Tigress (Night Hawk Series)

by Taylor, J. E.

  Michael smiled at me. “She’s a descendant of multiple warrior bloodlines. You, on the other hand, are a musician’s son.”

  “Fuck you,” I said at the condescending tone in his voice.

  “Considering your bloodline, you aren’t as lame at fighting as I expected,” he said and rubbed his shoulder, offering up a grin.

  “I’m a mixed breed, what’d you expect,” I sent back, opting for humor instead of letting the aggravation eat away at me. Besides, my head was starting to throb and my arm was itching up a storm. I shifted and forced myself not to scratch my mending arm. I knew from experience, once I started, I’d only succeed in the tearing welts in my skin. “So do I start calling you Uncle Mike?” I asked and sent a tired grin in his direction.

  He just laughed and wrapped the mural tighter around his shoulders. “This truce doesn’t mean you have free rein to kill innocents though.”

  The beginnings of good humor vanished and I sent a glare in his direction. “I know.”

  With the irritation already forming over me, I reached for the computer and opened the email, sucking wind through my teeth at the words spilling over the page. Lucifer’s plans were far worse than I ever imagined and I turned the computer toward Michael, sliding it along the mattress until he took it from me.

  Michael’s expression morphed into guarded fury and he glanced up at me.

  “This cannot happen,” he said and slid the computer back to me. There was no leeway in his statement and absolutely no argument from me.

  Chapter Twelve

  The deceleration of the van along with the sharp turn gave me a clue that Naomi was pulling off the highway. A few minutes later, the cut of the engine confirmed it and I closed my laptop and got to my feet, stretching to get the kinks out of my muscles. The swelling in my arm had gone down and I was able to move it without sharp pain. There was still some discomfort, but Michael was right, by the time the sun set tonight, it would be fine.

  The lock on the back was unclasped and, as the door rose, I backed up until there was nowhere else to go. The bright sunlight colored half the floor and I exhaled when the upward progression of the door stopped half way. Naomi peered inside.

  “I figured if I was hungry, you’d have to be, too,” she said to Michael and her gaze shifted to me while Michael stood and handed me the mural. He gave me a nod and I returned it before glancing back at Naomi.

  “You doing okay?” she asked as Michael climbed out of the vehicle.

  “Yeah,” I said. There was no reason to tell her how fucking cold it was in here because there was nothing she could do right now to warm me up. She gave a nod and closed the door. The lock clicked into place, leaving me drenched in darkness.

  No more than ten minutes went by and the lock unlatched again and the tail lifted part way. She stood with an armful of blankets, sliding them inside with a smile.

  “I thought these might help.”

  If I could have kissed her at that moment, I would chance the blisters, but both she and the blankets sat in the direct sun.

  “Thank you, babe,” I said and the door dropped again. The moment the lock engaged, I scrambled to the pile. She bought six heavy blankets with different Indiana sports teams on them. I didn’t even look at the logos, instead, I stretched out on the mattress, wrapping myself in the warm fleece, thankful she had given it some thought.

  Soon after, both doors to the cab slammed shut and I sighed, curling tighter into a ball to retain warmth and dragged the laptop closer to me. I stared at the email, reading Lucifer’s ultimate threat again. Each word shot pain through my entire form and I closed the cover, rolling onto my back and staring into the dark.

  I had to make damn sure he never got a hold of her otherwise I’d relish facing the sun.

  My arm ached and I held it to my chest, letting myself drift off. Sleep seemed to be the secret to the ultra-healing and with the lull of the engine, I drifted off into a plague of nightmares.

  Each one was in excruciating detail of every deviant act Lucifer promised. It was far more vivid than any other nightmare I could remember and I woke in a cold sweat, with my chest constricted to the point that drawing a breath was nearly impossible.

  The hum of the engine brought me around and my lungs opened. I sucked in a mouthful of cold air, thankful for the burn of it and I closed my eyes, pressing my palms to them until the images from my nightmares surfaced.

  My phone buzzed and I pulled it from my pocket and glanced at the text.

  “You okay back there?”

  Naomi’s question took me by surprise.

  “Yes, why?” I sent back.

  “I could have sworn I heard you yell.”

  “Sorry. Nightmare.” I texted back and glanced at the time. I still had a few more hours before I could be set free from this tin can.

  “How are things going up there?” I added.

  “Good. Michael’s driving and I got a nap in. He said you two had a nice talk.”

  I burst out laughing. I learned a great deal, but I’m not sure I would categorize it as nice. That simmering anger was still present and I wondered if it would ever go away. I dropped back on the mattress and took a closer look at my motivations.

  Chapter Thirteen - Naomi

  “He just had a nightmare,” I said, trading a glance with Michael. “You know, I can take over driving if you’d like.”

  “I’m fine,” Michael said with his gaze locked on the road, but ever since I fished him out of the back, conversation had been scarce.

  “So what did you and Damian talk about all morning?”

  He slid his gaze to me and then back at the road. “You.”

  I glanced out the passenger window with a head full of questions and bit my lip. “What about me?” I finally asked when he didn’t continue.

