Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

W e fly over the Dark Forest and land in a large clearing Keva led me to a while back. This is the primary home of the Zelons, and I immediately spot Keva as he bounds toward me.

I raise my hands to stop him, but he's too fast, knocking me down and licking my face with his long, rough tongue.

"Keva!" I laugh, shoving at his muscular chest before wiping the slobber from my face.

He backs off enough to allow me up, and I spot Finlay stifling a laugh, his arms crossed over his chest. His expression shifts in an instant when Keva advances on him. His face pales, and he takes a few steps back.

"Woah," he says, and now I'm the one laughing.

"Keva," I warn, and he ducks his head down in invitation to Finlay. "It's okay. You can pat him."

Finlay shoots me a look that says, Why the hell would I want to do that?

I roll my eyes. "He won't hurt you."

Finlay sighs, then carefully inches forward and runs his hand down Keva's neck. Keva purrs in response and presses his head into Finlay's hand, which is enough to calm his nerves. He laughs and shifts his focus to me for a moment.

"This is crazy," he says through a wide grin. "How did we not know the Zelons were like this?"

I shrug, moving around the other side of Keva, and glide my hand over his back. "I don't know. Maybe no one gave them a chance. We have always viewed them as dangerous."

Several other Zelons pad into the clearing, their young running around their paws, batting one another playfully. They hesitate when they spot Finlay, but Keva lets out a yelp, and they seem to relax. I've noticed the various ways in which they communicate, and I'm learning to better understand it.

I touch Keva's scar, which seems to have improved since the last time I saw him. Maybe the other Zelons were able to help him. That, or the forest has. Either way, I'm relieved that he's doing better.

"That was a close call, huh, boy?" I say, and he grunts in response. "I know you can understand me, and there's something I have to ask you."

He circles around the back of Finlay and plonks himself down on his butt, bumping into him in the process and knocking him to the side. Cheeky thing. He looks at me, and I get the sense he's ready to hear me out.

I tuck my hair behind my ears. "The King needs the Zelons to guard the perimeter of the Kingdom. Do you remember the creature that chased us?"

A low growl rumbles in his chest, and his ears perk up.

"I take it you remember," I say with a glance at Finlay, who is watching with piqued interest. "Well, we need to protect the Kingdom, and the King feels the Zelons can help do this. Can you help us?"

He grunts, swipes his tongue around his mouth, and springs to all fours.

"Do you think that's a yes?" Finlay asks.

Keva pads toward me and rubs his face against mine, then bounds off to join the other Zelons. I know he understood me. Somehow, we share a connection that I didn't know was possible. He trusts me, and I him.

"He understands. Let's just hope the other Zelons do, too."

Over the next week, further reports of attacks on Earth come in, and everyone in the Kingdom is on edge, especially me. I haven't seen Demetros or Lacinda in a long time, and I fear them being down on Earth, vulnerable to these attacks.

Despite his concerns, Harlum agreed I can assemble a team of guardians and seconds to fly down to Earth and find out what's happening. I can hardly wait to leave so I can find my friends and ensure they're okay.

Harlum's concern surprised me, but he agreed I was the suitable choice to lead this mission to Earth, given the fact I have had an encounter with one of the creatures. I know what we're looking for. I chose to take Finlay and Nilo with me, along with three other guards who Nilo insisted on taking. We're gathered in the armory within the castle, strapping weapons to ourselves and preparing to leave when Amaros bursts into the room.

Here we go.

He storms toward me, fury blazing in his gaze. "You were planning to go to Earth on some suicide mission without my protection?"

"Excuse me?" I fold my arms and glare at him, and we have a stare-off before the others quietly vacate the room, giving us some space.

His chest heaves with each heavy breath, and he grinds his jaw, seething with anger. "What makes you think you can handle such a mission? This is no time to prove your strength, Zarla. This is dangerous."

My mouth drops open, and then I close it and grit my teeth. The nerve of this male. "Do you honestly think I have to run this by you? You don't own me. You do understand Harlum approved this mission?"

He rears back slightly, his brow furrowed.

Right. So he didn't know. Typical. I raise my brows, awaiting his response, and he shuffles from one foot to the other.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought this was some sort of rash decision on your part."

I shake my head, unfolding my arms, and narrow my eyes at him. "Of course you did," I say, crossing the room to strap more weapons to my body.

