Grace and Glory

by Armentrout, Jennifer L.

  “Probably,” I admitted.

  “Good.”

  Then I felt the stir of air as he folded his wings around me, and the feel of the soft strength against my back and the hard heat of his chest pressed to mine had to be an aphrodisiac all by itself. We kissed again, and the only sounds in the room were that of us coming together, moving together. It was no less intense than before. Every breath and thought left me, and there was only him, how he felt and the maddening, tightening rush.

  When our bodies finally settled and our breathing calmed, we were on our sides again. This time, there was no space between us. Exhaustion dogged me now, and I imagined it did so for Zayne. Just before sleep claimed me, I felt the soft weight of one of his wings settling over me, easing me into a blissful, dreamless slumber.

  * * *

  A distant thumping sound that steadily seemed to grow louder and closer wasn’t what woke me. It was the loss of all the wonderful heat of Zayne’s body.

  I stirred, blinking open my eyes to see Zayne making for the door. He’d already put a pair of sweats on and was in the process of pulling on a shirt. The wings were concealed and the markings along his back were nothing but a blur to me.

  “What is that?” I asked as the pounding continued.

  Zayne glanced over his shoulder. “Someone’s at the door.”

  “Sounds like we’re about to be raided by a drug task force or something,” I muttered, pushing the hair out of my face.

  He chuckled. “How would you know what that sounds like?”

  “TV.”

  I thought he might’ve shook his head at me. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be right back. We’re not doing anything today other than sleep.”

  “Witches,” I reminded him as I rolled onto my back. “We have to go see the Crone and give her one of your feathers.”

  “Later,” he replied, and before I could respond, he was slipping out of the bedroom. The banging got louder, and then quieted when he closed the door behind him.

  I wondered how were we supposed to get a feather? Pluck it from his...wings? That sounded painful.

  My gaze slid to the floor-to-ceiling window. I could tell by the bright sunlight seeping under the blinds that it at least had to be late morning or afternoon.

  While sleeping the day away sounded marvelous, I needed to get up. There was a lot of stuff to do, starting with the Crone and ending with Gabriel.

  Yawning, I stretched and my cheeks flushed in response to the dull twinge in certain areas. Last night had been beautiful and perfect and—

  A scream from the living room jarred me out of the pleasant, sleepy haze. I jerked upright and twisted at the waist, blurry eyes searching for my daggers as my grace pulsed in my chest.

  “Oh my God!” came a high-pitched, feminine shriek.

  Recognizing the sound of Danika’s voice, my heart slowed. Crap. We’d forgotten to call and give them more details. Guilt surfaced. They were very much Zayne’s family and time should’ve been made. We’d just been so caught up in one another and in the joy of being reunited, we hadn’t thought about anyone else.

  Well, that wasn’t exactly true. We’d discussed Gabriel and Lucifer briefly.

  Shifting toward the side of the bed, I happened to glance down. The sheet had slipped, baring my chest. I froze on the edge of the bed, feet settling against the cool hardwood.

  “What in the world?” I whispered.

  The mark I’d seen on my chest when I’d showered had darkened to a dusty pink. I gently touched the straight line between my breasts, just above my stomach. It was slightly raised, like a welt. At the ends of the line, where it had looked like blemishes the night before, there was now a clear, shaded circle at one end and another at the other end that wasn’t filled in.

  I had no idea what could’ve caused that, but the skin didn’t hurt. It had to be some kind of scratch.

  There was a burst of laughter from the living room, drawing my attention. Pushing aside the strange mark, I scrambled from the bed before someone opened the door. Though I doubted Zayne would allow that. Snatching another long, dark tunic tank top, clean leggings and underclothing, I hurried into the bathroom. I didn’t bother with a shower, just brushed my teeth, scrubbed my face until it was pink and, after a quick comb, tucked my hair into a bun that was sure to unravel within the hour.

