Protected in Darkness (Misplaced Halos, 1)

by Nicole Edwards

Of course, he didn’t have time to play games, so rather than wait for the human to make the trek across town, he hijacked him in the parking lot of Oliver’s complex.

  Initially, he’d considered taking the friendly route but ended up stuffing Oliver into the backseat of his Camaro, which had required more effort than he was willing to admit. The human had a wicked fight-or-flight instinct, Reidar would give him that much. A punch or two might’ve been thrown. And received.

  He wouldn’t admit to Obsidian who’d done which, though.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Oliver snapped.

  “Nice language. Perhaps you could rephrase that. And maybe use your inside voice.”

  “Fuck you. Who the hell are you?”

  Clearly the human wasn’t going to respect his elders, but considering the circumstances of their meeting, perhaps Reidar could be lenient on the male.

  “Believe it or not, a friend,” he muttered under his breath as he eased into the front seat, snatching his phone.

  When Oliver thought he’d be funny, shoving the passenger seat forward in an attempt to jump to freedom, Reidar put a big fist into the chair, throwing him back. The power he wielded surprised the human because he flopped back with a grunt.

  “What the hell do you want from me?” Oliver groaned.

  “Technically, nothing. Now shut up.”

  “Fuck you.”

  The human got brave then, his hands coming around Reidar’s seat and settling on his throat. He chuckled, then snapped his fingers, which resulted in the male being hog-tied on his belly.

  “Now just lay there and be a good little boy till I tell you otherwise.”

  With the miles increasing between him and Obsidian, Reidar knew he couldn’t wait around, so he shot a message to Gerran, instructing the angel to meet him. He appeared a few minutes later, a wide grin on his face as he stared at Reidar through the windshield. When he climbed into the passenger seat, his gaze instantly swung to the cargo in the backseat.

  “Trussed him up, did you?”

  “Figured it was easier than knocking him out. At least until I know what we’re up against.”

  The human mumbled through the tape covering his mouth. With a snap of his fingers, Reidar silenced him.

  Gerran barked a laugh, then retrieved his phone when it buzzed in his pocket.

  Throwing the car in first, Reidar peeled out of the parking lot. It took some bold moves, but he managed to weave through the traffic aiming for the highway out of town.

  “Taayin says they’re settled. The mansion’s secure.”

  “Tell him to send a message to the brothers,” Reidar instructed. “Let them know we’re relocating.”

  Gerran’s fingers flew over the letters on his screen as he tapped out the text.

  Focusing his attention on the traffic, Reidar steered them through the streets of Vegas. By the time he hit the highway, he was wound tight as a bow. It took effort to relax, but he finally managed.

  “Alden said there’s been another death at the casino,” Gerran stated. “Police are claiming it’s a heart attack. Human female. Died in her hotel room. Think it’s a coincidence?”

  Reidar didn’t believe in coincidence, and knowing Perfidious was on the loose, there was no doubt in Reidar’s mind that the demon was laying waste to humans simply because he could.

  Before he could respond, his cell phone rang. Reidar hit the button to take the call through the Bluetooth.

  “It’s Asmia,” the Fae said when he answered. “I wanted to give you an update. I just heard about the death at the hotel. I actually met that woman tonight.”

  “At the casino?” He knew she’d been there anticipating Penelope’s arrival before the shit had hit the fan at Penelope’s apartment.

  “Yes. Played blackjack with her. And a male. He … uh… I think it was Perfidious.”

  Reidar glanced over at Gerran briefly.

  “He was cloaked, Reidar. I had no idea who he was. But he left with the female. Now she’s dead.”

  Not sure what to do with that information, Reidar thanked Asmia and ended the call.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Gerran asked as he settled back against the seat. “We gonna drive straight through?”

  “Obsidian said he’d shoot us his coordinates. Even pushing it, we’ll never hit Darkness before daybreak. Have to hole up somewhere for the day.”

  Gerran grunted. “Kick my chair one more time, little human, and I’ll strap your ass to the roof.”