I snatch two swords and slip them into the holsters on my back, crisscrossing the blades. Footsteps sound as he slowly approaches behind me. He's too close, and I don't like it. At least, I shouldn't. But I do. Sort of.

He gently touches my upper arms, and I jolt away from him. Despite how my body feels, my mind knows what he's done. What he's kept from me. And I can't pretend it doesn't kill me inside.

I reluctantly turn to face him, and he raises his hands, a look of concern in his eyes.

"Did I do something?" he asks. "Because you've been acting off for a while now."

Gods above, I want to tell him what I know. Tell him I know what he did. I want to yell at him, hit him, make him understand how broken I feel inside. But I can't. Not yet, at least. So instead, I'm going to pretend everything's fine. I have to get down to Earth. That's my priority right now. Not Amaros's hurt feelings.

"I'm fine. I have to go." After snatching up my cloak from the coat stand in the corner of the room, I throw it on.

I yank the door open and find the others are already gathered in the corridor, and they look like warriors with all their weapons. Good.

Amaros grabs my arm, and I reluctantly face him.

"Let me come with you," he says with urgency, his eyes searching mine for something he won't find. "Please."

I don't like seeing the sadness in his gaze. Despite everything he has done, I am struggling to stay mad at him. But I can't pretend the hurt he has caused isn't there, and I'm not even close to being ready to speak to him about it, let alone forgive him.

I gently tug my arm free, and his shoulders sink, along with any hope he was holding on to at being allowed to tag along.

"Be safe." His gaze shifts to the guards behind me. "You protect her at all costs. You hear?"

He storms off and disappears around the corner, and the guards shuffle nervously, clearly unsure if they can uphold their end of his demand. I swallow the lump in my throat and plaster a smile on my face.

"Everyone ready?" I ask, ignoring the tension clogging the air.

When no one responds, Nilo clears his throat and takes a step forward. "We are."

Without further thought, I make my way through the castle and out the main entrance. I release my wings, and the others follow suit. Uncertainty swirls inside me, but I shove it aside. Now's not the time to second-guess myself or this mission. We have no choice. We have to find out how bad things are down there.

I take off into the sky, the sound of flapping wings behind telling me the others have done the same. Finlay and Nilo flank me on either side, and the other three guards fly ahead, taking Amaros's demands way too seriously. I roll my eyes but allow them to lead the way.

We're soon descending to Earth, the cool wind blasting through my wings and chilling me to my core. And then a wave of emotion hits me. Kyle's in trouble. I tug my wings close and dive past the three guards, free-falling down to Earth faster than I probably should. But I don't care. Safety isn't my concern right now, at least not my own anyway.

I sense Kyle in the city, close to where he lived on the farm. A soft glow catches my eye, and my focus snaps to my mother's ring, which is glowing red. That's never a good sign. Is it watchers?

The city approaches fast, and I put my veil in place and land on the pavement in an alleyway behind a tall brick building.

Soft thuds sound behind, signalling that the others have joined me. I close my eyes and focus on my connection to Kyle. Once I've located him, I snap my eyes open and take off on foot around the front of the building and down the street.

Zarla, wait up! Finlay calls through the mind link, but I don't have time to stop.

Something's wrong.

I round the next corner, immediately coming to a halt when I spot him, and Finlay and Nilo bump into me. My focus zeros in on the fight taking place between Kyle, a bunch of other archangels, and the creatures, or lost ones, or whatever they are.

Em is here too, and jealousy swirls inside me. What is she doing here with Kyle? Questions buzz through my mind, but I don't have time to second-guess her presence.

Drawing my swords, I race into the chaos, slashing a creature across its back. It lets out an ear-piercing screech and advances on me.

Kyle and I lock stares, and he dips his head in greeting before refocusing on the creature snapping at him. He plunges his dagger into its neck, and black blood bursts out, squirting over Em. I can't help but smirk, which doesn't last long when another creature comes at me. I spin around and slash my blade across its throat, taking it down easily. Three more lost ones charge at me.

I pull my second sword and swing my blades through the air, slashing the lost ones as they advance on me, one by one. As I breathe hard, more lost ones appear, and it's like a never-ending swarm of them. Where are they coming from? I have little time to think about that as they swarm me, and I slip into autopilot, utilising my training from the academy as I attack, taking them down.

But just as I'm pulling my sword from a lost one's back, hot pain shoots down my shoulder, Kyle's pain, and my attention shifts to him. He's injured. Badly. I slash through the horde of lost ones surrounding me with one sole focus. To get to Kyle. I drop to his side as the others move closer to protect us, fighting the lost ones as I assess Kyle's injury.

