“South Carolina. We’ve got about a thousand miles to go. It'll be dark soon, but we need to find a place to rest,” he suggests.
“What about a hotel? I could use a phone to call Alice,” I suggest.
“Ok. We'll have to walk. We can’t be spotted with our wings exposed,” he notes as he retracts his own appendages inside himself. I follow suit, as do the Griffins. “We should stay on the beach and hike north. There should be a few hotels to choose from.” I walk next to Solas as the brothers trail behind us. “You ok?” Solas asks me.
“Define ‘ok.’”
“It’s a lot to take in. I was hoping the flight would help you clear your head.”
“I think it just gave me more questions than solutions.”
“Like what?”
I sigh, “If I'd just gotten to him sooner…” I hold back the tears as my throat starts to burn.
“If it's one thing I don't question, it's the True King’s plan for us. Everything happens for a reason. Most of the time we don’t like it, but in the end, we find clarity in His purpose.”
“I can’t fathom what that purpose could be.”
“Maybe if you had gotten to him sooner, Beleth would still be alive, and maybe you wouldn't. Then we never would've been freed from serving him.”
“But just because you're free from Beleth’s control doesn’t mean that you're completely free. Lucifer still has say over what you do, right?”
“True, but we'll avoid him as long as we can. For now, we're rogues.”
I reach out and entwine my fingers with his. “I hope it’s a very long time,” I mumble, focusing on the sand beneath my boots, and I feel his surprise and awe flow through me.
We walk for miles before a private beach emerges on the horizon. “We’re here,” Beckett announces. As we close in, beachfront cottages line the narrow strip of land. We encounter rickety wooden steps leading up to a white, two-story French Colonial with a deep covered porch lined with eight sets of windows.
“Wait here. I’ll get us a cottage,” Solas directs us and enters the house which serves as the office for the vacation rentals. I turn around and place my hands on the banister of the porch, taking in the reflection of the sun on the water. When Solas returns, he leads us back down the steps and further up the beach. “This is it,” he confirms, checking the tag on the key and matching it to the number outside the cottage duplex
Trudging up the sand, the cottage sits quietly. Its wooden walkway is modestly coated with white sand brought in on the wind from the sea. The sand crunches underfoot as we approach the covered porch. Solas leads us to the front door where he slips the key into the lock, and it turns gratingly against its tumblers from sand embedded within. We enter the small rental, and Beckett switches the lights on behind me, illuminating walls of blonde wooden planks, two queen size beds to our right, and an enclosed bathroom further ahead. “You two are next door,” Solas tells the brothers as he tosses them another key.
Cassius grunts. “Let me know if you need anything,” he tells me before leading his brother back out to the shared covered porch.
I hear their door open and close before I wander between the beds and pick up the receiver of the blue rotary phone on the white wicker side table. Spinning my fingers rapidly around the face of the numbers, I dial Alice’s cell phone number. She picks up after the third ring, “Hello?”
“Alice! It’s Ivy.”
“Hey, honey,” she greets in a grim tone of voice. “Where are you? Are you ok?”
“Yeah. We’re in South Carolina. I want to come see Evelyn. How is she?”
“Not so good, but she wants to see you.” Tears blur my vision, and she adds, “What do you mean, ‘we’?”.
“I mean, Solas is with me. So are Cass and Beck.”
“The Griffins?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know, Ivy. That might not be a good idea. Michael will be here tomorrow.”
“Can you talk to him? They’re my friends too, Alice.”
“I can’t make any promises, but I'll try.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you ok?” she repeats.
“Everyone keeps asking me that,” I sigh.
“We worry about you. Jack told us he wanted to bind himself with you. He was waiting to get permission from Michael. I’m so sorry, sweetie.” I hear her sniffle.
My throat tightens, and I can't speak much longer, “I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye.”
“Bye,” I croak. I replace the receiver and wipe my face before facing Solas. “I’m going to take a shower.” He nods as I pass him to reach the bathroom.
