Noru 4: When Angels Break (The Noru Series, Book 4) Read online

  “Diana, please don’t stress about this. You’re going to upset the baby. She’s feeding off your energy. Please stay calm,” Aaden begs.

  The team and I try to reassure her that we will protect the baby, but it’s not helping. Finally, Aaden takes her aside and tends to her. I can’t hear what he says, but it works. Soon Ruin is calm again, and the color begins to return to her face. She reaches out for him, and for the second time today, Ruin is in the arms of the angel I love.

  There’s a good chance that Randy is wrong about Aaden and me being able to survive this. It may just be wishful thinking on my part. The fact is, this baby is extraordinary and she will eventually attract the attention of evil. I’m sure Aaden will want to be by her side as much as possible. That means being around the baby’s mother.

  I can’t fault him for being protective of his child. I honestly would be disappointed if he wasn’t. Yet watching the two of them together makes me sad. Then sadness turns into anger and then into my least favorite emotion—self-pity.

  “Hey, I’ve been calling your name and you just kept walking. You’re, like, in another world,” Aaden says.

  “You’re not the first one to point that out today.”

  “Well, come back. I need to talk to you,” he says.

  “Me or Ruin?” I ask.

  “Um…I know the difference between you and Diana. And like I said, I want to talk to you.”

  “Well, you don’t have to go through with it. We can skip this part.”

  “Skip what part?”

  “The part where you tell me it’s over between us and that you’re going off to be with Ruin. I get why you need to do it. But please spare me that scene. I don’t want to be mean, but honestly, I can’t deal right now.”

  “That’s what you think I want to do—break up with you?” he asks.

  “Isn’t it?”

  He takes my hand and sneaks us into the bleachers. With the exception of a few stray students, Aaden and I are alone.

  “I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to talk, Pry. I feel like my life somehow woke up before me this morning. And I’ve been running around all day trying to catch up to it.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “But we’re here now, together. So…talk to me,” he says.

  “Aaden, I don’t even know where to begin.”

  “Okay, I’ll go first. Pry, how are you?”

  “Kind of freaked out. How are you?”

  “I’m a little bored. Nothing exciting ever happens to me, nothing new or unexpected. The truth is, we’re kind of in a rut,” he jokes.

  I burst out laughing at the sincerity in his voice. He smiles back; I lean into him and rest my forehead on his hard pecs. He lifts my head up and kisses me tenderly. When we pull apart, he looks into my eyes and makes a vow.

  “I know this situation is more than you bargained for, but I think after the Center, we can face anything. I can’t say this whole thing will go smoothly, but I can tell you that in the middle of this hurricane, you’re my solid ground. I need you, so please tell me you can handle this.”

  “I really thought you were coming out here to end it with me,” I admit.

  “No, that’s not what I want. Is that what you want?”

  “No, but, Aaden, this is a lot to deal with.”

  “Yeah, I know. Part of me still wants to scream and rage at Diana. I want to demand that she explain why she did something so reckless and selfish. But any argument could cause her to get upset, and that could hurt the baby.”

  “So anytime she is upset, the baby is in danger?” I ask.

  “According to the Healer, there are a few triggers. If she’s suddenly heartbroken or in fear for the baby’s life.”

  “Like I said, it’s a lot,” I reply as I look away.

  “This whole thing has thrown us all into chaos, but that doesn’t mean you and I are over. We just started. I want to keep going.”

  “How? I mean, where do I fit in all of this?”

  “You’re the girl I’m in love with. You’re the girl I want with me no matter where this life takes me. You’re the forever in my life.”

  “You really think we can make this work?” I ask.

  “I don’t know, but I’m damn sure gonna try.”

  He pulls me in once again for a kiss. This time his touch isn’t gentle. It’s certain and passionate. And it seals the vow we made to each other. Aaden is right. Things will get crazy, but we’re in this together. And this isn’t the end of us; it’s the very beginning.

  I manage to make it to my last period class, where I fill Randy in on everything. He jokes that by the end of the school day I will need a sedative. Thankfully, the end of the school day is in fact very near. I only have one more class to go to. I say goodbye to Randy and bump into East a few minutes later.

  “When did you get back?” I ask.

  “Like half an hour ago. My father gave me a list of pointless crap my mom insisted I do. Anyway, what’s going on?” he asks.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The team is acting strange. No one is looking me in the eye,” East says.

  “It’s been a crazy day. I think everyone is trying to adjust.”

  “Yeah, I guess. How are you dealing with Ruin and Silver?” he asks.

  “One nervous breakdown at a time.”

  “And how’s the baby?”

  “Good. Ruin was a little worried earlier after the baby displayed her powers. She realized it would mean certain danger for her.”

  “Bex told me the kid took out the lights everywhere. How cool is that?” East replies.

  “Yeah, but the more power, the more danger,” I remind him.

  “Spoken like a girl born with wings.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Pry, I would give anything to have power like you guys. This kid is like two minutes old and already she can do more than me.”

  “If you could somehow have the same powers we do, would you want to, knowing the danger?” I ask carefully.

  “In a heartbeat,” he says, smiling as he walks away.

