“If Raffi wants to fight. Let him,” Ian said. “And if you insist on referring to me by my rank, then you should know I’m an archangel now.”
Her jaw dropped. “Archangel? Arch—fine! Archangel…Raffi’s only a child. He doesn’t get to make decisions. I command you to take him back.”
“I don’t take my orders from you.”
“I’m a Throne!”
“Not my Throne.”
“Why you…”
In a flash, Tristan and Zac dove off the balcony.
“Let me at him!” Her legs kicked the air as Tristan carried her away from the smug angel.
“Enough!” Remi’s voice boomed. “Calder, take the lead and get these people on the ship. Zac, handle the Powers. Ian, stay right there.”
The Guardians walked through the area, handing out keycards and gently prodding everyone to move toward the escalators. Reluctantly, the crowd moved on, watching the scene with curiosity.
Remi casually stepped down from the catwalk that had served as his stage. I balked at the command he exuded as he floated down without the use of his wings. Most of the crowd panicked and made a mad dash for the ship.
Zac went to Ian and shook his head with disapproval. Ian pounded his chest and bowed his head, displaying his respect. Zac motioned the Powers to join him. They walked back toward the catwalk, crouched, and then bounded high into the air. They landed on the upper balcony with ease and exited through the open windows onto the upper walkway leading to the ship.
“Are you all okay?” Jo asked.
“We’re fine,” I said. “Hali?”
“Yes, just need to catch my breath.” Hali’s hands shook as she reached for the girls.
“Nacho’s getting the keys for all of us. He told us to stay put a minute. Hunter went with him. That sure was a brave thing he did,” Jo said.
“Yeah, brave.” I nodded, watching Tristan. He threw me a glance as he whispered into Val’s ear, calming her. I wanted desperately to ask him what was going on.
Remi made his way to Ian, his dark eyes gazing down at the boy. “Raffi, do your parents know you’re here?”
Raffi dropped his head. “I left them a note.”
“Is that so?” Remi lifted his gaze to Ian. “I sent you back to give word to Michael on our progress, not to recruit others.”
“I didn’t! Raffi—”
“It’s not Ian’s fault,” Raffi jumped in. “I asked him to bring me. I wouldn’t let him leave unless he took me with him. I want to stand with my brothers and sister.”
Val’s eyes teared up. “Oh, Raffi. You can’t. It’s too dangerous.”
“Your sister’s correct,” Remi said. “You put yourself and us in great danger by being here. But…” Remi paused, looking apologetically at Val and then back at Raffi, “you place us in greater danger if we try to send you back.”
“No, Remi! He can’t stay!” Val cried.
“I can’t risk giving away our location by flying him back,” Remi said.
Raffi’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”
Remi frowned.
“Sorry.” Raffi bowed his head, hiding a small smile.
“You will do as your sister commands,” Remi said sternly.
“No way! I mean…I thought Ian would—”
“Son of Raphael! Heed an Ancient’s command,” Remi’s voice boomed.
“I…sorry. I heed your command.”
“And you will not interfere with the Thrones’ work, including your sister’s.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hunter appeared, blocking my view of Remi and the young angel. “Here’s your keycard. You know, they’re separating us.”
Tristan’s head suddenly jerked up. Panicked eyes met mine. Emotions I couldn’t quite pinpoint washed over his face. Surprise, fear, and…longing?
I fingered the card, wishing I had the courage to pull him away from Val, but she was still distraught over her brother being here. I couldn’t take away her friend when she needed him the most.
“Really?”
“Yeppers. I heard one of the Guardians explaining to Dorian that the angels are being housed on separate decks from the rest of us.”
I swallowed thickly as I gave Tristan one last long look before breaking away. That’s when I noticed the writing on the keycard: REMI Cruise Lines.
“Come on, Karenna. Let’s go!” Lucy yelled, waiving for us to follow her.
“Someone’s excited. Shall we?” Hunter chuckled, holding out the crook of his arm.
My heart pounded against my chest. This was it. I should be joyfully running up the escalator stairs with Lucy to get on the ship, but I couldn’t get rid of the sinking feeling I would never be with Tristan again.
