Everlasting Embrace (Embrace Series) (27 page)

“
Like I said
,
I didn
’
t realize it till the end of the fight, but here
,
watch
…
”

As Nathanial stands before us, his head lowers looking at the brown shag carpet. He takes a deep breath,
and
before I know
it,
his hands begin to glow the brightest yellow I
’
ve ever seen. We all cover our eyes from the bright rays beaming from my husband
’
s hands. Just as fast as the glow came, it
disappears
.

“
What the heck is that?
”
Danika questions, still rubbing her eyes.

“
That
,
li
ttle Danika
,
is what they call UV rays.
”

“
So you absorbed a power
,
almost as fast as you destroyed the vampire that p
oss
essed it. Then
,
to top it off
,
you shoot deadly UV rays out of your finger tips?
”
I confirm
,
wondering how he is learning all this so fast.
“
How did you figure this out? You couldn
’
t have used this power during the fight. Those fingers of yours are so bright everyone would have noticed. Come to think of it, I didn
’
t notice anything like it. The Cerberus that had the power didn
’
t even use it.
”

“
Do you not absorb powers? I thought you told me once that when one vamp is destroyed
,
the one
who
kills it receives its powers.
”

“
Yeah
,
we do Nate, but it
’
s not normal to absorb
it
so fast
; it
takes time. We still aren
’
t sure of what powers we got from the fight a few years ago
,
”
Alexander tries to explain.
“
I wonder if it
’
s your ability to extract memories that allows you to absorb so fast.
”

“
Maybe
.
S
o anyways, I did use it during the fight. The reason you didn
’
t see the glow
i
s cause it happened when pressing my hands to the bodies of the Cerberus. It cooked them like a crisp piece of bacon in the microwave. Their bodies absorbed all the UV rays, so none was leaked into the area around me.
”

“
Wow
!
Y
ou are really ending up with some kick ass powers
,
hun.
”

“
I
’
d say
! T
his is pretty cool
!
”

“
I sensed you had something up your sleeve
. C
are to share with us?
”
Ebony requests while looking at Alexander, knowing he already knows.

Alexander
’
s power to enter others thoughts
,
and interject his own
,
allow him to communicate with others when no one else is aware. This always keeps him in the loop.

“
You know
—
I think I want to go over it with Elijah first
,
i
f you don
’
t mind.
”

“
That
’
s your right Nate
,
and sounds like a good idea. He can decipher if the information you received is true
,
”
Matilda comforts with a calm understanding.

We continue to talk about our powers for a little, and the others retreat back to their rooms. It
’
s almost time for Nik
’
s bottle, so I grab one from the newly installed mini fridge in my scrapbooking nook
and place it in the electric warmer. Nathanial grabs a diaper and the wipes, ready to change Nik when he wakes. After everything that happened tonight, life just seems to fall back into place. I know that Nathanial and Nik are meant for me
; we
’
re
meant to be a family. A hundred plus years, and I
’
ve found happiness; I found the meaning to my existence.

Michael
’
s Adventures

I fly back to the cliff where Claudia and I spent precious time together
,
and
stand on the edge, looking down to the city lights where the humans reside. As they hustle and bustle
from
day to day, they are unaware that angels and demons live among them. How vulnerable they are. I wished at one point that I was one of them, but now I would never change a thing.

The harsh winter is calm and merciful tonight, departing the clouds, allowing countless dazzling stars to shine
brightly
upon Mother Nature. A white blanket of snow that settled for a long winter
’
s nap is slow
ly
melting away. The memories of our happy times together rush through me. I need to hold onto them. It
’
s the only thing holding me together, the only thing keeping me from falling apart.

When I sensed Davin
’
s warning I urgently left the supernatural school. Davin and the others were heading out to somewhere beyond the realms of Nubilus City, a place called Paradisus. Knowing Claudia is protected by Austin and Davin isn
’
t good enough. I promised I
’
d always keep her safe and no matter what I was doing, I
’
d be there for her. Claudia was and will always be my first priority
,
even though Katherine would disagree. Katherine is unaware that I visit Claudia. I only justify my actions by thinking she has never given me a direct order to stay away.

I wonder why they are venturing out there. It hasn
’
t been occupied by angels for as long as I can remember. With a twirl of my wings I prepare to take flight
,
when
suddenly
Davin
’
s warning intensifies.

