Wings of Vengeance (Hidden Wings Series Book Five) Read online

  “How are you feeling?” he whispered.

  “Better than ever,” I smiled, feeling the magical tingles trail through my bloodstream.

  “Do we all need to be touching in order to go invisible?”

  “No, as long as I’m touching the vehicle, I should be able to cover it and everyone inside.”

  “Good.” He grabbed hold of my hand as Samuel opened the garage door.

  I closed my eyes and called my invisibility, stretching farther than I ever had before.

  In the other car, Caleb revved the engine and stepped on the gas. He sped out of the garage, blasting his music as Dom raced past him.

  I could feel my gift extending to its limits. I had to keep my focus exclusively on this one task. Five minutes was all I had to hold it, which wasn’t long. But I still hadn’t completely recovered from the last few days.

  Two minutes into our journey and my body started trembling. My strength was waning even faster than before, and it scared me.

  “Emma?” Kade’s warm breath brushed against my cheek. “Are you all right?”

  I was shocked at how well he could read my emotions.

  “Yes,” I lied. I couldn’t let the enemy see us. If they did, we would be sitting targets.

  “You’re shaking,” he noted. “I think you should stop.”

  “I’m fine,” I breathed, holding on. My strength dwindled with my effort to answer him.

  “Did you see that?” Jeremy exclaimed. “Something with big black wings flew over us.”

  Fallen. They were out there, scouring the area.

  I would keep us hidden as long as I could.

  “What if they find us?” Lia asked. I could feel her body trembling beside me.

  “Then we fight,” Kade replied.

  Another minute passed, and my body was vibrating from the inside out. I tried to hold on, but my strength was failing. I opened my eyes and saw a dim haze of the vehicle. My gift was fading and wasn’t going to hold much longer.

  I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, with two terrible choices: to maintain the invisibility for as long as I could and be worthless when it was time to fight, or to let go and have a little fight left in me.

  “Emma, you need to let go, now.” Kade’s voice was louder and more urgent.

  I finally let go, my body fell limp into Kade’s strong arms.

  As the vehicle became visible, Dom stomped on the gas and raced down the road.

  When we finally reached the end he didn’t stop. He turned the vehicle, skidding onto the main road where he slammed the gas again. Both Lia and Jeremy screamed as the vehicle careened to the side before straightening out.

  Thomas and Alex’s eyes were out the windows.

  “Do you see anything?” Thomas asked.

  “Nothing yet,” Alex answered.

  “If anyone sees anything, let me know,” Dom said, focused on the road.

  Kade placed the vial to my lips and I took a sip.

  “I’m sorry,” I breathed.

  “Don't apologize. You gave us a damn good head start.”

  “Hold onto something, ladies. We’re coming in hot,” Dom shouted.

  The gas station was just ahead. Everyone held on, preparing for an abrupt stop.

  “Everything still seems clear,” Thomas reported.

  As soon as the car came to a whiplashing stop, they threw open the doors and jumped out. Thomas and Alex grabbed their duffels along with Lia and Jeremy’s suitcases.

  Kade effortlessly cradled me in his arms, as everyone ran.

  “Where’s the portal?” Jeremy panted. His glasses were crooked on his nose, and he had sweat dripping down his brow.

  “You’ve got to be freaking kidding me,” Dom snapped, sprinting toward a Porta Potty. “Ephraim,” he said as a curse.

  “Maybe we don’t have to go in,” Thomas said.

  “Oh yeah?” Dom swung open the door and directly above the toilet was a swirling light.

  “Holy crap,” Alex puffed. “Literally.”

  Heat warmed my chest, and the amulet glowed.

  “Emma,” Lia cried pointing at my chest. “That’s not a good thing, is it?”

  “Get them through the portal!” I yelled.

  “Let’s move,” Kade urged. “We don’t have much time.”

  “Remind me to get disinfectant.” Dom slammed the lid to the hole down and jumped into the swirling light, immediately disappearing.

  Lia turned back to me with worry in her eyes.

