Knight Angels: Book of Revenge Page 23

  Jake grumbled.

  I took a moment before adding to the circumstances. “Jane’s gone, too,” I admitted, ashamed that I’d lose track of what was most important to me as an angel, and a man. My head dropped.

  Jake approached me, brows raised. “Taken?” he asked.

  I shrugged, conveying it wasn’t quite like that, at least not initially. Jane had simply left me.

  Jake snorted. “She left, didn’t she? I’m not surprised. With your track record…” He stopped talking as he saw the look on my face. Shrugging his shoulders he bravely added, “Just sayin’.”

  I denied my desire to blow up at him, fixing my hands at my sides. “I need to find Avery.”

  Jake’s brows lifted with surprise.

  “Will you help me?” I added, further swallowing my pride.

  Just then, two owls flew through the window. I knew one was Wes, but I didn’t recognize the other. Wes looked up at Jake, and then to me.

  “Emily’s been taken,” I said bluntly.

  Wes looked to Jake. His mind raced with confusion, his thoughts still directed toward me as anger rose in the waves of his mind.

  “Yes. Jake was here when it happened.” I tried my best to remain neutral.

  Wes’s eyes narrowed at Jake as the questions continued to pour out of his mind.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know why, Wes. Why don’t you ask him yourself? He’s right there.”

  Wes’s feather’s fluffed in defiance. Diverting my attention away from them, I briefly looked to the new owl behind Wes for an explanation as to who she was. The owl divulged her relationship to Wes openly.

  “You’re his sister?” I asked in a whisper while Jake and Wes were occupied.

  Her head tilted.

  “I never knew.” I added.

  The wild owl flew through the window then, landing beside Wes’s sister. Everything began to make sense.

  Jake shifted his weight and shook his head, bringing my attention back to him. “I’m not here to take your girlfriend, Wes, so chill out.”

  I gave Jake a warning look to behave, hoping Wes wouldn’t see it. Jake only glowered.

  “I can’t take your girlfriend,” Jake added, sounding shamelessly disappointed by that fact. “Remember? There are rules.”

  Wes chortled sharply.

  “If there weren’t rules?” Jake laughed. “Then things would be different.”

  Wes lunged at Jake but his sister stepped in, grabbing his tail with her beak.

  I cringed and swiftly closed the distance between me and Jake, pinching his arm and giving him my last warning. “Stop.” Now is not the time to tell Wes about this. I cleared my throat, addressing everyone. “Has anyone seen Jane recently?” I felt ashamed to ask. I should know.

  Jake was the first to answer. “She’s been hanging out with this new pixie friend of hers, Navia. She doesn’t seem to care much for us anymore, or you, apparently.”

  My teeth ground together. That was a low blow. “What pixie? I haven’t seen a pixie.”

  “Last I saw them was at the Halloween party earlier tonight,” Jake added.

  “What was this pixie like?” I asked again.

  Wes scratched at the floor to get my attention, explaining her to me in great detail—too much detail.

  I swallowed hard. My gut was telling me that something about this new friend of Jane’s wasn’t right. I felt my hand begin to shake—it was too much of a coincidence; besides, pixies didn’t make friends with Seouls, only Shadow Pixies did because they liked the death surrounding them. My next statement proved difficult to say aloud.

  “I’m afraid that pixie she’s with is a very old friend of mine. I’m afraid she’s with Avery.” Those simple words put an end to the tension in the room.

  Wes’s already large owl eyes were now larger. He hopped over to Emily’s bed where he slid under the covers, his head popping out the other end—human.

  “What?” he gasped.

  I shrugged. “I came upon some information that may suggest that this old friend of mine, Avery, may be out to get Jane. From what you tell me of Navia, I believe it’s the same person,” I explained. “I’m not sure just why, or what she wants with Jane, but I can assure you it’s not good.”

  Wes’s gawking expression didn’t change. “I know who Avery is, Max. You don’t have to refer to her as your old friend. She was your fiancé,” he added bitterly.

  I glanced at Jake, my patience with him just about worn out. “You told them, didn’t you?”

