Rhett took the steps in one long running stride, throwing his shield and sword to the side. Grabbing hers, he tossed it down near the couch and brought her with him into the seats. Wet and shaking, he tried to soothe her while the others scrambled in much the same way.
Roman started taxiing even before Khyamaeus yanked the stairs up once Dragar was in. The closing cut some of the noise off. They picked up speed so fast it knocked Khyamaeus off balance. Catching himself against the bathroom door, he swayed to a seat and dropped down.
Out the windows, Rhett watched more than half the cliff crumble into the river, dust and mud sliding or billowing into the air.
The temple, and Minna, were gone.
†
“Let me see it,” Dracht said, again. He knelt in front of her seat, one hand reaching for a large splinter that lodged itself between her cheek and her lower eyelid.
“No.” Alex said, batting his hand away. She could feel the sharp point gouging too close to her eye every time she looked to the side or down.
Five inches long, it was thicker at one end than the other, sitting at a slant. It was awkward and she didn't want anyone to touch it just yet.
“We can't leave it in, Alex. It has to come out.”
“Not right now. Let my body start to heal a little and maybe it'll push it free,” she argued. It wasn't the pain so much as the worry the shard might shift and scrape her eye on the way out. That was the kind of discomfort she would avoid if she could.
“Why won't you let Khyamaeus take a look? He fixed the rest of us earlier.” Dracht searched her eyes. “It's gotta come out either way.”
“In a little while.” Resisting stubbornly, she guided his hand away again when he reached.
Alex could hear Evelyn over there with Rhett, telling him what happened to Minna between gasps and tears. She steeled herself, focusing on Dracht's face. He wore a layer of grime on his skin, scrapes and bruises on his cheek. She had the unusual urge to reach out and cup his whiskers where they'd filled in along his jaw from the goatee. Instead, she let go of his wrist, laced her fingers, and rested her hands in her lap.
“You're not afraid, are you? I wouldn't have thought so before now,” he said.
“I don't want it to hit my eye.”
“I won't let it,” he promised.
“Let's just wait.”
“We have two more Seals to get, Alex. You need it out so you can get some rest.”
“Why are you being so pushy?”
“Why are you avoiding talking about Minna?”
The question hit her right in the gut. She felt her chin quiver and looked away from his dark eyes. Damn him. She'd avoided the subject of Minna and meant to keep doing so.
“Alex, it's all right. We're all upset. It's not just you and Evelyn.”
It wasn't okay, not by a longshot. None of it was. Alex rarely ever leaned on anyone in an emotional crisis. She was always the lone wolf when it came to pain, pushing it down and away until she was in private. And here Dracht was, needling her to let some of it out.
She wouldn't, though, because she never did. Leaning on people wasn't her style. Blinking away a sting at the back of her eyes, she regarded the depressing, gray gloom out the small oval window next to her seat.
Dracht crouched there, unmoving.
Suddenly she got up, stepping past him for the bathroom. Dragar sat alone in a seat separate from everyone else, blank faced, dark eyes staring hard out the window. Christian didn't look up when she passed, studying the hilt of his sword instead.
Khyamaeus eyed her knowingly. Too knowingly.
Stepping into the narrow but well appointed bathroom, she closed the door behind her. Flicking the overhead light on, she braced her hands against the edge of the sink and leaned there, ignoring the spearing, sharp pain in her face. If she could just get past this initial point, compartmentalize the grief, she'd be able to get through the rest of the mission and do what needed done.
Minna had been the quiet one of them all, the quietest of the daughters of Eve. Serious, sober, attentive, she'd been like a second mother after they left Eden. The compassion she showed everyone else never lacked for warmth or sincerity, even strangers on the street.
Especially children, whom she spent time with whether they were her own or someone else's. Charities, orphanages, family centers. Minna had put in endless, tireless hours to help those in need.
The door opened behind her. Alex straightened up, dropping her hands from the sink to turn around and see which of them had the audacity to barge in without knocking.
Of course it was Dracht. Dracht, with his fathomless dark eyes and persistence to rival her own.
He closed the door.
His size, along with the armor, left little room to maneuver.
“Don't you knock?” she blurted, trying to sound mad.
Dracht said nothing. He touched her shoulder, pulled her to him, and cupped the back of her head with his palm. The cheek without the splinter rested against the warm skin of his throat, and all it took was the blip-blip of his pulse to break down her walls.
Minna was gone. Galiana was gone. Genevieve was gone. So many others. Too many others. These were fresh wounds though and Alex poured her grief into his capable hands, refusing to think how weak it might make her look.
He soothed her with a stroke of his strong hand over her back, holding her head with the other. Soft shhhh noises filled the bathroom.
“It'll be okay,” he murmured.
Alex had cried alone in the shower for Galiana and in the dark in bed for Genevieve. She couldn't remember the last time she'd shared it with someone else, allowed another to bear the burden of her emotions. With him she found it effortless. Dracht didn't require anything of her except to just let go.
For five minutes she sobbed quietly, letting the torrent run its course. She wouldn't become a useless blob of misery because it served no ones purpose. Especially her own.