  “Go, we’re right behind you,” I urged.

  She nodded, then took in a deep breath before jumping through. Jeremy followed her, and then Thomas, Alex, and Mark. Just before Kade stepped in, he was yanked backward and I fell from his arms.

  “Kade,” I screamed.

  A Darkling threw him against a tree about ten yards away. He landed with a thud on his back and was immediately surrounded by five Darkling. I jumped up to run to his aid but was only able to get to my knees before falling back down. My body was too weak to hold my weight.

  “Kade,” I screamed, watching two Darkling raise their swords at him.

  As fast as I could blink, screams ensued.

  The Darkling surrounding him stumbled backward, and all five of their heads tumbled from their shoulders. As their bodies dropped to the ground, I saw Kade with his majestic, white wings outspread. His dark eyes raised and spotted me. Two more barreled toward him, their teeth bared, and swords drawn, but he pointed behind me and yelled.

  I turned to find a Darkling rounding the Porta Potty, its black eyes targeted on me. I yanked my dagger from its sheath and rolled to the side as he swung. His blade missed me by inches.

  I had just enough energy to sit up and shove my dagger through the bottom of his jaw and up through its brain. Its eyes enlarged as I yanked it out and tar-like blood splattered across my face. It keeled over, dropping onto me; it’s disgusting face, inches from mine. I gagged and rolled it off.

  Just when I thought it was over, six more Darkling sprinted around the bend, followed by a screeching of tires. A black SUV swerved around the corner, slamming into them. Darkling bodies were thrown into the air.

  “Run!” Samuel urged, stepping out of the vehicle with his sword. His black wings spread to his sides, his eyes completely black.

  He charged forward, twisting in a tight circle, slicing one in half with his wings, while his sword decapitated the other.

  Kade was at my side in a flash, lifting me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck, glancing back over his shoulder to watch Samuel fight off the Darkling. He was graceful in his movements and swift with his attacks. I was in awe of his skills which had taken hundreds of years to master. My father was simply amazing.

  Right as we reached the portal I thought I saw something in the shadows. It was Lilith, and she was watching. Her dark, intense eyes were glaring at us.

  Just before Kade dove into the portal, I watched an evil smirk rise on her lips as she waved goodbye to me, looming behind an unaware Samuel.

  “SAMUEL!” I SCREAMED AS WE landed in darkness with a thud. A flashlight turned to us, blinding our eyes.

  “What the hell happened?” Dom asked.

  “Darkling attacked,” Kade said pulling me up. “But Samuel showed up just in time.”

  “She was there,” I panted. “He didn’t see her. Samuel’s alone and needs our help.”

  Kade held my shoulders. “Samuel is more than capable of handling them.”

  “But Lilith was there and now she knows we’ve left.”

  “She won’t know where the portal is taking us.”

  “If she saw Lia and Jeremy go through, she’ll know. What if she was the one who was responsible for Lia’s—” I paused, remembering she was in our presence.

  Lia’s eyes darted to mine. “What was she responsible for? The accident?”

  “I don’t know,” I exhaled. “I really don’t know.”

  “Do you think she could have done it?�
� she pressed.

  “It’s a possibility,” Thomas said. “But we don’t have the answers.”

  Dom held his nose. “Emma, how’d you get covered in stinker blood?”

  “I killed one and it landed on me,” I replied, knowing I needed a shower ASAP.

  “Hey, where are we?” Lia asked walking into a wall.

  “In a building,” Jeremy noted, glancing around.

  “Duh, genius,” she exhaled. “But where is this building located?”

  “It looks like it was an old clothing shop,” Thomas remarked. “There are creepy mannequins and clothing racks in that room over there.” His finger pointed into darkness.

  “How can you see in this darkness? I can barely see a foot in front of my face,” Jeremy asked.

  “It’s an immortal thing,” Lia blurted. “We wouldn’t understand.”

  “We’re somewhere in LA,” I answered. “Alaine said there should be a car rental agency not too far from here.”

  “Are we seriously in LA?” Jeremy questioned.

