Halflings Page 18

  Perfectly balanced kicks and punches landed again and again while Vine veered his attention to the demon. Their style of fighting was flawless. Each strike hammered its target, powerful as mallets and executed with moves delicate as a ballet.

  The boys glistened with sweat, muscles taut with strength and adrenaline as the fight raged on. Despite the demonstration Mace was providing, her eyes were drawn to Vine and the white-blond river of hair that trailed his every move. She’d always viewed him as the tagalong kid-brother type, but now she stared in awe of his ability. Spinning in a perfect arc, his pointed foot connected with the demon’s blistered face.

  The thing cried out. Vine tossed loose hair behind him and landed another kick, this one to the throat. The demon and the boys fought with precision, as if able to anticipate each other’s moves. In unison, like a practiced dance they had performed for ages. And she watched it all in slow motion.

  When Raven jumped in to help Vine and Mace with the demon, Nikki was so entranced by the battle before her she failed to notice the hell hound turning his full attention to her. When it was only a few feet away, she scooted back, but there was nowhere to go and she lacked the strength to fight. She didn’t have to; yellow fur drifted in front of her and jumped on the hound’s back, biting into its throat.

  The monstrous being screeched a horrid sound and expelled a puff of foul air that caused Nikki’s nose to water. She crept closer to the fray, helpless as the hound snagged Bo with matted front paws and threw him into the dirt. As he struggled, Bo’s round, innocent eyes found hers. A moan, something like a whimper but filled with more pain, escaped from her dog, then another.

  No, no, no!

  With painfully slow movement, the hound ripped into Bo’s back with its razor claws. Finally, the dog lay still, moaning as the hound tore his flesh.

  A scream gurgled from Nikki’s scratchy throat. Her eyes blurred. Silently, she pleaded with Mace to turn around, to notice what was happening behind him. Bo couldn’t last through much more.

  Instead Mace held the demon by the shoulders then jumped, planting both feet in the thing’s chest. It fell to the ground and disappeared in a puff of vapor.

  Nikki blinked.

  As Mace landed, he veered his attention behind him. His eyes flashed horror. In seconds that took far too much time, he flew toward Nikki and hovered near Bo and the hound.

  Bo yelped once more as the hound sank his teeth yet deeper.

  From above the attack, Mace grabbed the hound and jerked it from her dog.

  Though her concern remained on Bo, Nikki’s mind was working to take in the boy before her. Spread from Mace’s shoulders to the small of his back and ten feet to either side were … “Wings,” she muttered. She rubbed her eyes, looked again. Yes, beautiful, creamy gray-white wings flapped up and down gently, causing Mace to float above the chaos. His eyes met hers reluctantly, and she could read the trepidation in his expression. He was afraid. Though he had taken on the hounds and demon with little pause, he feared what she would think of him in his true form. “You’re beautiful,” she mouthed, but he turned before he saw it.

  She pushed to her knees, straining to examine him. But darker-gray wings flapped into her face, and she brushed at them to move. More wings? And arms that nestled her, folding her into what she realized was Raven’s body. She felt the wind his feathers created as he lifted her off the ground.

  Mace grew smaller and smaller below until he finally disappeared in a sea of trees.

  When Raven tucked her into the cleft of a high rock, she tried to stand, but faltered. Instead she moved toward the cliff edge on her knees. “Raven, I have to get back to Bo.” Looking down to the ground far below, she grabbed for something to hold as the world spun.

  Raven’s eyes were fire on her, as if still wild from the fight. He spread his wings, chest tightening. “What do you think?”

  “Raven, they need help,” she pleaded.

  He spun from her, scanned the woods below. “It’s all over. We’re better off up here.” His wings rustled loudly as they tucked into his back.

  “Are they okay?” she asked. “Is Bo all right?”

  He released an angry breath. “They’re fine, Nikki.” Facing her, he snapped his wings out again. “You didn’t answer me. Tell me what you think.”