When her hitching became less, when she had more control over her breathing, she realized she'd wrapped her arms around him even with his armor on.
A sudden yank shot pain through her cheek down into her jaw and up into her eye when he pulled the splinter out.
Alex jerked away, shocked, blood oozing out of the wound. “...is that was all this was for? You came in here to soften me up so you could--”
“No,” he said, cutting her off. “I came in here because I wanted to. And when I saw the opportunity to take this, I did.”
Dracht held up the splinter between his fingers. The entire bottom third was covered in her blood. But her eye was still in the socket and she hadn't endured a scratch across the pane. The resolute look on his face broke her anger in half.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome. Will your body begin healing it now?” he asked, setting the splinter aside.
“Yeah. When I sleep, it knits the fastest—and I know what you're going to say next.”
“Do you? I bet you don't,” he countered, crossing his arms over his chest after he released her.
Alex stared up at him, pressing the back of her hand against the hole in her cheek. Trying to help staunch the flow.
“You're gonna tell me to go sit down and get some rest. Maybe eat, get a drink.”
He shook his head.
“No?” Alex arched her brows. He wasn't moving, didn't leave the bathroom. Why was he still there?
Silence descended. Only the hum of the engines resonated in the small space. Alex became aware of that thing between them. That unnamed white elephant neither of them acknowledged.
Uncrossing his arms, he cupped her face. The skin of his palms were rough and calloused but not uncomfortably so. Stroking the pad of a thumb over her uninjured cheek, he seemed to be waiting for confirmation or permission or acceptance.
Maybe he wasn't waiting for any of those and just wanted to prolong the moment, let her guess his intentions. With Dracht, she'd discovered, sometimes you could never tell.
<
br /> Bending his head, he lowered his mouth to hers with his eyes still open. The initial touch was brief and warm; he backed off an inch, maybe to see if she'd punch him in the jaw.
Alex discovered she didn't want to punch him or have him back off. The tilt she put her mouth at invited him in, and this time he seared away any questions or doubts, taking possession thoroughly and wholly.
It became a thing of fire and passion, exploding as hot and electric as the lightning at the temple. A precious life had ended, but there were still lives to be led and futures to be scraped out of the ashes. One kiss didn't promise forever; she didn't need promises, she just needed him. It hit her like a hammerblow, a revelation that had been lurking around her subconscious for who knew how long, waiting to be unleashed.
He chased her tongue with his, demanding, giving, taking. Alex returned stroke for stroke, ignoring the seeping injury, heedless of who else might walk in the door. When he made it deeper, she let him.
A sharp knock outside interrupted a change of angles, a new point of entry. Alex drew her head back and met Dracht's gaze. He made promises anyway, letting her know he wasn't finished with her, that they weren't done. It was only on hold.
Even if it took him until the end of the mission or just the end, period, he let her know he wasn't going away.
“What is it?” he rasped.
“Rhett wants everyone up front,” Christian announced.
“Be right there,” Dracht replied without opening the door.
He dipped his head in to kiss her again. Taking one of the clean cloths out of the holder above the sink, he wet it and pushed it into her hand.
“Apply pressure. Let's go.”
“Not until you kiss me again,” she demanded, refusing to move.
Dracht rumbled a laugh, leaned in, and kissed her again.
It was real and not a figment of her imagination or a dream.
She exited when he opened the door, tonguing the taste of him off her lip.
†
Evelyn spent all her grief until there wasn't another tear to shed, until there wasn't another sob to catch in her throat. Rhett provided the shoulder she needed and she didn't regret letting him bear the burden when it was over. He'd pulled her into his lap at some point and held her there now, arms wrapped loosely, head tilted back against the seat.
Every few minutes, her eyes strayed to the seat Minna had sat in on the flight over. It felt wrong to be leaving without her. Whenever Evelyn lost one of her sisters, it left a gaping hole in her soul. She knew she'd been luckier than most siblings, getting to live as long as they had, sharing all that time together. It didn't make the passing any easier to bear.
Now it was just she and Alex. The thought staggered Evelyn as much as losing Minna. She could hardly believe their numbers had been whittled down this far. Through one means or another, from natural death to murder, the daughters of Eve were fading.
Khyamaeus claimed the seat across from Rhett after a while, sitting forward with his hands clasped between his knees. Evelyn didn't understand the intense look the Fallen shared with Rhett, like some secret message passed between them.
“We need to gather everyone and discuss the next mission,” Khyamaeus said.
“Christian, can you round them up?” Rhett asked his brother.
Christian nodded from one seat back, got up, and went to fetch Dracht and Alex, who had gone to the bathroom some minutes before.
When everyone was gathered close, Khyamaeus continued. “We need to see what Seals you've collected so far.”
Alexandra, standing next to Dracht, took the Seals out from the pouch she'd taken off Minna at the temple. Unfolding the leathery paper around each, she went through and announced what they had.
“Famine, Pestilence and the Final Judgment. They broke the Sixth, so we have four. Three left to go.” Lowering the pages, Alex, along with everyone else, looked at Khyamaeus.
“They'll be breaking another any time. I'm surprised they haven't already. We're going to California next, up in the north where the Redwoods are. There's an old ritual site in the woods that will take us a couple hours to hike to.”