"What happened? Did it slash you?" I ask, frantically searching his shoulder for claw marks, but it's just a gash, likely from a blade.

He winces through the pain. "No, it didn't. I'll be fine."

I raise my hand and hover it above the wound on his shoulder, despite his protests, and allow my power to heal him as the chaos unfolds around us. I help Kyle to his feet as a scream cuts through the air, the situation stealing my focus for a moment, and it's enough for a lost one to get the better of me.

It leaps at me and takes me down, and I land hard on my side. There's a distinct crack, and I wince as a sharp pain radiates up my side.

"Zarla!" Kyle calls out.

The lost one snaps its rotten, bloody teeth at my neck and I push through the pain, using whatever strength I can to hold it back. I scream, the pain making it difficult to hold it back much longer. Glancing over to Kyle, I spot several lost ones homing in on him. He's clearly outnumbered and can't help me. There are far too many of them.

After reaching for one of my daggers, I stab the creature in the stomach, yanking my blade up, spilling its insides all over me. I heave it off and roll out from under it, shoving it to the side.

Gross. Totally gross.

I'm on my feet in an instant and blast my powers at the group of ravenous lost ones overwhelming Kyle, sending them flying across the pavement. It gives Kyle a chance to get back on his feet. But the relief is short-lived when a lost one leaps at me out of nowhere and slashes its claws down my back.

I cry out as searing hot pain slices through me, igniting my skin with a burning intensity unlike anything I've ever experienced. I fall onto my hands and knees, my screams penetrating the air.. My vision blurs, and I fall face-first onto the cool concrete pavement. Panic takes hold of me when I find I can't feel my legs.

Oh no. What's happening to me?

A slash from a lost one can be deadly. Gods above, am I dying?

"Zarla!" someone calls, but I find myself fading.

The pain is too much to bear. Everything around me blurs as my vision shifts. Kyle drops to my side, and I know he's doing something, but I can't feel it. Male voices argue in the distance, and I feel as though I'm in a tunnel, far, far away.

I dart my gaze around and spot the others fighting the last of the lost ones. Finlay is somewhere behind me checking the slash across my back, and Kyle is gripping my hand tight with Nilo at his side.

"We need to get her to the healers! Now!" Nilo shouts.

Finlay tries to pick me up, and Kyle grabs hold of his arm to stop him.

"Do not touch her," Kyle demands.

"I'm taking her back to Silanthia, to our healers," Finlay says.

Kyle growls in warning. "No. She's coming back to Zarquon with me."

Nilo shoves Kyle. "Enough of this. Take her. Now!"

Without further discussion, Kyle scoops me up in his arms, and I can't move. But the pain is still there, and it's almost the only thing I can focus on. I'm fading further. Images blur past me, and I realise we're flying.

In no time at all, we're in Zarquon. I think. Kyle's worried face is the last thing I see before I black out from the pain.

I wake in an unfamiliar room before realising I'm with the healers. I'm on my stomach, and the pain is still there, but nowhere near as bad as it was. Reaching up, I rub my eyes, and my focus clears. Kyle's at my side, lying on his back on a table next to mine. The healers move around, brushing some sort of green paste across scratches and grazes on his skin that don't look good.

He slowly turns his head and locks eyes with mine. "I'm so sorry."

I frown at his words. I open my mouth to protest but find my throat is too dry to talk.

Why isn't my body healing itself? A chill prickles my skin when I realise maybe I can't heal myself from a lost one's slash.

Voices sound in the hallway outside. It's Finlay and Nilo.

Zarla, can you hear me? Are you okay? Finlay asks through my mind.

I wet my lips and try to swallow, but my mouth is too dry.

"Water," I choke out, and a healer brings a glass to my lips.

I attempt to sit up and immediately regret the decision, so instead, I sip the water slowly while remaining on my stomach.

Zarla? Finlay says, his voice urgent.

I'm awake, I tell him. In pain, but I'm alive. I'm okay.

The door bursts open, and Finlay stands in the doorway with Nilo's muscular arms wrapped around him, attempting to haul him back out. Finlay's eyes find mine, and we stare at one another for a moment.

There's a clang as Kyle knocks something off his table while trying to stand, and the healers attempt to restrain him.

"You!" Kyle's voice booms as he points at him, and the healers advance on Finlay.

