White (The Wings Trilogy Book 1)

by Angelina J. Steffort

  My heart lifted a little as he nodded to himself, stiffly. Nobody noticed our silent conversation.

  While I was still walking he pulled out his cell phone and looked at it, typing something. I reached the pool table the moment he pushed it back into his pocket.

  “Sorry, my brother just sent me a text message. They need me at home. I think I should get going immediately.” I blinked at his easy lie and was pleased to see that Richard checked his watch. It was past ten.

  “I think we’ll stay for another game,” he announced. “What do you think?" Lydia nodded and Amber rolled her eyes.

  “But only if you let us win,” she flashed at Richard as she and Lydia teamed up.

  “Not very likely.” Richard put all the pool balls back onto the table. “See you two.” He waved and I quickly hurried over to give all three of them a brief hug.

  “I love you guys,” I said to Amber and Lydia as I waved at them one last time before I turned around to face Adam.

  Adam was already waiting with my jacket in his hands, holding it out for me. I slid into it, putting a lot of effort into keeping the expression on my face calm as I felt sheer panic well up inside me.

  We walked out towards the elevator. Pressing the button, I turned to Adam, whose mask had burst into fully displayed worry.

  “Listen,” I told him, locking his gaze with my eyes. “One of the demons showed up in the bathroom. He threatened to kill us all. Jaden knocked him out for a few minutes, but I don’t know how long it will be exactly.

  “The others will be safe here in the crowd, but we have to get away as quickly as possible—we have to hide.”

  Adam’s eyes grew wider as I spoke, but I just went on, ignoring it. I needed to get out the facts as quickly as possible.

  “Let’s take the elevator down and be off.” I lowered my voice as some people walked past us. “We can teleport from there.”

  Adam nodded, his face exasperated. It had been less than a minute when we stepped into the elevator. The doors closed. Adam grabbed my hand and closed his eyes—nothing. Just the solid floor of the elevator.

  “What’s wrong, Adam?" I asked, fear making blood surge in my chest.

  “I can’t teleport." His eyes widened, mirroring my feeling.

  He closed his eyes again, strain in his features—still nothing.

  “They must have locked us in." My voice was shrill. I remembered vividly the moments at the demons’ house. “We are trapped."

  My fingers raced towards the panel and I struggled to press the down button.

  “We are moving up. Why are we moving up?"

  Adam looked at me for a brief second, then pressed the button for the next floor. The elevator didn’t stop. It was racing upwards, ignoring everything we did.

  The sound of the door opening startled me. It was half a minute after we had stopped. I pressed the down button several times again in the hope to make it move. Nothing happened. Adam stepped out and I followed him cautiously. We were on the top floor. Across the room, there was a metal staircase upwards. A sign with an arrow pointing up said emergency exit.

  I stumbled towards the stairs without thinking, trying to hold back the tears that were forcing their way out of my eyes and down my cheeks. My feet carried me away from the elevator and up the filthy metal stairs which presumably led to the roof of the building.

  Heavy footfalls drew nearer as I reached the first turn of the staircase. I knew their rhythm so well by now I didn’t have to turn around to know who was following me.

  I hurried further up towards the deep red colored door that was only twenty steps ahead.

  “Claire!” I heard him call. His voice was pleading.

  I sped up, trying to reach the door before him. I wanted to get out, to think. I needed to get my head clear.

  It was delusional to think I could be fast enough. His footfalls were right behind me before I could touch the handle and push the door open.

  My nerves were so tense that I waited for them to burst under the force. Adam put one arm around my shoulder, trying to comfort me, but I shrugged it off. I didn’t want to feel anything right now.

  “What is it, Claire?” Adam asked with his velvet voice. I just continued to recoil from him.

  “You were right.” I told him. “We shouldn’t be together.”

  His wide eyes stared at me, pained.

  “It would be better for both of us. But I can’t keep myself from loving you. I hate myself for not being able to let go of you.”