  Reidar chuckled. “Maybe we should fill him in on what’s going on.”

  Gerran glanced into the backseat. “Or we could just knock him out.”

  “Or we could do that,” he agreed.

  “How much time do you think we have before Seraphina gets suspicious?”

  He shrugged. “Between Penelope not showing up for work tonight and the brother missing, I doubt we’ve got long.”

  Reidar snapped his finger, unmuting the human.

  “If I take the tape off, you think you can be civil?” he asked, not bothering to look back at him.

  A rumble sounded.

  He took it as an affirmative, then snapped his fingers to have the tape falling away and the ropes unwinding from Oliver’s wrists and ankles.

  “Who are you?” he demanded the instant he could speak.

  “Angels,” Reidar told him simply.

  “Are you high?”

  He didn’t dignify the idiocy with a response.

  “Look. My father’s got money. If you just let me call him, I’m sure he’ll pay whatever ransom you want.”

  “Believe it or not, we’re taking you to your sister,” Reidar informed him.

  “My sister?” Oliver’s voice shifted to a rough growl. “What did you do to her?”

  Gerran chuckled. “Humans,” he huffed. “Always thinking the worst.”

  It was true, they were a suspicious lot.

  “ANY CHANCE WE COULD STOP?” PENELOPE PROMPTED Obsidian, doing her best not to cross her legs in agony.

  She had to pee like a racehorse, but she’d been holding it for the past hour, hoping they’d come to their destination before she had to ask him to make a detour. They’d been on the road for four hours, so she figured she’d held out long enough.

  “Of course.”

  “I really need to stretch my legs. Maybe grab something to eat.” Both were true, though her bladder was making the loudest request.

  Granted, she hadn’t seen any signs of civilization for quite some time, so Penelope wasn’t even sure there was a place for them to stop.

  As though conjured out of nowhere, a sign for a truck stop appeared, making her breathe easier.

  When Obsidian pulled up to the gas pump, she couldn’t hold it any longer. Even as he called her name, she made a beeline for the inside, heading right for the restroom.

  A few minutes later, she emerged to find Obsidian leaning against the wall in the hallway, his face intense, eyes shielded behind those dark glasses.

  “I’m sorry,” she said quickly, feeling her face heat with embarrassment. “I couldn’t wait.”

  A smile formed as realization dawned on his face. “My apologies.”

  Taking her hand, he led her through the store, snatching up snacks as he went.

  “How much longer?” She wondered if they had time to stop for a real meal.

  “I wish I could say we’d make it before dawn, but that won’t be the case. We’ll have to take shelter for the day.”

  Penelope’s shoes squeaked on the tile when she pulled him up short. “You can’t be out in sunlight, can you?”

  His eyes were hidden, but she felt the intensity of his stare. “No. I can’t.”

  Which explained why he hadn’t come with her to her apartment. He’d been waiting for the sun to set.

  Stepping closer and lowering her voice, she said, “And what exactly makes you not a vampire?”

  Obsidian leaned down, his mouth close to her ear. “Wings.”

  Wing
s.

  Great.

  Nodding because, you know, what else was she going to do, Penelope settled on a blueberry muffin and a Coke, figuring it would provide sufficient fuel for however long he intended to be on the road.

  Once they were in the car, Obsidian wasted no time getting them back on the highway.

  Penelope relaxed into the seat, doing her best not to clutch the oh shit handle, or shriek from the sheer velocity of the car’s speed. It wasn’t that she minded the fact he could’ve been auditioning for Formula One, hitting triple-digit mph, but only because he seemed to know what he was doing.

  “Are there any other idiosyncrasies I should know about?” she prompted. “I’m finding it difficult to understand the whole angel thing. Wait.” She cut her eyes to him. “Do you drink human blood?”

  “No.”

  “Then why the fangs?”

  “Because I do require blood, just not from humans.”

  “Then from who?”

  “Fae.”

  “Fae?” Penelope frowned, relying on her studies to put her finger on the entity. “Fairies? You drink the blood of fairies?”

