The Good, the Bad, and the Wounded

 

Elis stretched, aware of something close to him. Not something. Someone.

Raea. How he wanted to believe she would. But she had rejected him. She always would. For a moment, he let himself believe she knew what she did, that she had closed the gap on purpose.

Only for a moment.

His hopes faded with further awakening, and the aches and stinging of his wounds. He had to get up and clean them.

Slowly, he rolled away, hoping not to disturb her and biting his tongue on a groan. She needed her rest. Who knew what Pallin had done or drugged her with. The wine might have only been a start.

Pain, mostly in his side but aching through his body. Movement hurt. Elis sat up and slid from the bed. Raea made no move. He'd let her continue to sleep.

Wincing with each movement, he grabbed a clean change of clothes from the closet and headed to the bathroom next to his room to clean up. He'd have to cut off the shirt and coat, though. He hadn't the strength to tolerate the transformation of his wings. Besides, he needed his wings out to heal properly.

But he could use some help. Hopefully Evelyn would be up to get ready for her Sunday mass.

The floor boards creaked with each agonizing step.

"Elis?"

Thank his timing, and her hearing. She was up for the day.

He stepped out to the rail. "Up here."

"Lord have mercy." The tap of her cane stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "I was afraid—" She gasped. "Oh, Dear God! What happened?"

"Pallin." He ducked into the bathroom. She'd be there soon enough. In the meantime, he had to pry off the blood-crusted jacket and shirt. The wound had scabbed over, but it would need cleaning and a bandage, as would his wing. The aches would subside in time, and they weren't bad. These two bloody wounds would be the worst of his troubles.

Not bad against a Shirukan. But this one was an arrogant bastard. And there was only one. He'd been lucky in that respect.

Evelyn stopped at the bathroom door. "The First-Aid kit is under the sink. Let me, dear."

He stepped aside as she knelt down and pulled out the plastic kit. Wincing, he helped her to her feet.

"Thanks, dear. Now, let's have a look."

He lowered the wing. Not a scrape, but a burn. Pallin's weapon had gotten him, and he hadn't noticed. He'd been too busy fighting.

But he had come out alive. That counted for something.

* * *

Nina woke up after a restless sleep. Too many questions had circled her head last night to sleep well and she wanted answers today.

What the hell was going on? Why had the Dark Angel attacked? Luckily, he had only disabled the SUV. But they had to wait for a ride back to town and couldn't follow. The rental company would be furious.

Screw them. She lost her opportunity.

Where had the angel gone? What about his flight back? What had happened in between?

What did this have to do with Pallin?

That she could check on. Where had Pallin gone last night?

After a shower and a fresh change of clothes, she walked through the hotel to his room and knocked. "Pallin. Are you there?"

"Go...away."

He was there. "I need to talk to you."

"No."

No need to lash at her. "Come on, Pallin. Open up. It's me—Nina."

"I know you are. I need rest."

What was going on around here? Why wouldn't anyone give her an answer?

Well, she could wait. Sooner or later Pallin would have to come out. She would return for an explanation.

In the meantime, she wanted a quick breakfast and some information. But first, she wanted to review that tape. If the Dark Angel was Elis, she would know exactly where to go for all her answers.

* * *

Raea shivered and buried her face in the covers. Mmm...They smelled different but familiar, like Elis.

Didn't he ever leave her mind? No. She wanted to think of him.

Whatever reminded her she welcomed, but...

Raea opened her eyes. This wasn't her room but she recognized it. She laid on the bed in Elis's room.? How had she gotten there? The last thing she remembered was Pallin and seeing the hotel room blur around her. It had to be a dream.

No. This made no sense. What happened?

She lifted the covers. At least she wore her clothes, but the same clothes she had worn yesterday.

What day was it? Where was Elis?

She sat up, and noticed a blood stain on the comforter near her. Where had that come from?

Had she— A quick check reassured her she was all right.

But who? One thought stopped her heart.

No! "Elis?" Raea threw off the covers and sprinted for the door. Please, please be all right. "Elis!" She hesitated at the rail over the stairs. Where had he gone?

