When no one answered, she let herself in. Evelyn never locked her door when she was home, unlike Debbie and Mike. She still believed in trusting her neighbors.
Nothing stirred. Had Elis gone with Evelyn?
"Elis?"
Nothing. He wouldn't have left the house, not with his injuries.
Oh, God. What if he started bleeding? What if he laid unconscious from the loss of blood?
She kicked off her shoes and rushed up the stairs. Through the open crack of his door, she saw him sleeping with his back to the door. His side rose and fell with his steady breathing. Thank God.
Raea tip-toed into the room and crept around the bed to the far side. Wow. He looked so peaceful. So calm and relaxed. He really did look like a sleeping angel.
A sleeping angel with a long strip of gauze taped to his side and another on the leading edge of one black wing. Now, if she knew how to heal, she could help him.
His relaxed expression teased a smile from her. She loved it. That face. That gentle face hidden by a thick shag of hair he didn't keep trim. It always gave him a dark look, except when he smiled.
Oh, man. She really did like him. Maybe even more now that she had seen how much he cared for her. Pallin had been too good to be true, beautiful on the outside but a monster on the inside, only out to trap her. But Elis cared, really cared, and she had refused to look beyond the outside to see the beauty within.
Raea sat down on the edge of the bed by his chest and brushed away strands of black hair from his cheek. Not even stubble? Didn't he grow facial hair? Why would he? An odd assumption, but while they might both look human, neither of them were. Their kind had evolved on a different world, one she had never seen except in the visions. Maybe one day, when it was safe, he'd take her there. She'd like to know where her mother was from, the place he also called home.
Where angels lived.
He sighed heavily and moved his arm until he bumped against her.
"Wake up, sleepy."
His brows pinched together and he looked up. "Raea? What're you doing back so soon?"
"Soon? Evelyn's out for church. It's after ten."
"It is?" He twisted to look at the clock on the nightstand. " I feel like we just talked." He rubbed his eyes, brushing his hair back into a mess.
"How's the wound?" She didn't want to talk about the vision, not yet.
Elis pulled back the blankets. A faint red colored the gauze down the middle. His muscling was different than what she had seen on her cousins and uncle when they went topless. She never saw much difference on herself, but she never studied the change in musculature while she had wings, despite the tightening of her clothes.
"You need that changed?" A good excuse to stick around, until she built the courage to say what she really wanted to say.
"It's fine."
"No. Stay here." Raea stood. No way would he get out of taking care of himself. He had done so much more for her. At least he could let her help him. If he was going to be stubborn, she had to act fast. "Bathroom. Right?"
"I'll be fine."
"No. It needs changing," she called back from outside his door.
"Raea—" Heavy steps followed after her. "I just covered it a few hours ago. It doesn't need changing."
She searched the cabinet above the toilet and under the sink and finally found the First Aid kit. "Aha! Now—" She stood and turned.
And caught her breath. He should have stayed in bed. It would be easier to change his bandages while he was laying down, and there was barely room for two people to squeeze by, without wings, in the cramped bathroom.
"Leave it. I'll take care of it later." He tried to take the plastic case, but she held on. He would not get out of this. That bandage was filling with blood, more since he stood.
"No. I'll take care of it now so you can help me. I'm having trouble seeing parts of last night."
He hesitated. "The Starfire's holding back?"
"Something is." What could she say? He looked just as confused. But she didn't want to think about it right now. "You still need changing. I mean, look at this…" She reached toward the reddening center of the gauze.
He grabbed her hand. "Don't. It's fine. It's not important."
"Yes, it is."
"No. It's not."
"Yes. It is." Man. He pissed her off with his macho attitude.
Stalemate. He had both her hands busy. She couldn't get the kit away from him. How could she make him sit still?
"Dammit, Elis! Just let me help. You don't have to do everything yourself." She let her breath out in a huff.
His hold on her hand loosened, and he let go of the plastic case.
