When Angels Cry Page 7

  For now, Taren followed her in the daylight with the human, his uniform folded into a leather shoulder bag while he wore clothes to blend in with the humans. His wings wouldn't heal this way, but he had to get close to her to activate the chip he'd implanted.

  That morning he'd nearly lost her as she'd ridden off in one of the vehicles with the human. Luck had been on his side, though, as one of their taxis had been nearby.

  He'd followed them to a few places until they came here, something they called a museum. Interesting displays, but his focus was on the Crystal Keeper. He waited for the right opportunity to move in and activate the chip. Although he now knew where she stayed, she could move any time, and she could fly while he couldn't. He could lose her on that world if he didn't act quickly.

  The human complicated matters. Taren didn't want to involve any of them, and after some trouble killing a few street thugs for their money, he'd learned his lesson not to take matters to extremes. It had alerted the authorities, and others had been ready for him when he found them.

  This had to be done with subtlety until he had a plan for capturing her that didn't involve humans and ensured she wouldn't escape.

  First to activate that chip; there would be nowhere on Earth that she could hide once that was done.

  * * *

  Padina studied the familiar script in concentric circles of text from the center to the outer edge of the stone plate as tall as her. Inari had been to Earth many times in the last six thousand years of history, soon after Heffin's Gate was constructed to use the unique power of the Starfire. Some speculated that Inari had been to Earth before the Starfire ever linked the worlds, but the records of such expeditions were rumors only.

  This stone monolith proved otherwise.

  "No one knows what it means. Some speculate that it's a clue to the location of Atlantis."

  She blinked and turned to Scott, who bent over a plaque on the glass case housing the artifact. Atlantis. Scott had read from his encyclopedia about the mythical civilization written about by a philosopher named Plato. The name of the mythological civilization had a ring of Inari to it, but that wasn't likely. That name wasn't used anywhere on the stone.

  "But it's supposed to be around twelve thousand years old."

  Over fourteen thousand Inari years. Then they had discovered Earth long before the Starfire came to them. It should have been recorded but there had been nothing about Earth in their history before its discovery in the activation of Heffin's Gate.

  Padina studied the script more closely. It described a history and a warning. She twisted to follow the script around, confused by a few symbols that were similar to what she recognized but didn't seem to fit in context.

  "Fascinating. Isn't it?"

  She continued reading, ignoring Scott as she tried to make sense of the language of her people from long ago. It hadn't changed much, but some of the symbols were a little different. The story described a horrible war with another species that threatened the homeworld and all life on it. A group of colonists left the homeworld and discovered Earth, except Earth was already inhabited. They tried to remain unnoticed, hiding on an island far from human civilization, where they could fly and live at the same level of technology as that they had known on the homeworld. They had even set up barriers to deter humans…

  "Paddy?"

  A warm touch on her shoulder couldn't distract her from reading.

  "What are you doing?"

  She waved him away, intent on the story and the connection to her home, except for the occasional irritation from the healing sore on her neck from the Shirukan attack. Earth might not be so far from home as she had thought.

  "You memorizing it?"

  Yes, she was, but not in the way he probably thought. Still, he didn't need to suspect she knew anything.

  "Maybe I'll just wander a bit, until you're ready."

  That would be fine with her. She focused on the story of the colony settling, not caring what Scott did in the museum as long as she had that connection. The colonists were forced from their home, like her, and had no other choice but to settle on Earth.

  The presence of others behind her viewing the exhibit grew into an unpleasant warmth that made her step back.

  Before an exhibit a few steps away, a man in an open black coat gave her a look that sent a shiver through her. It couldn't be! Her heart stopped on that moment, but he turned his back.

  "Paddy." Scott stepped in to cut off her view. "Finally done with that thing?"

  She peeked around him, but the man studied a different exhibit. She must have imagined that look when their eyes met. The Shirukan soldier was dead.

  Scott's eyes drifted past her to the display. "Atlantis is just a story, but ancient wonders are interesting, especially when they seemed to know so much and lose it all. A lesson for generations to come." With a hand on her lower back reassuring her that she wasn't alone, he guided her toward the other displays. "Shall we move on? It's almost lunch time."

  "Yes." She glanced back at the ancient stone plate, feeling closer to home than she had in a long time. In that moment, she met the eyes of the man in black again, but this time, the dark look he gave her made her heart nearly jump from her chest.

  Scott halted and twisted back. "Is something wrong?"

  The man turned away, his eyes on the stone tablet she had been studying. She was wrong. She had to be. He couldn't be the Shirukan. Three days ago he had fallen to his death. Or had he? She was so distraught over the possibility of attacking him in anger that she hadn't watched.

  Crystal fire! He might have survived.

  "Paddy?"

  She flashed a smile to Scott, eager to avoid any questions and to get away from the stranger. "No. We go?"

  The rest of the museum interested her less than the plate, but human history was just as fascinating without the connection to her kind. Too bad that exhibit was only on temporary loan. Still, it gave her a sense that she wasn't alone hiding on Earth.

