Starfire Angels (Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 1) (21 page)

He found it without trouble and climbed out.
He closed the trap door at the top and stepped into the chilly
night. No one seemed to follow. Good.

With a touch on the resonance, he grew out
the wings. The pain burned in his back, but he worked through it.
One of these days Raea would have to, if she survived.

No. He couldn't think that way. She would
survive. Pallin would be the one to suffer.

With his black wings out, Elis took off into
the starry sky.

* * *

What was going on? Elis wasn't getting away
that easily.

Nina ran to the elevator. With luck she
could meet him downstairs and find out exactly what was going on.
Unless...

He wouldn't. Would he? Had she missed her
chance to catch him?

Where were Travis and Jake with the
equipment?

Damn it! She had one chance yet to salvage
this opportunity. When the elevator opened, she stepped in.

On the main floor, the guys waited in the
lobby. They hadn't wasted any time getting ready for some
observations. Perfect. "Jake, get the vehicle started. Travis, get
that camera on."

"What's up, Nina?"

"Our angel. Get a move on." She shoved past
them and others coming in through the doors. Outside, she looked
up.

There. Against the stars of the encroaching
night. The black shadow of an angel. She had him.

Jake and Travis finally joined her. About
time. Man, these guys moved slow. "Hop to it, boys!"

"Ahem."

"You too, D.C."

"What is it?" the other woman asked.

Nina pointed to the shape in the sky. "Our
Angel. Let's go."

"Dear God! He's real."

"Yes, he's real. And if we don't get moving,
we're gonna lose him." And the chance to expose him
.

They raced to the SUV and piled in, Nina
riding shotgun next to Jake, who drove. "Stay with him. We don't
want to lose this. Travis, you got the camera out?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Get us a clean shot." She glanced
out. Still in sight, and heading northeast. "D.C.?"

"On it."

Nina smiled. This was bigger than a small
specialty program. She was going to make big news when they exposed
Elis for what he really was and get some answers about his
purpose.

* * *

Now to wait for the Keeper. Inevitably, he'd
come. The murder of the house's occupants had been quite the story
the last week, something Pallin hadn't anticipated. But things had
settled down and the house remained empty. He had checked every
night.

But Raea and Elis had been there. Their
feathers littered the floor of the pantry. He had found them
because of the feathers outside the door. They must have hidden
inside.

So, Pallin could anticipate trouble. This
was too perfect. He could take out the other Keeper and be free to
continue his mission.

Raea hung tied to a beam in the unfinished
basement with its clutter of garbage. The odd thing about Earth
homes. But on the water-covered world of Inar'Ahben, even the
dug-out homes of the floating Searoot islands didn't have more than
one level, nothing like a basement. The cities floated among the
clouds with generators at their bases.

Without her wings Raea had been easy to
carry. And with the liquor, he could keep her from causing trouble.
He was ready to face the Keeper, or anyone else who dared enter.
The house was also well-stocked with food, so he could hide there
for several days.

Until a portal was opened to return home
with her, he would have no trouble. At least, no trouble after he
killed the other Keeper. With Elis out of the way, his only
obstacle would be the local authorities, and Prime Commander Loran
promised to provide a distraction when he needed it.

He was ready. Now to wait.

Hell on Earth

Raea better be all right, but Elis doubted
it. If Pallin was at the farmhouse, he had plenty of time to abuse
her.
Please be there. Be safe.

Part of him wished he was wrong, but he knew
the truth deep inside. He had to find them before the empire opened
a portal. If Pallin took her back, Elis would likely never see her
again, and he would be stuck on Earth with the others unless a ship
came or Saffir opened a portal. But if the Shirat Empire got their
hands on three of the four shards, they might have the strength to
threaten Starfire Tower and gain the last shard. Then nothing could
stop them but the Starfire itself. And he would likely never see
his home again.

Headlights of vehicles moved over the roads.
One set in particular seemed to follow him north and east. They
were too wide for a car, and it didn't stand out as white. This was
larger and darker. Could it be Nina following him? Would she have
taken a new rental? Or was it purely coincidence?