"Good. Now, do you want me to do this with you standing or lying down? Personally, this bathroom's a little crowded, but it's your choice." Not that she minded being close to him, but this was about treating his wound. She wasn't ready to talk about them.
His shoulders dropped. "Lying down."
"Good." He'd given in. For a second, she wasn't sure he would. She followed him back to the bedroom, where he laid on his back with the wings out to either side. Raea sat down next to him and opened the kit.
"I was able to see last night, most of it."
"I'm not surprised. You've become pretty adept at finding the resonance."
Raea peeled off the tape, noting the tightening of his muscles by the definition around them when he flinched. He might not be hairy like her uncle—why couldn't Mike keep his shirt on in summer?—but even she knew how wound tape could hurt coming off and tried to rip it off quickly.
"It showed me what happened." There. She pulled off one end. Now to peel back the gauze and the tape along the long sides.
"What did you see?" He winced.
She knew why. The blood had crusted to the gauze as if he hadn't cleaned it properly. Oh, man. She hated the sight of blood. But he really did need this. Deep breath. Okay. Keep talking. Don't think about the blood.
"I saw Pallin over me in the hotel room, then it jumped ahead to him flying with me to the farmhouse and everything after that." Everything after, including Elis's kiss. Oh, how she wanted to ask him directly. But the right words wouldn't come. Instead, she focused on changing his bandage.
The last of the gauze peeled off. With a quick yank, Raea pulled the tape. "Jeez, Elis. This is messy."
"I know." He didn't look at her or what she did but stared at the ceiling.
"Wait here. I'm going to get a washcloth and clean it up." He better stay this time. She hurried to soak a washcloth—a dark one to be sure, as Debbie would have scolded her for staining a good, light one with blood—and returned to him still lying on his back. At least he knew what was good for him.
Raea wiped off the crusty blood around the cut. It wasn't as deep as she feared, but she couldn't tell with the dark scab filling the cut. "You know, for such a small thing, that's a lot of blood."
"Yeah. But we heal faster than humans. In a couple weeks I might have a scar."
Only a couple weeks? That was fast. Guilt tempered her surprise, although she wasn't too surprised given her own experiences growing up. But he had received the cut by protecting her. That left a bitter taste of guilt. "I'm sorry about this. If it wasn't for me, you'd be all right." She finished cleaning the cut and pulled out a length of gauze from the roll in the kit.
"It could have been worse. I'm alive. You're alive. That's what matters."
"Yeah." He was. But it didn't take away all her guilt. She covered the wound in fresh gauze and pulled out the tape. "I should have taken Josh with me like he offered."
"Why? Weren't you going to be with Pallin?" Was that bitterness she heard in his voice?
"Yeah, to tell him I didn't want to see him again. He never called. He never returned my calls. Or at least, not very quickly. He never even offered to hold my hand, in case you didn't notice. Now I know why—he didn't really care. But before last night, I thought he just wasn't, like, serious, because he would be leaving soon. And if he...
" She couldn't finish the statement and choked on the disgust of what she didn't want to know.
She hurried to finish taping the fresh gauze without saying anything more. Elis said nothing as she worked, nor when she packed up the kit and carried it away.
When she came back, he was standing and stretching his arms. Black wings spread open as far as the walls allowed. The tape pulled off in a couple places.
"Elis. Hold still." If she didn't know better, she'd think he did that on purpose. She hurried to his side and pressed the tape back down. "I probably should get more tape. I didn't expect it to come off like that. But if you hadn't stretched, it wouldn't be a problem."
"It's fine."
"No." She pressed the tape down, making sure it stayed stuck to his skin.
"Raea." He grabbed her hands away. "It's good."
"But—"
"Really." He fought her attempt to try again. "I can take care of myself."
I know, but...I have to do something. Something so she didn't have to look him in the eyes. She couldn't look without her emotions overflowing. And if he didn't share the feelings the Starfire inspired in her...