  Nor could she escape the feeling of someone following them, yet every time she glanced around, she saw no other sign of the creepy stranger. Had the Shirukan survived?

  10

  After spending Monday with her nerves on edge, Padina welcomed Tuesday and the return with Scott to the clinic for her last treatment. She was ready to ask Doctor Torres what he knew about the symbol on his hand.

  He entered with a grave expression that triggered a sense of caution in her as he shut the door and stepped to the chair at the desk. Something was wrong. She wrung her hands in her lap, her breath frozen in her lungs.

  "You have questions I'm not prepared to answer. I've done some thinking, though, especially after the reports of angels in the sky over the cities last week—"

  Crystal fire! He was going to say he knew.

  "You can't be out flying like that if you stay any longer."

  She gasped. "You know!"

  Torres sat back with a deep breath. "We're a small, ancient order scattered around the globe. I'll do what I can to help you while you're here, but you must not expose yourself."

  He cared, but the concern in his voice raised alarms in her mind. Shame caught up and triggered a wave of tears that threatened to flow. "I did…bad?" Not flying would be torture. How could she live on Earth trapped in a life that wasn't hers?

  "Not bad, but you've aroused the public. They'll be watching and waiting, and they'll track you to the where you're living. That man with you will be in danger too."

  Scott? She couldn't do that to him, but she couldn't leave him, not now. "What do?" What was he recommending? She wanted to trust him, and his advice was sound. She should have known from the news report the day after her arrival, but the lure of flying again had been irresistible.

  "Stay out of sight."

  "No flying?" None at all?

  The expression on his face softened into something warm and understanding. "If you must, reserve it for rural areas, where you're not as likely to be seen."

>   Worry melted from her. At least he didn't forbid her completely, but he was right to be concerned. She should have been more careful.

  "I'll do what I can to assist you, Padina. On my honor as a protector and my duty to serve the Crystal Keepers."

  Her did know! She had so many questions, but he raised a hand before she could ask.

  "I can't tell you more than that, but I can say that, while you're here, you have friends."

  "Thank you." If he couldn't say anything more, she had to respect that. Just having someone to talk to made her feel better.

  He leaned forward, his eyes on the arm where the brace should have been. "Does the young man know?" Doctor Torres frowned as he pushed up the sleeve of her jacket. "When did you remove the brace?"

  Warmth rose to her face as if he caught her doing something wrong, but she hadn't killed the Shirukan, if she was right. A shudder passed through her at the possibility that he was still out there, recovering and waiting to attack again. "Bad man attack. I defended…Brace melted."

  "I see." His eyes went to the marks on her hand, then to the crystal hanging at her chest. "You're here to protect it?"

  "Yes. Shirat Marin sending Shirukan to take Starfire. I escaping here. One followed, wanting me to taking home."

  He examined her hand over and under and manipulated it different ways before letting go and sitting back in his chair. "This one attacked you and you melted the brace?"

  "Yes." He understood. Relief sagged her shoulders. "Using Starfire to…" What was the word she wanted? The entities weren't helping her much. "To attacking him." That wasn't right, or it was but not the way she wanted to say it.

  "In self-defense?"

  "Yes." That was it. Self-defense. She was defending herself and the Starfire, and her child.

  Padina looked down and put her other hand to her abdomen. The baby was safe, for now.

  "Did this Shirukan survive?"

  "I being not sure, but maybe." Images of the man at the museum returned in full clarity, making her shudder. "Seeing him after, yes. At museum."

  "If he finds you, will he kill?"

  "He needing me for going home."

  A thoughtful expression returned to the doctor's face, one that unsettled her.

  "Have you discussed this with your host?" That gaze made her shift to escape the accusation. She knew what he was saying but hadn't wanted to admit it. Could she trust Scott, though?

  "Scott not knowing."

  "Scott is his name? How do you feel about him?"

  The rush of warmth that rose up her body surprised her, but it didn't. She'd been ignoring the simple feelings for the man who took on so much for her that she could never repay. It wasn't the same as her bond to Jerantis, a bond severed not long ago, yet Scott's presence had eased the pain. Humans weren't genetically compatible, so she supposed they could never bond. She was fond of him, though, as more than just someone who helped her. Scott's kindness had touched her emotions, filling the void of emptiness with his companionship and the gentleness of his touch.

  "I see…It's not my place to tell you what decision to make, but if you plan on staying with him, sooner or later he'll find out."

  "I know." If she stayed and had her baby on Earth, it would be obvious the child wasn't human. And Scott had already questioned her about the feathers. He had to suspect something, but he hadn't said anything more to her. Only one problem worried her—that he would find out before it was safe to return home, and not like her anymore.

  The thought of him rejecting her because she was different tangled her emotions in her throat. She cared about what he thought of her. She wanted him to love her.

  Doctor Torres closed the file folder and stood up with it. In a soft voice, he said, "You'll have to decide what's right for you. You know where to find me if you have questions."

  Padina nodded, her voice choked so she had to swallow the lump and wipe her eyes.

  "The nurse will be in shortly. Good luck, Padina."

