Angel reborn, p.2
Angel Reborn, page 2
He extended his hand, and I took it, looking down at the arrow in his other hand.
“Are you keeping that as a souvenir?” I asked with an arched brow.
“It’s evidence, and I want the lab to run some tests on it.”
“What kind of tests?”
“Every test they can think of. Now, stay close to me, and keep your eyes peeled.”
As we started to make our way across the terrace, my heart pounded so loudly I was certain Nick could hear it with his freakish supersonic hearing. My palm felt sweaty pressed against his cool one, and every shadow in my peripheral seemed to move as I watched for anyone coming after us.
For the entire length of the structure that enclosed the elevator lobby and staircase, Nick kept me next to the wall, angling his body to ensure I was behind him. As we neared the end of the wall, he motioned for me to hang back, and then he moved forward to make sure no one was hiding around the corner.
It was only then that I realized he was favoring his right leg ever so slightly. Through the tear in his pants leg, I caught a glimpse of a nasty scar on his shin.
“Your leg! You didn’t tell me you were hit in the leg too.”
“It’s no big deal,” he said, barely sparing the leg a glance.
“You’re limping.”
“It’s still a bit tender, but it’ll be fine once it’s had a chance to heal properly. You don’t need to worry. I promise.”
He took my hand again and led me around the corner. Without the shelter of the wall to block the wind, it was much breezier, loosening strands of my hair from the beautiful updo Cricket had created for me. The sheer panels of my skirt whipped behind me, exposing my legs further, and I shivered, wishing I’d at least worn a shawl over my bare shoulders.
“Are you cold? Here.” Nick took off his jacket, and then he held it up for me to stick my arms in the sleeves. “Better?”
“Much. Thanks.”
“The workshop is just up ahead.”
I felt some measure of relief at seeing the small windowless building a short distance away, but I didn’t dare relax, not even when we’d reached it safely.
Two
Aria
With another quick glance toward the skies as we approached the workshop, Nick stepped forward and tried the knob.
“Locked?” I asked when he grimaced and pulled his hand away.
“Yeah. I figured it would be. I should be able to bust this one open, though. It’s just wood.”
He slammed his uninjured shoulder into the door, which gave way with his first attempt. After flipping on the light, he stepped aside to make room for me. Once I was inside with him, he moved to the door frame to keep watch as he reached to grab the phone receiver hanging on the wall.
“Does it work?” I asked, sighing in relief when he nodded.
He punched the zero on the phone’s keypad. “Connect me with security, please.”
Glancing around the shed, I was surprised to see how well organized it was. Built-in cabinets and bins lined the left wall, and along the right side was a work counter that held a large sink with more cabinets above it and open shelving below it. Gardening tools hung from a pegboard filling the back wall.
“This is Nicolaas VanCleave,” he said into the phone, and I turned in surprise at the use of his father’s last name. “My wife and I are locked out on the roof terrace of the West Tower. I need you to override the scanner and open the door. Yes, I’ll hold.”
It was the first time I’d ever heard him identify himself as a VanCleave. He’d begun using Gaenor, his mother’s maiden name, when he transitioned to being human, and he’d been Nick Gaenor when he married me and adopted my daughter.
I supposed it would make sense for him to return to VanCleave now that he was president of VanCleave Blood Industries and the larger organization above it, the Gilde, but what would that mean for Sage and me? I was already reluctant to give up the simple life we’d led for the five years we’d been married. Letting go of the name we shared seemed another step away from the roots we’d built together.
“What do you mean, you can’t open the door? Did you tell your supervisor who’s asking?” Nick rubbed his hand over his head as he listened, and then he stepped closer to the doorway to look outside. “You need to have your supervisor speak with Francesca Giatelli. She’ll approve it.”
He held for a short pause, his eyes on the sky, and then, when security came back on the line, Nick swore and slammed his hand against the busted door frame, splintering the wood even further. “What do you mean she refused? That’s ludicrous. We’re stranded, and I have reason to believe we are in danger. I need that door open now. Tell Francesca I want to speak to her myself. Yes, I’ll hold but tell her she damned well better hurry.”
Normally, Nick was the epitome of calm, cool, and collected. It took a lot to ruffle his feathers, and to see how unnerved he was only served to amp up my anxiety.
I moved closer to him, and though his scowl didn’t soften as he turned to me, he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side, kissing the top of my head.
In this position, I could clearly hear the voice of his mother’s right hand man coming through the other end of the line. “Nicolaas?”
“Graeco, thank God,” Nick said, groaning with relief as he tightened his hold on me. “Aria and I are stranded on the West Tower roof terrace. The scanner isn’t recognizing me. I think security must have erased my profile when I left, and Francesca is refusing to allow them to manually override the system.”
“Unfortunately, your clearance isn’t the issue,” Graeco said. “The entire building is in lockdown. We’ve had a series of simultaneous security breaches in what appears to be a coordinated attack, so we’ve locked all the retinal scanners and sealed all entries and exits.”
Nick’s eyes flew to mine, and the alarm I felt was mirrored there. I’d assumed once we got inside we’d be safe, but if the whole complex was a target, then being indoors might not provide the sanctuary I’d hoped for.