I close the door and slide to the floor behind it. Pulling my knees to my chest, I hide my face in my arms. My eyes burn, my throat burns, my body aches, and my heart is in a million pieces in the hollow of my stomach.
I miss you, Jack.
I tear the cloth from my arm in frustration and throw it on the tile floor. Turning on the water till it’s scorching hot, I step into it fully clothed, not caring about anything but the pain of the water singeing my skin. I welcome the intensity of the sting to take away all other agony. My quiet weeping echoes off the walls of the stall, my head throbs, and I fold myself into a ball on the stall floor. Strong arms pick me up and envelope my body as his emotions flow to me through his touch. Worry, responsibility, adoration. “I can’t do this, Solas,” I whimper. “I can’t do this.”
He smooths my hair back and pulls my face up to look at him. His expression is as firm as his command, “You can and you will. The pain you feel will eat you alive, but only if you let it. You're a warrior, Ivy. You're stronger than this.”
“How am I supposed to let him go?”
“You don’t. You keep him in your heart and let it drive you to overcome your enemies.”
“How am I supposed to do that? I’ve never felt this weak.” My head falls to my chest.
“Look at me,” he demands in a soft deep voice. “You keep him with you... Always. But bury your pain deep inside. Don’t let anyone see you like this. They'll use it against you. You're Ivy Harris. Pestilence to Darkness. You are Death. You will hunt down your enemies and make them suffer for all the pain they've caused you. I'll be here with you as long as I can. I’m here when you need me, and even when you may think you don’t.”
“How do you always know how to soothe my soul?”
“You forget that I used to be able to see your thoughts whenever I wanted,” he grins. “Now, it's only when your emotions are extreme, and you drop your guard. I know you. I’ve seen the fight in you. I’ve seen the suffering. There's sorrow, and then there's strength. Nothing has ever kept you down. I won’t let you pull yourself under now.”
I nod, and he rises with me in his arms, shutting the water off in the process. He places me on the floor beside the stall and wraps a towel around me. “I’ll be right back.” He stoops down to me and tucks a hair behind my ear. Gazing into his ice blue eyes, I find it hard to look away.
“Where are you going?” I ask, finding my voice again.
“Well, our clothes are soaked,” he chuckles. “I'll see if the Griffins will go into town and get us something dry to wear.”
I snicker softly with a twitch in the corner of my lips, “Sorry.”
I’m so pathetic.
Solas grins as he stands back up. “I’ll be just a few minutes.” I give him a nod before he leaves.
I wipe my face and smooth my hair back. Standing up, I let the towel drop to the floor. My clothes stick to my skin, and I have to tug my jeans down forcefully to step out of them. Crossing my arms in front of my stomach, I lift my shirt over my head. It drops to the floor with a splat. I pick up the towel Solas draped over me and bend over to towel dry my hair.
“Oh! Sorry!” Solas stammers.
I whip around with the towel covering me. Thankfully, Solas has already turned his back to me. My cheeks flare with embarrassment. “Sorry. I thought you would be longer.”
“Uh… Yeah. They may be gone for a few hours.”
“You can turn around now.” I'm comfortable enough around him that being wrapped in a towel doesn't bother me.
At least I still had my underwear on. I didn’t give him a full show.
Solas turns around keeping his gaze down. “You probably want to get out of your wet clothes too. There are more dry towels in here if you would like,” I point behind me as I step out of the bathroom.
Solas nods with his head down and closes himself into the bathroom. I pull back the covers on the bed closest to me. The soft cotton of the white sheets caresses my bare skin as I slide under the covers. Tucking the pillow under my head, I lay on my side and stare at the empty room as the sound of running water drifts from behind the bathroom door.
He’s taking a shower. My mind begins to wander. I imagine the water running over the enormous muscles in his shoulders, his chest, his biceps, and his impeccable abs. What's wrong with me? Guilt instantly settles over me, and I feel sick.