  If they’re okay … Dragging her attention from the patch of woods beneath, she reached, but stopped just short of touching. Her gaze flashed him the question.

  “Go ahead,” he said proudly, and tipped his upper body forward.

  Reaching to him, her hand fell to his shoulder. With long, slow movements, she examined the wing. Feathers, and something beneath that felt like bone, but thinner, more pliable. She dug her fingers into the middle of his wing, and he jumped. “Careful,” he said with a half smile. “Ticklish.”

  A tiny laugh escaped her lips. Her other hand moved to examine the strange appendage, her fingers brushing and squeezing at various spots. “Why haven’t I seen them before?”

  He stepped closer, letting the wings encircle her. “You only saw us in the natural plane. Never in the Spirit. This is what we look like in the supernatural realm.”

  “Will I always see you like this now?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrank the distance between them yet farther, closing her inside his gray feathers. “Maybe. Is that what you want?”

  “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.”

  Raven’s eyes closed, and she felt his breath catch.

  The sounds of wind increased around them. Raven’s eyes flew open, and she thought she heard an angry sigh. His wings spread, allowing her to escape. The wind shoved harder against her, accompanied by a noisy flap, flap, flap. She turned to the sound, to see Mace and Vine hovering above the rock. Their outstretched wings lifted and lowered them in seamless waves. Against the fading sun, the sight of the two stole her breath. It’s like a Renaissance painting. But the awe quickly shifted to panic. Within Mace’s arms, Bo lay motionless.

  The police arrived at Nikki’s house just after Bo died.

  “And you think a cougar attacked you?” Officer McMillan asked, seeming to gauge her answer and the honesty that lie within. I should have said wolves. At least that has a slice of truth. “When your neighbor called us, they said they heard a young woman screaming. You must have had time to get a good look.”

  She didn’t make eye contact. “I said I don’t know what it was, sir. It screamed like a cougar.”

  The heavyset officer turned his attention to Mace, who’d accompanied her and Bo to the house. “Good thing you came along when you did, son. This could have had a terrible outcome.”

  Nikki turned on the officer. “My dog is dead!” she hollered. Her dad slid a reassuring arm around her.

  Officer McMillan lifted the hat from his head. “Yes, well, he’s a hero. Saved your life, young lady.” Kind eyes seemed determined to apologize for his insensitivity. “We can order a necropsy if you’d like to determine what killed him.”

  Her dad shot a look to her mom. Nikki watched the exchange, but was too depressed to analyze it further. All she knew was, dead or not, she didn’t want doctors slicing and dissecting Bo. “No,” she and her dad said simultaneously.

  Her dad cleared his throat. “If they determine it’s a cougar, what will they do?”

  The officer shrugged. “Not much. Unfortunately, one attack this close to the national forest won’t constitute a search.” He removed his hat. “I’m very sorry for your loss. But your dog died a hero. You can be proud of him.”

  “Thank you,” she tried to say, but the words died in her throat.

  As soon as the officer left, her dad wrapped a blanket around Bo’s body. Mace hugged her while her parents lifted Bo into the backseat of their car. The entire time, tears slid down Nikki’s face.

  “What do they want with me?” she asked Mace in a choked sob.

  He gently rubbed his hand along her back. “I don’t know. But I promise you I won’t res
t until we find out.”

  Three weeks and Nikki still mourned the loss of her dog. Coming home to no wagging tail and no excited barks made her world that much more empty. Especially in light of the reality surrounding his death. School had no appeal, and her grades were slipping. Dr. Richmond had cornered her on several occasions, asking if she was all right. She’d lied, of course. But something in his tone had made her want to confess the depths of her sorrow, to explain the chaos of her life since meeting the Halflings, and to admit her lack of desire to continue this journey.

  “I’m worried about you, Nikki,” Dr. Richmond said, voice echoing in the quiet stairwell as they hauled another science fair project to the gym.

  She forced herself to grin over a clay volcano at him. “Is that why you elected me to stay and help you today?”