"Elis. Oh—" She almost collided with him when he emerged from the bathroom bare-chested and caught her.

"Easy."

A bandage across his ribs? No, the muscling was all wrong, not like any human; but he wasn't human. Another on his wing? "Are you all right?" She reached toward the gauze taped to his side. "What happened to you?"

He pushed her hand away before she could touch him. "Pallin."

"Pallin?" She didn't believe it and looked up for confirmation. His cheek twitched. "What happened?"

"He made his move. He is Shirukan, and he's after the Starfire."

Raea covered the crystal with her hand. It still hung at her chest. "I don't understand."

"You were drugged unconscious the whole time."

Raea thought back to yesterday's events—leaving Josh's with Linds and arriving in Pallin's room, where he offered her wine. After a few sips, nothing made sense. "The wine."

A faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth. "We don't tolerate alcohol. He used it against you."

"What about Linds?"

"She's okay. I found her awake, but he used a neutralizer to jolt her unconscious. She should be home, safe."

"Oh, thank God. But what about you? What happened to you?" She followed his eyes down to the wound on his side.

"We fought. I was lucky that's all he did."

"And your wing?"

He stretched it around where he could see it. "That too."

None of this would have happened if she hadn't gone to see Pallin. She should have never let him charm her. "It's all my fault."

"No. He came for you. He planned it like this. One way or another, he would have come after you. It's him, Raea. Not you. It's his mission."

"But if I hadn't asked Linds to take me to see him, none of this would have happened." How could she have been so stupid? Now, she couldn't even look Elis in the eye. "If I had listened to you...I'm sorry." All along she had liked him but resisted. If she had listened to the Starfire and let them guide her, she would have been safe. They had known all along. More than ever, she wished he would hold her, to make everything right the way it should have been. She was such an idiot. She needed him more than she could admit, but only because of her schoolmates—and Chad's teasing—did she hold back. Josh had been right all along.

"I'm sorry for everything." For saying negative things. For not letting herself see the truth. For never giving him a chance. Her eyes burned. No tears. Not now. "You saved my life from Pallin, and I don't deserve it." She'd been rude and ignorant. He'd always been patient and giving. How could he forgive her? She had ruined her chance. Forget her feelings and the Starfire. He'd never accept her now.

She wiped her eyes and glanced down the stairs. She couldn't do anything there but cause trouble. "I should probably get home. I'm sure Debbie's worried."

"She knows."

"Oh. Okay. Then I'll quit bothering you, so you can rest." And she could cry like she needed to, without anyone watching. Raea pushed past him. Being close for that moment, his bare chest, made her pulse race. Oh, man. She had developed a real attraction for him. The desire to be close almost overwhelmed her. Worse, it sent her emotions spinning out of control. If she didn't hurry, she'd never get away without breaking down from the pain in her heart.

"You're not a bother."

She halted at the top of the stairs. Was he saying what she hoped he said without saying or was it just to make her feel better? She so wanted him to mean he liked her and wanted her to stay. But if he was only trying to make her feel better, it wasn't fair. She couldn't face that option.

She gave him a brief smile and hurried down the stairs. Her heart pounded. She couldn't take this. Go home. Clean up. Everything will look different with time away. Yes. That's what she needed. Time to think. Alone.

He said nothing more, but his eyes could have burned a hole in her back. He watched her. She felt it. She slipped on her shoes without tying them and grabbed her jacket and rushed out.

Outside, the cold air chilled away the tears. She ran across the icy lawns to her door.

* * *

How he ever made it back without being seen, Pallin could only count his luck. And his back ached. And his wrist. And his chest. The Keeper had used his powers for attack, something his superiors had warned could happen in a tight situation. He should have been better prepared. Next time he would be.

But now, he needed to rest and heal. His wings were bruised. A number of feathers had to be pulled for regrowth.

He should never have underestimated the Keepers. The girl he managed without trouble, but Elis was another matter.

[Elis...It couldn't be the missing child.] Was that it? Was that how Saffir had hidden Sarilov Naolis's and Jasheir Menara's second child? They had never found him after Naolis sacrificed his crystal shard to Heffin's Gate. The son had disappeared without a trace. [Very clever.]