The water shuts off, and I squeeze my eyes, blinking my thoughts away. The door opens, and the steam flows into the room. Solas appears in my line of sight and turns between the beds. His towel sags dangerously low on his hips and is tucked in on the side. The ‘V’ of his hip muscles flex with each step. His long black hair rests on the mounds of his shoulders as droplets of water clinging to the tips of his hair before cascading down his bare chest.
“Are you ok?” he repeats for the millionth time.
I roll my eyes, “I really wish people would stop asking me that.”
“I hope I didn’t embarrass you earlier.” He sits on the bed across from me and leans on his knees with his elbows.
“I’ll live. It’s not like you’ve never seen a half-naked woman before,” I grin.
Solas harrumphs. “I have to admit, it's been a long time. It threw me off a bit.”
“Are you blushing?” I tease.
He clears his throat and shakes his head in response, “If someone would've told me weeks ago that I would be in this situation, I never would’ve believed them.”
“And what situation is that? Babysitting a broken angel on the coast of South Carolina in a beach front cottage?” I chide.
He looks at me with seriousness, “No. The situation is I’m sitting here in only a towel while trying to protect someone I care about and help her get to her destination so she may be able to say goodbye to the Archangel she loves profoundly. All the while, envying the love they shared.” I'm stunned silent. This is the first time he's voiced an emotion to me. “Not babysitting. Not a broken angel… You're mending. You're stronger and more powerful than you know.”
“Solas, I—” I start to whisper sadly before he interrupts.
“Get some rest, princess. We'll leave in a few hours while it's still dark. That way we can fly most of the way without being seen.”
“Ok.” I close my eyes. “And stop calling me ‘princess,’” I mumble.
His fingertips caress my forehead and push my hair from my eyes as he says, “I don't use it as a title, but as an endearment.” He kisses my temple and butterflies swarm my stomach. Love, need, regret, pride, loyalty. “Sweet dreams, Ivy,” Solas whispers into my ear, and I drift asleep.
Chapter 20
“You have got to be kidding me!” I scream from the bathroom, holding up the black leather pants and tight strapless black corset Solas gave me to change into. “I know you can hear me, Beckett! What the hell were you thinking!” I yell as I squeeze into the garments they acquired as I slept.
The Griffin brothers cackle from the bedroom. Throwing the door open, I scowl at the brothers. Their laughter dies down. Solas is fully dressed in jeans and a dark blue cotton shirt that strains against the muscles of his chest and threatens to rip at the bulge of his biceps as he crosses his arms over his chest. I see him trying to hide his amusement. “What the hell were you thinking? I can’t go to Evelyn’s looking like this!”
“We thought it would be hot,” Beckett shrugs, trying to reign in his chuckles.
“I look like a hooker!” I shout, throwing my arms out.
“No, you do not. You look like a bad ass,” Cassius smiles with sincerity.
“Whatever. Is everybody ready?” I grumble, pushing my way past them and opening the front door of the cottage.
We cross the threshold to the shared covered porch, and Solas holds out a black leather cuff to me with three silver buckles across it, “Here. This should hold up better.”
I reach out for the thoughtful gift. “Thank you,” my frustration subsides at the sweet gesture.
He helps me slide it on and tightens the buckles for me. “There. Now, we’re ready.” He grins and a cheeky smile forms on my lips.
Filing out, we stroll down the beach to where the sand is secluded. The moon is full and reflecting off of the wave’s caps. Solas and the two brothers take their shirts off and tuck them into their back pockets. We release our wings and rocket into the sky. Wise owls, my ass, I think back to this morning, viewing the wings of the Griffins as wise owls. The more they loosen up around me, the more immature they behave.
The air begins to chill, but it isn’t uncomfortable with the rise in my body’s temperature. I find myself flying faster than before as the need comes over me to get to my destination as quickly as possible. I try to repress the pain as Solas advised and bury it deep inside, erasing all existence of hurt. The dark ink of my anger bleeds through at the thought of my last words to Jack, ‘I love you.’ As hard as it is, I force control over my memories and push them back. I know I'll regret it, but I need to entomb my emotions before they take over every waking moment. I need to be strong. I can’t afford to be weak. Michael's going to be there, and I plan on demanding answers. How could they let this happen?
