If hed forever lost his ability to flash
He couldnt finish that thought without howling. No. Her poison would fade. He would recover.
He had to recover.
But hed wanted to be punished, and this certainly fit.
At least now he knew Noxs game plan. He knew Sirenas purpose. He knew the Nefas and demons were working together. And he knew Lefty and Righty were back in the picture, more determined than ever to reclaim Nicola.
Fly me to Panama, he told Malcolm, his cheeks heating with embarrassment. He hated that he had to rely on another being for his transportation.
Wow. Arent you a big bag of polite, Malcolm muttered, but still the warrior strode over to him and wrapped him in his arms. Youll owe me for this.
I know. That was the way of the world. He only wondered if Nicola found him as aggravating as he now found Malcolm.
White wings laced with gold flared, and a twinge of envy lit a fire in Koldos chest. Then they were airborne, the wind whipping against his skin, and he found himself closing his eyes and pretending he was soaring on his own. That he was healthy and whole.
That he had an untainted future.
* * *
KOLDO ARRIVED AT the ranch cradled in the arms of another man. A beautiful Asian man with a green fauxhawk, weird silvery eyes and tattoos of bones on his neck. Just...wow, he was beautiful, but he was also seriously scary.
Desperate to figure out a way to return to the park and help Koldo, Nicola had been pacing in front of the couch, where Axel and Laila sat. If anyone could win with ten-against-one odds, it was Koldo.
Koldo, who had promised to marry Sirena. His horrible troll of a sister.
Koldo, who never lied.
He lost consciousness halfway here, the newcomer said.
Put him Axel began, standing.
Nicola cut him off. Put him in my bed. She rushed forward to show the new guy the way, surprised her heart wasnt pounding more forcefully and that she wasnt light-headed.
Dont leave me here, Co Co! Laila shouted.
She glanced back to watch Laila shrink to the edge of the couch in an effort to get as far away from Axel as she could.
And dont you dare touch me! Laila yelled at him. I dont want anything else to do with any of your kind!
Axel shrugged and strolled to the kitchen. You want something to do with a muffin? Im starved.
Nicola was torn between rushing back to her sister to offer comfort and staying with Koldo. In the end, she shouted, No ones going to hurt you, La La, I promise, and raced to the bed to jerk the comforter and sheets out of the way. Then she moved so that the newcomer could easily place Koldo in the center.
What was done to him? she asked, heading into the bathroom to gather a washrag drenched in hot water and all the creams and cleansers Koldo had brought from her house.
War.
Well, duh. She would ask Koldo, then. When he awoke. And he would. She wouldnt believe otherwise. Give me a knife, she said when she next stood beside the bed.
Fauxhawk frowned. Why?
So I can cut away his robe and doctor him. Why else?
So you can kill him, he stated simply.
I would never hurt him! She placed all of the supplies on the mattress. Were dating. Or rather, they had been, BS. Before Sirena.
Good for you, but that doesnt help your case. Just so you know, Ill hurt you worse than youve ever been hurt if you injure him further. That said, he handed her a blade. Rather than leave the room, he rocked back on his heels and crossed his arms over his massive chest, as though waiting for her to mess up.
Nicola worked the tip down the center of the fabric, careful not to nick Koldos skin. By the time she got to the hem of the robe, the top part had already woven itself back together.
Help me, she commanded.
The warrior pursed his lips, as if he wasnt fond of being told what to do. Your male will owe me another favor, I think.
Another? Ill pay for your favor. Hows that?
You have nothing I desire. He bent down and ripped the robe in two, then yanked the material out from under Koldo.
So why did you just help me? She dropped the blade and grabbed the robe before the man could discard it, then draped the fabric over Koldos naked waist. He was littered with bite marks, cuts, bruises and scratches. At his neck, four tiny wounds in the shape of half-moons had turned black and now festered.
I told you. Your male will owe me another favor.
He was a great listener, wasnt he? So whats your name, anyway?