  “Yes. Although we don’t call them fairies. Only Fae. They consider themselves a different category.”

  Curious, she peered over at him. “So, are we talking human-sized fairies? Or Tinkerbell?”

  He chuckled. “Human size.”

  Angels getting sustenance from fairies … er … Fae. Surely nothing could surprise her now.

  “You said you had wings?”

  Obsidian nodded.

  “Where are they?”

  She could see his smile in profile. “Wouldn’t be all that easy to blend if I walked around with wings, now would it?” He glanced her way. “I can bring the wings out when I need them.”

  Oh. Holy moly.

  “So why can’t you go out in sunlight?”

  “When Michael made his proposal to God to send us to Earth, there were a few stipulations. God wanted us to blend, so he made it impossible for us to be out in daylight. And we feed from the Fae so He can keep track of us. With their blood in our veins, it’s like a homing beacon. He did the same with vampires when he created the race. Although they’re not required to feed from Fae. They prefer their own race, although humans suffice just fine.”

  “You’re telling me God created vampires?”

  “Yes.”

  Wow. That was… Wow.

  “Do you know any vampires?”

  “Quite a few, actually.” His eyes slid to hers briefly. “My closest friend is a vampire. His name’s Kaj. Good male. You’ll like him.”

  She was sure she would. What human wouldn’t want to be friends with a vampire? No risk there, right?

  “And these Fae?” Penelope studied her hands for a moment. “Are they female?”

  “Male and female.”

  “Do you feed from the males?”

  “I have, sure. Just not recently.”

  For some reason, that bothered her. She did not like the idea of Obsidian feeding from a woman. Fairy or not. The thought of his mouth on…

  She shook off the thought.

  “The only human I can feed from is you, Penelope,” Obsidian said. “Because you’re my amsouelot, your blood will sustain me and allow me to be tracked.”

  It took a moment for her heart to resume its beat. When it did, she glanced over at him. “Will you?” Sure, there was a slight tremble in her voice. Could you blame her?

  “Not until you allow me to. And not until it’s absolutely necessary.”

  “What does that mean? Absolutely necessary?”

  Obsidian’s attention remained on the road, his gaze shifting to the rearview mirror every now and then.

  “Once the desire gets to be too much, feeding from you will ease the heat somewhat.”

  “Heat?”

  “What we refer to as amnigh. As my amsouelot, your body has a natural craving for mine and vice versa. Over time, it’ll intensify.”

  While she wanted to think he was making that up, Penelope couldn’t ignore the fact she’d been on a constant simmer since she’d left his hotel room to go back to her apartment. Even now, her skin tingled, her breasts were sensitive, and there was an insistent throb between her legs.

  “How long does that last?”

  Obsidian reached for her hand, twined their fingers. “Indefinitely.”

  Oh, great. He’d turned her into a sex fiend and there was nothing she could do about it.

  Obsidian’s phone rang. He answered by hitting a button to allow the Bluetooth to sync.

  “Where are you?” he asked without greeting.

  “Thanks to your pit stop, only about a half hour behind you. You driving all the way through?”

  Penelope watched Obsidian as he spoke.

  “As much as I want to, we won’t make it. We’ll hole up in Flagstaff.”

  “Perfect. I’ll have Gerran grab a couple of rooms. I’ll text you the details. Hey, Penelope,” the voice on the phone called out. “This is Reidar. I wanted to let you know we’ve got your brother. He’s a bit surly. Thought maybe if he heard your voice, he’d chill.”

  “Oliver?” Penelope smiled. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ve been better,” her brother grumbled. “Mind telling me why you had me kidnapped?”

  “She didn’t,” Obsidian stated. “I did.”

  “Before you rip him a new one,” Reidar said, “be mindful of your manners.”

  “Fuck you,” Oliver hissed.

  “Oliver?” Penelope said softly, hoping to rein her brother in a bit. “I promise, I’ll explain everything when I see you.”

  “You’re damn right you will,” he snarled.