  “I can’t either,” he tried desperately. “We shouldn’t be apart. I thought we agreed on that?” He stroked my face with one hand and I warmed up towards him, remembering why he was all that mattered, why I loved him, his gentle personality, his supernatural gifts and his beautiful body.

  “Yes, we did.” I grabbed his hand and kissed the palm. “Sorry for panicking.”

  “It’s okay,” he reassured me.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I said and pushed the red iron door open with both hands.

  It happened so fast that I could merely feel my back crashing against the wall at the top of the stairs. Adam had slid past me and threw me back into the stairwell. “Don’t move,” he whispered with an alert expression in his face.

  At first I gasped for breath, numb with the pain in my back and frozen in shock. Adam jumped out onto the roof and threw the door shut behind him. It squealed and bounced once before it came to rest with a small gap left open, that allowed me a restricted view of what was going on on the roof.

  Adam was standing with his back towards the door, his posture showing his distress. On the other end of the roof three shadows were moving. Their shapes became more distinct as they came closer. Two of them were men with heavily muscled arms, both of them tall and dark haired. They were followed closely by a smaller man I recognized—Volpert.

  Adam shifted a few steps to the right. I could see his profile now. His face mirrored the fear I felt creeping up my back.

  As the three men drew nearer I could see their features. All of them wore slightly bemused sadistic expressions, like they had just found a naughty child stealing candy and were now looking forward to executing the punishment. I wanted to call out to Adam, and tell him to hide, but it was too late. They were heading in his direction, one steady step after the other. Every time their feet touched the ground in a synchronised movement the gravel under their soles creaked like it was tortured. Finally they came to a halt in the center of my vision.

  “It was not easy to find you—and to catch you on your own.” Volpert spoke in a voice so cold it made the air in my lungs freeze. “But your little toy-girl helped us without knowing—stupid thing. I wouldn’t have killed her earlier, I have something worse planned for her. That was just to make her panic and make her get you to leave—so we could lure you out. It’s so easy to fool humans. Too easy, almost.”

  Adam shifted again. His body tensed and his eyes wandered across the roof to check if there were more than three of them.

  My heart was hammering in my chest so loudly I wasn’t sure it wouldn’t give me away. Relax, I told myself and tried to breath more evenly. How could I have been so stupid? It was my fault Adam was up here on this roof. But on the other hand I had never been sure how much longer we could evade them, trick them, and finally here they stood.

  I wouldn’t have needed to see their amulets to know what all three of them were, I knew it from the way they moved without communicating—like a choreography. Each step was perfect, each motion graceful, lethal. The area around them seemed darker than the already dark night, like they carried a shadow with them which coated their shapes in black. And still, I could see their faces. Their eyes were too focused and stared, unblinking, in a way that was anything but human. The way they acted, reminded me of the first three I’d seen, the evening when Jaden had saved my life. Like they were hunting.

  I was surprised at how many details I noticed considering that I was hiding behind a now thin and fragil
e seeming metal door. But even more fragile was the person whose voice carried across the roof now.

  “What do you want?” The voice was clear and steady. It belonged to Adam. He had straightened his posture and taken a step towards the three lethally grinning demons.

  “What we all want,” Volpert said with a deadly look on his face. All bemusement was gone. He took a step forward and his black suit appeared between the two men. “Destiny fulfilled.” He turned to the men and nodded once. “You know what to do.”

  They lifted their arms, synchronised, the palms of their hands pointing towards Adam. And then, so fast I couldn’t be sure I hadn’t imagined it, two silver rays flashed across the roof, brightening the surroundings dramatically. They made Adam’s skin look unnaturally white when they hit him in the chest.

  Adam stumbled a few steps backwards. Every move seemed to hurt him. It was only seconds before his wings tore his shirt apart as they spread, feathery white. The light in his eyes burned and he seemed to radiate from inside. His steps were unsteady.

  My heart broke into a run. As quickly as it had appeared, the light started to fade from his eyes like blood flowing from a wound. They had hit him critically.

