Darkness Wanes

by Susan Illene

  “We all are.” Udo stepped forward and held out a hand.

  “Remiel said nothing of this,” Lucas said, ignoring the man and crossing his arms. The last thing he needed was help from the psychologist or the other two nephilim he didn’t know that well. They’d only get in his way or think they had a say in the way he ran things.

  A brilliant flash of light appeared to the left, blinding everyone.

  “I’m telling you now,” a commanding voice said. It belonged to Remiel.

  Lucas blinked several times until his vision returned to normal. He found the archangel standing there, wearing his usual white robe. His wings were tucked away, but he couldn’t hide the soft glow coming from him. Remiel had short auburn hair, golden skin, and stood a couple of inches taller than Lucas. Normally, he could be quite the imposing figure, but today he could only be described as haggardly. Remiel’s robe had wrinkles in it—something he’d never have allowed before. His hair was mussed, and there was a haunted look in his golden eyes. If the archangel thought his emotional distress would get sympathy from Lucas, he better think again.

  “It’s about time you showed your face. Where is my mate?” Lucas demanded, taking a menacing step forward.

  Remiel gave him a fathomless look. “She came to Purgatory several days after the others. Her time is not yet finished.”

  “She is suffering there. You should allow her to return immediately.”

  “It is Purgatory,” Remiel said, his voice sounding fatigued. “It is not known for its pleasantness.”

  Lucas took another step closer. “They have whipped and beaten her. You assured me she would not be tortured.”

  “Your mate is every bit as defiant as you. I have restricted her punishments to the lightest options, but as long as she continues to misbehave the guardians have a right to correct her as they see fit. We both know it could be far worse.” Remiel looked beyond Lucas to where Kerbasi had just walked up.

  “Did I just hear they are whipping the sensor?” the guardian asked, his silver eyes swirling more than usual. “Only I should be allowed to give her that sort of punishment.”

  “I’ll show you punishment.” Lucas started to flash over to Kerbasi, planning to throttle his neck, but Remiel froze him in place. His voice caught in his throat. There was no way for him to move or speak until the archangel lifted the spell. All he could do was seethe in rage and wait to be freed.

  “You two have been getting along well and should not ruin it now,” Remiel said, shaking his head. “And, Lucas, you should know better than to believe Kerbasi’s lies. If you paid closer attention, you’d know he is every bit as angry as you about Melena’s treatment. He simply doesn’t want you to know that.”

  The guardian gave Remiel a nasty look. “Stay out of my head, archangel.”

  “I don’t need to peer into your mind. Your body language tells me everything—and I’d note that you do not refute me.” Remiel lifted his brows.

  The freezing spell lifted from Lucas. He still had an urge to attack Kerbasi, but that could wait. Obtaining news about Melena was more important. Lucas turned to Eli, who might be a traitor, but would tell him the truth. “How is she doing?”

  “She is…surviving,” Eli replied. “Melena has a very strong will that keeps her going no matter her circumstances, but there is a guardian there who she defies at every chance. It has gotten her into some trouble.”

  Lucas suspected as much based on what he saw in his dreams, but a part of him had hoped the dreams were false. He should have known better. It killed him to know he couldn’t be there to protect her and keep her safe. “She’s been punished several times.”

  Remiel stiffened. “As I said already, I commanded the guardians to refrain from severe physical punishments.”

  “It hasn’t been nearly as bad for her as it was for you,” Eli said, attempting to placate him. “She’ll make it through the next few days, I’m sure, but I’d suggest easing her back into things when she returns. Transitioning from Purgatory after your first stay isn’t easy.”

  The psychologist would know since this latest imprisonment wasn’t his first. Lucas had dared him to stay there once before and the idiot had agreed to it. Kerbasi had been in charge back then. The guardian had made certain Eli’s voluntary confinement was memorable—and not in the best way.