  “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” Ruin asks as I make my way over to my locker.

  This is officially the longest day in history.

  “I can’t, no time,” I reply as I open my locker door and grab the books I need for my next class.

  “This won’t take long,” she insists.

  I sigh and stand in front of my locker, waiting for her to speak. Meanwhile I’m picturing what it would be like to bash her damn skull in with a bat. And while the baby is fine in this scenario in my head, I do inflict great pain on her mother.

  “I guess you must really hate me right now,” she says.

  “You can’t begin to imagine.”

  “I tried to tell Silver many times, but…it’s not an easy subject to bring up,” she explains.

  “Which part is hard? The part where you lied to him about taking birth control, or the part where you withheld the existence of his child from him for months?”

  “Look, I’m really trying here,” she replies.

  “And what exactly are you ‘trying’?”

  “I want you to know that I’m not…we don’t have to be enemies.”

  “Wait, are you asking if we’re friends?” I reply incredulously.

  “Well, yeah, I guess,” she says in a small voice.

  “You have got to be joking.”

  “I know I was wrong to lie to Silver.”

  “Oh gee, you think?” I snap.

  “I really thought at the time that it was something we both wanted.”

  “And I think you’re either a liar or an idiot. And you don’t strike me as lacking in intelligence.”

  “I don’t want to trade insults. Your team has been…they protected me in the forest. I mean, we all protected each other. I haven’t been part of a team in a while. It was nice. But the thing between Silver and me is just that: between him and me. I’m hoping we can separate that
from the team stuff.”

  “There is nothing between him and you except a well-executed plan. I have to deal with it and so does he. In fact, everyone has to deal with it. But do me a favor and don’t try to sell me this ‘I really want to be friends’ act. It makes me sick.”

  “Not telling Silver about the Tam was a mistake. It was foolish, but that’s all. There was no great plan. It happened, and now we have to move on. You said that yourself,” she reminds me.

  “Yes, I did. I said that because I lead this team and I will not have us divided over this. However, don’t think for one minute that I’m okay with this situation.”

  “You’re still thinking like a child. There’s a baby involved here. Why are you making this about your hurt feelings?”

  “You have no idea what I’m feeling, and every second that passes I want to jam your damn skull into a blender,” I rage.

  She laughs. I look over at her, shocked by her reaction.

  “What exactly about this situation amuses you, demon?” I ask.

  “This is so different from the way I saw it in my head,” Ruin confesses.

  “How exactly did you think this was going to play out?” I ask.

  “When I was little, I wanted a dollhouse so bad. Every girl I knew had one, but we couldn’t afford it. So I made my own out of old cardboard boxes. I also made furniture. I had the best matchbox bed and paper clip sofas in town.

  “I took my dollhouse to school one day and everyone laughed. They said it was trash. I came home crying. My grandmother asked me why I was so upset. I told her that I hated the dollhouse and all the time I spent working on it was a mistake. Then I threw it out.

  “She went outside and picked it up. She started to put it back together as she sat down on the steps next to me. She said that the kids were wrong and that even though my dollhouse was unlike the others it was still special. It was special because I created the house with love. And nothing that was created in love was ever a mistake.

  “Maybe three seconds before we slept together he wanted you and not me. Hell, maybe three seconds after we slept together he went right back to wanting you. But that night, in that bed and in that moment, all we wanted was each other. All we had was each other.

  “It terrifies you to admit it out loud, but you know it’s true—my child was not conceived from a deep-seated evil plan. My daughter was created from love. I will not let anyone take that away from her.”

  “Ruin…what do you want from me?” I ask, exasperated.

  “I’m hoping you’re as brave as they say you are.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning, it’s easy to hate me. It’s easy to think that this whole time I was scheming and plotting to ensnare Silver. It’s easy to make me the villain. But I’m hoping that you won’t do the easy thing and hate me.”

  “I’m sorry again; I’m not sure what it is you want from me.”

  “I want you to be brave enough to ask the question that nobody else is asking. What if my lying to Silver wasn’t the act of a cunning demon but that of a misguided girl in love?”

  “Oh, please,” I reply in disgust.

  “Is it really that hard for you to believe, Pryor?”

  “Yes, it is. I know who you are, Ruin. You will do anything to have him. You planned this whole thing. You’re a sneaky, underhanded little snake. You wormed your way into Aaden’s bed, you wormed your way into my team, and now you’re trying to worm your way into Aaden’s life for good.”

  “Again, not taking the Tam was a mistake. But, for the last damn time, it wasn’t a way to hold on to him. I did what I did because I thought a family would make us both happy.”

  “Bullshit! You wanted to trap him and now you have. But guess what, he doesn’t love you. And you can give birth to a thousand babies and it won’t change shit! Aaden loves me and he will love this child, but as for you, he doesn’t love you. Do you get that? AADEN WILL NEVER LOVE YOU!”

  Ruin’s face is suddenly drained of color. She gasps as if she’s in terrible pain. She passes out and crumples to the floor. I frantically call out her name and get no response. Aaden and the rest of the team come from every direction. Swoop takes Ruin’s hand and alarm spreads across her face.