  “He asked why you were different,” Michael said, pulling my attention to him. “Why you were stronger your first day as a vampire than he was after over two thousand years.”

  “And you said?” I wanted to hear the explanation because it was something that intrigued me as well.

  “Because he’s the offspring of a musician and you, you’re the offspring of warrior bloodlines.”

  I glanced out the window at the crowded highway. “You aren’t just referring to your bloodline, are you?”

  He sent his hard gaze in my direction. “No. There were many angels who chose to have intimate relationships with humans in the beginning,” he started. “Raphael, Gabriel and I are the only ones who were blessed with offspring.” He paused, slowing down for traffic. “Damian is Gabriel’s only child, so his bloodline ended when my brother threw him into that pit. But both Raphael and I have quite vast bloodlines, and up until you were conceived, they never intersected,” he said and glanced at me, offering up a smile that cascaded a wave of chills down my back. I hugged myself to ward off the tremor. “You’re Indian heritage is much richer than you thought.”

  Silence filled the cab as I gawked at him.

  “And the moment you bit Damian, Gabriel’s blood was introduced into the equation.”

  “How does that make me stronger than he is?”

  “You are a trinity, not a pure trinity, but close enough. You are a mixture of three angelic bloodlines and that is why you are different.” He let that settle as he navigated the afternoon traffic. “Imagine if it was possible for you and Damian to have a child?”

  The statement stunned me and my jaw dropped.

  “This world has not encountered a pure trinity in over two thousand years,” he said with a sigh and focused back on the road.

  “I thought you said that this was the first time the bloodlines converged.”

  He nodded. “I did and it is. But the only pure trinity born to a human was not created from angel blood,” he said.

  My brain tried to wrap around what he was saying but I kept drawing a conclusion that was insane. “Are you referring to the holy trinity?” I asked, voicing the unlikely conclusion.
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br />   He nodded and my pulse quickened. The idea that I could produce the second coming was as farfetched as this conversation and I let out a frantic laugh. “You mean I could...” I trailed off unable to voice the mad idea, but the look Michael sent me confirmed my thoughts.

  “Either that or the other side of the equation.” His gaze bore into me and I shivered.

  His assumption irritated the hell out of me. “Damian’s not evil,” I snapped.

  “No, but my brother is. If he ever got it in his head to use you as a fertility experiment, what kind of monster do you think that would create?”

  My eyes widened and a wave of nausea flowed through my form. Just the thought of being Lucifer’s baby-maker made me want to vomit. “Does he know about our heritage?”

  Michael’s exhaled. “He has no idea about Damian’s.”

  “What about mine?” I asked and a shadow passed over Michael’s face.

  “I don’t know, but you can damn well bet that if he does, your death would no longer be his highest priority.”

  I stared at him, turning as cold as the frigid winter air. “You didn’t tell Damian this, did you?”

  Michael pressed his lips together and offered up a sideways glare before concentrating on driving again. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because he’s still overwhelmed with this morning’s revelation.” he said. “And I shouldn’t have told you, but you need to know in the event Luc...” he stopped talking, his features morphing into that same expression Damian gets when he almost screwed up.

  When he regained composure, he continued, “In the event my brother does get a hold of you, there is really only one option for you if you can’t escape.”

  “I have to kill him?” I said, hoping that was what he was driving at.

  When his gaze slid in my direction, my heart lurched into my throat and I bit my lip to keep it from quivering.

  “You have to die.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Shock still filtered through my form at Michael’s words and the sun couldn’t set fast enough. I glanced at the magnificent colors painting the sky and couldn’t find the calmness they should have instilled in me, instead, death loomed, casting its dark hand over the earth.

  The Welcome to Ohio sign loomed less than a tenth of a mile away and I shifted in the seat trying to find a comfortable position.

  When we passed the sign for the upcoming rest area, I said, “I need to hit the next rest area,” with a voice that sounded foreign and strained.

  He didn’t acknowledge that I had spoken, but he did take the gently curved exit into the rest area.

  “We’re going to need gas too,” I said when he pulled into a parking space.

  “You can get that after we do our business and grab a bite to eat.” He waved toward the building and I sighed, giving him a nod of ascent.

  He pulled the keys out of the ignition and handed them to me before exiting the cab, leaving me to lock up as he hightailed it toward the restrooms. I thought about seeing if Damian was okay, but my bladder had other ideas and I made a mad dash inside.

  By the time we had finished our business and bought our food, the sun had dipped below the horizon and I found my pace picking up as I headed toward the truck. Even though I was only awake for a few hours with Michael in the cab, the relief of having Damian back in the front with us drove my feet forward.

  I threw the latch and pushed the gate up. Damian was already on his feet, pacing in the small space between the door and the mattress and the moment the door cleared his head, he jumped down on the pavement and looked at the bag in my hand before meeting my gaze.

  “I’m ravenous,” he said. His voice soft and raspy and every bit as sexy as ever.

  “Get in the cab,” Michael said as he walked past us. There was no leeway in his command and Damian and I exchanged a look.