  Feet bare, I opened the bedroom door and padded out in the hallway. Bright sunlight poured into the living area, and although my eyes needed a minute to adjust, I saw that Danika was there, her long dark hair glossy in the sunlight, and...who I was guessing was Dez, based on the reddish glint of hair, standing beside Zayne. I wished I could see his expression, because he had a fist planted on the island, as if he needed to brace himself.

  Nicolai was also there, one hand on Zayne’s shoulder and the other on his jaw. He was speaking too low for me to hear, but the sight of them standing there caught me in the heart. They were more than friends. In a way, they were brothers, and I could tell Nicolai seeing him after fearing he was forever lost was a powerful moment, thickening the air.

  Feeling a little like I was intruding, I crept silently out into the living room. I made it about two steps. Almost as if Zayne could sense me, he turned from Nicolai. It struck me again how much more clearly I could see him compared to others. Granted, his features were like looking through a steamed window, but I could see his lips curling into a smile. I could see the way his lashes lowered halfway and feel the weight of his gaze.

  It had to be the grace in him. That was—

  A blur of movement startled me, and I turned just as Danika rushed me. There was no chance to prepare myself. A second later, I was enveloped in a warm, tight hug that smelled like roses. Danika lifted me clear off my feet.

  Girl was strong.

  “You did it,” she said, voice choked. “You brought him back to us. You did it.”

  I didn’t know what to say. You’re welcome seemed a weird way to respond, so all I could do was hug her back, and that...that felt good.

  “I think you might be squishing her,” Nicolai said, voice close.

  “Am I squishing you?” Danika asked.

  “No.” A laugh made its way around the surprising knot in my throat.

  “Good.” She squeezed me tighter and then let go.

  I caught a brief glimpse of her wiping at her cheeks before a slight touch on my arm caused me to look up at Nicolai.

  Only a few inches from me, I could see the glassiness to his Warden-blue eyes and the emotion building in them.

  “Thank you,” he said, voice hoarse.

  Oh God, the knot in my throat expanded as I nodded. He hugged me, too, not nearly as tight as Danika, and when he stepped back, Dez was there. As he folded his arms around me, I felt him tremor.

  “I was afraid, girl.” His voice was thick, too, and my eyes and throat burned. Ugh. Emotions sucked. I did not want to cry again. “When we didn’t hear from you, I thought...”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “We just—”

  “No. You don’t need to apologize. I get it. If this was Jasmine and me, calling anyone would be the last thing we’d be doing,” he said with a hoarse laugh, and I flushed. “I don’t know what we expected when we came here, but I couldn’t be more glad to see both of you.”

  “Same,” I murmured, cringing the moment that left my mouth, because that made no sense.

  “I think Trin’s all hugged out.” Zayne was there suddenly, easing me out from Dez’s embrace. He pulled me to his side, curling his arm around me. “We should’ve called. Sorry about that,” he said, and I detected a small hint of insincerity that was so not like Zayne and yet still made me turn and hide my grin. “We were a little busy.”

  “No doubt,” remarked Nicolai.

  Oh, dear.

  Now my face was on fire as Zayne glanced down at me. “You
want something to drink?” he asked. “I think I actually spied some OJ and water amid the cartons and cartons of soda.”

  I pulled back. “You’re still hung up on the water thing?”

  He dragged his teeth over his lower lip as he stared down at me. “You can always drink more water.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re a fallen angel now. Drink some carbonated, tasty goodness. Live a little.”

  Zayne dipped his head, brushing his lips over mine. He then took my hand, squeezing it as he guided me toward the kitchen. “Grab a seat.”

  I was still stuck on the kiss, so I grabbed a bar stool and sat. The old Zayne could be touchy and sometimes flirtatious in front of others. He’d even gotten caught up in the building tension between us before, seeming to forget when we weren’t alone, but to be that bold? That was a new side of him.

  I liked that side.

  He met my gaze, and there was no mistaking the heat in his eyes. I had to wonder if he knew what I was thinking as he dragged his damn lip between his teeth and then turned to the fridge. “You guys need anything?”

