Out of Reach (20 page)

“Okay,” I say, relaxing back against the
couch once more. Kade looks at Z, obviously shocked. He’s probably
stunned I’m not going to fight him on the issue of my
parentage.

“Okay,” he continues. “So I’ll go back to
our travel arrangements in a second, but let’s move on to this.” He
picks up the sphere. “This looks like a run of the mill mineral
sphere, but it’s not.”

Pausing he takes a long drink off his beer
bottle then rubs at a spot on his left shoulder. I can tell
whatever he has to say next is big, and from his body language he’s
already expecting I won’t believe him.

“This sphere is a prison of sorts, and
trapped inside is a Sylph.” He looks up when I continue sitting
silently.

I shake my head and laugh. “Really, I don’t
know what half the terms you just used even mean. How do you expect
me to argue?” Glancing over at Zafir, I ask him, “I’m not that bad,
am I?” He lets the rhetorical question hang in the air between us.
“Fine,” I force out, motioning for Kade to keep going.

“A Sylph is, uh ...” He trails off, thinking
hard. “In ancient human folklore, they’re referred to as jinn, or
in Hollywood’s more modern terminology, genies.”

My jaw hits the floor. As a
lover of fantasy science fiction, I’ve always clung to the very
small possibility something supernatural could be out there, but
genies? Really? How lame is that. I was willing to get on board
with the whole angels thing, maybe even a vampire or
end-of-the-world scenario, but genies? Flashbacks of Robin Williams
singing “You Ain’t Never Had a Friend Like Me” in the movie
Aladdin
parade around my
head, and I start to laugh out loud.

Hysterical fit after
hysterical fit hit me in waves and I just keep laughing, eyes
watering in the process. Just when I think it’s almost over I hear
Robin Williams yell, “
Poof!
What do you need?” in my head and everything
starts back up again. Kade and Zafir share a look over my head and
I’m sure they think I’ve cracked, but presently I could care
less.

“Are you alright?” Kade asks finally,
handing me a box of tissues. Dabbing the tears off my damp cheeks,
I point at the sphere on the coffee table.

“So you’re telling me this orb is a magic
lamp and there’s a genie inside.”

“A Sylph, yes.” When I start to chuckle
again, Zafir becomes unglued, his posture taking on a
confrontational pose as he steps away from the wall.

“This isn’t joke,” he forces out, teeth
clenched.

“No, I know, it’s just when it comes to the
supernatural I got totally ripped off.”

Both men stare at me, speechless. A minute
later, when neither man shows any sign of life, I feel obligated to
fill the awkward silence.

“Look, of all the possible supernatural
creatures that could be out there, genies aren’t exactly exciting
... they’re kinda lame.” Looking from man to man I throw my hands
up in exasperation. Instead of quitting while I’m ahead I keep
talking, wedging my foot further down my throat. “Come on. You rub
the bottle, you get a wish. Woo hoo.”

“Are you fucking kidding me!” Zafir screams
suddenly, glaring at Kade.

Booming laughter erupts from the kitchen and
I turn quickly, just in time to see that Basal has chosen this
moment to reappear.

“Perhaps a history lesson is in order,” he
announces. Calmly sitting down next to me on the couch he begins.
“Tonight you saw a Sylph firsthand, Gwen.”

“No, I didn’t,” I answer, wrinkling my brow
in confusion.

“You did. The creature Kade fought with that
turned into purple smoke when you got close, that was a Sylph.”

Eyes wide with shock, I sit back and listen
while Basal explains to me the history of the Sylph, which happen
to be a lot more badass than I had ever imagined. When Basal
finishes, I look up at Zafir who’s been pacing in front of the bay
windows.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea,” I tell
him.

“Understandable,” he grumbles taking up his
post against the wall again.

Looking to Kade and Basal I ask, “So you
were all Sylph.” This is a half-question/half-statement of
fact.

“That’s right,” Basal responds
patiently.

“But now you’re the Sylph’s guardians?”

“Basically. The Wanderers were charged with
protecting humans from the Sylph and maintaining the sealing of the
spheres so they can’t escape.”

“Okay, that much I get, but what I still
don’t understand is what I have to do with any of this, and why I
have to go with you to Dubai?”