  His chest tightened at the thought of how Melena would handle returning from that revolting place. For those who didn’t know better, they would think the easy part was leaving Purgatory, but returning to Earth could be quite a shock. One’s senses were bombarded with sights, sounds, and smells they hadn’t experienced in a long time. With her extra senses, it could be even worse. It also took time to adjust to gravity differences and the higher oxygen levels. The list went on from there. He’d been confined in Purgatory dozens of times in his life and he still needed a few days to recuperate when he returned.

  “I will take care of her,” Lucas vowed. He would make certain her transition back was as smooth as possible.

  “She is lucky to have you,” Eli said, his eyes a little too knowing.

  Lucas decided his conversation with the psychologist was getting rather personal. The man was far too sentimental. Eli was only a little over four hundred years old and hadn’t become jaded yet, but he’d get over that eventually. Time tended to dull the emotions in immortals, and once they hardened, not many people could break past their defenses.

  He turned toward Remiel. “Why have you assigned three more nephilim here? We don’t need anyone else.”

  “Eli, Sabelle, and Udo each have a different perspective of life on Earth. It will be good for the nerou to have a greater variety of instructors. It will also give you more time to focus on your responsibilities outside the facility. In particular—Emily.” Remiel gave Lucas a pointed look.

  The archangel enjoyed watching over him like a stalking bird of prey. As emotionally strangled as he appeared, Lucas wouldn’t have guessed he was still doing it. Perhaps one day Remiel would find something more entertaining to do, such as get a real hobby.

  Lucas ran his gaze over the new arrivals, pushing aside his biases. If he couldn’t get rid of them, he could at least make the most of them. They could take over some of the classes and perhaps offer a few more they hadn’t had the time to provide. He also couldn’t argue that Emily did need more supervision, and he’d need a break to help Melena once she returned.

  “It will take some time to get them integrated into the routine,” he said reluctantly. It wouldn’t do to let the archangel think he’d won too easily.

  The glint in Remiel’s eyes told Lucas he wasn’t fooled at all. “Then I suggest you get started right away. Your mate will be returning three nights from now.”

  Chapter Nine

  Lucas

  “So you’re sure Mel is coming home tomorrow night?” Emily asked, bouncing lightly on her toes. She’d asked variations of this question at least a dozen times in the past couple of days.

  “That is what Remiel said,” Lucas answered.

  Emily’s face fell. “But we haven’t been able to find Sable. Mel’s going to worry about her.”

  “She’ll turn up.” He hoped. Since she last escaped, they’d searched all over for the shape-shifter cat with no luck.

  He and Emily stood in the kitchen watching Micah and Olivia finish preparing dinner. Olivia was pulling lasagna out of the oven while Lucas’ brother cut tomatoes for the salad. It was a Sunday ritual they observed on nerou family days. Micah didn’t get much time to spend with his daughter during the week and couldn’t show her favoritism during training anyway. This was the one time he could truly play the role of father to her.

  They moved effortlessly around each other as they prepared the meal, exchanging occasional smiles. There was something oddly comforting about seeing them that way. They’d been apart since Olivia was a baby—more than six hundred years—and yet they behaved as if it had been no time at all. Even Emily was seeing Micah’s daughte
r with different eyes now that she’d found her own father. With Melena coming home soon, their family would finally be whole. Lucas was having a difficult time imagining what that would be like, but he was looking forward to it.

  “Do we know where the portal from Purgatory will be at?” Emily asked, breaking his train of thought.

  “I was told,” Lucas paused to reach over and hand Olivia a tray of garlic bread to put in the oven, “it will be in the same location where Eli and the others arrived.”

  That had been one of their concerns since the portal moved around periodically. They didn’t want Melena coming out in the middle of the woods where they couldn’t find her. He needed to be there the moment she returned to Earth. She’d likely be weak and disoriented.

  Emily settled on a stool next to the island counter. “We have to cook a big meal for her with all her favorite foods.”

  “I’ve already considered that.” Micah glanced over his shoulder. “I went shopping this morning before picking Olivia up.”

  Emily turned to Lucas. “Are you getting her flowers?”