  “Yeah. The portal brought us straight here,” I said.

  His jaw fell open.

  Lia sighed. “Haven’t you learned anything, Jeremy?”

  He shook his head. “Why couldn’t we have taken the portal to Alaska? That would have been so easy.”

  Lia smacked his arm. “Because you aren’t an immortal, genius.”

  “Let’s move,” Dom said. “We shouldn’t stay here too long. Everyone keep close.”

  We followed Dom, single file, down some stairs and out a side door. As soon as we stepped outside, we were hit with a wall of muggy air. Although the air had an odor, it wasn’t from the Darkling or Fallen.

  I gasped, feeling like a fish out of water.

  “There,” Dom said, pointing to the left of us.

  About a block away was an illuminated car rental agency sign.

  We ran into the dark street, lit by a flickering street sign. Kade kept a hand on me and I was thankful. I still felt weak.

  Dom and Mark went to retrieve the vehicle while we waited in the shadows. It wasn’t long before they pulled around the corner in a black Chevy Suburban. We all piled in, and Lia punched in the address to the hospital.

  Before we knew it, we were on the main highway headed to see her mom. She called her dad to let him know we would be there soon.

  As we headed down the familiar highway, emotions bubbled inside. We were nearing the exit for where I’d grown up. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lia glance at me.

  “Someone bought your old house,” she muttered. “About a month ago.”

  My heart ached. “I hope they’ll love it as much as we did.”

  “I’m sure they will. Your house was awesome,” she said. “Jeremy and I drove by it a few times and it brought back so many memories.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to deal with the flood of heartache overwhelming me. “I still think about them every single day,” I breathed. “I miss them so much.”

  “I’m sorry, Emma,” Lia whispered.

  I shook my head. “It’s something I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life. I have to remind myself they wouldn’t want me to be sad. Their goal was to give me a normal life; to keep me safe and make me happy. I try and remember all the wonderful memories we shared and it keeps them alive inside of me.”

  Kade ran his fingers down the length of my arm to comfort me, and when I looked into his eyes, I knew he was one of the biggest reasons I was able to heal and find happiness again. He was the very one holding the broken pieces of my heart together.

  Dom pulled into the hospital drop off area. “You all know what to do. Keep your eyes open.”

  Mark, Alex, and Thomas jumped out of the car and disappeared into the darkness. Each wore a special earpiece to contact each other if needed. Me, Jeremy, and Lia stepped out, while Kade also exited and pulled me to the side.

  “Here,” he said, slipping the vial into my hand. “Watch over them. And I’ll be watching over you.” He leaned over and gave me a kiss.

  “As always,” I whispered. “I promise to let you know if anything out of the ordinary happens.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted another firm kiss on his lips. Tonight would be the first time, since the wedding, we’d be apart.

  “I love you,” I breathed.

  His lips kissed the top of my head. “I love you too.”

  He jumped back into the vehicle with Dom, and they took off down the street.

  The three of us walked inside, to the hospital’s main information desk. Lia asked about her mom’s location and status. The lady behind the desk made a call, then wrote down the room number and handed it over with some simple directions to get to the elevator we’d need.

  “But only family members are permitted to visit her in critical care,” the nurse warned. “They haven’t moved her yet.”

  Lia looked to us, worried, so I put my arm around her shoulder.

  “Jeremy and I don’t mind hanging out in the waiting room. We’re here for you. Now let’s get up there so you can see her.”

  As we took the elevator up to the critical care floor, I relaxed a bit. Jeremy and I waited in the small waiting room while Mr. Ling took Lia to the desk and a nurse escorted them back.

  The waiting room was pretty nice and had a forty-inch, flat-screen television on one wall. Cushioned brown armchairs lined the walls with a few small tables in between, filled with magazines.

  In one corner was a coffee machine, and Jeremy spared no time heading over.

  “Want me to make you a coffee?” he asked.

  “No thanks. I’m good.” I smiled, then jumped as a voice spoke in my ear. I’d forgotten I had the earpiece on.

