Avenger (3 page)

“It’s after Nikki,” Raven said gravely.

All eyes fell on her. Glimmer’s voice cracked. “How do you know?”

Raven stood tall and looked Glimmer directly in the eye. “Trust me, I know.”

She buried her face in her palms, and Nikki wondered if she too was trying to block the horrible sight she’d witnessed at Deux’s house. Glimmer’s hands dropped suddenly. “Will it come to Viennesse?”

“Not if I can get her out of here.”

They’re really dead
, Nikki realized, the thought fully saturating her mind. The French Halflings were dead because … because a beast was after her.

Fingers clamped around her arms. It took her a moment to process they were Raven’s, and they were shuffling her toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Everything is happening too fast
.

“Wait!” Will’s booming voice reverberated down the hall, bringing a measure of calm to Nikki’s chaos. “If a seeker is on the way, we prepare to fight.”

Fight? Like the French Halflings fought?
Nikki pivoted to
look at him, but her movements were stiff. Will’s words seemed confident, and of anyone he would know what to do. Not to mention there was safety in numbers — especially with Will at her side. But how many would die because of her? She shuddered.
How many more?
These were her friends. Her family. She tried to clear her thoughts. “Where’s Mace?”

Will nodded down the hallway. “He’s rounding up the other Halflings. We will all protect you, Nikki.”

“Can you promise me no one will die?” Her voice was solid, strong. And hearing it brought more conviction. No one else was going to die because of her.

Those giant silvery-blue eyes dropped to the floor. “You know I can’t.”

Nikki slid an arm around Raven and drew strength from him. She knew what they had to do. “Then I have to go.”

Winter stepped toward her and placed both hands on Nikki’s arms. “I’ll go with you.”

Raven shook his head. “Not yet, Winter. We’ll go first, in hopes of keeping it away from here. Two of us should be able to escape easily. If we don’t get airborne in time to reroute the seeker, though, Will is going to need everyone here to fight. As soon as I can find somewhere safe to tuck in for the night, I’ll get word to Zero and you can catch up to us.”

Winter’s eyes narrowed on him. “You have a plan, right?”

Raven tried to hide his reaction, but Nikki felt him bristle. “Of course. But if you’ve got some ideas, I’m open.”

Winter let out a long breath. “Circle the sky, Raven. Fan Nikki’s scent in as many directions as possible. It’s your only hope to confuse the seeker. Then find someplace very populated to hide — somewhere belowground. Try the tunnels under Paris. The mixture of smells will interrupt her scent, and you
should be safe there at least for tonight. Contact us as soon as possible.”

Raven answered her with a nod. He turned to Nikki. “You ready?”

Nikki tightened her arms around Raven’s neck, throwing a last look to the Halflings and Will.

A moment later, they were leaping up into the night.

For the last hour Raven had been circling, just as Winter suggested. Usually, Nikki loved sailing above the earth, seeing the world below with nothing but wind and whispers surrounding her. But this night, she felt like live bait, as if each exhale drew a beast closer and closer. She hoped that was the case. If not, it could mean the seeker was at Viennesse. They’d covered ground over Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and were now entering France.

Her arms ached from the stranglehold she’d kept on Raven. “Can we check on them?”

She felt the muscle in his neck roll against her forearm. “Not tonight. We still have to find a way into the tunnels. I’ve only been there a few times, and it was years ago. Besides, Winter told me to check in tomorrow.”

“Since when do you follow instructions? Especially from a girl.”

“Since your life is on the line. Winter has lived a very long time. I trust her instincts on this one. There’s too much at stake to not get her thoughts.”

“What about Will? He’s lived longer than anyone. He may have known what to do.”

“The only thing Will would have done was try to talk us into staying, wasting what time we had.” Raven narrowed his gaze on Nikki. The look spoke more than words.
Discussion’s over
. He projected every ounce of intensity he possessed into those midnight blue spheres. Fierce protection and temptation mingled, a realization that cut through every fiber holding her together. She was stripped bare. It was a hideous, wonderful feeling. Especially as he seemed so focused on his mission that, for maybe the first time ever, he didn’t realize what he was doing to her by just being himself.