“I’ll take it from here,” Kade jumps in.

“Okay, but make it fast—we all need to get
some rest before we leave,” Basal tells him.

“Agreed,” Kade replies. Zafir and Basal make
their way down the hallway toward the guestrooms, leaving Kade and
I alone in the living room. He continues the explanation.

“The spell cast by the angels imprisoning
the Sylph has to be reinforced every five hundred years. If it
isn’t, the Sylph will eventually be able to escape.”

“Eventually?” I ask needing
clarification.

“The spell doesn’t just stop working at the
five hundred year mark. It degrades slowly. When it degrades enough
the Sylph is able to overcome it and break free. It’s different for
every Sylph,” he explains. “Just like people, no two Sylph are
exactly the same. Some are stronger than others, and the stronger
ones obviously break free sooner than their weaker brethren.”

“Okay.”

“The resealing of the spheres requires an
angel or someone with angel blood. That’s why we need you.”

“Wouldn’t an actual angel be better?” I ask
him. “They’re bound to be stronger than me.”

“Yes, they would be the ideal candidate, but
they returned to the heavenly realms centuries ago. No one has seen
an angel since.”

“Oh!” I exclaim, surprised, speechless.

“That’s why I need you to come with us, for
the resealing.”

“Kade, I can’t just leave, even under the
guise of going to a conference. Who just decides to go to a
convention halfway around the world, like, two days before it
starts? No one will believe it, and I have responsibilities
here.”

Responsibilities. Is that what I’m calling
Ben these days? Why can I never manage to verbalize our
relationship in front of Kade? Hell, I don’t even use Ben’s name
around Kade, always referring to him as a pronoun.

Kade shakes his head and gently takes both
of my hands in his. “It has to be you. What you did tonight with
the Sylph at the lab…no one’s come across a Nephilim powerful
enough to do that in over a hundred years.” Rubbing the back of my
hands gently with his thumbs, he repeats in a hushed whisper, “It
has to be you.”

Caught in the glowing embers of his amber
eyes a searing pain spreads through my chest, reminding me to
breathe. Sucking in a shallow breath I commit to his request.

“I’ll go with you.”

Chapter 28

Perspective is such a funny thing. If I had
woken up in Kade’s bed a week ago, I would have had the shit
shocked out of me. Lying in his bed on this morning, in the
aftermath of the last twenty-four hours, with the familiar smell of
Kade lingering around the room, I find it’s comforting.

A soft knocking brings me out of my
temporary shelter and into the insanity of another day. Dragging my
eyes from the ceiling I watch as Kade traipses across the carpet, a
coffee mug in each hand. Resting on the foot of the bed he holds a
cup out to me while taking a slow sip of his own. The aroma of
fresh coffee greets me and I sit up to enjoy the caffeine.

“How was the couch?” I ask him, hiding the
annoyance I feel from my voice. I’m still more than a little upset
at his refusal to let me crash there last night.

“Just fine.”

I wrap my hands tightly around the mug,
allowing the heat to seep into my fingers. Taking a tentative sip
of the hot beverage I begin to feel awkward under the weight of
Kade’s watchful stare.

“Just tell me!” I blurt out, not one for
beating around the bush.

“We’re leaving today, and, now that you’re
going with us, there’re a few things that need to be done before we
depart.”

“Okay, shoot,” I sigh.

“I’ll take you home so you can pack the
essentials, but right now why don’t you enjoy a hot shower and let
Melanie and Ben know where you are going.”

Reality slaps me in the face. All of a
sudden I sit up straighter. Half an evening in this new world,
ready to fly halfway around the world, and I’ve already totally
forgotten about my family.

“What do I say to them?” The stupid question
slips from my lips before I can stop it.

Kade smiles at me and rises from the bed.
“Tell them we’re going to a conference together. Something we do
frequently, I might add.”

I glare at his back as he slips out of the
room. He’s right. I have an airtight alibi. In fact, deciding to go
spur of the moment is totally my style, and with Ben working no one
will think twice about it.