  “How’s everything on the inside?” Kade asked.

  “Hey, handsome,” I replied.

  Jeremy shot me a look.

  “Sorry,” I said, tapping the earpiece. “It’s Kade.”

  He let out a long breath. “Oh, thank God. I thought we were both losing our minds.”

  I giggled and shook my head.

  “Emma?” Kade asked.

  “We’re fine,” I answered. “Lia and her dad just went back to see her mom. I’m with Jeremy in the waiting room. Everything is clear so far.”

  “Good. We’re outside in the parking lot. Nothing’s happening here either.”

  “Hey, Emma. Do you miss me?” Dom’s voice yelled in the background.

  “Sure do, Dom. Kiss Kade for me, will you?”

  “If it makes you happy.”

  I heard Kade’s muffled struggle. “Get the hell away from me!”

  “Hey man, I’m just fulfilling Emma’s request.”

  “I swear. If your lips touch any part of me, I will kick your ass.”

  Dom’s voice quieted. “Sorry, Emma. Kade’s giving me a headache. I’m no longer in the mood.”

  I laughed out loud.

  “What’s going on?” Jeremy asked.

  “You don’t want to know,” I giggled while picking up a magazine to flip through.

  After waiting for about an hour, Jeremy stretched his limbs and yawned.

  “I’m hungry. Do they have any vending machines here?”

  A nurse walking by us stopped. “There is a vending machine just down the hallway. I can take you there since I’m headed that way.”

  “Oh, that’d be awesome. Thank you.” Jeremy stood and followed her out.

  A scent caught my nose that sent chills down my spine and made my world spin.

  I shot up and ran after Jeremy down the hall.

  “Jeremy!” I screamed watching the nurse turn down another hallway. Her eyes caught mine, and I swear they were completely black.

  He paused and I waved to him, “Jeremy!” I yelled. “Lia’s on her way.”

  “She is?” He paused and glanced back.

  “Yeah, she just texted me,” I lied, wiggling my phone in the air as I continued making my way toward him. He waited, and when I reached him and looke
d down the hallway, the nurse was gone.

  “Where’d she go?” he asked.

  “Wait here,” I said, cautiously walking down the next corridor. I kept my hand on my dagger and sniffed the air. The scent was already fading. When I reached the end, my heart sank. There was no vending machine.

  “Hey, is everything all right?” Kade’s voice asked.

  “I don’t think so,” I answered. “I think you need to come.”

  “We’re already on our way,” he said. “Are you safe?”

  “Yes, we’re all safe. Whatever was here is gone now.”

  The hair on my body stood on end. The nurse was an imposter. But why hadn’t my amulet glowed? I touched my chest and noticed it was gone.

  “What’s the matter?” Jeremy asked.

  “I don’t think that woman was a nurse,” I said, sounding a bit crazy. “There’s no vending machine down there.”

  “Are you serious?” He stepped closer to me, his eyes darting all around. “Who do you think it was?”

  “I think it was a shifter.”

  “A shifter?” Jeremy gasped. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “Nope. In my world, anything is possible,” I said, still glancing down the halls, sniffing the air. “I’ve seen one before. It looked exactly like Alaine, but it was a Darkling. They can take the form of any human they come into contact with. Even sound like them.”

  “That’s the most terrifying thing I’ve ever heard,” Jeremy said, grasping his chest. “I almost went with her, or whatever it was. I could have died.” His breathing became heavy.

  “I said it could have been a shifter. I’m not entirely sure. But it just means we can’t trust anyone anymore. We have to be more cautious.”

  I placed my hand on his shoulder. “We should get back to the waiting room.”

  My eyes scoured the ground on our way back, looking to see if the Bloodstone amulet had dropped from my neck.

  “What are you looking for?” he asked.

  “I lost the necklace Alaine gave me.”

  “Where was the last place you had it?”

  I tried to think back. “It was in Alaska, right before we were attacked and came through the portal.”

  “Maybe it’s in the building. You and Kade made a pretty crazy entrance. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s there.”