He didn't need this. Not now. Whoever it
was, he couldn't let them interfere. This was too big for humans to
get in the way. He had to do something.

He had only one weapon—himself. He had to do
it.

Elis folded his wings and dove towards the
headlights.

In the wan moonlight, he saw a shape stick
out of the side of the vehicle as it slowed. A spotlight tracked
from the vehicle towards him. That answered the question of whether
they followed him or not. It had to be Nina and her crew. He didn't
feel so bad about doing what had to be done.

Elis swerved and dove. The light flashed
across his path and he swerved left, then right, closing in on the
vehicle and averting the light. Whoever it was searched for him. He
couldn't allow them to follow, not only to keep their secret safe
from humans—whose governments would likely also seek the power of
the Starfire if they learned of it—but also to avoid anyone being
injured or killed when he faced Pallin.

When he could make out the details, he
lifted his hands before him and found the resonance. The power
warmed through him. The Starburst marks glowed bright. After a
couple seconds of the energy building up, he released it in a
narrow, focused stream as he passed along the side of the
vehicle.

Smoke rose from the tires until they popped,
carrying the foul odor of burned rubber with it. That would take
care of his trackers.

Now to rescue Raea.

Elis spread his wings and caught the breeze.
He flapped higher into the air. Rescuing Raea was his goal, and
facing Pallin wouldn't be easy. He would need all his strength to
face the Shirukan. Having to disable the vehicle had used a lot of
that. The energy he released would have killed several people.

That was the difference between the Keepers
and the Empire. Keepers sought to protect the Starfire and keep it
safe. It had chosen them as its emissaries. The Empire wanted its
power to control others for their own greed.

He approached the Lake house surrounded by
sloppy mud from the melting snow. As he descended, he made out
yellow feathers and man-sized footprints before the door. Pallin
had come.

Elis landed at the front door. He opened
it—unlocked. Pallin expected him.

What would he find inside?

Cautiously, Elis stepped inside. If he were
Shirukan, where would he be?

Nowhere near any windows, but somewhere that
he could secure a Crystal Keeper away from sight if anyone
entered.

A basement. There must have been a basement
or cellar. Elis would bet that's where Pallin was with Raea.

He passed the pantry and his emotions
hardened in his throat. If he ever hoped to be close to Raea again,
he had to keep her alive. He continued to a washroom, where he
found a door. It opened on creaky hinges to a stairway lit by
lights below. Pallin.

No. Hanging from the overhead floor supports
was Raea, her head forward between her arms. His fears lumped in
his throat. She'd better be alive. How cruel could Pallin be? What
had he done?

Elis started down the stairs.

A black-clad figure stepped into sight and
put an arm around Raea. Golden yellow wings opened for a moment.
Pallin. He
was
Shirukan. And he held the rod-like weapon of
his kind in one gloved hand, ready for use.

With his other hand, Pallin traced a line
across Raea's cheek, a menacing smile on his face. ["So, you came
for her. So soon, too. She must be more important to you than I
thought. For someone she doesn't consider a boyfriend, you sure are
protective. But I'm sure you hope to bond with her. She is
lovely."] He continued to caress her, his hand sliding down over
her breasts to below her waist.

Anger rose hot in Elis. No one touched her
like that, least of all Pallin. He didn't deserve to. Elis wanted
to take out the Shirukan. But he couldn't fire at Pallin so close
to Raea, unless he kept the power low, a distraction to give him a
chance to rush in for an accurate shot. Pallin knew it too.

["I'll bet you're considering exactly what
to do. Let me help."]

In a flash, Pallin brought the weapon
up.

Elis jumped back as a shot burned past and
into the wall behind him. Another smoldered into the steps where he
had fallen, but he rolled away.

On instinct, Elis called on the resonance
and fired a weak blast from one hand. The shots stopped for a
second, long enough to see that Pallin ducked behind Raea.

Pallin fired again, this time wide.
Encouraged, Elis let another blast of energy go. This time it hit
Raea and Pallin, who stumbled back.