  Jake nodded brazenly.

  He was really testing my trust today. I shook my head. “How much has she been around?” I asked Wes, not wanting to hear Jake speak.

  “Like every living second since you left, it seems.” Wes laughed, but nervously. “She gave me the creeps she was so gorgeous. I can’t believe you were engaged to her once.”

  Jake snorted, taking another jab at Wes. “I thought you loved Emily,” he challenged.

  “Jake. Stop,” I demanded, my voice booming and on edge.

  Wes grinned, amused by my anger toward Jake before turning his attention back on the main subject. “Her name was Navia, though, not Avery. Are you positive you’ve got it right, because pixies all seem to look the same to me,” Wes added.

  I nodded. “It has to be her.” Avery used to tell me all the time how she wished she had a more distinctive name, like Navia.

  “So, it’s really her?” Wes recognized the truth on my face.

  “I think that’s what the man is saying,” Jake snapped.

  I nodded again, more slowly, still ignoring Jake. “I think so. She’s extremely dangerous, too. I don’t think you can even understand how much.”

  Jake frowned, looking at his hands. “She’s a Shadow Pixie, isn’t she?”

  I allowed myself to answer him this time, nodding gravely.

  Jake shook his head. “I knew there was something funny about her.”

  Wes swore under his breath. “Well, this can’t be good.” He grunted. “Even if I don’t know what a Shadow Pixie is, it just sounds bad. Not to mention the fact that Jane and Avery both are, or were, romantically involved with you. That’s never a good thing. It’s like two roosters in a cage.”

  Wes knew enough about disgruntled ex-girlfriends to see that the two of them being friends was a premeditative and dangerous thing.

  “What the heck does Avery want to do with Jane? If she wanted to kill her she would have done it, considering the fact they’ve been locked at the hip the last week. Avery didn’t really appear violent toward Jane, either,” Jake interjected naively.

  Wes and I both looked at him.

  Wes laughed. “Just because she hasn’t done anything to her doesn’t mean she won’t. Chicks are crazy. Avery’s probably just playing with her first. It doesn’t take a genius to put the pieces together as to why. Avery probably wants revenge for what Max did to her. She’s just playing it cool until the right opportunity comes along to… do whatever.” Wes looked at me nervously.

  Jake ignored the look of concern Wes and I were sharing. “At least I’m not the one naked under a sheet right now.”

  Wes’s sister chortled angrily at Jake, Jake disregarded her anger.

  Wes shook his head. “Lame rebuttal, man—lame.”

  I could see where this was going. I’d been here with Wes before. “Come on, guys. Seriously… stop.” Aside from removing their tongues, I didn’t see how this was ever going to end. It was better to just move on.

  Their glares both turned to me.

  “Alright then, smarty pants. What do you propose we do?” Wes’s anger was transferred, his sister still perched like his shadow, fluffed and ready to defend Wes’s honor should I threaten it.

  I sighed long and hard. “We just fix it.”

  Wes:

  I spiraled to the ground with Stella outside Emily’s room, watching Jake climb from the window as though he’d done it before. How had he gotten there faster than me, and all the way from Wint
er Wood? Yeah, right. He had been closer than that.

  I’d woken the minute I felt her heart surge to life. I knew that Emily wasn’t just having a nightmare. The fear from her was eminent, and her every heartbeat was like a drumming alarm. Granted it took me a moment to gather myself and Lacy, but I had arrived as soon as I could. There was no way anyone could have been faster, aside from Max, maybe—apparently—but that was Max.

  My talons ripped at the dirt below my feet as I considered the possible reasons for Jake’s timely appearance. They were all bad.

  Max stood beside me, looking down at me. I looked up at him. I didn’t like the look on his face. It was pity. Why was it pity? What did he know? Like I said, having Max get there before me came as no surprise—it was Max. But the sweaty vampire? A slow, clumsy guy? Was he really agile enough to arrive before me? For the most part he was just human. He couldn’t fly, couldn’t even run very fast.

  He must have already been there?

  Was he involved?