"Get out!" the one in charge yells, but Finlay doesn't move as his gaze darts to mine.

I'm okay, I say. You'd better wait outside.

He gives the healer a sharp nod, and Nilo apologizes, then drags him outside and closes the doors. Kyle sits on his table and raises his hands in surrender as the healers scold him.

"Was that necessary?" I ask, my voice still raspy.

His jaw tenses, and he takes a long pause before responding. "Yes, it was."

I can sense through the bond his ring provides that he blames himself for what happened to me. He feels responsible, even though he isn't. I rushed into the fight, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if he was in trouble.

"Kyle, this isn't your fault." I cough to clear my throat.

He lies on his back at the healer's request and stares at the ceiling.

"You could've been killed. I put your life in danger." His voice is quiet, almost distant.

"No, that's not true. You could've been killed if we hadn't shown up. You and the rest of your team. I could sense you were in trouble, and I don't regret my actions. I'd do it again."

He turns his head and stares at me.

"I wouldn't hesitate to jump into any situation to save your life, and I know you would do the same for me."

Before he can respond, Zeta bursts through the doors and hurries to Kyle's side, scanning his body for injuries. "Thank the gods you're all right."

She takes his hand and gives it a squeeze, then looks over at me. "Zarla, thank you for being there. I'm glad you're okay. The guards told me what happened."

"Of course."

"I have received word that Harlum and Zalore have agreed to meet. Thank you for initiating this, Zarla. I don't doubt the weight your word had on Harlum. This situation is more serious than we realised, and we must act now." She moves to my side. "Rest up, then get back to your Kingdom when you can. They will expect you at the meeting."

After several more hours of sleep, the healers give us the all clear. They said they have never seen injuries like ours before, but they have done their best.

These lost ones are dangerous. What do they want? And where are they coming from?

This meeting with the three Kingdoms better go well, because if these slaughters continue, the angel race could be in danger of extinction.

Kyle takes me back to his quarters after I assure Finlay and Nilo I'm okay and that they can head back to Silanthia. Finlay refuses to leave, saying he will wait and accompany me back when I'm ready. Nilo heads back with the other guards to explain what happened and prepare for the meeting.

As we step into Kyle's quarters, I can't help the worry gnawing away inside me. He's acting off, and it better not be because he still blames himself.

I ease myself down onto the edge of his bed, expecting him to join me, but he crosses the room and leans against the far wall, folding his arms over his chest. The tail of his dragon tattoo catches my eye, swirling around his muscular arm.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

He glances down at his feet, as if he can't even make eye contact with me.

"Kyle?" I stand and walk over to him and run my hands over his arms, craving his touch, but he doesn't react the same way as he usually does.

Is he feeling guilty for what happened with the lost one? Or has this got something to do with Em?

He reluctantly meets my gaze. "Nothing."

My heart sinks. Why is he being distant? "Is this about Em?"

His focus snaps to mine. "Of course not. She's a powerful fighter. I didn't get to choose my team. They sent us down to Earth after being made aware of a group of archangels in trouble, but when we got there, we couldn't find them."

Something occurs to me then. "Did you notice the lost ones seemed to gravitate toward you, as if you were their target?"

"No, you must've imagined that," he says, brushing off the idea.

I wrap my arms around his waist, hoping my touch will soothe his guilt. "I've got to get back to Silanthia to prepare for the meeting."

He nods but doesn't respond, and instead slides his arms around me.

I take his face between my hands and force him to look at me. "I love you. More than anything, and I will always protect you."

I kiss him, and he hesitates at first before curling his hand behind my neck and deepening the kiss as strong passion takes hold of us both.

I can sense his lust, but there's more to it, and I can't help but feel like this is a goodbye kiss. Without overthinking it, I give in to his touch, devouring him. He moves me around, pins me against the wall, and runs his hands down my sides before settling them on my ass and lifting me up. I wrap my legs around his waist, and his desire presses against me. I want more. But he sets me down, breaking the kiss as he leans forward to rest his forehead against mine.

"I love you," I whisper.

"I love you, too." There's an unsettling sadness in his words that knots my stomach.

I reluctantly leave his quarters and meet Finlay outside the castle. We make our way to the Gateway of the Gods and back into Silanthia to prepare for the council meeting and find out what the hell is going on with the lost ones.

The entire way, unease grows inside me at how distant Kyle felt, and why that kiss seemed like it may well have been our last.