Malcolm.
Nicola cleaned each of the injuries, taking extra care with the ones on his neck. Even still, the skin broke open and pus oozed out. Couldnt be an infection, she thought. Not enough time had passed. Had to be...poison?
She reached for the blade.
Malcolm latched on to her wrist, stopping her. I knew you would make a play.
Then why hadnt he stashed the weapon away from her? To test her motives? Look, Im going to slice the wounds open the rest of the way and
His grip tightened painfully, nearly cracking bone.
A cry parted her lips.
Footsteps pounded, and then Axel was there, ripping Malcolm away from her.
What do you think youre doing, my man? the warrior demanded.
She wants to cut into his neck!
For a good cause, Nicola said with a sigh. I want to drain the wounds, and to do that, I need to widen them. Ill be careful with him. More careful than shed ever been. This man had come to mean a lot to her. More than he probably realized.
You havent seen him panting after the female, Axel told Malcolm, pushing him toward the door. If you had, youd know he wants her hands all over himwhatever she wants to do.
Panting after her? I wish. Will you guys just get out of here? Youre distracting me, and I need to concentrate. I may not be a doctor, but Ive watched every episode of House. Im pretty sure I know what Im doing.
Whether they obeyed or not, she wasnt sure. She settled beside Koldos waist, leaned forward and raised the knife.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
KOLDO TUGGED HIMSELF from the darkness and into the light. Though he was paralyzed, his mind blank, he wasnt unaware. He felt gentle hands stroking over him, easing the stings that plagued him. The moment the stroking stopped, a wave of anger stormed through him, giving him the strength he needed to jolt into mobility.
He opened his eyes, but his vision was hazed. Blink, blink. Bit by bit, things began to clear. Blink, blink. He saw the glint of a knife. Saw a female stretch that knife toward him, aiming for his neck.
His mother. His mother had escaped, was here, was determined to kill him while he was too vulnerable to fight back.
Growling from the depths of his being, he lashed out, hitting the knife and the arm that held it. A feminine moan of pain filled his ears.
A moan he recognized. Not his mothers.
Nicola?
He tried to sit up, the gentle hands suddenly replaced by strong calloused ones, applying more pressure to push him down.
He didnt mean to hurt me, the woman said.
Yes, Nicola. His Nicola.
Had she been speaking to him? Or was someone else in the room?
Of course someone else was in the room. The hands that restrained him belonged to a male. He recalled his fathers threats against Nicola....
Koldo fought against the one keeping him in place. He managed to get his fingers wrapped around hard steel bandsarms? He tossed with all of his strength. There was a crash, a cloud of plaster in the air.
Easy now, a male said.
Another voice he recognized. Not his father. But it wasnt Nicola, so he didnt care. Koldo wanted to get to her, and would do anything to succeed. He punched and punched and punched, until finally the male stopped trying to subdue him and started fighting back. But Koldo quickly got hold of something softfeathersand ripped.
A howl rent the air.
A soft weight landed on Koldo. He reached up to dislodge it, but caught Nicolas sweet scent.
Calm down, she said, fingers brushing over his jawline. You have to calm down now. All right?
Safe?
Youre safe. Im safe. Were at your home in Panama.
Trusting her, he relaxed against the mattress, wound his arms around her and held her close, breathing her in, savoring the scent of cinnamon and vanilla.
I have a bald patch now, one of the males said. Axel. Do you know how bad that sucks?
I have a broken spine, the other growled. Malcolm.
Like youve really got it worse. You might never walk again, but at least you look pretty.
You think Im pretty?
I think youre about to get a dagger in your gut.
Footsteps. Two sets, receding from the room. Malcolm must not have lost the ability to walk, after all.
Stay, Koldo said to Nicola.
I will, she whispered. Rest now.
Unable to deny her anything, he sank back into the darkness.