  He blushed. “Too obvious, huh?” He examined the project. “High school, and we’re still making volcanoes for the science fair.”

  She laughed softly. “It’s pretty cool when the vinegar hits the baking soda, and it bubbles out the top.”

  He stopped. “It is cool, isn’t it?” They set the project next to the last and headed back to the science room. “I don’t recall seeing your project.”

  “Oh. Actually, I didn’t have time to do one this year.”

  He held the door for her. “I’ve never known you to not enter. I always looked forward to your artistic take on science, and I’d thought the fair was very exciting to you.”

  “Exciting,” she echoed, then realized he was judging her words a little too closely. “I have enough excitement in my life right now.”

  Lifting a lighted circuit board into his hands, he smiled. “You know, most kids think I’m easy to talk to. I’ve always liked talking to you, Nikki. You remind me of my daughter, Jessica.”

  She held the door open and followed as he continued to the gym. Time to get the focus off of me. “I’ve met Jessica. I was a freshman when she graduated early as a junior.”

  “She’s now a sophomore at Missouri University.”

  “Oh, that’s nice.” She squirmed, trying to access some question about college. Before the school year began, she’d had a thousand of them. Now, nothing came to mind.

  “Maybe I could help with what’s troubling you.”

  “No one can help me, Dr. Richmond.”

  The look in Dr. Richmond’s eyes halted both of them. “Nikki, someone can always help. Even when we think it’s hopeless.”

  Good job, Nikki. On top of everything else, now your science teacher thinks you’re suicidal. She folded her arms. “I’m being melodramatic. Please.” She attempted a laugh. “Don’t think I’m going psycho or something. My dog died. I had him for a really long time.” Oh, and by the way, there are creatures straight from the pit of hell trying to kill me. Why? No one really knows. And did I mention they’re possibly after you too?

  “I’m very sorry about your pet. I used to have horses, years back when I worked in a laboratory.”

  “You worked in a lab?” Prickly hairs rose on her neck.

  “Yes, I did.” A flash of sadness filled his features, and his eyes drifted to the ground. “I don’t know what’s going on in your life, but when I left Omega Corporation, I thought my life was over.”

  The words crashed into her mind like bolts of lightning. Her hand gripped his upper arm. “Omega Corporation?” she repeated.

  He frowned, his round, watery gaze burrowing into her. “Yes. You know the company?”

  “Um.” She snatched her hand from him. “I saw on the news that they had a fire.”

  His lips pressed together. He took a few steps and dropped onto the bleachers. “Some of my friends perished in that blaze.” The circuit board project was discarded on the seat beside him.

  Her heart pounding like a drum, Nikki sat down at his side. Lemon oil and faint sweat surrounded them but paled to a new scent in the gym. She smelled discovery. Get him to talk about the place, get him to open up. “I’m sorry about your friends.”

  “Thank you, Nikki.” He tugged the glasses from his face and wiped the lenses with his shirttail. “I hadn’t seen any of them in nearly twenty years. When I left Omega, I thought my life would end. The company didn’t want me to leave, but I couldn’t stay. They destroyed my reputation as a scientist. Made sure no other laboratory in the free world would want to work with me. But …” He raised his hands and dropped them with a clop. “I ended up here, and you know, this is my real destiny. This is where I belong. So, I guess I owe them a thank you.”

  “Why did you have to leave? You said you couldn’t stay.”

  “I didn’t agree morally with the steps the laboratory was taking. I have a set of rules I live by — values, you might say — and they were going in a direction I couldn’t follow.”

  “A paradigm?” she said.

  “Yes.”

  “What was the direction?”

  His face clouded. “Nikki, there are forces at work around us that desire power at any cost.” His fingers threaded together on his lap. “And they’ll hurt anything or anyone to get it.”

  Okay, that sent a jolt of fear through her. Focus, keep him on track. Get more information. “You probably had a specialty, right? Don’t scientists usually have a specific field of study?”