  Instead of issuing a smart comeback, Damian reached up and slammed the door down, locking it before escorting me to the truck. He opened the door and let me slide into the middle of the bench seat before he slid next to me. The first thing he did after Michael turned the engine over was to crank the heat.

  “We still need gas,” I said and pointed to the low fuel light.

  “Damn machines,” Michael muttered and pulled into one of the gas lines. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel and I traded a glance with Damian and he rolled his eyes at me.

  A strained silence filled the cab and when we pulled up to the pump, Damian slid out and took care of gassing up the truck and then knocked on the driver’s side window.

  “I can drive,” he said when Michael rolled the window down.

  Michael kept his gaze for a minute and then nodded, relinquishing the driver’s seat to Damian and crossing around to the passenger side. No one spoke as we pulled out onto the highway.

  The hum of the truck lulled me into a sleepy trance and my eyelids kept drifting closed.

  “You’re welcome to use my thigh as a pillow,” Damian said, cutting into the thick silence.

  “I’m fine,” I said and yawned.

  A dimple appeared in his cheek and he sent a sideways glance that all but said ‘yeah, right”. I shook my head and rubbed my face to get the cobwebs out of my brain.

  “I’m sorry I was such a prick earlier,” he said, looking over my head at Michael.

  Michael met his gaze and nodded, accepting the apology in silence and then he yawned and settled into the corner of the cab with his head against the headrest.

  “I’m sorry I broke your arm,” he said and closed his eyes.

  Both Damian and I exchanged a glance. Getting an apology from Michael was more progress than either of us had hoped for and it alleviated some of my angst relating to our last conversation.

  I wondered how Damian would take the news when we told him about my being a trinity.

  “How long until we reach Connecticut?” I asked.

  Damian glanced at the road signs and his lips moved as he silently calculated distance. “We should get home before the sun rises,” he said. “Even with a hunting break.” He licked his lips. “I won’t make it through the day without blood.”

  Michael’s arm shot across the space. “We don’t have time to stop.”

  Damian glanced at the offering and then back at the road.

  “As much as I’d like to tear into you, Uncle Mike, I can’t. You are in human form, remember?” He didn’t even look our way.

  Michael pulled his exposed wrist back and crossed his arms. “Then you’ll have to catch up to us,” he said.

  Damian cocked his head, considering this before he sighed. “Okay, but you need to stay on this route and if you pull off for any reason, you’ll call and leave a message?”

  “That’s reasonable,” Michael agreed. “But I think I need some rest before I take over driving again.”

  “I can drive,” I said, and stretched, reminding both men that I was still in the car.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes, I had enough sleep to be okay for a little while,” I said, glancing at the sparsely populated highway. “And I’d like to drive, anyway. I hate being a passenger unless I have a book or something, otherwise I just drift off.”

  “Okay, I’ll get off at the next rest area,” Damian said.

  It turned out to be another hour and a half before the next highway rest area and I was ready for a bathroom break from dinner. Michael snored against the door and I took the keys from Damian and headed inside. When I returned, Damian stood by the driver’s side and gave me a small smile, nodding toward the cab and a still sleeping Michael.

  “You might have to stop somewhere along the way for him. If you do, just text the mile marker and I’ll meet up with you. I’ll try to get ahead of you once I’m done hunting and I’ll text you what exit I’m at. Okay?”

  “Are you okay?” I asked before he stepped away. We hadn’t had a moment since Michael joined us and his gaze flickered to the interior o
f the truck and back.

  “I had some time to think today and, while I’m still angry for the bullshit games he played, I think I can understand it. Especially when I step back and think of what I would have done in his shoes.” He shifted and reached for me, stopping just short of contact before lowering his hand. Frustration filled his features and he closed his eyes. “So yes, I’m okay. Are you?”

  He opened his eyes and met my gaze.

  “I’m fine,” I said and gave him a reassuring smile. I wasn’t about to tell him about the trinity or Michael’s ultimatum. Not until we were settled in the safety of a new home away from Michael and all the complications that came with dragging around an archangel in human form.

  He pulled the door open for me and shut it as I settled into the seat. Before I had a chance to turn back to the window, the shuffle of feathers crossed over the windshield and he was gone, disappearing into the night.

  Michael stirred, shifted and after a few minutes the snoring began again. With no radio to drown out the offensive noise, my nerves started to jump on edge and my jaw tightened against the rising bitch factor.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I flexed my hands and gripped the steering wheel, grateful for the silence now that Michael’s snoring had ceased. He’s lucky I didn’t smack him at the height of my irritation, but he had been up since the middle of the prior night, so I gave him a break.

  A quick glance at the clock told me Damian had been at it for longer than normal. It had been over an hour since he flew off and I picked up my cell, pressing the button to see if he left a message, but my inbox was empty.

  “Shit,” I muttered and Michael grunted.

  “What are you cursing about?” he asked, his voice scratchy with sleep and grumpiness.

  “Damian hasn’t checked in.”

  Michael wiped his face and sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes. “How long has he been gone?”

  “A little over an hour.”

  Michael shifted in the seat, stretching his muscles before he glanced out at the night. “I wouldn’t worry.”