  Was he… I chortled loudly. Stella nudged me, trying to calm me.

  Max scowled. “Concentrate on finding Emily, Wes, not that. You’re driving me nuts.”

  His remark only made me angrier. Of course I was concentrating on finding Emily. She was all I cared about. Lacy flashed me some images of a hug, comfort—it was our way of communicating. Stella flashed me similar images, but with a bit more zest to it. I tried to reprimand her, thinking it was hardly the time. Stella looked hurt, but she was just a bird.

  Annoyed, I quickly flew up to the window of my room. Lacy followed me. I dove in, landing on my bed and gathering some clothes in my mouth. Lacy did the same and we quickly changed, creeping down the stairs as quietly as possible and out the front door. I was going to need to be able to communicate more openly, so for right now, the animal in me was going to have to wait.

  “What about the house?” I offered, catching up to Jake and Max as they stood on the lawn, discussing possible places Greg could have taken her. “Like before.”

  Max looked at me, a glimmer in his eye. “He’s not there.”

  His reply was loaded.

  “How do you know?” I pressed.

  “Because… I destroyed it.” Max turned away from me, walking toward the street where his Land Rover Defender was parked at the curb, already running.

  “You destroyed the house? When?” I followed after him.

  Max looked over his shoulder, but the spark in his eye was furious. Something inside him had changed. There was darkness. His typical comfortable confidence was fading to disgruntled exhaustion, like a man grown tired of life’s pointless games. There was a chip on his shoulder that wasn’t there before, and it was a big one.

  “I did it recently,” was all he said, lacing it with such bitterness, that I knew it was a subject I no longer wanted to venture into.

  Jake brushed past me, hopping into the back seat of Max’s car.

  “Surprised you didn’t take the front,” I challenged.

  Jake turned to Lacy as she arrived at my side, her red hair flowing. He gave her a wink. “Ladies get the front.”

  To my disdain, Lacy giggled.

  I hissed at her, but she ignored me. Circling the car, I took the other back seat beside Jake. I didn’t want to be near him anymore, but at least I could keep an eye on him here.

  “What about Avery? Where are her hangouts?” Jake leaned forward between the two front seats. Max turned onto the road, the car whipping fast as we all held on.

  “The problem is that Avery always had a lot of hang outs.”

  “It’s got to be someplace private, wouldn’t you suppose? She wouldn’t want to risk anyone recognizing her while she was with Jane.”

  “You would think.”

  Just then Max’s eyes grew wide and he slammed on the breaks. We all flew forward as the car skidded sideways. Then there was a thud.

  I looked up fast, feeling it, feeling her. “Emily!”

  I fought with my seatbelt, but Jake was faster. He got out of the car just before me. Pushing harder, the buckle finally released and I scrambled out behind him. My gaze crested over the hood, seeing Emily was sitting up on the pavement, rubbing her head. Jake was already at her side, rubbing her back.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. It was my fault.” She was looking at him in a daze, her eyes buried deep within his.

  My whole body tensed. I stormed toward her and shoved Jake to the side. “Get away from her.”

  Emily moaned as I hoisted her off the ground, cradling her in my arms.

  “Emily, what happened?”

  Max had appeared before me, skin whiter than I’d ever seen it before. “Are you all right? I didn’t… I didn’t even see you.”

  Emily nodded, smiling at Max. “I’m fine. Most people don’t see me, so don’t worry.”

  “Did Greg let you go?” Max pressed.

  She shook her head. “No. I just… I got away.”

  Max leaned closer, hand hovering just above the skin on her arm. I looked where he was, seeing streaks of freshly raised blisters across her skin. I suddenly held her more gently, having not noticed them before.

  “He couldn’t keep me,” she whispered. “I burn him.”

  I grunted. “It looks more like he burned you.”

  “Where did he take you?” Max withdrew his hands, unable to help her as her poisonous body was as much of a detriment to him as it had been to Greg.

  “Not far. Into the woods.” She pointed ahead of us before turning back, expression hopeless and scared. “They’re going to kill Jane,” she warned.

  “Was Avery there?”