Solas falls back to my side, “We need to land soon. Daylight will be breaking.”
I nod and search the expanse of city beneath us. I spot a dark football field. “How about there?” I point.
“That’s good. Out of sight.”
We land on the sideline of a desolate field that appears to have been unused for years. Retracting our wings, the guys put their shirts back on, and I pull the ponytail out of my hair to comb through the tangles with my fingers.
“This way,” Cassius says, gesturing with his thumb and ushers us through a break in the metal fence line.
“We need a car,” I note.
“I’m starving. Can we get some food first?” Beckett whines.
I glance to Solas in question. I want to keep going. I don’t want to stop to eat. “We all need to eat to keep our energy up,” he insists.
We progress around the school building hiding the football field. The horizon glows in pinks and oranges as the rising sun glares off the building. Some of the windows have been busted out by vandals, and gang signs have been spray-painted over its red bricks. We journey along the side of the road until we come upon a mom and pop Mexican food restaurant open for breakfast. My mouth waters at the thought of real breakfast burritos and hot sauce. I coax, “This looks good.”
Without waiting for their agreement, I open the door and saunter in. Spices maul my senses. Closing my eyes, I take in a big whiff of the freshly made Mexican food. I step up to the counter and request a soda and two breakfast burritos. The older woman behind the counter looks at me as if she's offended, eyeing my apparel. I smile as I give her an excuse for my attire, “Late night clubbing.” She hands me a cup, and I leave the counter to fill it at the soda fountain. The guys order their food while I find a booth towards the back. Claiming the window seat against the back wall, I scan the businesses surrounding the restaurant. Solas sits next to me, and Beckett slides into the opposite bench across from us with Cassius blocking him in.
“Do we know where we are?” I prompt, searching around the table.
“Just outside Jackson. We’re close. It should only take about six and a half to seven hours. Which will put us there between
one or two o’clock,” Solas claims.
“And there just so happens to be a dealership next door,” Beckett points out the window.
“Perfect,” I smirk as I set my eyes on a shiny silver Camaro surrounded by pickup trucks.
I want that one. It’s got to be fifth generation. Please be a standard.
Our food's brought to us, and we quickly delve into it. I bite into the soft tortilla of my breakfast burrito, closing my eyes and savoring the cornucopia of chorizo, egg, potato, and cheese. Cass and Beck begin disassembling their tacos and discarding everything but the meat as mirror images, making me see double. Beck catches my scrunched up expression. “What? ” he probes with a curious raise of his brow.
“What are you guys doing? And why does your food smell like some horrible chili cook-off gone wrong?”
“Hey! Barbacoa's the shit! That smell is all the chili peppers soaked into the meat. It's the best part,” Beckett defends.
Solas chimes in nonchalantly as he peels the husks from his tamales, “It smells like piss.”
My jaw hits the floor, and Cassius backfires, “You are one to speak, I am sure you cannot taste your food over the spicy salsa you drench it in.”
I decide it's ‘Pick on Solas Day’, “Yeah, Chief! Your makin’ my eyes water over here! What's up with that?”
Solas smirks, “It's habanero salsa. I appreciate extreme flavorful foods. If it's supposed to be spicy, I want it as hot as I can get it, make me sweat. If it's supposed to be salty, I want my skin to shrivel up like a snail. If it's supposed to be sweet, I want it to rot my teeth out of my skull. Habanero's considered one of the hottest peppers in the world. Not many people can handle it. Would you like to try it?”
I drawl, “Noooo thank you.”
I may be a bad ass when I have to be, but it doesn't mean I go looking for torture to put myself through.
He gives me a knowing look and surprises me with his telepathy, “Touché, princess.”
The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3 Page 25