Then, as if hearing my thoughts, Tristan’s mournful blue eyes gazed into mine one last time. He leaped into the air with the other angels and up to the catwalk. Taking Val’s hand, they disappeared into the crowd of angels.
6
Karenna
The pool shimmered in the sun. I sank into the water and spread my arms, holding onto the edge. Tilting my head back, I basked in the warmth of sunlight. It’d been days since we’d seen the sun, and I planned to enjoy every minute of it.
“Not too bad, huh?”
Tristan’s lyrical voice called to me, and I opened my eyes. His lithe body glided through the pristine water until he was suddenly by my side and pulling me close to his perfection. Bright blue eyes met mine, and wet hair slicked off his handsome face. Water droplets shone like diamonds over sensuous lips, lips a breath away from mine.
“What are you doing?” I scanned the pool area, worried he’d get into trouble. There was no one around, though. Just us. Alone at last.
“Saving you.”
“I’m not drowning.” I laughed.
Out of nowhere, a flash of light hit my eyes, creating black and red dots that swam across my vision. I rubbed my eyes as Tristan’s sweet smile blurred and wondered if the pool’s chlorine was messing with my vision.
“That’s not what I’m saving you from, darlin’.”
I stiffened at the sound of the Texas twang. Was this Tristan’s idea of a joke?
The light dimmed and a chill filled the air. A smattering of golden stubble appeared across Tristan’s chin. I blinked furiously, straining my eyes, willing them to focus on the blurry face holding me. Tristan never had blond stubble, and he didn’t have a dimple on his chin.
“Hunter?” I slapped my hands against his chest, pushing him away. “What the hell? Where…how…?”
“Hey, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Hunter said. “You were the one who invited me, remember?”
“I did?” My vision finally cleared to Hunter’s Cheshire catlike grin. I would remember asking him to come swimming with me, wouldn’t I?
Hunter hummed “Cascading Stars” as he pulled me back to him. His eyes locked with mine as he took my hand and placed it on his bare chest. A strange euphoria washed over me, and I found myself helpless to decline his obvious advances. I gazed at him, mesmerized as his sculpted chest vibrated beneath my fingers. We swayed to the song as his lips slowly inched closer to mine.
“I don’t think we should be doing this,” I said when his lips were a breath away.
“Isn’t this why you invited me here? You knew this pool was closed.”
“I…I don’t remember.” I racked my brain, wondering how we ended up out here alone. I couldn’t even remember boarding the ship. What was happening to me? Was I losing my mind?
“I’ll remind you,” he whispered huskily. He circled behind me, his warm body rubbing against mine. I sucked in a breath as strong hands slid slowly up my arms, creating a delicious sensation in the pit of my stomach. His hands rested on my shoulders for a moment before he gently began to massage them.
“You were hurting, and I offered you the use of my magical fingers. Remember now?” He murmured.
I moaned at the exquisite motions of his fingertips. I wanted it to continue, but not this way. My mind scream
ed for Tristan. I longed for Tristan, not Hunter.
I wanted to tell Hunter to stop, but I couldn’t. Ecstasy washed over me, trapping the words, forbidding them to be uttered. A voice whispered through my mind. Give in. He’s yours.
Hunter pressed his lips against my shoulder, the heat searing through my skin and sending my heart into a wild frenzy. Fingers glided to the string of my bikini. He twined his hand into the tie holding the double knot and slowly pulled it down.
Fighting against the fervor building in my stomach, I turned to tell him no. My vision swam, making everything swirl.
He whirled me around, and my chest was suddenly against his. His face went in and out of my vision as his lips pressed hungrily against mine.
I gave in to his kiss, helpless to escape. Yet my mind cried for Tristan.
I want Tristan; I need Tristan.
Finally, Hunter pulled away; and when I opened my eyes, Dorian’s gray ones pierced into mine as he gave me a wicked smile.
I screamed. There was a flash of white light, and I jolted up in bed.