I climb out of bed, groaning and
complaining, and turn on the shower in Kade’s fantastic bathroom.
The water will be warm long before I’m off the phone; turning it on
this early is a waste of water, but honestly I don’t want the guys
listening in on my call. For all I know, Wanderers have super
hearing. Leaning back against the bathroom counter I call Ben
first, not at all surprised when he answers a bit groggily.

“Are you okay?!” he asks quickly.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine, everything is fine.” I
listen through the phone as he lies back down.

“You know its 8a.m., right?” He’s surprised
at my phone call.

“Yes, I know, and I’m sorry to wake you, but
I’m going to a conference in Dubai. I’ll be gone for a week.”

“Huh, kind of last minute, girl.”

“I know, but Kade’s partner got sick and the
company is paying for it so they asked me to go instead.”

“You sound real broken up about it, too,” he
teases. “Hey, Gwen ... don’t be mad.”

Uh oh
, my mind races, scared of the direction this conversation is
suddenly taking.

“I and most of the guys have volunteered to
help out on the Cleveland fire.” He says it quickly.

“Cleveland fire?” I ask, pulling a big
blank.

“Big forest fire. Come on, don’t you watch
the news, Gwen?”

And then I remember. I had seen something
about the fire on the news just the other day. Alone in the
bathroom, leaning up against the vanity, I listen as Ben rambles on
about doing his part, helping out because it’s the right thing to
do, promising nothing is going to happen to him, that he’ll be
safe, and I can’t say a damn thing. In his own way he’s saving the
world he knows from death and destruction, which is what I’m about
to do too, but my world, well it just got a whole lot bigger.

While choking on the irony of it all I tell
him to be safe and he tells me he loves me before I hang up. I
numbly remove my clothing and step into the shower. I rest my head
against the glass wall and linger in the hot spray, letting the
scalding temperature burn away my pain.

After letting my emotions get the better of
me in the shower, I’m annoyed. In fact, I pause with my hand on the
knob of the bedroom door, and allow myself a minute to pull it all
together. I close my eyes and organize a smooth mask of
indifference over my face before exiting Kade’s room. It’s time to
ascertain what today holds in store for me.

The guys are in full preparation mode when I
emerge from the hallway. Black duffle bags, passports, laptops, and
a few other odds and ends litter the counter of Kade’s small
kitchen.

“Did you contact Ben and Melanie?” Kade
asks, looking up from the refrigerator.

“Crap, I totally forgot to call Melanie.
I’ll send her a text,” I answer as I reach for my phone. By the
time I’ve finished typing the few lines of my message, the mess in
the kitchen is completely gone. The guys are moving at above
average speeds again, their brilliant auras hurting my eyes.

“Damn, I will never get used to that,” I
mutter as Z jets by, chased by a trail of red and gold
sparkles.

“Change of plans,” Kade says as he comes up
behind me. “We are going to stop by your place on the way to the
airport.”

“Okay.” I acknowledge his comment by
shrugging my shoulders.

Moments later I’m whisked
away, back into the same Yukon we rode to Kade’s in the night
before. Just as I’m buckling my seatbelt I sense the familiar
vibration of my cell phone. Pulling it out of my pants pocket I
check the text message:
Lucky bitch, don’t
have any fun without me!!!!!
Smiling at
Melanie’s reply I clutch the phone in both hands as though it’s a
lifeline, and stare out the window as we exit the parking
garage.

As we pull to a stop outside my home, I
slide out of the SUV, letting the guys know I'll just be a few
minutes.

"Oh, and Kade, Melanie completely forbids us
from having any fun without her." I turn away from the vehicle with
a sudden spring in my step. The warm rumble of throaty laughter
follows me to the porch. As I open the front door, I refuse to look
at anything too closely, not wanting to get choked up again.
Instead I focus on my mission, repeating the list of items I’ll
need aloud to help stay completely focused.

I raid the closet first,
rummaging around for anything that can be termed “practical wear
for the desert.” Rolling my eyes at my choices I settle for jeans
and t-shirts, with a random pair of shorts making it into the mix
as well. Next I tackle the bathroom, focusing on grabbing just the
essentials. Holding my blow dryer in one hand and my flatiron in
the other I pause, realizing I've no idea what our accommodations
will be like. Shrugging my shoulders I throw both into my carry-on
bag.
They’re small
, I reason.