When I reach the destination, I place myself on top of a hill. Careful not to be seen, I glance from side to side and as far as I can see
, not
seeing anything unusual
;
I wonder where
they are.
Turning to the only location I haven
’
t checked, behind me
, what
I find is horrifying.

The massive circular cut of the land is definitely performed by an angel
;
I can
’
t see anything but a black hole. Without wasting any
time, I
soar
inside
carefully and
place myself where I assume my friends once stood. A gush of air rushes over me. It feels heavy and stinks of soil, but I can still smell the lavender aroma that lingers from Claudia. I can feel their presence, but
am
unsure of how many there are.

“
Lucien.
”
With my sword lit and raised by my side
,
it produces just enough light,
and I
cautiously
proceed along
the dark wall.
I keep trying
to reach Davin in his mind, but for some reason, I can
’
t get through
; it
is like this place has some kind of energy that will not allow me to
reach him
. The venators
’
steps are
so
light, swift and graceful that
it
is not possible to trace their footprints or listen for their steps.

After a while, I see bright lights that project out
of the
venators
’
bows
,
so I make sure
mine is
not visible. I spot Claudia,
Davin
, Holly, Michelle, Gracie and Austin, but don
’
t recognize the others. Suddenly the venators halt and
seem to
become baffled as they come to a dead end.

“
Great! Now what?
”
Michelle throws her hand
s
up.

“
Chill out and relax, Barbie,
”
Holly remarks.

Michelle scoffs and looks at Gracie for support and sympathy.

I attach myself to the top of the cave. Desperate to get Davin
’
s attention, with precision I drop a pebble right on top of his head.

“
What the heck?
”
Davin looks up and spots me. Beaming a smile, he quickly looks down. His thoughts evident on his face,
why didn
’
t Michael speak to me in my mind?
Obviously
ecstatic
to see me and trying to find a creative way to communicate with me, he decides to
sing.
“
Why aren
’
t you speaking in my mind? I
’
m sexy and I know it.
”

Everyone stares at Davin and tries not to laugh out loud. Claudia isn
’
t able to hold it in and lets out soft giggles. Austin looks at him strangely and shivers with
disgust
.
“
I don
’
t think so.
”

“
I think so,
”
Gracie comments, giving Davin a luring smile.

“
What is that for?
”
Holly snares.

Davin has to come up with a great excuse
.
He shrugs his shoulders.
“
I
’
m bored. There are no demons here
; let
’
s
go. Or, are there?
”
The last question for me.

“
Shhhh
…
”
a
girl they call Elisse says
.
“
Don
’
t you
feel
presences?
”
she
whispers.

“
Me, the sexy one,
”
Davin winks and chuckles.

Elisse smiles and shyly turns away. I can tell she
’
s thinking how funny and cute Davin is. I roll my eyes thinking,
Here
he goes again
,
and try to hold in my laughter.

“
Alright, that
’
s enough. Look around
,
”
Austin
directs
.

The rest of the venators ignore Davin and start to move away from the circle
; it
’
s
a perfect opportunity for Davin. He looks up and points to his head. Understanding, I shrug to let him know I don
’
t know why I can
’
t speak to him in his mind. Then Davin points to Claudia to let me know where she is.

Claudia turns on cue.
“
Why are you pointing at me?
”
She
asks
with worry on her face as she looks where he
’
s pointing, at her stomach
,
and I can tell she
’
s wondering if something is there.

I can see Davin wants to laugh, thinking how silly he looks at this moment.
“
Ummm…I was pointing to the wall and you got in my way.
”

“
Oh…
sorry
,
”
she say
s
apologetically
,
and sees the dark shadow plastered to the wall from the corner of her eyes. I think she saw me freeze
,
too. Both our hearts start to thump faster, for different reasons. She needs to warn the others, but how
can she
without alarming the shadows too
?
I can see that Claudia is too frightened to look up and get a clean view to see how many there are. I
guess
she can almost feel countless shadows hovering over them as she imagines their creepy eyes watching, waiting for the right time to attack. I know her as well as I know
myself;
I know what she
’
s thinking and feeling. There
’
s no other way. She
’
s going to have to shout out loud.