Releasing me, Nick stepped closer to the door, peering out into the night for any sign of danger. “Where’s my mother? Is she safe?”
I was no longer close enough to make out Graeco’s words, but I assumed Gwen must be safe based on the brief moment of relief that passed across Nick’s features before the hard lines of tension settled back in again.
Graeco’s voice continued to buzz on the other end of the line, and then Nick said, “You can add the roof to your inventory of security breaches. Aria was led up here under false pretenses, and then we were both attacked by a Vardiyati with a crossbow.”
That kernel of information startled me. I wasn’t aware he’d seen our assailant, and while I hadn’t had any clue who it might be, I was shocked to hear it was a Vardiyati, which was the shifter bloodline if I remembered correctly.
“Oh, I’m certain,” Nick said to Graeco. “I chased him to the edge of the roof, and then he shifted. Any idea who’s behind this? Anyone claim responsibility yet?”
He paused to listen to Graeco, and then he stepped outside the door as far as the phone’s cord would reach so he could survey our surroundings again.
“Make it fast. I don’t think they’d be stupid enough to return and try to finish the job, but I’m not willing to take that chance with Aria already injured. Right. That makes sense. Yeah, thanks.”
“What happened? Is everyone okay?” I asked as he reached to hang up the phone.
He dragged his hand down his face with a loud exhale. “No one else was injured, but my mother’s penthouse was ransacked, Valentina’s residence was broken into, and an attempt was made to gain access to the lab, although thankfully, the security measures held there.”
Holy hell. This was big. Who on earth would attack a family as powerful as Nick’s? And with such obvious forethought and coordination?
“What do we do now?”
“We need to get moving. Graeco is in the East Tower, so he’s going to meet us there.” Grabbing the arrow from the counter where he’d laid it, he tucked it into the back of his waistband, pulling his shirt out to cover it.
“Wait,” I said when he reached to take my hand. I went to the pegboard on the back wall and pulled down a shovel, testing its weight before shifting to hold it across my body in a defensive position.
The corner of Nick’s mouth lifted in some semblance of a grin as he narrowed his eyes.
“Are you planning to take out a Vardiyati with that?’
“I may not be able to take one out, but I damned well might be able to slow one down.”
He chuckled in response, and I couldn’t help but appreciate how rakishly handsome Nick was when he grinned.
“I have no doubt you could do some damage, my badass angel, but I’m hoping we don’t have to put that theory to the test. Whoever did this has to know the entire building is on high alert by now. I don’t think we’ll see them again tonight.”
“I’d rather carry it, just in case.”
“Then, carry it you shall,” he said, clasping the back of my neck as he leaned in to give me a quick kiss. “Let’s go.”
He led me out of the workshop and in the opposite direction of the way we’d come, sticking close to a long row of large, raised vents that provided at least some protection against the wind.
Despite his assurance that he didn’t expect our attackers to return, Nick kept watching for them, and so I did as well, though I had no idea what I was looking for.
“You told Graeco the Vardiyati shifted at the edge of the roof. Shifted into what?”
“A bird.”
“A bird?” I dropped his hand and stopped in stunned amazement. “They can shift into birds?”
“Vardiyati can shift into any living being. Most have a preference for one particular creature, and they stick with that so it becomes second nature to exist in that form, but technically, they can become any type of being they choose.”
“Holy crap. I need to be on the lookout for a bird the size of a human?”
“No. A large bird, yes, but not as big as a human.” Nick chuckled again, and this time instead of thinking he was handsome, I wanted to hit him with my shovel.
“This is not funny! It may be normal for you, but I don’t hang out with people who change into birds and fly away. Forgive me if I’m freaking out a little over here, okay?”
Holding up his hands, he tried to contain his grin. “You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry. It was just the look on your face. I can’t even imagine what you must have been picturing in your head.”
“Yeah, well, right now I’m picturing whacking you across the ass with this shovel for laughing at me. It’s hard enough to believe people can shift at all, but in the movies, they shift into something comparable in size, like a huge wolf. I don’t see how on earth they could shift into something smaller than they are. How is that even possible? It can’t be real. I mean, I know it is. I know you’re telling the truth, but I can’t believe something like that exists.”
“Humans aren’t supposed to know of such things.”
“With good reason. The world is screwed up enough without everyone knowing we’re surrounded by the creatures from our nightmares.”
“I wouldn’t say surrounded. Humans greatly outnumber the bloodline descendants. Granted, we have a higher concentration here in New York and most other major cities, but even here, the odds of you encountering a supernatural are relatively low.”
“Wow. I guess I’m extraordinarily lucky then. I visit one club in the city and meet a vampire and end up marrying him, and then, I attend one ball in the city and end up with a—” I looked down at my chest and my next words stayed trapped in my throat. My wound was no longer bleeding at all, and the hole was almost completely closed. The reddened area surrounding it had lessened, and it looked as though it had been days—maybe even weeks—since it happened. Certainly not less than an hour.
“How is this possible?” I pressed my fingers to the edges, and though it was still tender, it didn’t hurt anything like it had before. “How could it already be healing?”
