Starfire Angels (Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 1) (26 page)

"You too."

Well, the cat was out of the bag, at least
as far as her and Elis were concerned. She'd better keep her mouth
shut about the Starfire and having wings. Oh, and not to mention
being an alien. Like anyone would believe
that
.

Maybe Chad.

Oh, crap. How was she going to deal with
him?

Not as badly as she expected. No one laughed
at his jokes, not even at lunch in the middle of a full cafeteria.
That deflated his ego. But a few people asked where Pallin was. She
didn't care and was glad he didn't show up.

Maybe being considered a public couple with
Elis wasn't so bad. Josh seemed happier, since he didn't have to
hide anything.

"Man. You're gonna have some smart
kids."

What? Raea gulped a bite without chewing. It
went down hard. "Josh. Isn't that jumping ahead, like, a
bunch
?"

"Exactly. Sheesh. Give it some time. Will
ya?" Jess swatted him on the back of the head.

"Hey. I'm just saying..."

"Enough 'saying'. Let them decide," Linds
said. "By the way, where is he?"

"Injured."

"How?" Josh asked.

"Fighting Pallin."

"Whoa." Josh paused with his fork in the
air, his eyes wide. "He really fought Pallin to rescue you? Linds
said he went after you, but I didn't think... The dude's a genuine
hero."

"Yeah. He kinda risked his life." And hers,
based on the Starfire vision. But he knew how to control his power
not to hurt her. Pallin was the one using her as a shield.

"This is mister quiet-and-somber Elis?" Jess
asked.

"Yeah. Who'dathunk, huh?" Raea shoved a
forkful of food in her mouth. At least by keeping her mouth full,
she couldn't talk. That meant avoiding spewing out details related
to her secret. But when she was with her friends, at school or
elsewhere, she was human. She belonged here.

With Elis, she was something else.

Her life would never be the same. She had
two lives now. And she intended to keep them separate.

"Wow. I mean, totally. Wow, Raea! I wouldn't
have expected it." Jess leaned over her tray, apparently unaware
that her necklace was about to take a dip.

"Took me by surprise too." Why couldn't Jess
let it go?

"And you really like him, I mean, like, want
to be with him?"

"Yeah. Is that so hard to believe?"

"No. It's just so shocking." There went the
necklace.

"Okay. Can we get past the surprise now?
Please?" Was it that unbelievable?

"Sorry."

"Moving on," Josh said. "Anyone see the
paper this morning?"

"Oh, no," Linds groaned.

Oh, yes. Josh laid it all out for them. Raea
paid attention this time, curious if he gave out any details he
hadn't given her that morning. Not much more, but it relieved her
to hear it again. Nothing yet. Nothing about the farmhouse or the
identity of their Dark Angel.

How was Elis? He'd have work to catch up
with classes when he returned to school. Funny. He was in high
school. Wasn't that backwards for him? Would he continue to
graduation now?

Why not? She hoped to stay on Earth, at
least for a while. It was her home. Sure, she might want to see
Inar'Ahben, but it could wait, at least until it was safer. Her
mother had come to Earth to hide from the Shirukan. The least she
could do was honor her mother's sacrifice. She doubted Elis would
leave her, especially now. Maintaining some semblance of humanity
while living there would keep them safe from attracting unwanted
attention and help her feel normal, if that was possible
anymore.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. On
the walk home, Raea hurried next to Josh, anxious to see Elis.

Until she saw the familiar white rental car
and groaned. "Doesn't that woman have anything better to do?"

"Apparently not. Should I stay with
you?"

"No. No, go on. I can handle her." Alone,
rather than risk Nina exposing her before Josh, if the bitch had
made any connections.

"All right. Tell Elis I hope he feels better
soon."

Raea smiled. "I will. Thanks, Josh."

He left at their corner where they usually
parted.

Now to deal with the bitch from hell. With
all luck, Nina Russet would leave her alone, but Raea doubted
it.

Sure enough, at her approach, Nina stepped
out of the car, her frizzy bottle-blonde hair pulled into a rough
ponytail.

"Raea."