His chance. Elis took it and sprang down the
stairs at the Shirukan.

As Pallin brought his weapon up, Elis
grabbed the other man's wrist. His Starburst marks glowed.

Pallin clenched his teeth and Elis removed
his restraint on the power.

The hatred on the Shirukan's face contorted
into pain and fear. He grasped at Elis's hand with his free hand,
but Elis let the energy surge.

Pallin howled in pain and dropped the
weapon. Elis shoved him into a stack of boxes until Pallin stumbled
and knocked his head on the wall.

No more. Pallin represented everything Elis
hated. The Shirukan had killed his family and this one threatened
Raea, not only his charge but also one he loved.

No more. He wouldn't allow anyone to hurt
her. This Shirukan would pay for what his kind had done.

The resonance warmed through him, ready at
his call.

["You're kind don't kill."]

["How would you know?"] Elis hesitated,
recalling his teachings and the values of his family and the
majority of Inari. Keepers helped. They didn't kill. It was what
set them apart from the Shirukan and their supporters. Killing
Pallin went against everything he had been taught and would make
him no better.

But his anger and his grief rose up after
two years of mourning. The justification was there. He could have
his revenge and rid Inar'Ahben and Earth of one more demon.

["It's forbidden by the Keeper code and your
precious Starfire."]

Elis wanted too. For all the pain that
ripped through him, Elis wanted to end it.

But ending Pallin's life wouldn't bring back
his family. He knew that.

He would ensure the Shirukan wouldn't bother
them again.

In Elis's hesitation, Pallin shoved him
back. Elis bumped against Raea and stepped on the weapon, which
slipped out from under his foot. He tumbled backwards, tightening
his hold on Pallin for balance. The Shirukan freed a hand as Elis
landed.

Faster than he could blink, pain slashed
across his side.

Elis released his hold on Pallin's wrist and
looked down to the rip in his coat and the faint trickle of blood.
Black and gold feathers littered the floor, a spattering of crimson
on them.

Pallin backed up and searched for his
weapon.

Wincing in pain but determined to escape
alive, Elis called on the resonance.

Pallin froze, a hint of fear on his face.
["You wouldn't dare."]

Without a word, Elis released the energy.
The Shirukan fell back, stumbling over the tumbled boxes and
grabbing at a set of shelves on the wall. They gave under his
weight and dropped their contents onto him, knocking him down. He
lay still.

Crystal Fire. Elis hurt. Everywhere. But
especially the wound. Luckily, Pallin hadn't stabbed him. He had
only slashed across his side.

The Shirukan didn't move, but he was alive.
The shelf and boxes had caused more injury than his small release
of energy. Now was a good chance to free Raea and get her to
safety.

He end this now, guaranteeing Pallin would
be no more threat to them. His hands glowed with the resonance, but
he couldn't do it. As much as he wanted to, as easy as it would be
for him, he let the resonance fade and turned his attention to
Raea. There were other ways on that world that would stop Pallin,
and he had injured him. While Pallin recovered, the police could
lock the Shirukan away.

He turned his attention to Raea. Elis untied
the rope binding her wrists and cradled her close. She didn't move,
but she breathed. She still lived, because Pallin needed her alive.
But what had he done to her? Elis should have been there sooner,
should have stopped her. This might not have happened if he had
acted against Pallin sooner.

Tears trickled down his cheeks. ["You're
safe now."] He kissed her cheek and held her close. This was his
fault. Maybe if he had warned her about alcohol, he might have
prevented Pallin from taking her. He could have done so much more.
["I'm sorry."]

A glance aside showed Pallin still
unconscious. Elis had to get out of there. The use of energy tired
him, and the wound stung. He needed to get them home, where they
both could recover.

With Raea in his arms, he climbed the
stairs. Each step made him wince, but he couldn't afford to let the
pain stop him.

Outside in the cold night, he spread his
wings. Pain wracked through the left wing, and he saw it—the blood
at the leading edge from burned flesh. He hadn't noticed in the
scuffle.