“We’re here.” Raven nodded. “Take a look.”

The world below was a velvet-dark surface dotted with a million golden lights. Some spiked high into the sky as if reaching out for her, while others remained, alive, on the ground, snaking through the jungle of illumination in long steady lines. It stole her breath.

Raven paused, airborne, his wings stretched out to hover above the crawling lights below. “Never gets old,” he said. The hint of pleasure lasted only a moment before he was back in action, descending on the streets of Paris.

He touched down in an alleyway and took a few seconds to get his bearings. “Okay, there’s a way in from a museum at the end of this street. Not sure how easy it will be to get inside though.”

Her muscles creaked and groaned in protest. “Are you considering breaking into a museum? Raven, we’ll end up in jail.”

He slid a hand through his wind-ruffled hair. “I’d send you there and lock the cell door myself if I thought it would keep you safe.”

Nikki cocked her head and planted a fist on her hip.

Raven looked her up and down. “You learn that from Glimmer?”

She dropped her fist.

He grabbed it and placed it back on her hip, then readjusted her head with both hands on the side of her face. “It looks great on you. Makes it look like you mean business. You should do that more often.”

From far down the street, music drifted toward them. “You bring out the worst in me, Raven.”

He took a step, bringing them closer. “I bring out the best in you, Nikki. Always have. Get used to it.”

No thanks
. But the words caught in her throat. “Come on, let’s go vandalize the museum.”

Raven followed close behind as she left the alley. They stepped out onto the street, and no one seemed curious why the two teenagers had just come from an alley leading nowhere. When they paused to wait for the street light, Raven slid his hand into hers. The light changed and he prodded her, but she stayed unmoving, staring at their interlocked fingers.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Raven said, but there was a hint of playfulness in his tone. “I just want to keep you close.”

For a moment, she felt foolish. Given their history, the foolishness melted quickly and was followed by a cold dose of reality. Raven had taken advantage of every opportunity to woo her. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you just wanted to keep me close. I thought the hand holding was a pitiful last attempt to romance me.”

Raven stopped cold and turned into her. “No.” His face was so close, she could feel every brush of his breath as he exhaled. “If I wanted to romance you, I’d have done this.” He took her by both arms and spun her around. His fingers trailed along her neckline and drew the long strands of her hair over her shoulder. Hot breath, then a kiss against the back of her neck.
Then he spun her back around to face him, looking at her with the same serious look as before.

Nikki’s lungs shrank and wouldn’t accept the oxygen she willed into her being.

“Try not to confuse the two. It’s humiliating. For you.”

She nodded.

“If you’re done messing around, we need to get moving.” He placed his hand around hers once more, and after a tug to prod her the two ran until they reached the giant doorway leading into the museum. After judging the distance, Raven grabbed her, snapped his wings open, and leapt, shooting straight up. It happened so quickly, she wondered if the people sitting at the dimly lit café across the street even noticed. Or if they did, they likely thought their minds were playing tricks after seeing teenagers, loitering in a doorway, then a flash of white, then nothing.

Even she still had trouble processing it.

They landed on the museum near a rooftop window. Raven tried to open it but it was welded shut.

“Can’t you leap inside? The building is big enough, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know what kind of security system they have. If it’s movement, we could set off an alarm.” He pointed to a metal door in one corner of the rooftop. “Stairwell. My guess would be the alarm systems are set up to trigger on the individual floors. I think if we stick to the stairs we’ll be okay.”

“Then why did you try the window?”

Raven paused when he reached the door. “Are you going to ask this many questions all night? It’s getting on my nerves.”

Nikki looked down at the padlock and chain securing the door. She heaved a breath. “What now?”

Raven considered the handle for a few seconds then grasped
the thing and ripped it from the door. The chain and padlock fell to the ground. Nikki’s jaw dropped with them.

“You just ripped a metal door open,” she squealed. Her hands fell onto his shoulders and she shook him. “Raven! Did you see what you did?
You ripped apart metal
.”

His head bobbed as she shook him. There was no mistaking the smile spreading across his face. Maybe Raven had surprised himself too.