  There were a chorus of noes as I toyed with a coaster, knowing my face was a thousand shades of red at that moment.

  And I couldn’t seriously care less.

  “Fallen angel.” Danika and the others joined us at the island. “I still can’t believe you’re here. I saw your...” She trailed off, and I knew where her mind had gone. She and others had witnessed his body turning to nothing more than dust, just like all Wardens did upon death. Her inhale was ragged. “I was so mad at you even though I knew it wasn’t your fault.”

  “It is...different seeing you standing there.” Dez folded his arms against the island and leaned in. “So, if I’m staring at you a little too long, that’s why.”

  “You sure it’s not my amazing hair?” Zayne asked, closing the fridge door. Of course he’d gone for the OJ and not the soda. “I know you’ve always been jealous of my luscious locks.”

  “Yeah.” Dez drew the word out. “That’s exactly it.”

  Chuckling, Zayne managed to find two clean glasses and poured us a drink. “You all think it’s weird seeing me? Imagine what it feels like to die, but then to wake up.”

  Even though the whole topic of Zayne dying wigged me out, it appeared to utterly fascinate the Wardens. Zayne answered all their questions, but it was in the vaguest means possible. What he had shared with me and even with Cayman he wasn’t willing to go into a lot of detail about now. As I drank my OJ, I had a feeling he didn’t want to relive everything for a third time and it had little to do with trust. These Wardens that were standing in the kitchen were like family to him. So was Gideon, even though he wasn’t here.

  “Based on what Dez said about you, I got to admit, now that I see you,” Nicolai said, “I’m kind of disappointed.”

  “Wow.” Danika turned to look at Nicolai.

  “Sorry,” he replied, and I squinted, thinking he smiled. “But where are these wings Dez kept talking about every five seconds.”

  I grinned around my glass.

  “It wasn’t every five seconds,” Dez muttered. “More like every twenty seconds or so.”

  “I still have them.” Zayne turned, scanning the counter behind him. He picked something up.

  “Are they...invisible?” Danika asked.

  “Only when they need to be.” Zayne leaned across the island, and I looked down, seeing my glasses. I had no idea that I’d left them in the kitchen.

  I smiled, taking them. “Thank you.”

  He nodded as I slipped them on. The Wardens’ faces became a little more clear, but not by much. Glasses only went so far with cataracts and RP.

  “So is it magic?” Danika asked.

  “Kind of. Apparently it’s some kind of old-school angelic magic that was used back when angels worked alongside man. They remain hidden until I need them.”

  “They look like a tattoo on his back,” I said, finishing off my OJ. “It’s really cool, and yes, the wings are as amazing as Dez has surely told you.”

  “Not quite sure I used the word amazing,” Dez muttered.

  “Maybe not those exact words.” Nicolai leaned a hip against the counter. “Pretty sure you said something like you were so distracted by his huge-ass wings that you didn’t even realize he’d thrown you into the fountain until you sank under the water.”

  Dez’s exhale could’ve been heard next door.

  “Sorry about that,” Zayne said as he walked around the island, coming to stand behind me. “I wasn’t in the right frame of mind.”

  “Never would’ve guessed that,” Dez stated dryly. “But there’s no need to apologize. I needed the bath, anyway.”

  I laughed as Zayne placed his hands on my shoulders. “To be honest, he held back.”

  “Oh, I know. He could’ve done some real damage,” Dez agreed.

  “The fact that Dez walked away from that little meet-and-greet is proof that you were still in there,” Nicolai said.

  “I was.” Barely hung unspoken in the space between all of us. Zayne dipped his head, kissing my temple, just above the arm of my glasses.

  “I had doubts,” Dez admitted, surprising me. “I hated that I did, but I was trying to prepare myself in case...in case you didn’t come back to us.”

  “I don’t hold that against you,” Zayne said, and I knew he didn’t.