  Emily nodded. “Max… I had no idea that was her. I should have seen it.”

  Max gave her a look of confidence. “It’s my fault. Not yours.”

  Just then, two giant shadows rose behind Max. I took a step back, not understanding what I saw until Max lifted off the ground, carried by heavy tarps of feathers. “Jake, follow me. Wes and Lacy, take Emily home and keep her safe.”

  I watched as he rose up, his giant grey wings unlike anything I’d seen before.

  Jake jogged up to me. “Take care of Emily, will you?”

  I growled.

  Lacy grasped Jake’s shoulder and spun him away from me. “Leave them alone. I think you’ve done enough.”

  “I’m just trying to help.” Jake shook his head and backed away. “Sorry.” He plunged into the front seat of the Rover and slammed the door. The tires spun with a final look, but the look was only for Emily.

  “What a creep,” Lacy murmured, watching Max’s car disappear around the end of the block.

  “Come on. Let’s go.” Emily’s fingers grasped at my shirt, her head nuzzled under my arm as my other held Lacy’s. I tried to pull her along with us as I turned, but her feet remained planted.

  “No, brother. I think I should help.” She slid out of my grasp and clicked at Stella, guiding her up onto her shoulder.

  My expression grew fierce. “No. You shouldn’t. You have to come with me.” I wanted to grab Lacy and drag her inside, but my hands were already full.

  “Let me do this. I need to.”

  “Why?” I spat.

  She shrugged. “Because I didn’t help before, and now our parents are dead.”

  Mouth agape, Lacy didn’t allow me the chance to reply. She changed into the owl, clothes falling to the ground as Stella picked up the air that had been dropped beneath her. Together, they both followed in Max’s direction, and I was left split between the only two things that mattered to me—family and Emily.

  Avery:

  “Perfect.” I looked skyward, hearing—feeling—him approaching.

  “What’s perfect?” Jane asked, stumbling beside me.

  I handed her the bottle of champagne, our Disney dresses dirtied from our little hike in the woods. Jane thought we were being adventurous, free spirited teens, taking on our right to be young and reckless, but really I was lur
ing her to her death. With her out of the way, Max would suffer, and then I would come along and sweep him off his feet. I would make him happy. I would finally get my light back.

  “Just the night, my pet. It’s perfect.”

  We stopped.

  Jane plopped herself on a fallen log. “It’s dark.” She frowned dramatically.

  I laughed. “Yes. I know that.” I snapped my fingers, igniting a spark of fire in my hands. A handy trick I had acquired from Max.

  Jane gasped. “I can do that, too!” She narrowed her eyes and concentrated hard on her hand, faltering as sparks flew. “Ouch,” she murmured, burning herself.

  I discreetly rolled my eyes.

  The spark in her hand finally ignited, illuminating her frustrated face as it turned to elation. “Ha! See!”

  I nodded. “Very good! I didn’t know a Seoul could do that.”

  She sighed and slumped forward, staring at the light. “Max taught me.”

  “Oh, did he?” Of course he had. I tried to act interested.

  I heard a rustle then, but not a rustle anyone but me could have heard. Looking up, I saw the faint shadow of Greg behind a tree, just out of the light from our fires. I smiled. Jane took another swig of champagne, stretching her feet out before her. Her flame was messy and blue, sparks singeing holes in her yellow dress.

  I opened my mind to Greg. Where’s Emily?

  She got away.

  What?

  He shrugged.

  “My sister doesn’t like you, I don’t think.” Jane admitted, her words buttery with champagne.

  “Not many girls do like me,” I mindlessly answered.

  How did she get away, Greg? I pressed, subduing my desire to stand and smack him.

  She’s got that stupid snake venom in her. It makes things a little tricky.

  You better fix this. I wanted to do this tonight.

  “I don’t see how girls could hate you, though. You’re so nice!” Jane exclaimed, turning to me with a lopsided grin and squinty eyes.

  “I threaten them, I guess.”

  I already have fixed it, Greg added, his upper lip catching the light with a sly grin. Seems we’ll even have the audience you desire. Max is coming.