Rafe sniffed the air as if he were able to take in the scent of
the seafood dish.

“At least we know he’s not cheap,” he said. “I’m curious how
he’ll pay…”

This was the least of Alise’s concerns. She worried more
about getting to the billing part of the meal. Who knew what the Wizard’s plans
were? If he wanted Sarah, for whatever reason, he could take her. He didn’t
have to socialize with her first.

“Aren’t you going to do anything?” Cassie asked, bouncing on
the soles of her feet.

“No.” Rafe’s gaze focused on the couple sitting at the table
as Fabian said something else. “He’s putting on a show for us, so we do as
expected. We watch.”

At least they weren’t going to engage him in open
confrontation. Alise was grateful for that. What they were going to do next,
though, worried her a little more.

“Don’t tell me they’re having dessert, too.” Rafe’s stomach
growled. “I’m not having pasta for lunch.”

The so-called business lunch was lasting too long. Rafe
paced on the terrace, and even Vale twitched from time to time. Their agitation
transmitted to Cassie, who wrung her hands while staring at the scene with
terrified eyes.

The meal ended with a cup of coffee, black by the look of
it. A group of chatty women, who had arrived after them, was already leaving.
Seated by the window, they were loud and kept glancing at the handsome men
outside, tossing them smiles. One of them had the guts to wave a hand at them
on the way out.

Rafe smiled and winked back at the woman, who looked like
she was in her late fifties but dressed like forty.

Finally, Fabian raised his hand, asking for the check.

“Gentleman until the end,” Rafe said.

Considering the look on Vale’s face, he definitely didn’t
agree.

After Fabian paid, he and Sarah got up.

“Here we go…” Rafe’s quiet words were carried away by the
breeze.

Before walking away from the table, Fabian turned and bowed
his head in their direction, his cold and daring smile mocking them. He knew
they were there, and he had the upper hand.

“Bastard,” Rafe said between gritted teeth.

He was on the move the instant he uttered the word, Vale
right next to him, blade in hand. They didn’t take a shortcut through the restaurant,
but headed back to the corridor. Alise and Cassie ran after them, doing their
best to keep up.

But the Guardians were too late. By the time they ran around
the last corner, Fabian and Sarah had entered the elevator, and the doors were
closing. The same cold smile was stuck to the Wizard’s smug face as he raised
his hand and waved. Sarah stood beside him, frozen in place.

The air in the elevator became tinged with purple, and it
rolled around Fabian and Sarah. At the last moment, Sarah’s face twisted in
pain. She looked like she was about to scream, although no sound came out of
her mouth, and her body sagged, falling back against the wall as her eyes
rolled in her head.

Cassie gasped. “Oh, my God!”

The doors closed, hiding the terrifying sight.