Archangel's Enigma
Page 84
Unable to contain the fury, she struck out with one red-tipped hand. Black shards erupted, demolishing the trees in front of her to dust. She jerked . . . and then she smiled. This humiliating weakness was bearable if her deadly abilities were returning to their full strength. A Sleeping Alexander would have no defense against them. She was a goddess, while he had spent the past four hundred years in stasis.
He might’ve beaten her in combat when she was an angel on the verge of becoming an archangel and Alexander already an Ancient, but she was stronger than him now. He wouldn’t walk away from her this time, a tall golden-haired creature with silver wings who’d turned down what other men had coveted.
For a moment, she hesitated, echoes of that hopeful, sweet, smart girl in her soul. That girl had seen only wonder in the world. That girl had known Alexander was a piece of light that would burn through eternity, a man of war who had gained immeasurable wisdom over the ages he’d seen pass.
“My beautiful Zhou Lijuan.” His fingers brushing her cheekbones, his silver eyes holding her in thrall. “So delicate and strong and full of such power.”
Her palm tingled in a sudden sensory memory of closing over the thickness of his wrist. “Why won’t you be with me?” He admired her, she could see that. “I can walk by your side, be your partner as you would be mine.”
A gentle shake of his head. “You must grow on your own. Perhaps in seven thousand years, we can come together again. When you are in your power and we are equals. Now . . . I would crush you without meaning to, and you are destined for greatness.”
Seven thousand years.
It had passed, she suddenly realized. Perhaps killing him wasn’t the answer . . .
The rage rushed back in on a black roar. Not because Alexander had rejected her; she had forgotten that long ago, had fallen passionately in love with another man. For an eon, Alexander had been nothing but a sweet memory of her youth, one that caused her amused fondness. She’d been a pup in awe of a beautiful Ancient.
No, her rage came from the idea that Alexander, this silver-winged Sleeper of the prophecy, would one day seek to destroy her. No one had that right. And they weren’t equals. No one was her equal. She was Zhou Lijuan and she would rule the world before this Cascade was done.
Throwing back her head, she laughed for the first time since Raphael had hurt her.
37
Naasir sensed two more booby traps over the next three hours. Andromeda caught another one, warned by a change in the air currents that he’d dismissed as natural. It turned out it was an ancient trick Andromeda had read of in a book.
“You should read more,” she teased when he grumbled about missing the trap.
“You can read to me. I like listening to stories.”
“I will.”
Even in the darkness, he saw the sadness in her expression, knew she was once again hiding something from him. Frustrated he couldn’t confront her about it right then, he leaned in and nipped her ear again.
She jumped, then pushed his chest. “Stop it.” A scowl. “We’ll discuss your biting habit later.”
“The same time we discuss your habit of keeping secrets,” he said and saw her face fall. “Tunnels are starting to go steadily downhill.”
“If we run into a wing brother, don’t kill or injure.” Andromeda’s voice was urgent. “If Alexander is watching on some level, that will immediately turn him against us.”
Naasir scowled. “I’d planned to knock them out.”
“We could tie them up and gag them. There’s a T-shirt in the pack we can tear into strips.”
Naasir wasn’t convinced such measures would be effective against men and women as highly trained as the wing brothers, but knew she was right about not angering Alexander. Even gagging and tying up the sentinels could be read as an attack, but they had to take that risk.
He turned sideways, so the pack faced her. “Give me the T-shirt.”
When she put it into his hand, he used his claws to silently tear it into strips that she stuffed in an easily reachable pocket of the pack, working by touch.
He wanted to kiss her again. He hated being down here and he could see in the dark. It had to be a hundred times worse for her, but she kept going. “Ready?”
“Let’s go.”
Hands linked, they carried on. There were more traps, including one that he had to spring in order for them to pass. A hundred crossbow bolts embedded into the opposite wall with deadly force a heartbeat after he triggered the mechanism and spun out of the way. Only after they were all expended did Naasir crawl underneath, making a worried Andromeda wait on the other side and pushing the pack ahead of him in case there were pressure switches embedded in the tunnel floor.
They took a short break afterward, drinking water from the bottle in the pack and eating more of the dried food. Thankfully, they’d stored food in both packs.
“No more jerky,” Andromeda muttered, giving that to him. “I’m eating the nuts and fruits.”
He decided that was okay, since she’d had jerky while they were above. Eating the leathery meat gave him no pleasure but it was fuel and it would keep him going without blood for a while.
Washing it down with water, he rose and tugged up his mate. “It won’t be far now.”
“I’m okay. Excited.” A smile that lit up the darkest shadows. “We might be about to wake an Ancient. Right now, I don’t even care that he might wake angry.”