  Obsidian growled low in his throat and she knew there was no doubt everyone heard it.

  “Watch yourself, kid,” Reidar warned. “He’s the most tolerant of them all, but that’s not saying much. Hey, Obsidian, we’ll drop the info on the hotel. See you in a bit.”

  “Yep,” Obsidian rumbled before disconnecting the call.

  “Who’s Reidar?” she asked when the radio began to play again.

  “He’s my ladeare. One of the leaders in the fiestreigh.”

  “So there’s a hierarchy?”

  “You could say that. My brothers and I have a designated assistant, known as a lieterra. And when we’re fighting, we rely on the ladeares and the lieterras to coordinate efforts, ensuring we’ve got appropriate backup.”

  “Who’s your lieterra?”

  “His name’s Taayin. You’ll meet him at the mansion.”

  “And what are fiestreigh?”

  “Soldiers. Or more importantly, family.”

  Speaking of family…

  She gave Obsidian’s hand a squeeze. “I’m sorry for Oliver.”

  “No need to apologize. I get that he’s pissed. I would be, too. Doesn’t give him the right to talk to you that way.”

  Well, Obsidian was going to be in for a treat, because Oliver might’ve been her twin, but he had very little respect for her. It had always been that way, though she wasn’t exactly sure why. She did her best to keep the peace between them, but it never seemed to matter to Oliver.

  Staring out the window, Penelope did her best to process the information. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to this, but even now, she was getting more comfortable with Obsidian.

  She figured that was a good start.

  OBSIDIAN HAD TO ADMIT, PENELOPE WAS A rather decent travel companion. He thought for sure she’d give him shit about his speed, but if she had a problem with it, she’d held her tongue. However, the oh shit handle had undergone some serious grip action for the past three hundred or so miles.

  When he pulled the car into the motel parking lot, he thought for a minute Penelope was going to hug the asphalt and send up a silent thank you for getting her here safely. She didn’t, but Obsidian heard her sigh of relief nonetheless.

  “Why don’t you go in and grab the keys—ours and Reidar’s. I
’ll shoot him a message to let him know we’re here.”

  Penelope nodded, then sauntered into the small rental office.

  While she chatted up the night clerk, Obsidian sent Reidar a text, letting him know they had arrived. Though they still had a couple of hours of night left, he wasn’t willing to risk the chance of getting pinned down by daylight. Even the thought of leaving Penelope unprotected made his stomach churn.

  Penelope returned a few minutes later, holding up two keys, each dangling from a plastic tag. “Bottom floor, the two units at the far end.”

  “Perfect.”

  He drove through the empty lot, backed into the space directly in front of the last door before climbing out.

  “You unlock it, I’ll get the bags.”

  “Holy moly,” Penelope called out when she stepped inside. “The seventies called. They want their decor back. This place is… Wow. Just wow.”

  Obsidian grinned as he followed her through the cracked and peeling doorjamb. He couldn’t deny the decor was atrocious, with the mustard-yellow flowers and paisley print on the walls. The brown carpet had seen better days, and the mirrored closet doors were pretty much useless, but the bed was solid and there was a bathroom. So long as they had running water, he figured, as far as places to sleep went, it would work.

  “The guy said there’s an all-night diner about a mile up. They’ve got sandwiches and stuff.”

  He passed Penelope his phone. “Text Reidar with what you want. Have him get enough to make it through the day. I won’t be able to leave until close to eight tonight.” Though his statement implied he was the only one who’d be pinned in the room, he had no intentions of allowing Penelope to wander the streets without him.

  While Penelope typed up the information, transcribing his requests as well, Obsidian pulled out the blackout film from his bag. The curtains were thick and would likely do the trick, but he wasn’t about to take any chances. Once that was taken care of, he retrieved the additional locks for the door, which he would add after Reidar delivered the food.

  “Do you use that on all windows?”

  “Only when we’re not at home. The mansion has built-in shutters that close and lock during the day.”

  Penelope flopped onto the bed, stared at him. “This feels weird.”