  Everything happened so quickly. Adam turned to look at me when his feet slid across the edge of the roof and he started to fall backwards.

  A scream froze in my throat and my body became immobile. I wanted to run and catch him, but my limbs wouldn’t move. My eyes focused on his face. His lips moved feebly, mouthing what seemed to be I love you. I met his eyes for a second, trying to tell him I loved him, too—more than my life—but then they rolled to the back of his head, and he fell into the darkness, his wings flowing limply beside him.

  I waited for the thud, hoping it would never come. But it did come.

  Adam would be lying on the ground, nine floors below, from where my numb body was petrified against the wall.

  Some part inside me cracked apart, leaving me in mortal agony. My reality shifted, and hot tears welled up and seared down my cheeks, drenching the strands of hair that framed my face. Adam …

  * * *

  The sky was a shade of grayish black. I had become completely numb since Adam had fallen. I didn’t know what time it was nor how long I had been sitting there when the feeling started to return to my body. I was shaking with cold and pain. My body was stiff, my spine still feeling like it was on fire. I couldn’t feel my face. I lifted one hand with great effort and touched my cheek. It was ice cold. The wet hair in my face was starting to freeze to my skin. My hand fell back to my side limply

  Now that the numbness was beginning to lift the pain doubled. I felt every inch of my body revolt against what was sinking in. A picture of Adam stumbling over the edge of the roof kicked my heart from within, and the flow of tears began to work its way down my cheeks once more. The tears burned my frozen skin like boiling water. Icy air was constantly flowing in through the door, making me shiver all over.

  The demons had left without looking back. As fast as they had turned up, they had disappeared into black nothingness. No way anyone could have noticed what had happened on this very roof tonight. It was the highest building in the area and we had been alone up there.

  I heard noises from somewhere below me in the building; loud voices screaming orders, and the elevator moving up and down. Somebody must have heard him crashing down and then seen the body lying on the ground. Now they seemed to be making their way up to the roof.

  A small voice in my head told me to get away from here. It wouldn’t be wise if anyone found me on the roof—they would ask questions I had no answer to.

  There was no way I would make it out through the building, so there were only two options left. Either there was a fire escape somewhere going down from this roof, or the second option—jump after Adam. I wanted to.

  The thought of his name made me shudder and the tears flow more wildly. They didn’t ebb away this time. They flowed and I sobbed out of control at the unbearable emptiness that filled me.

  I had to get away, the voice reminded me. Reluctantly I tried to drag myself upright and search for a way to escape, but my body was heavy. It neither moved nor steadied itself—no matter how much effort I put into it, it stayed limp.

  Giving up on my immobilized and tired body I handed myself over to fortune and let my head fall back against the wall, closing my eyes over the constant stream of tears.

  * * *

  “Claire.” The soft voice came from directly in front of my face. Warm breath flowed onto my cheeks as it spoke. “Claire, wake up.” The voice urged. It was low and anxious.

  “You can’t sleep, Claire,” it told me. Two hands grabbed my shoulders and shook my body. I couldn’t respond. All my strength was consumed.

  The hands let go of my shoulders. I felt my back slide over the cold wall behind as I fell to one side and finally my side and head hit the floor hard. The pain was dull.

  “Claire, please.” The voice was desperate. A hand stroked my head and then slid under my neck and shoulders, a second hand lifted my knees and my body rolled into a pair of arms. They felt like the distant memory of a touch. “Don’t worry, Claire,” the voice whispered in my ear. “I’m here, I’ve got you. I’ll take care of you.”

  I suddenly felt weightless and lost what little orientation I had left. Something warm and soft pressed against my hair before I blacked out completely.

  An Heirloom of Wisdom

  The blackness lifted from my mind. I needed a few moments to reconstruct my memory and then I wished the blackness would return. My body twitched uncomfortably, bringing back the ache in my spine and the numbness in my limbs. My head hurt like my skull was split. It pulsated angrily against the upcoming images. I closed my inner eye in the hope to shut them out, but they replayed, merciless, in an endless loop. Adam being hit, Adam stumbling back, Adam falling with limp wings. Wet tears streamed from beneath my closed eyelids.