The Starfire entities had been right all along. The one time she and Pallin had accidentally touched, the voices screamed in discord, a warning that they knew what he was. Yet when Elis had first touched her, they showed her loving scenes. They made her wings grow that first time. They showed her what she needed to know. They helped her to understand what she was.
But they couldn't control her. She still had the power to choose. Or did she? Maybe she had chosen long ago but wasn't ready to face it. Maybe they had only shown her what she had denied—a hidden curiosity about Elis.
Raea sighed and hung her head. "But it's all my fault. I went to his hotel. I let him catch me. I told myself he liked me. I wanted to believe that. I trusted him. I..." She sniffed back the turmoil rising up. Oh, God. Not the tears again. Why was this so difficult? "I didn't want you to get hurt. I never thought...If I had trusted you, trusted myself... Instead I told myself I didn't like the person who's kindness and patience meant more than all the fake charm in the world. Someone who was always there, and I was mean and cruel and...and I let myself be blinded." Nothing sounded right. "I'm sorry."
"This isn't about last night." His soft voice calmed the emotions. "Is it."
She pulled her hand away to wipe her eyes and shook her head. No. It was so much more that she couldn't put to words. Why wouldn't he say what he felt? Why did he only show it when she was unconscious? Or had it been a lie?
A warm touch on her cheek soothed away the confusion inside. Don't let go, Elis. She put her hand up over his and leaned into his touch. Nothing else felt so right. He must have felt the same to touch her like that. "I know you would never hurt me. This last week has shown me that. And I like the lessons...spending time with you."
His hand dropped away from her cheek. What did she say? She looked up as he stared, dumbfounded. A second later, a sheepish grin spread across his face.
Gah! Raea chuckled at his sudden embrace that lifted her off her feet, and she flung her arms around his neck. Elis. He did like her. Why had it been so difficult to say?
Black wings rose behind him. Her Dark Angel.
He held onto her for a long time, but she didn't care. He held her. He wanted her, as she wanted him. Now she knew. Josh was right. Josh was so right.
"Thank you." The warmth of his breath in her hair sent ripples of pleasure down her back.
"For what?"
He shrugged, the rise of his shoulders lifting her head up. She leaned away to see his smile as he set her down. Wait. He looked like he was about to cry. Did it mean that much? Or was he hiding his pain from the wound?
"For this chance," he said. "I've waited a long time."
No way. All this time? For her? "Why didn't you speak up?"
"Would you have listened?"
"No." She couldn't deny the truth, especially when she had admitted it not long ago. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea how you felt. You never said anything."
"It was hard. Fitting into a new world, much less among a different species..."
"Yeah." Her face warmed. "I think I understand."
"And finding a beautiful woman of my own kind."
Man. He knew how to make her blush. She felt that. But this time she didn't care or try to hide it. "Okay. That I wouldn't know about."
He laughed. Then winced.
"Sorry."
"Elis! Lunch is ready." Evelyn was home already.
"We'll be down soon," he called back.
"Is Raea up there?"
"Yes, she is." He called the words to Evelyn, but stared at her. At Raea.
Oh, man; oh, man! She loved—loved—that smile. It chased away all her problems. And the way his eyes sparkled when he looked at her—his whole demeanor changed. Now, that was a transformation.
"Let's go." She led him by the hand out the door.
"After lunch, we'll work on that skip in the vision. I want to know what the Starfire is hiding."
Raea stopped. She had a bad feeling about why the vision skipped. She didn't want to see it. "Why?"
"I won't hold back next time I see Pallin."
The sudden hard lines of his face chilled her. He was serious.
Two Worlds, A Part
Pallin finished fastening his pants as Nina shut the door behind her. Revealing his true form had given him more than an ally. She would be useful, for a while. While she expressed a desire for justice against the dangerous Keepers, somewhere in her devious little mind she was only in it for her story. He'd give her the story she wanted, but it would never be seen. He wouldn't let her expose the others.
Prime Commander Loran Tarolis could ensure that never happened.