“Can we expect more of the same of what we saw here?” Christian asked.
“Or worse. They have to be aware something is going on since none of the other Seals have been broken,” Khyamaeus said.
“Why did they all vacate the Temple except one?” Evelyn asked.
“Because they wanted us to feel more comfortable congregating there in the courtyard so they could blow us sky high in one shot in case the cobras didn't do their jobs.” Khyamaeus sat back and rested his hands on his thighs. “The others probably left to prepare for war, thinking this would be an easy kill. They don't realize one of their own has turned.”
Evelyn looked down and away. Rhett squeezed her arm in silent comfort.
“What other kind of havoc can they wreak? I wasn't expecting the lightning, even though we were warned,” Rhett admitted.
“They can manipulate weather and the earth fairly well, but with the Sixth seal broke, that's taking care of some of it for them. The Fallen can use wind, water, rock and storms. We're faster, stronger and have more abilities than any human. Some Fallen can do more than others. It depends on age and experience. How well you wield your skill is in relation to how much you practice. Like any marksman or fighter,” Khyamaeus said.
“I suppose if they knew we had the other Seals already, they might make it even harder on us,” Dracht interrupted.
“They might. What's working to our advantage is that they fully believe they are going to get their war with the Guardians. That is their supreme goal. Humans and the state of the earth barely register on their radar right now. I'd say we're lucky so far with what we've faced,” Khyamaeus said.
Rhett grunted. “Let's hope they stay distracted.”
Chapter Fourteen
“We need to land in Hawaii to refuel,” Roman said over the intercom. “Arrival in approximately twenty minutes.”
Evelyn heard the announcement in the bathroom. Like everyone else over the last few hours, she'd taken care of personal business, eaten a little and slept. Her dreams were fraught with nightmares; creatures with glowing eyes, cobras sliding up out of the ground, earthquakes that cracked state sized chunks off the map. The rim of her eyelids burned as if she'd been awake for days instead of just rousing from rest, and she cupped another palm of water to splash on her face. Using her hands, she pulled her disheveled hair back and secured it into a fresh ponytail. It needed a decent washing and blow dry, but it would get her through for now.
Dabbing her hands on a towel, she left the small bathroom and made her way back to her seat. There was a somber atmosphere on this trip that had been lacking before due to Minna's death. Evelyn couldn't see her way clear to talk or laugh or joke with the others, and they seemed of a similar mind. Preoccupied silence filled the cabin rather than conversation. Those who didn't sleep stared out the oval windows or at the back of the seat in front of them. Thoughtful, introspective.
There wasn't much to say other than what they'd already said, though Evelyn expected Khyamaeus to round them up closer to the landing time in California to discuss strategy. He seemed to know what locations the Seals were at and how best to approach. It negated the need for the compass, which she'd passed back to Rhett after the castle.
Though if Khyamaeus fell—and he certainly might—they would need to rely on it again. Back up never hurt.
Sinking down into her seat, she stretched her legs and glanced at Rhett. Head tipped back, his eyes were closed though she knew he wasn't sleeping. He'd been as preoccupied as anyone else, more so, and she wouldn't disturb him while he was resting.
Over the intercom, Roman issued a warning.
“Buckle up. We're going to have a rough landing.”
Evelyn immediately glanced out the small window again, wondering what was happening in Hawaii that would warrant a hard touch down. At first, all she saw was
the black ocean below. As the jet came around, it gave her a better view of the erupting volcano and the lava carving red fingers through the land and into the sea.
Rhett crowded close, peering out after being jolted out of his restful phase by the announcement. Everyone was at a window, staring down at the violent scene spreading out before them.
“I'll be right back. Gonna go see what Roman plans to do.” Rhett left his seat and approached the cockpit.
“All right.” Evelyn didn't look away from the window. It was still dark enough that the glow from the volcano looked especially fierce, red on black, snaking through cities and homes, a path of death from which there was little escape.
Not far enough removed from the recent loss of her sister, it hurt to know that thousands of people were dying down there, unable to get out of the way fast enough. She didn't need to see people fleeing to know there was mass chaos. Evelyn couldn't tell if it was the big island or one of the smaller ones.
She hoped they didn't have to land somewhere amidst all that.
“Roman doesn't have maps for the other islands,” Rhett said when he returned. Instead of sitting, he stood between the seats, passing out the information to everyone.
“Don't you think it would be better to try and find a place to refuel other than there?” Christian asked, tipping his head toward the window, indicating the volcano below.
“We'll just waste more fuel trying and he says we're too low to make too many extra trips.”
“What if the airport or the private ones are all buried under lava?” Alex asked.
“Then we're in trouble. He's trying to find an angle to land. With the ash and the electricity half out, he's having difficulty lining it up.” Rhett braced his hands on two of the seats.
Evelyn shifted in her chair, looking away from the destruction. “It's going to become increasingly hard to find fuel at all.”
“Let's hope some of the latter locations aren't as far apart.” Rhett let go of the seats and sat down in his own when the jet tilted and started to descend.
Daughters of Eve Collection (Books 1, 2 & 3) Page 62