  “Good.” Dez appeared to have smiled. “Next time try to give me a warning before throwing me into a fountain.”

  Zayne laughed. “That I can do.”

  They went back and forth, ribbing each other until Nicolai cut in. “We’re also here on some official Harbinger business.”

  That perked my little ears. “Did something happen?” I really hoped not, but I wouldn’t have known since I’d been superfocused on Zayne, which probably made me a very bad Trueborn.

  Oh, well.

  “Not that we know of, but we did discover something,” Nicolai told me.

  “It was actually my idea,” Danika chimed in with a grin. “So, I got to thinking about this whole ley-line thing, and how Gabriel is using them to open this portal. They’re basically energy lines, right, and energy can be disrupted. Anything can.”

  “I like where you’re going with this,” Zayne said, gently squeezing my shoulders. “Sounds like someone else should’ve been in the running to lead the clan.”

  A half smile formed on Nicolai’s face. “I would’ve voted ‘Hell, yeah’ to that.”

  Danika snorted. “As if that would even be an option. Half of the clan—no, half of the damn population of Wardens—would crap themselves at the mere idea of a female running a clan.”

  That was sad.

  And true.

  Part of their mentality toward the females could land at the feet of their archaic social structure. The other half was because too many demons weren’t stupid.

  Unfortunately.

  Demons knew that the one surefire way to cut the Wardens off at the knees was to go after the next generation. Females and young Wardens were targeted. The locations of the communities they lived in were well-protected secrets. That was why the fact Danika was often out and about was surprising.

  But also, again, they were superarchaic in their beliefs. Yes, it was more dangerous for the females and the wee baby Wardens, but if they were trained to fight and defend themselves, like Danika and Jada were, they wouldn’t be such easy targets.

  One day and one day soon, they were going to have to change.

  “I don’t know why we’re all standing here pretending like Danika doesn’t already run the show,” Dez commented from where he stood.

  That got another big smile from Danika and a rather muted nod of agreement from Nicolai. I liked them together. A lot.

  “Anyway, I started doing some research on ley lines and what could
possibly disrupt them since we can’t very well go in and just blow the school and portal up,” Danika continued, and she was right. So charged with celestial energy, it would take out half, if not all, of the city if we attempted something like that, which would result in a whole lot of loss of human life.

  And possible exposure.

  “I couldn’t find anything on the internet other than some really weird stuff that made no sense,” Danika was saying, drawing my attention back to her. “So I went to our very own personal internet service.”

  “Gideon?” Zayne surmised.

  She nodded. “I asked if he knew anything, and at first, he wasn’t sure of anything, but he went and locked himself in the library for a couple of hours, emerging with an answer.”

  While I wondered if he had found an answer to my oh-so-personal question about reproduction, hope sparked in my chest. I tried not to let it ignite. “Did he find anything?”

  “He did.” Danika’s gaze bounced between Zayne and I. “Black tourmaline, hematite and black onyx.”

  “Huh?” I murmured.

  “Gemstones.” Zayne’s hands slid off my shoulders. “You’re talking about gemstones?”

  “Yeah. I know, sounds like some hocus-pocus crap,” Dez said, looking at me. “But we know hocus-pocus crap is some legit stuff, don’t we?”

  Yeah.

  Yeah, we did.

  Nicolai nudged Danika. “Tell them the rest.”

  “Those gemstones can block energy—all kinds—and Gideon theorizes that enough of it could very well disrupt the energy of the ley lines,” she explained. “Not only allowing us to possibly destroy it without blowing up the nation’s capital, but if not, definitely rendering the portal useless to the Harbinger.”

  23

  “That’s huge,” I whispered, placing my hands on the cool granite. “Like really freaking huge.”

  Danika’s smile was big enough for me to see as she lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “I don’t know if it’s huge or not since it doesn’t completely eradicate the whole Gabriel issue, but it could at least prevent him from carrying through with his plans.”