As I asked the question, I recalled Nick’s wounds already forming scars that looked similar to my own. But I knew that was because of what my husband was—an immortal being. A vampire. Nearly indestructible since his body repaired itself rapidly after suffering almost any injury.
But me? I was human. There was no way I’d recovered so quickly from an arrow directly to my chest. Unless…
“What did you do?” I asked Nick, stepping back as I looked up at him for answers. “Did you give me your blood? Is that what I’ve been tasting?”
“I tried.” He cast his eyes down, bowing his head as though he was ashamed. “I didn’t know what else to do. You’d lost so much of your own, and your pulse was terribly weak. You were dying. I could hear your heart stopping, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. I tried to give you some of my blood in hopes it might ease your pain. That it might save you. Even though I feared it couldn’t. That it wouldn’t. I was desperate. I had to try.”
I thought again of the darkness that had surrounded me—the oblivion—and I had no doubt Nick was right. I’d been close to death; perhaps even beyond it for a moment.
“You saved my life,” I whispered, and his gaze met mine.
“I don’t know what saved you or why you’re healing like that, but I don’t see how it could have been me. You were too far gone to consume enough to make a difference. You couldn’t even swallow.”
“But clearly I’m not dead, so something you did worked.” And if it worked, what did that mean? I feared the answer but needed to know. “Do you think it…did it…you know…turn me?”
“No, definitely not,” Nick said, shaking his head. “Even if I could turn someone, and we know I can’t, remember I told you there’s a process involved. Ingesting a minute amount of my blood would not have caused that. You have nothing to worry about in that regard.”
“Are you sure? Because this—” I pointed to my chest. “—is not normal. I clearly remember that arrow being lodged pretty deep before I passed out. It left a hole, Nick. How is it almost healed already?”
He frowned as he stared at my injury. “I don’t know, but I know you’re not a vampire, so get that out of your head.”
He seemed so sure, but his denial wasn’t enough to convince me as I added up what I knew.
“Ever since I came to, I’ve been so thirsty that I feel like my throat is on fire. Thirstier than I’ve ever been before. And I don’t feel like I almost died. I do feel like I’m going to puke, but I think that’s just anxiety, because other than that, I feel great. And I shouldn’t after suffering that kind of injury. My chest is tender, but not like it got split open by a damned arrow inches from my heart. Oh, my God! Do I have fangs?” I tilted my head back and opened my mouth as wide as I could, too scared to run my tongue across my teeth and find out for myself.
“No, Aria,” Nick said, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. “You don’t have fangs.”
“You didn’t even look.” I opened my mouth again, but he rolled his eyes without inspecting me.
“I don’t have to look to tell that you don’t have fangs. Trust me, Angel. If you did, you’d know. And if you were thirsting for blood, you’d know that, too. It’s more than having a parched throat. Your thirst is likely due to the loss of blood. Losing that much fluid can send your body into a dehydrated state.”
I dared to venture a tiny swipe of my tongue beneath my front teeth, relieved when I encountered nothing sharp or out of place, but then I pointed to my chest again. “Okay, fine, maybe I’m dehydrated. But how do you explain this?”
“I can’t, which is all the more reason to get you checked out by a healer as soon as possible. You’re right. It’s not normal. I heard your heart stop. I felt the life energy leave your body. And then I heard your heart start back up, and you returned to me. I’ll be forever grateful for that, but I want to know what caused it just as much as you do.” He looked over his shoulder and then up before looking back at me. “Obviously, we’ve got a lot of questions here that need to be answered, but Graeco is waiting, and even though I don’t expect those assholes to return, I’d much rather have this conversation inside where we’re not easy targets. Can we shelve this for now and keep moving?”
I couldn’t argue that the time and place weren’t right, but I also couldn’t stop thinking about it. Something was off with my body, and it seemed to me if the only person I’d been in contact with was a vampire, then that had to be the explanation. As much as I hoped it wasn’t true for my daughter’s sake, Nick’s blood had done something to me.
Swallowing hard, I tried to gauge how intense the burn was in my throat. It didn’t feel unmanageable. Certainly nothing that would make me go crazy and hurt others.
Could Nick be right? Was it just dehydration? Was it possible his blood had healed me without any other side effects?
I hoped that was the case. But Nick had said he didn’t believe I’d gotten enough of his blood to accomplish anything.
If that was the case, then what had healed me? And was I still human?
Three
Aria
As we continued toward the door where Graeco would be waiting, I replayed the evening in my head.
I couldn’t believe I’d been shot by someone. And not just someone, but a Vardiyati. As far as I knew, I’d never even met a Vardiyati. It was impossible to know for sure. It’s not like the descendants of the ancients wear name tags or carry banners professing their origin and abilities. I could have met one at the party tonight or at the memorial service at Gwen’s estate without realizing it.
Was the man who’d led me to the roof a Vardiyati as well?
I couldn’t believe I’d been foolish enough to go with some random guy I’d never met. It was as if I’d been so dazed by attending a fancy ball with the ultra-wealthy and the supernatural that I’d thrown my customary caution out the window and allowed this stranger to isolate me away from the crowd.