* * *
SHARDS OF LIGHT penetrated his consciousness. Koldo was glad, even though the light was accompanied by pain. He was used to pain. But the moment he worked his way to full consciousness, where Nicolas voice soothed and delighted, he was tugged back into the waiting darkness.
How much time passed, he wasnt sure.
The light tried again, lifting him up, higher and higher.
youre sure hes not marrying her? Nicola asked.
Positive, Axel replied.
But he doesnt lie.
He wasnt lying.
Argh! How can that be?
Ask him.
Darkness.
Light.
and all of these Sent Ones have been showing up to check on you. Ive been cooking for them, and Im getting better. A soft chuckle caressed his ears. Theres never a crumb left, and I...
The volume was cranked down before she could finish, the darkness returning.
No! No, he wanted to hear her words...everything she had to say....
The next time the light made an appearance, he heard, Im learning the most interesting things about you. You used to have hair, but then, one day, fairly recently, in fact, you didnt. You used to not talk very much at all. Magnus said the words had to be yanked out of you with pliers, but now you talk more than is wise. Their words, not mine. Elandra says youre fond of shopping for bras and panties. Im pretty sure she was joking.
He gritted his teeth and, with an internal roar, tore the rope binding him to all that darkness.
His eyelids flipped open.
Unlike the first time, there was no haze. He saw Nicola sitting beside him, her features smooth rather than bathed in worry as she looked down, her hair caught up and gleaming, her clothes neat and tidy. And she utterly took his breath away.
He smacked his lips together, tasting mint. She must have brushed his teeth for him. Though his arm was weak, shaky, he managed to reach up and pinch the ends of her hair. She gasped in surprise and met his gaze. He lost his breath all over again. Those eyes...a summer storm, heat rising, steaming up the flower gardens.
Youre awake. She leaned over him to flatten her palm against his brow. And your fever is gone.
The position pressed her body against his, delighting him. Then she settled back into place, ending the contact, annoying him.
How long have I been out? he asked, a rough quality to his voice. He took stock. He was naked, a sheet draped over his middle.
Three days.
Once again, hed lost three days to his father. He remembered...fighting the Nefas and the demons, winning when the Sent Ones arrived, but not being able to flash away. Had the ability returned? He wanted to try, but didnt want to leave Nicola. More than that, he knew it would be better to wait until he was stronger. If he failed right now, just because he was weak and hadnt fully fought off the poison, he would waste precious time and energy fretting.
Oh, and before I forget, Axel told me to tell you hes been taking care of your dirty little secret in the backyard.
His mother, he realized, his tension increasing.
I wanted to stay as close to your side as possible and havent yet investigated the yardwhich I totally plan to do, I wont lie about that. So you might as well fess up and tell me what your dirty little secret is, she said.
Hed wanted her to know. Just...not right now. Hed tell her when he was stronger. Nothing that concerns you, he croaked.
You dont trust me? A wealth of hurt in her tone.
I trust you more than Ive ever trusted another, but one has nothing to do with the other. To distract her, he said, What have you been doing all this time?
A moment passed. She sighed and said, Ive been taking care of you, entertaining your friends. Staying calm, happy. And guess what? Deep down, I knew you would heal. Just like me! Ive been getting stronger, too. Isnt that wonderful?
Wonderful, he parroted. If she was better...
She set his hand back at his side, reached toward the nightstand and lifted a cup of water. You talked in your sleep, you know.
He tensed, saying, About what?
A gleam of sadness in her eyes as she quietly said, About a mother who ripped out your wings and a father who tossed you into a pit of snakes. Youd told me they were awful to you, but I hadnt imagined how bad. She placed the straw at his lips. Drink.
He obeyed. He didnt know what else to do. His stomach twisted, nearly rejecting the cool, sweet liquid trickling down his throat. Perhaps now was the time to tell her about his mother, after all.
Why dont I tell you something about my past? she suggested. That way, well be even.
Perhaps not. He nodded, intrigued, hungry for more information about her. Any information.