Nuzzling at her, he grinned. “Wild and fearless and a little bad. Perfect.”
Eyes sparkling in the darkness, she bit down on her full lower lip as if stifling a laugh.
He might’ve beaten her in combat when she was an angel on the verge of becoming an archangel and Alexander already an Ancient, but she was stronger than him now. He wouldn’t walk away from her this time, a tall golden-haired creature with silver wings who’d turned down what other men had coveted.
For a moment, she hesitated, echoes of that hopeful, sweet, smart girl in her soul. That girl had seen only wonder in the world. That girl had known Alexander was a piece of light that would burn through eternity, a man of war who had gained immeasurable wisdom over the ages he’d seen pass.
“My beautiful Zhou Lijuan.” His fingers brushing her cheekbones, his silver eyes holding her in thrall. “So delicate and strong and full of such power.”
Her palm tingled in a sudden sensory memory of closing over the thickness of his wrist. “Why won’t you be with me?” He admired her, she could see that. “I can walk by your side, be your partner as you would be mine.”
A gentle shake of his head. “You must grow on your own. Perhaps in seven thousand years, we can come together again. When you are in your power and we are equals. Now . . . I would crush you without meaning to, and you are destined for greatness.”
Seven thousand years.
It had passed, she suddenly realized. Perhaps killing him wasn’t the answer . . .
The rage rushed back in on a black roar. Not because Alexander had rejected her; she had forgotten that long ago, had fallen passionately in love with another man. For an eon, Alexander had been nothing but a sweet memory of her youth, one that caused her amused fondness. She’d been a pup in awe of a beautiful Ancient.
No, her rage came from the idea that Alexander, this silver-winged Sleeper of the prophecy, would one day seek to destroy her. No one had that right. And they weren’t equals. No one was her equal. She was Zhou Lijuan and she would rule the world before this Cascade was done.
Throwing back her head, she laughed for the first time since Raphael had hurt her.
37
Naasir sensed two more booby traps over the next three hours. Andromeda caught another one, warned by a change in the air currents that he’d dismissed as natural. It turned out it was an ancient trick Andromeda had read of in a book.
“You should read more,” she teased when he grumbled about missing the trap.
“You can read to me. I like listening to stories.”
“I will.”
Even in the darkness, he saw the sadness in her expression, knew she was once again hiding something from him. Frustrated he couldn’t confront her about it right then, he leaned in and nipped her ear again.
She jumped, then pushed his chest. “Stop it.” A scowl. “We’ll discuss your biting habit later.”
“The same time we discuss your habit of keeping secrets,” he said and saw her face fall. “Tunnels are starting to go steadily downhill.”
“If we run into a wing brother, don’t kill or injure.” Andromeda’s voice was urgent. “If Alexander is watching on some level, that will immediately turn him against us.”
Naasir scowled. “I’d planned to knock them out.”
“We could tie them up and gag them. There’s a T-shirt in the pack we can tear into strips.”
Naasir wasn’t convinced such measures would be effective against men and women as highly trained as the wing brothers, but knew she was right about not angering Alexander. Even gagging and tying up the sentinels could be read as an attack, but they had to take that risk.
He turned sideways, so the pack faced her. “Give me the T-shirt.”
When she put it into his hand, he used his claws to silently tear it into strips that she stuffed in an easily reachable pocket of the pack, working by touch.
He wanted to kiss her again. He hated being down here and he could see in the dark. It had to be a hundred times worse for her, but she kept going. “Ready?”
“Let’s go.”
Hands linked, they carried on. There were more traps, including one that he had to spring in order for them to pass. A hundred crossbow bolts embedded into the opposite wall with deadly force a heartbeat after he triggered the mechanism and spun out of the way. Only after they were all expended did Naasir crawl underneath, making a worried Andromeda wait on the other side and pushing the pack ahead of him in case there were pressure switches embedded in the tunnel floor.
They took a short break afterward, drinking water from the bottle in the pack and eating more of the dried food. Thankfully, they’d stored food in both packs.
“No more jerky,” Andromeda muttered, giving that to him. “I’m eating the nuts and fruits.”
He decided that was okay, since she’d had jerky while they were above. Eating the leathery meat gave him no pleasure but it was fuel and it would keep him going without blood for a while.
Washing it down with water, he rose and tugged up his mate. “It won’t be far now.”
“I’m okay. Excited.” A smile that lit up the darkest shadows. “We might be about to wake an Ancient. Right now, I don’t even care that he might wake angry.”
Nuzzling at her, he grinned. “Wild and fearless and a little bad. Perfect.”
Eyes sparkling in the darkness, she bit down on her full lower lip as if stifling a laugh.