  “Claire,” the voice asked. “Are you awake?”

  I didn’t respond, not trusting myself to be able to handle what was lying ahead.

  “Can you hear me, Claire?”

  I could. I tried to make myself respond, but the crack in my soul agonized me with every thought I phrased in my head. I twitched again at the singing pain that radiated through my body.

  A warm hand touched my cheek, stroking it with soft fingertips. “I’m here,” the voice said, “Come around when you’re ready.”

  I moved my head without thinking, melting into the touch. It felt familiar, as did the voice.

  “Claire,” the voice tried again. This time I nodded in response, rubbing my cheek deeper into the palm. The movement was too much, and I slipped.

  I was screaming at the top of my voice, scared by both the pain and my voice. It sounded inhuman, distorted. I fought against the last weight of numbness in my limbs and finally broke free. I struggled with my arm like I could fight off the pain with the movement. It didn’t work. Two hands gripped my forearms firmly, holding them down. Everything grew even more intense instead, as my eyes flew open at a command of the voice.

  “Open your eyes, Claire,” it urged.

  I sat upright in my bed, in my room, my eyes wandering wildly across the walls.

  “Focus,” the voice commanded. “Look at me.”

  I tried very hard, and after a while I managed to gain control over my eyes. I focused and finally looked into a pair of eyes.

  “Adam—” The word slipped from my mouth.

  The golden eyes were staring back at me.

  “I’m afraid, I’m not,” he said in a broken voice. “Jaden—remember.” He pointed at himself.

  My head stung, but worse than the physical pain was the agony that seemed to have hooked into my soul and was now slowly slicing my insides apart.

  “I know who you are,” I snapped, unable to control myself. “What happened?” At this moment something seemed to pierce my heart. I screamed out loud in pain and let my torso fall back o
nto the pillows, breathing in and out, hoping that it would end.

  “You must be in horrible pain.” Jaden noticed.

  I groaned under the torment of my whole body.

  “Painkillers won’t help with this type of pain, I’m so sorry,” he apologized for something that wasn’t his fault. “I could try to heal you a little more.” He placed his hand on my head and the other on my shoulder and closed his eyes.

  Nothing happened. I was still breathing through the pain as good as possible.

  He noticed and pulled his hands back. “I’m sorry. I’ve already healed as much as possible. The remaining pain is not in your body—it’s in your heart and in your soul.”

  “What happened?” I repeated between gritted teeth.

  His face fell. “Adam’s dead.” He eyed me cautiously as he spoke the words.

  I nodded to show him I remembered.

  “I found you on the roof, half-frozen, your soul slipping away.” His face was grave. “If I hadn’t found you, you would have been dead by the time the humans made it to the roof.”

  I flinched as my heart was stabbed again. “Why didn’t you let me die?”

  He shot me a shocked look. “Don’t say such a thing.”

  “I wouldn’t be suffering now, if you had just let me die.” I forced the information onto him and choked at the pain that seared through my body. How could my torn soul hurt physically?

  Jaden shrank back from my words. “I could never let you die.” He smiled angel-like, and I remembered why he would say he couldn’t—he was my guardian angel, and it was his job to watch out for me. Letting me die, just because I wanted to would count as an extreme negligence of his duties.

  “Can’t you make me black out, like you did at the demon’s house?” I asked him between stabbing feelings in my chest.

  “I could, but this also just eases pain that comes from a physical source. It incapacitates you and makes it feel more dreamlike, but not any better,” he explained.

  “Go away then,” I shouted at him, like it was all his fault, unable to control my emotions in the waves of searing pain that shot through my veins. On the contrary—it was my fault. I had urged Adam to leave the pool hall with me. I had lured him out that evening in the first place. My fault. My pain. It was righteous.