  She never looked up, but the click of the door shutting echoed in the room. If she could hold off one more month on telling Scott, she would be able to leave if he didn't take the news well. But she didn't want to leave him.

  11

  Another week passed with her growing more anxious each day. Padina tried to occupy her time learning about Earth, but she kept thinking about the Shirukan, and Scott and the baby and the Starfire. She had to see a body to know the Shirukan was dead, but she wasn't exactly in a rush to find one. Yet only when she saw that would she rest easy. Over a week had passed since the Shirukan had last attacked. If he had survived, he would have had to expose his wings all that time to be anywhere close to healed enough to attack again.

  If he survived. He could be dead and the man at the museum just a creepy stranger.

  Each night Scott returned from his job brought relief and the comfort of his presence, especially when she could curl up next to the warmth of his body on the sofa after dinner. With his arm around her shoulders, she could forget her troubles. A little longer and she could risk telling him the truth. Just a few more weeks…of growing closer to him each day and not wanting to leave.

  On the following weekend, he took her shopping, where nobody cared what she was, because she looked like any of them. While she and Scott sat at a table outside a café, a couple of girls complimented her hand tattoos, or she thought it was a compliment when they said, "Cool tattoos."

  "Cool tattoos is good?" she asked Scott. "You saying tattoos too. Why tattoo?" She had let it go once when he mentioned tattoos on her hands, assuming he meant her Starburst marks and not sure if she understood right. Doctor Torres had said the symbol on his hand was a tattoo, but no one had explained it to her.

  He took her hand in his and traced the Starburst marks on the backs before turning her hand over to open her palm and the larger mark there. She welcomed his gentle touch as more than the tracing of her marks. "It's a process of marking the skin with a needle and ink that's permanent." He paused, his brow furrowed, and held up her hand between them. "Isn't that how you got these?"

  "No. I was being born like that."

  "You were?" He opened both of her palms on the tabletop. "But I thought these were something from Laranta."

  "Yes, to be saying, but not artificial." He stepped closer to the truth. Sooner or later, he'd discover what she was. The doctor was right—it was bound to happen if she wasn't careful. But would he still care for her if he knew she wasn't human?

  Not yet. If he didn't accept her as she really was, she might have to leave immediately. A few weeks more and she could risk it.

  She didn’t want to leave him, though, for any reason. Inar'Ahben would be a lonely reminder of Jerantis and Scott. She could live without bonding, and it would be questionable if she could ever bond to another Inari. Most who lost a mate never bonded again. Was it worth the chance of never finding that to give up the new love she had found on Earth?

  And Earth had a part of Inar'Ahben, even if only in ancient history. She had a new life.

  "It's a beautiful mark." The caress of his fingers along the lines from the Starburst marks to her wrists brushed away her doubts and sent a thrill rushing through her. She knew for a long time that he wanted to be more than someone helping her. He'd always showed his affections, which had healed the wound of losing Jerantis. "They're beautiful marks, and so unusual…like you."

  The way he said that, the look in his eyes, the gentle caressing in private moments—the same way Jerantis had acted before asking her to spend her life bonded to him.

  Her insides squirmed with anticipation.

  "Paddy, these last few weeks have been the most…interesting and wonderful in my life. I wouldn't change a thing, but I feel like I hardly know you. I know you, but I don't know you. Does that make any sense?"

  "Maybe." She didn't know if she could trust him with knowing who she really was, but if he really loved her, maybe he would accept what she was.

  He took both
her hands in his and held them together over the table. "I wish you would trust me. I know there's something you haven't told me. I want to help you, but I need to know who's after you and why you're really here."

  Crystal fire! She wanted to trust him with every cell in her body, but it wasn't the right time. "Explaining is difficult."

  "I know you've been through a lot and it must be hard to talk about it, but I'm here for you. If I've given you any doubts, I'm sorry. I…I only want you to be happy."

  Emotions welled up in her eyes. He made her happy. Through all the difficulties of adjusting to losing her mate and hiding on that world from the threat of the Shirukan, he had never flinched from supporting her.

  Padina pulled her hand away to touch his cheek, hoping to draw him closer to show him what he meant to her, to remove any doubts he had.

  Scott covered her hand in his but leaned closer, as if he knew. Her heart pounded in her chest with the realization of what she knew was right…

  Someone bumped her shoulder, a small bump, but it left a sting in her shoulder and sent a jolt through her head, where it split into a sudden headache. The Starfire entities screamed in dissonance, their warning cracking through her skull. Never since they'd chosen her had they done anything to hurt her. What did they want?

  "Paddy?" Scott's hands on her shoulders steadied her.

  HE IS HERE.

  He? Did they mean the Shirukan?

  Her breath froze in her lungs. She blinked away the spots in her vision and searched the crowded mall around her. Nothing out of the ordinary. No one ran away in guilt or wore the black uniform. He could be anyone. Which one was he?

  "Are you all right?"

  "Who touched?" She blinked at Scott crouched before her as the voices faded.

  "You mean the guy that bumped you?"

  Her blood ran cold. Guy? A man?

  Scott pointed through the people walking away. "He wore a hooded sweatshirt. That way. Why?"