I clutched my chest, heart racing as I gasped for breath. It was a dream. The pool, the bright sun, all of it. Of course, it’d been a dream. It’d been days since I’d seen sunlight.
My heartbeat finally slowed as I scanned the room. Lucy’s and my backpacks sat in the corner of the cabin. Bottled waters and protein bars littered the small table.
I felt a subtle swaying, and I clenched my eyes shut as nausea swept over me. Dorian’s cold eyes and sly smile flashed across my mind and another wave of nausea hit me. I bolted out of the bed, looking for the bathroom.
Luckily, it was the first door I opened, and I dove for the toilet just in time. When I was done, it took me a moment to catch my breath and remember where I was. We were on the ship and at sea.
Groaning, I took the bottle of water sitting on the edge of the sink, swishing it around my mouth before spitting it out. “Lucy!”
I walked back into the bedroom, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. A big lump laid on the bed next to mine. I gave it a whack. “Lucy, wake up.”
She didn’t move.
“Lucy?” I whipped off the sheets and balked at the pillows underneath.
Great. Just great. We’d been on the ship less than twenty-four hours, and Lucy was already playing games.
“Lucy, don’t you dare play with me today. Come out. Now!”
I checked under the bed and closet, expecting her to jump out at any moment, laughing at my expense.
She wasn’t in the room.
I ran out into the hall, panicking. “Lucy!”
The long hall was eerily quiet. Where was everyone? Did the warrior angels find us? Were we attacked?
The cabin door next to mine swung open, and Hunter stepped out. He yawned, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
I sucked in a breath, remembering how he kissed me in my dream. I pushed the thought away and headed for Aunt Marmie’s cabin. “It’s Lucy. I can’t find her,” I said, banging on Aunt Marmie’s door. “Aunt Marmie!”
The cabin door across from mine swung open, and Dorian stood at the door, glaring. “Can we please keep it down. The boys are still—”
“We’re hungry!” Javi and Neto cried out.
“Never mind. They’re up now,” he sighed.
Nausea swept over me again, and I clutched the wall. I wondered if Aunt Marmie had any motion sickness pills. Though I highly doubted they would do anything to erase the nightmare I’d had about kissing Dorian. I’d foolishly thought I’d seen the last of him and that he’d stay with Carmichael’s clique. Less than one minute after Nacho and I settled Jo and her brothers in their cabin, Dorian showed up and made himself at home in the cabin next to hers.
“You’re looking a little green there, Karenna,” Hunter said.
“Just need to adjust my sea legs. It’ll pass. I need to find Lucy.” My cheeks grew heated at the slight flutter in my stomach. My dream had not been a total nightmare.
“I’ll help you.” In a blink, Jo sidestepped Dorian and stumbled into the hall. Her hair was a black mass, and sheet marks covered her left cheek.
“The boys could use some breakfast first, love,” Dorian said in that irritatingly silky voice.
“Have you seen Aunt Marmie?” I asked, ignoring him.
Yawning, Jo pulled her hair up into a ponytail. “She said she was getting up early to help with breakfast. Maybe Lucy is with her.”
“Are you sure she told you that?” Aunt Marmie was not a morning person. I banged on the door again. “Aunt Marmie!”
Another cabin door flung open. Hali bounded into the hall holding a blow dryer in a warrior pose. She frantically scanned the hall. “Where are they?”
Hunter chuckled. “Planning an assault by hot air? Who were you expecting?”
She scowled, tossing the dryer back into her room. “I heard yelling.”
“I’m sorry, it was me,” I said. “I can’t find Lucy. Have you seen her?”
“Yeah, Zac and Calder came over a while ago and took the girls and Lucy to breakfast. Oh, and Jo, your cousin, Nacho, said he’ll be in the galley. He’s helping Calder and some of the other Guardians working there.”
Jo’s face lit up. “Calder was here?”
“Great, that’s just great,” Dorian said, rolling his eyes.
“It is great. Nacho and Calder have helped a lot of us, and they are still helping,” I snapped. “I’m sorry, Hali. You were saying?”
“Zac said he would take the girls skateboarding afterward. Lucy was supposed to have left you a note.”