  He shifted on his feet. With all that had been going on he hadn’t considered it. Would flowers be the right gesture for her? Whenever he left Purgatory, he went straight to one of his homes and recuperated for a few days—far away from other people. The last thing he wanted was to be bombarded with too many things at once, though food was a good idea. It usually took Lucas weeks to regain the strength he lost. Of course, Kerbasi rarely fed his prisoners. Eli assured him that Melena had been getting meals, even if they weren’t very good ones.

  “Perhaps we should ascertain her mood before worrying about that,” he said.

  “But…” Emily stopped and her gaze shot toward the front of the house. “My dad is coming up the road.”

  Lucas stiffened. She’d begged and cajoled him into letting Patrick come for their Sunday dinner. He’d resisted at first, but then Micah joined the argument. His brother reminded him every father deserved a chance to get to know his daughter, especially when the separation wasn’t their fault. There was no arguing with Micah and Emily. The two of them had become sentimental and lacked any sense of self-preservation.

  “Where is Kerbasi?” Lucas asked.

  The guardian hadn’t made an appearance today. He often disappeared on Sundays and never revealed where he went. Not that Lucas cared. He simply didn’t want Kerbasi discovering Patrick’s arrival and causing a problem. The guardian saw the area around the house as his territory and he tended to guard it tenaciously. It would almost make him endearing if he didn’t accost every visitor he didn’t recognize. One of Derrick’s werewolves was still recovering from having his left arm nearly torn off. He’d only stopped by to pass on a message from the alpha. Phone lines had become less reliable since the fire outbreaks started and they often had to resort to more mundane ways of communicating.

  “He’s out back in his shed.” Emily’s eyes rounded. “Oh my God, I better meet my dad outside.” She shot for the front door. No doubt she had visions of Kerbasi killing her father in her head—not that Lucas would entirely mind.

  “It’s good to see her getting excited about something,” Micah said, watching the seventeen-year-old rush away.

  “She slept better last night as well.”

  Micah’s brows creased. “You’re right. It was quiet.”

  “She fell asleep early for once.” To his relief.

  Lucas often heard her crying at night or listening to depressing music. She’d gotten better at hiding her emotions during the day, but she fell apart once she was alone in her room. He’d tried talking to her in the beginning and consoling her as best he could. She’d accepted it at first, but she eventually pushed him away. Lucas wasn’t Melena. He had no idea how to handle a teenage girl. Learning how to build a rocket and launch it into space would have been easier for him.

  Emily came in with her father a few minutes later. They’d had several other visits since the day at the restaurant, but this was the first one at their home. Emily had latched onto Patrick like a lifeline. Lucas didn’t like it, but if getting to know her father lifted some of the shadows from her eyes he could hardly deny her. He did threaten Patrick a few times when Emily wasn’t around. The male sensor needed to understand his daughter was in a fragile place at the moment and that he better not take advantage of it. She’d suffered too much already for someone her age.

  “Patrick.” Lucas nodded.

  Emily’s father wore a button-up shirt, dark blazer, and blue jeans. His hands were in his pants pockets as he entered the kitchen behind his daughter. Patrick met each of their gazes and managed a polite smile. There was some strain around his eyes, but he appeared more relaxed than during their first meeting. Lucas suspected being in a town full of supernaturals had wound his nerves rather tightly until he had time to adjust to the surge of magic flowing around him.

  “Good to see you again, Lucas,” Patrick said, stepping around Emily to shake hands. They both knew he was lying.

  “This is my brother, Micah, and his daughter, Olivia,” Lucas said, gesturing at the others.

  “You forgot about me.” Kerbasi strutted into the kitchen, coming from the direction of the back door. They’d bolted it, but a simple locking mechanism wouldn’t stop the guardian.

  Patrick took a step back. “Who is he?”

  “No one of importance.” Micah glared at Kerbasi. “And he certainly wasn’t invited.”

  They hadn’t told Emily’s father about the guardian. Primarily because how did one explain Kerbasi to the uninitiated? Lucas couldn’t help finding a certain perverse humor at Patrick’s reaction. “I’d advise you to keep your distance from him. He’s known to bite.”