What better justice could Pallin have asked than to finish the job from two years ago? All but one of the family of Keepers had been captured. Under his commander's orders, Captain Montran Pallin had tortured the women to convince Naolis to cooperate. They had killed them all in the end. Now he had the chance to clean up the last detail, and he had snarled it.

Not again. Elis would not escape. As part of Pallin's mission, he would clean up the job from two years ago.

Someone pounded on the door. Not again. Couldn't that woman leave him alone? "Go away."

"Pallin?"

Any other time he might welcome her intrusion. He needed the touch of a female, just as any man did. At least with humans, he didn't have to worry about bonding. That only happened between two Inari, although the occasional single nights with his own kind weren't a problem.

But these human women—or was it just this one?—could be tenacious. Nina Russet could make herself a pest.

"Pallin. I want to talk about last night. What happened with you and Elis? And those two girls, Pallin. What were you doing with them? Please. Open the door so we can talk?"

Crystal fire. Maybe he should have stayed at the house. But that would have looked more suspicious. He had tried to trap Elis to kill him but failed. Had he succeeded, he could have let Raea go until the portal opened. Taking her back would have been no problem with Elis out of the way, especially when she would have no memory of what happened. Now, he still had to figure out how to take the Keeper out of the picture, or at least keep him from interfering.

Maybe Nina could help. She was there to learn about her "Dark Angel". Maybe the truth could work to his advantage.

If not, one more death before he left would be one less problem for Prime Commander Loran and the others on that world.

He rolled out of bed, tucking his yellow wings close to him. He still wore the black flight suit and coat but no gloves. He stood behind the door and opened it, peering around. Good. Nina was alone. "Come in."

"I'm so glad you're okay."

He closed the door immediately after she stepped in.

"But— What the hell?" She stumbled back.

Pallin stepped away from the wall and opened his wings.

"What are you? You're one of them! Why didn't you— I mean, why are you here? Why now? What's going on?"

With a light hand, he guided her to the bed and sat her down. "I am here, a soldier of Inar'Ahben, to capture...criminals. Raea and Elis."

"What? I knew something was going on. They were the angels I saw. But how did you hide those wings? I mean, we were both naked. How do they hide?"

"It is special ability. They...have crystal I need. Padina stole from our world and gave to Raea." He pulled the wings tight behind him, making them all but invisible from the front. That brought her attention to his face. "Crystal is power. Keepers have all power." All the power they didn't deserve. They hadn't earned it. They were born with it and the crystal keepers hoarded it amongst themselves rather than let Heffin's Gate manage it to the benefit of all Inari.

"Do you mean that crystal Raea wears?"

"Yes. It is Starfire. It is danger to destroy many worlds."

"So...you're not angels? You're aliens, like real extraterrestrial aliens?"

"Yes."

"This is incredible! Tell me everything."

Pallin didn't hold back his grin. He explained how Keepers had been coming to Earth and interfering with human lives. He told her about his empress and her desire to unite their world and to one day expose their kind to the governments of Earth, when humans were ready. As he expected, Nina asked for details on everything. Some he couldn't give. Others were mundane topics about his world.

Then she returned to the matter. "Elis is this Dark Angel figure. But if he's dangerous, why did he help people?"

"Keepers make humans believe in angels. It is lie. He has powers to kill."

"Yeah. I've seen it." For a few seconds, she stared into her own thoughts. "But where was he going last night?"

"I take Raea to trap him. He tried to kill me, but I lived."

"I'm glad you survived. Now, tell me from start to finish what happened last night?"

He told her what he had done, after discovering the effects of alcohol on their systems, and how he had disabled Raea's friend to keep her safe while he lured Elis out to an abandoned house in the country. When he described the fight, she never blinked but listened with undivided attention to his every word. He showed her the burned wrist, which she studied in detail.

"Unbelievable. He seems so calm."

"You say nothing to anyone? This is mission I must finish. They know now I am Shirukan. I have two days and difficult. Must heal first."

"I suppose. Maybe I can help."

Her enthusiasm matched his expectations. Now, to pull her in with a plan.