Pallin picked up the phone and called. Tarolis had chastised him the first time he contacted him by tri-comm and advised Pallin how to behave on that world, and he had set up an account to fund his stay. Since then, Pallin had only contacted him once by phone at his office at NeoGen Labs, a company Loran had started to fund the work he and the others did on that world. Tarolis was a scientist, and the work he did wasn't tolerated on Inar'Ahben and nearly impossible with Keepers around; and some of it involved the humans.
Pallin had no intention of staying long term like the others. In a few days, he'd be gone and the Crystal Keeper with him.
The phone clicked. "Loran here."
["Commander Montran Pallin reporting, sir."]
["You have something?"]
["Yes, sir. The Keeper escaped, but I know how to finish the job."]
["You'd better, Commander. I can't help you. Make certain he stays out of the way, any way you have to."]
["Actually, sir, you can help me. I've revealed to one human my identity and she's agreed to help. She understands that the Keepers are dangerous and is willing to play a part in their capture."]
["Then you'll leave another problem here for us."] Tarolis growled the statement.
Pallin flinched. ["That's where I need you. She's agreed to help in exchange for full coverage of the Keeper in his natural form."]
["Coverage? You collaborated with a reporter? You're a fool, Commander. Kill her. End this now before it skyrockets. I'll have no such idiocy."]
["But she can provide a distraction. The Keeper will do all he can to avoid her identifying him on video. That threat can work to our advantage, my advantage. But in the end all evidence must be destroyed."]
["You're damn well right it must be."]
Surely the prime commander could see reason. Pallin had to convince him. ["You can be sure of that. She's Nina Russet of the Xplorer Channel's Miracles and Other Wonders series. I'll take care of what I can here, after my use for her is done, but there will be details to clean up."]
["So, you want me to clean up after your mess?"]
["In the end it won't matter. Soon we'll have three of the shards. Saffir can't hold out forever. Once we have the fourth, we'll have
all the power of the Starfire. After Inar'Ahben, Earth will be nothing. The Keepers will have no place to hide, and we'll know peace under one rule, without their interference."] No longer would the Keepers dictate to the Inari people how to live their lives by threat of withdrawing their "services". The Inari people had lived without them once, and they would learn to live without them again. The Shirukan would clean up their world, so the people could choose for themselves how to live.
["All right. I'll get someone on it. Her story will never see airtime. Do not fail, Commander."]
["No, sir."] Pallin's breath froze. The punishment for failure of this magnitude would be death. He had been the executioner a few times. He had no intention of turning the role around. ["Commander Montran Pallin out."]
* * *
This was so wrong. Raea shouldn't be at school. Elis suffered because of her. But Linds...
Could her friend ever forgive her? What if Pallin had raped her? Had Linds done the medical tests to find out?
Raea couldn't do it. Not only did she not want to know, but she didn't want to let any doctors figure out she wasn't human. She had never been in a hospital for any reason, and Debbie had never taken her to a doctor, which was why she wasn't allowed in sports. Now, she understood that her aunt had protected her. Raea wasn't about to change that.
She still hadn't been able to get past the skip in the crystal's memories, even with Elis's help. She didn't want to see if Pallin had done anything so despicable to her. Nor did she want to see him that day. Would he show up? If he didn't have to be there, would he continue his charade since he exposed the truth to her?
"Raea."
She jumped. Whoa. Slow down heart. It's only Josh.
"Raea. Are you okay? What happened? I waited at the corner this morning, but I didn't see you."
"I'm...fine. How's Linds Have you seen her?"
"Yeah. She's good. She said Elis rescued her. What happened on Saturday?"
"Pallin's an ass. A dirty, filthy sonofabitch. I never want to see him. Ever!" She threw her books in her locker with excessive force and one bounced out and slammed to the floor. She had been so stupid.
Too bad the locker wasn't bigger, or she could hide in it.
Starfire Angels (Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 1) Page 18