The levity didn’t last long. He reached through the hole in the door and swung it open. “Get inside,” he ordered.

The stairwell was dark, but as she’d learned from being in Zero’s tunnels what now felt like a lifetime ago, she could see in the dark. Nothing for a Halfling.

“The entrance is in the basement, so I’m hoping this stairwell will take us that far. If not, we’ll have to cross one of the floors to get to the front stairs. That’s where I’ve gone in before.”

“Do you think they’re all okay, Raven?”

He stopped mid-step and turned to her. “You really need to put your energy into staying alive, Nikki. The other Halflings can take care of themselves.” When she continued to stare at him, he softened, but only slightly. “Look, they know what they’re up against now.”

She searched his eyes for the lie, but couldn’t find it. “You really think this worked, don’t you? You think they’re all right.”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t have left with you if I didn’t.”

She forced a smile. “I hope you’re right.”

He winked. “Count on it, baby. I’m always right.”

Nikki rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand to tug him down another flight of stairs.
Finally, the Raven I know how to deal with
.

“When we get to the bottom, the stairway narrows. And it’s
kind of creepy. Don’t go too fast, and stay close. I won’t let any rabid Parisian rats nest in your hair or anything.”

“I hope it doesn’t narrow too much,” Nikki said.

“Why? Scared of enclosed spaces?”

She blinked innocently. “No, I’m just afraid your ego might not fit.”

The tunnel into the Paris underground was indeed tight, indeed creepy, and indeed a place Nikki was glad to be out of. The instant they stepped into a larger space she began the ritual of combing imaginary spiders from her hair. The combing was especially vigorous since there was a good chance they weren’t all imaginary. She’d rested her hand against the tunnel wall at one spot, and when it quivered beneath her touch, she screamed. Raven clamped a hand over her mouth to quell the sound. “It’s just a spider.”

Just a spider. As if that somehow made it better.

“I thought you were tough,” he scoffed.

“I don’t like spiders.”

He pointed to her foot. “How do you feel about centipedes?”

She practically sucked in all the air from the room, but before she could shriek Raven’s hand was over her mouth, once again muffling the sound.

“You’re really good with the whole inconspicuous thing.”

The centipede continued his trek toward the tunnel wall. “Inconspicuous?” She motioned around her. “Who’s gonna hear?”

“I would.” The small voice came from behind them and Nikki jumped. “Sorry,” the shadow said.

Nikki thought maybe the narrow tunnel they’d left wasn’t so bad after all. She could see, but the voice came from a space she couldn’t penetrate, and a stranger was certainly worse than some bug. Even if he was polite. Looking closer, she realized the shadow was a rock wall and the voice came from behind it. A small hand slid out from the rock and waved. “Hi. I’m Dane.”

Raven’s brows rode high on his head. He shrugged at Nikki then addressed the hand that now clung to the edge of the rock. “Hi, Dane. Is there a body attached to that hand?”

From about four feet off the ground, a small head appeared slowly from behind the stone. Brown hair, then large brown eyes framed by glasses, then a small nose. He stayed positioned like that, staring at them as if deciding whether to engage in a conversation or run to find authorities. He couldn’t be more than ten years old, and the strong French accent seemed odd coming from such a small boy. Finally, a bow-shaped mouth appeared, teeth chewing one side in apparent nervousness. “So, how’d you find my hideout?”

“Your hideout?” Raven repeated slowly.

“Yeah.” Dane’s eyes filled with confidence. “This is my hideout. This room here. I discovered it a year ago and it’s all mine. No one else comes down here, and no strangers are allowed. There’s nothing to see. Just my toys and stuff. So just go back out the way you came in.”

Raven crossed his arms. “Look, kid, I don’t have time for this. I’m looking for someone. Greta. Does she still use the tunnels?”

Greta?
Nikki cut a look to Raven.

Dane, still mostly hidden behind his rock, laughed. “I don’t know what you mean. This is just one room, one way in and out, so however you got down here, you need to leave the same way.”

“If you’re going to be the self-proclaimed tunnel guard, you probably shouldn’t tell people there’s one way in and out, then tell them to leave however they got in.”