  “I do not!” the guardian scoffed.

  “That’s Kerbasi,” Emily said, giving her father a reassuring look. “He used to be a guardian in Purgatory, but now he helps train the nerou.”

  The man in question took a step closer to Patrick and scowled. “I can’t see inside his head, leading me to believe he must be a sensor. Don’t we have enough of them skulking around here already?”

  “He’s my father.” Emily kicked him in the shin.

  “Ow!” The guardian made a show of rubbing his leg. Everyone knew she couldn’t have hurt him that badly, but he enjoyed making a production of it whenever she struck him.

  Patrick’s brows knitted. “Is he an angel?”

  “Sort of,” Emily said.

  “I can show you my wings if you’d like.” Kerbasi straightened, forgetting all about his supposed wound.

  “No!” everyone chorused at once. The last time he’d opened them indoors he’d destroyed everything in the room.

  “Very well.” The guardian sighed. “I’ll keep them closed since I wouldn’t want to ruin our meal.”

  Lucas suspected they’d just been manipulated, but he refrained from protesting. He couldn’t force Kerbasi to leave without risking a scene and making matters worse. When the guardian wanted to stay, he didn’t leave easily. This wasn’t the first time he’d invited himself.

  “The food is ready if everyone wants to take a seat,” Olivia said, gesturing toward the dining room. While the rest of them had been talking, she’d been moving the dishes to the table.

  Her announcement broke the tension. They settled into their chairs and started digging into the meal. Lucas was impressed with how far Olivia had come. When she first arrived, she had no cooking skills at all, but every week Micah taught his daughter something new. He also gave classes at the training center, allowing the nerou to take over their own meal preparation. Not a bad idea since Lucas had resorted to bringing take-out from restaurants if Micah didn’t cook for them. He and his brother might be twins, but only one of them enjoyed cooking.

  “Where do you normally reside?” Kerbasi asked Emily’s father.

  Everyone stopped eating to wait for his reply. Lucas had already narrowed down the general area, but he’d yet to determine the precise location of the
sensor’s residence. Patrick had continued to evade giving him a straight answer on that.

  The man dabbed his lips with a napkin. “Currently, at a hotel in Fairbanks.”

  At Kerbasi’s frown, Emily stifled a laugh. “You didn’t think he’d really answer that, did you? If I were meeting you for the first time, I wouldn’t either.”

  “I was offering him the chance to tell the truth.” The guardian let a slow smile spread across his face. “I’ve already surmised he lives somewhere near Malta, Montana. Correct?”

  “What?” Patrick’s eyes widened with shock. Lucas could relate. Even he was surprised the guardian had figured it out after knowing the man less than thirty minutes.

  “How did you know that?” Emily’s jaw dropped. “He’s a sensor. You can’t get inside his head.”

  The guardian lifted a black leather wallet. “No, but I can check his driver’s license. Why humans keep so many of their personal details right where anyone can find them is beyond me.” He shook his head at Patrick. “And if I were you, I’d demand they take a better photo of you next time—the one in here is terrible.”

  He tossed the wallet across the table, hardly giving Patrick enough time to catch it. The billfold struck him in the chest before falling into his lap. Still in shock, it took a moment for the sensor to put it away. Lucas could only guess that the guardian had pilfered the wallet when he’d maneuvered close to Patrick earlier. Who knew Kerbasi had acquired such deft pickpocketing skills? It was less of a surprise that he had no qualms about doing it.

  “I see there is no privacy in this place,” Patrick said, setting his napkin on the table.

  “I’m afraid there isn’t around supernaturals.” Olivia, who sat next to him, patted his hand. “But please don’t let the guardian’s rude behavior spoil your food. Kerbasi is rather protective of Emily, even if he has a strange way of showing it.”

  There was something about Micah’s daughter that could set a person at ease. It wasn’t precisely magical, but her pure heart could reach even the darkest soul. She had a way of engendering instant trust. Lucas hadn’t been too certain about exposing her to Emily’s father, but Micah had insisted. Now he knew the reason.