Raea stopped on the sidewalk before Evelyn's
house. "Now what?"

"I'd like the full truth. No more lies, Miss
Dahlrich."

Was the woman crazy? Did she honestly expect
Raea to just blurt it all out? "I've told you everything I can." No
way was she going to say anything more.

Raea hurried to Evelyn's door, but Nina
followed at her heels, grating on her last nerve. "Leave me alone,
Miss Russet."

"I'll leave you alone when you tell me."
Nina leaned close and lowered her voice, her breath stinking of
cheap coffee. "Or do I have to expose your boyfriend as the real
Dark Angel?"

What? How did she know? No. She couldn't.
Nina was guessing.

Or was she? The confidence in her grin and
the way she crossed her arms made Raea's heart beat faster. She
couldn't know. "You're pulling rabbits out of a hat. Nice trick.
But you're so totally off your mark."

"Am I? I know he has the same marks on his
hands you do. And he went after you Saturday night. I followed him.
I saw him flying, and he attacked us."

"Show me proof. " Josh said Dark Angel
attacked Nina's vehicle, but that Nina had admitted to the video
being blurry or something. She didn't need this. Not now. Raea
opened the door; she had to get away from the woman.

"I have it on video, Miss Dahlrich."

It had to be a trick. What if it wasn't?
Could they take that risk? They had to get that video. It couldn't
go on the air. Their lives would be ruined.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll show you the
proof if you answer a few questions."

"No deal." Raea opened the inside door. "I
have nothing to say."

"Then I guess the tape will air, showing
everyone the real threat that is their precious Dark Angel."

Threat? Where did she get that idea? No.
Raea couldn't take the bait. Nina was fishing. That's all. Raea
stepped inside.

"You know where to find me. I'm in town
until Thursday. You have until then, Miss Dahlrich."

No. No.
No!
Raea slammed the door
behind her and dropped her bag. Anger shook through her. Nina
wanted to paint them in a dangerous light. She wanted to ruin their
lives, make people afraid of them. What did she have against them?
It wasn't fair. They hadn't hurt anyone. And Elis had only disabled
their vehicle. Besides, he had always helped people before then.
Surely people would remember that.

"Hello?" Evelyn called from her sitting
room. "Is someone here?"

"Just me, Evelyn." Raea slipped off her
shoes and rushed to the window near the old woman. "Is she
gone?"

"Who, dear?"

"That bi—"
Not in front of Evelyn.
Raea took a deep breath. "That wicked witch from the east, Nina
Russet."

Nina walked back to her car. Good. She was
leaving. But what would she do now? Would she expose them?

"Oh, her." Even Evelyn sounded disgruntled
by the name.

"Is Elis upstairs?" Raea rushed to the
stairs before Evelyn could answer. "Elis!"

She rushed up. He had to know.

"In here."

She stopped at his door. He held a globe of
light between his hands.

"How're you doing that?" Her eyes fixed on
the swirl of energy from the Starburst marks. Now that was
control.

"Precision."

"I'll say." Raea blinked away her daze.
"Nina knows, Elis. And she has you on tape attacking their
vehicle."

The energy dissipated. "What?" Black wings
pulled close to him.

Raea stepped towards him and sat down on the
bed. "She knows. She confronted me just now and threatened to tell
the world, to
show
the world if I don't tell her
everything."

He sat down beside her and she leaned her
head on his warm shoulder. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing. Let her tell the world what she
thinks she knows. We can hide the evidence. So, no flying for a
while. That's all. If she needs you to tell her, then she must not
have anything solid."

Mmm. He smelled good. Raea wrapped her arms
around his bare chest and back. When she sat close to him, all her
problems seemed so small, except the one resulting in the bandage
next to her. "How's it healing?" And what about the wing? She
looked up. The bandage was off, exposing pink flesh but no
blood.

"Good. It doesn't hurt much. I should be
able to fly without any pain by the end of the week."

"I'm glad. I can't wait to go out again, and
this weekend is supposed to be nice." This weekend, before Nina
exposed them.

His smile infected her. Nothing else
mattered, at least not for the moment.

"Then I better be ready." He twisted to face
her but his face pinched with pain.