“I rushed out of the room. She probably did, and I didn’t notice.”
“I don’t know about y’all, but I’m so hungry I could eat the north end of a southbound cow,” Hunter said. “Y’all care to join?”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Dorian said. “Boys! Let’s go get something to eat.”
Javi ran out, declaring everything he planned to have for breakfast with Neto following his lead. “I want pancakes!”
“Me too!”
“I want chocolate milk.”
“Me too!”
“Karenna, come with us?” Jo said, looking worried.
“Uh, go ahead. I’ll catch up,” I said. The thought of Dorian and food made me queasy.
“I’ll save you a seat,” Hunter said, as he went down the hall.
“Come along, Josette,” Dorian said as the boys ran down the hall with Hunter.
Jo’s dark eyes shimmered with confusion. I sensed her struggle with whether or not to stay with me. After a long pause, she turned and joined Dorian.
“She’s different,” Hali said, as she followed me back into the room.
“She’s been through a lot. Her parents didn’t make it.” But it was more than the trauma and grief of losing her parents. There was something else about Dorian’s hold over Jo I couldn’t figure out.
“I’m sorry to hear that. It’s hard losing the people you love.”
I picked through the wrappers on the table, searching for the note. “There’s something else going on. I don’t recognize her anymore. It’s like she’s stuck inside herself and can’t find a way to get out.”
Hali sifted through Lucy’s clothes, folding them neatly after she checked them. “Hmm. Dorian doesn’t seem to be the type of guy she’d date. I didn’t know you two knew him.”
“You know him?”
“Yes, his family are friends with the Carmichaels.”
“The group you came with? You actually know them?”
She chuckled. “I do. The Carmichael family owns Horizons, the senior living centers. It’s a national chain. Dorian and his family came to a company picnic once. A strange boy that one.”
“You can say that again.”
“I think this is it.” Hali peeled off a piece of paper from the bottom of my backpack. Strands of pink gum caught between her fingers as she handed the note to me.
Karenna,
Don’t freak. I’m with Calder and Zac. I promise not to skate on the railing. I won’t cause trouble.
Your sis,
Lucy
PS You still snore.
PSS Louder than Jo.
PSSS Get me some ear plugs.
I sank on the edge of the bed, laughing. “Sometimes I don’t know whether to hug Lucy or strangle her.”
“I know what you mean. My girls can be a handful.”
“I’m surprised they went with the angels.” I remembered how they had shrunk away from Calder when they’d first met him.
“Oh, once they warm up to you, they are stuck to you like glue. And now that they’ve met Zac, I’m afraid we’ll need a crowbar to pry them away. They have a crush on him.”
“Yeah, I think Lucy has a crush on him too. By the way, thanks for this.” I pulled out the dagger from my backpack and handed it to her.
An uncomfortable silence filled the room as her eyes drifted down. She ran her fingers along the gold hilt before she spoke. “You know what this is, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You’re wondering if I’m the enemy.”
“Of course not. I consider you a friend.” I placed my hand over hers.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did, especially with everything that happened.”
“I know there’s an explanation for why you have it. Misunderstandings happen. My father…” I swallowed thickly at the thought that he’d helped Belial. “My father made swords similar to your dagger.”
Her eyes flicked up, widening with surprise. “He’s…you’re Eljo, too?”
“No. My aunt told me our family is Gibbor. My father didn’t have a choice when…wait. Did you say ‘too’…as in, you’re Eljo?”
Hali bit down on her lip for a moment before blurting out, “Yes. I mean, I was born Eljo, but I’m not that anymore. I haven’t been for a long time. Please don’t tell anyone. The others think we’re human. There’s no way the Gibbor would believe we’re one of them. If anyone found out…my girls…”
“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Hali was nothing like I’d imagined an Eljo to be like. I’d pictured someone cold and heartless. I felt nothing but sincerity and caring coming from her. “Tristan and his friends are the only ones who know you gave me the dagger. Calder suspects you might be Eljo, but I don’t think they believed it. They wouldn’t have let you on the ship if they did. You’re safe.”
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