  “Yes, I was a specialist in one field, but my passion was another.”

  She leaned forward. “What? What two fields?”

  “My specialty was electromagnetics. But my passion was genetics.”

  Blood rushed through Nikki’s veins at such a rate she thought her heart would stop. “Did Omega Corporation do both?” She tried to soften her intensity, but failed. “Dr. Richmond, did Omega Corporation do both electromagnetics and genetics?”

  “Yes. And that’s part of what made it so difficult to quit. I had to leave my babies behind. And that’s why I understand how you feel about losing your dog.”

  “What babies?” Hearing babies and genetics in the same sentence made her queasy. “What do you mean?”

  “Horses. I was raising horses, doing genetic testing on them. You grow to love those majestic, beautiful animals.”

  “What kind of testing? And why horses?” She searched her memory for a connection to equestrian genetics and that of humans.

  “As far as why, I wasn’t privy to that information. And as far as what kind, I don’t feel you should be privy. Suffice it to say, to the lab, the horses were lab rats. But to me, they became part of my family.” His voice steadied. “So, I think I know how you feel.”

  She nodded, grinned, nodded again. “Dr. Richmond, would it be okay if I go on home? I need to take care of some things.” She stood. “But, I feel a lot better after talking to you. Thanks.”

  He smiled up at her. “You’re welcome.”

  Mace got out of his car after parking behind her bike, and walked toward the Victorian. It was getting easier to ignore the flutters in her stomach whenever she looked at him. Friends don’t cause flutters.

  “So tell me why you’re so jazzed up about your conversation with Dr. Richmond.”

  “Let’s get inside. I want everyone to hear,” she blurted, forcing her fingers through her knotted hair as she forced her stomach to behave. A strong crosswind had wreaked havoc on the strands below her helmet while she rode across town, causing her fingers to snag. “Ouch,” she said, and gave up.

  Mace laughed and took her helmet from her. But a moment later, he bristled. Head tipped back, he sniffed the air.

  “What?” She frowned. “What do you smell?” Then she felt it. Like electricity dancing across water, like cold fire tickling my skin. “What is that?” she asked as a scent similar to homemade cookies filled her nose.

  Mace’s eyes flashed excitement. He dropped the helmet into her hands. “Something’s happening in the backyard!”

  She stared down at her head gear, then watched him scurry into the house. “I guess chivalry is dead,” she mumbled wryly and hung the strap on her handlebars.
>
  As she crossed the threshold, the sensation increased. She closed the door, which Mace had left gaping, and traversed the living room. She glanced around. No one. Passing through the kitchen, she realized goose bumps tingled her flesh like a million fireflies kissing her skin. She rubbed her hands over her arms. The feeling, though alarming, brought with it an unusual calm that seemed to curl from the depths of her being and wrap her like a blanket. At least it’s something pleasant for a change.

  When she stepped onto the back patio, her gaze fell on the Lost Boys.

  Raven, Vine, and Mace stared, mouths as open as the front door had been, necks craning into the sunlight, and wind whipping their hair.

  Nikki stepped fully onto the back deck to see what demanded their attention.

  When the objects of their admiration fell into her view, a flash of hot liquid sailed the length of her body.

  Hovering above the porch, ten feet from the boys, were three Halfling females.

  Chapter

  20

  Nikki couldn’t help but gasp at the girls’ unearthly beauty. Brilliant white wings moved effortlessly on the breeze. The one on the far right’s feathers seemed to glimmer in the low sun. Varying shades of brown hair cascaded their shoulders, dancing in waves as if orchestrating a dance. And each face was so delicately detailed that Nikki could only stare.

  The girl on the right — whose hair was shorter and cut into a trendy bob — flashed a look toward her that sent a shiver down Nikki’s spine. Eyes the color of melted gold considered her. Just as quickly as the gaze had started, the female cocked a brow and shifted her attention to Mace. Golden Girl scoured him from head to toe and punctuated the gesture with a tiny smile.