"Still hurts?"

"Yeah, but only when I move wrong."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's Pallin's." He
straightened and let out a deep breath that relaxed his face.
"Speaking of him...Are you ready to try again to see Saturday
night?"

Not this again. She wasn't ready. But Linds
was okay, and she was checked.

Linds was also human. Raea and Pallin were
the same species.
That doesn't mean he would be more likely to
do something like that.
She couldn't even use the word now.
Even the idea behind the word made her squirm in discomfort, a
discomfort she couldn't escape with a shower.

"Do I have to?"
Please say no.

"No, but I'd like you to try again."

"Now?"

"Before you can think about it."

He was right, but she had thought about it.
All day, in fact. She couldn't escape it. But if she learned he
hadn't done anything wrong, she could rest easier.

"All right. Let's do it, before I change my
mind."

His hand caressed her cheek in reassurance
and dropped down to her hands. He took both of her hands in his.
"Find the resonance and focus. Ask the Starfire about Saturday
night."

Right. Easier said than done. Part of her
still resisted. However, she did as he suggested and closed her
eyes to focus. Saturday night.

YOU ARE NOT READY.

Raea gasped and opened her eyes.

Elis frowned. "What is it?"

"Didn't you hear them?"

"No." He adjusted his hold and leaned close.
"Try again. I'm here. Nothing can hurt you now."

Raea closed her eyes and tried.

Pallin knelt over her and smirked. ["You'll
never get away. And Elis will be long gone before you know what's
happened. This was much easier than I expected. But we have some
time. How would you like to spend it, Raea? Should I take what I
can, as you Keepers do? So high and mighty, worshipped and adored.
You don't deserve it."]

He leaned in close, his black-sleeved arm
moved to the side of the view and slid down.

The image blurred and skipped ahead to him
carrying her from the room. Linds laid on the floor on her side.
The door closed.

Raea opened her eyes. "I can't. I don't want
to see."

"You need to try. Just relax."

"No. I don't want to
know
, Elis.
Everything I see I remember in detail. If I see something I don't
like, I'll always see it. I'll always remember. I don't want
that."

"But you need to know."

"No." She pulled away from him and stepped
back to his closet. He couldn't force her. She wouldn't let him.
Why did she have to do this? Why couldn't she go on without ever
seeing it?

Because she would always have a little voice
nagging her. Somewhere in her thoughts, she wanted to know; but not
yet. Maybe the time was just too soon.

"I can't." She swallowed the lump in her
throat.
I am
not
going to cry about this.
But she
couldn't help it.

Raea wiped her eyes and cleared her
throat.

Elis waited in silence, his eyes on her.
"I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you."

She took a deep breath and stepped towards
him, her arms around herself. "I know you don't, but this might.
I'm not ready. They said that."

His face dropped into a frown. "The Starfire
said it?"

"Yeah. I heard them say I wasn't ready."

His cheek muscles twitched with his
hardening expression. She recognized that look. What could anger
him? One thing. Did he think the Starfire entities held back
because Pallin
had
done something?

No. God, no. That couldn't be right. She
refused to believe it. Fresh tears blurred her vision. No. She
wasn't raped. Pallin couldn't have. But he could; over three hours
had passed while she was unconscious in his grasp.

This wasn't real. If that's what Elis
thought, he'd better not say it.

Gentle hands steadied her and helped her to
the bed to sit. "We'll try again when you're ready. Try focusing on
growing your wings."

Yeah. Her wings. She needed to get past the
pain of the rapid growth of tissues. That would keep her mind off
the matter. Or the other matter would help distract her enough to
get past the pain. Either way, Elis was right.

After she changed in the bathroom, she
returned to the bedroom and he stayed to coax her with his soft
voice.

Saturday
Revisited

Tuesday and the day was over. Raea slammed
her locker shut and gazed across the sea of bodies flowing through
the halls to the nearest doors. Three days had passed since Pallin
abducted her and her life was returning to normal. She didn't want
to think about what he might have done, though sooner or later she
would have to, especially if he did something. The consequences
could be worse than anything Pallin did.