Turned out, going back to the human world after living amongst angels wasn’t an easy thing. Not for anyone, apparently.
The only reason Orianna had been filled in was because she’d questioned Eclipse. It wasn’t too difficult to pick up on the fact they were holding something back in their attempt to enjoy their last remaining moments with the woman. Orianna almost wished she’d stayed in bed with Eclipse, not volunteered to be a shoulder for Penelope.
Then again, Orianna wouldn’t have turned her back on her newest friend.
“Can I say goodbye?” Penelope asked, her attention on Cimmerian.
“Of course. Just know that you’ll have those memories, not her.”
Penelope nodded, then headed up the stairs to the sunroom, where Winnie was currently standing, staring out at the pitch-black of thedhirathe warriors maintained over the mansion.
“So, how’s this work?” Reidar asked.
“When you give me the go-ahead, I’ll filter out all her memories of Penelope and insert a stand-in. Winnie will know she and her best friend parted ways years ago on good terms. Everything else will remain as is for her. These past few months won’t exist in her mind, and she’ll believe she quit her job in order to find something better.”
Wow. That didn’t sound pleasant at all.
“How does she get back to California?”
Orianna hoped it wasn’t by means of teleporting. Having experienced that one for herself … yeah, that was a big hell no, thank you very much.
“Alden and Naos have agreed to accompany her. They’ll need to leave as soon as possible.”
Reidar nodded, as though that was reasonable, but Orianna could see the discomfort on his face. This wasn’t easy for him by any means. From her understanding, Reidar had believed Winnie was his soul mate when they’d met, hence the reason he’d brought her back to the mansion. The months that followed had brought to light the error in his thinking, and now he had to deal with the aftermath.
“She’ll be fine,” Cimmerian assured him. “Just know you can have no contact with her going forward.”
“Understood.”
Feeling as though she was intruding on the angel’s private moment, Orianna opted to wander away from the group. She stood at the base of the stairs to the sunroom, staring up at the two women currently talking softly. For a moment, she tried to imagine a life where part of her memories had been wiped away. Though she wouldn’t know she was missing something, Orianna wondered if there would still be a void.
Probably, she figured. After all, that was how she felt about Amber. Her sister had been gone for so long it was difficult to remember the good times they’d shared back before their world had been disrupted. First her mother’s attack, her father sending them away. Those years they’d spent feeling alone and adrift. For a time, they’d leaned on one another, but even that hadn’t lasted long enough. In an effort to heal those wounds, they’d drifted apart until there was nothing left. The only thing she had left was her mother, but even that felt tenuous at the moment.
A warm body moved up behind her, strong hands settling on her shoulders. She leaned into the familiar warmth and sent up another silent thank-you for Eclipse. She had no idea how their worlds had collided, but now that they had, she couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else.
For the first time in years, her mother wasn’t the only thing she had left. She had Eclipse. He alone had filled that void, given her hope when she’d had none. She knew he loved her because she could feel it, but he was holding something back. She’d detected it recently. A disconnect, as though he wasn’t ready to move things to the next level, whatever that might be.
She got the feeling it had to do with that vision. The one where she’d been dead, his enormous body hovering over her. When she’d asked him what it meant, Eclipse had avoided answering, which told her he knew but didn’t want to say. The only thing that kept the fear at bay was the fact she knew that moment wasn’t the end, it was the beginning.
Of what, she wasn’t entirely sure, but she had her suspicions.
Chapter Forty-Three
While Kaj was enjoying turkey and dressingwith his daughter and the angels, Mirakel and the crew were busy making necessary improvements to the Lair.
Kaj had taken a few pointers from Angel Central, and they’d been busy getting the steel shutters fitted over all the windows. Installing the metal tracks and the steel sheeting on both the inside and outside had been the easy part, Mirakel had learned. It was getting everything tied into the automated system Blaz was creating that proved to be the more difficult part. The male promised the Lair would be as automated as Angel Central by the time he was finished, maybe more so.
Needless to say, until they could eliminate all the bugs, they were forced to sleep down below.
Not that Mirakel minded. For the past eighteen months, he’d been on the move, most of the time taking up space in abandoned structures—be it houses or commercial buildings—so having a soft place to rest his head was quite nice. It wouldn’t have mattered if he was belowground or in a cardboard box. As long as the sun wouldn’t get him, he was content. His position within the Zenith had never involved living the high life of the noblemen and women he was in service to. He didn’t expect it to be any different now, although Kaj didn’t seem to understand that.
The biggest difference, though, was the food. Evidently, the angels’ servants had gotten wind that they’d moved in and had insisted on ensuring they were fed. At first, a casserole appeared in the kitchen, the next day another, along with place settings. Day after, more dishes, more food, some linens. Since … well, Mirakel was fairly certain a couple of the caretakers had moved in permanently.
But it wasn’t the food Mirakel was worried about. That had been taken care of, but now it was the blood requirements that were becoming more of a necessity than a nuisance. While he had ventured out of the Lair once since they’d arrived with Kaj, he’d been holding off as long as possible. Now he feared he’d waited too long, which meant getting to the next town over was going to require something more than his own body for transportation. Without access to any vehicles, he was pretty much screwed unless Kaj came through for him as he’d said he would. Something about a Fae providing for them. He wasn’t sure. His brain was a bit foggy at the moment.
As he stared at the stone ceiling, letting his arms rest at his sides, Mirakel tried to sleep, but it wasn’t happening. Despite the brain mush from the lack of feeding, there was a restlessness beneath his skin. Had been the case since he’d left the Seattle camp in search of Kaj. He’d lived on that unease for months, using it to fuel him in his search for the Alpha. Now that he’d found Kaj, seemed his body hadn’t quite gotten the message.
Would probably help if they could get back to a regular fighting routine. They needed to shore up their ranks and get back to training on a regular basis. As they were now, Mirakel wouldn’t be surprised if a group ofimpietanstook them all out in one fell swoop. A year ago he would’ve laughed at the thought. Now … well, he had to wonder.