  “The markings on her arms, they’re fading—she’s losing the baby.”

  Horrified, Aaden looks up at me.

  “Pryor, what did you do?”

  Chapter Four:

  Dazzle

  Aaden doesn’t wait for me to respond. Instead he picks Ruin up and takes off into the sky. We follow behind, not sure where he’s headed. A few moments later we land on a small side street in Paris. Aaden bursts through the nearest door of someone’s apartment. Whoever lives here has a major storage problem. The apartment is filled from floor to ceiling with pop culture memorabilia.

  “Luna! Luna!” Aaden bellows desperately.

  “Whoever you are, go away. I’m in the middle of a heated battle. Take no prisoners!” the being shouts from the back room.

  Aaden rushes to the back room and bursts through yet another door; we find a bald angel sitting in a recliner with her back to us. All her attention is on the large computer screen before her. She is logged on to eBay and currently bidding on a comic book.

  “Damn it, Luna, get your ass over here and help her!” Silver begs.

  She finally turns and faces us. She has multiple cartoon tattoos, a lip ring, and dark-rimmed glasses. When she sees Ruin unconscious in Aaden’s arms, she rushes to her feet and presses a red button on the side of her recliner. Suddenly the walls turn inside out, revealing pristine white space with vials lined up against it. The recliner becomes a floating gurney.

  Aaden lays Ruin on it and begs Luna to help her. Luna takes one look at the markings on Ruin’s arm and worry spreads across her face.

  “What did you do to this girl?” Luna accuses.

  “We were just talking and she collapsed. Can you help her?” I ask.

  “Everyone get out. I need to work,” Luna says as she furiously mixes several different vials together.

  “I am going to stay with her,” Aaden says.

  “You ‘demon daddies’ are all alike: quick to be by her side, but also quick to place her in danger. Just like your father before you. He came in here not long ago when your mom was pregnant with you. They put you in all kinds of danger going on missions and raising hell. That’s why it’s bad for demons and angels to mix. We never know what could happen,” she scolds.

  “Luna, just fix her!” Aaden says.

  “I’ll do my best. But for the record, I am Voyen. That means I’m a Healer who specializes in baby angels. That does not mean I’m the go-to doctor for daddy demons,” she protests.

  “Okay, we won’t come to you again. Just please help her. Help my kid,” Aaden says, sounding so small even Luna couldn’t disappoint him.

  “Fine, fine. I will help,” she says.

  I exchange a quick look with Aaden, but neither of us speaks. Aaden demands to stay in the room with Ruin, but Luna says she needs the room in order to make a complicated mixture. We head out to the living room, leaving Luna with her patient.

  “Pryor, outside. Now,” Aaden demands.

  I follow him out to the street. His jaw is clenched and his nostrils are flaring. He’s about to speak, but then stops and forces himself to remain calm. Yet there is no denying the tension in his voice when he speaks.

  “What the hell happened back there?” he demands.

  “Well, isn’t it obvious? I was so upset with the news that Ruin is having your child that I thought I’d piss her off so she could miscarry,” I reply, offended by the question.

  “This isn’t a joke!” he snaps.

  “No, it’s an accusation. You came out here to accuse me of trying to hurt an innocent baby. Isn’t that what’s going on?”

  “Pryor, what happened?”

  “She tried to convince me that she didn’t have any evil intent and that she really did believe you two would
be a family,” I inform him.

  “And what did you say?”

  “I…I told her that you would never love her,” I mumble.

  “You what? Why would you do that after I told you how fragile she is?”

  “I told her I didn’t want to talk, but she insisted. She followed me around and badgered me until I had no choice but to talk to her.”

  “And that’s the only thing you could think to say?” he replies, baffled.

  “She kept hounding me to talk to her.”

  “I can’t believe you’re making this her fault! I told you what would happen if she got stressed out, and the moment I turn my back you go and say the one thing that could send her over the edge. What the hell were you thinking?”

  “All I wanted was for her to go away.”

  “But she’s not going away, Pry. She’s going to have my child, and that means she will be a part of my life forever. I need to know if you can handle that.”

  “And if I can’t, then that’s it for us?” I demand.

  “I am not going to stand here and choose between you and my child!”

  “I’m not asking you to do that! I know I have to tolerate the situation, but that doesn’t mean I have to talk to her. And it certainly doesn’t mean I’m going to play along with her pathetic innocent act.”

  “So this is how it’s going to be from now on? Both of you at each other’s throats?”

  “All I asked was that she stay out of my way.”

  “Damn it, Pryor, she’s on the team. How the hell is she supposed to stay out of your way?”

  “Argh! This is so messed up!” I scream.

  “I get that you’re pissed, but I need you to exercise some self-control.”

  “Self-control? Are you seriously saying that to me? You were the one who went around the world screwing anything with wings, and now you have the nerve to talk about self-control?”

  “You really don’t want to go down this road with me,” he cautions.

  “The hell I don’t! We grew up together. We were best friends. I was in love with you even before I knew what that really meant. After the Center, you should have come to me and told me what happened to you. Instead you ran away from home—from me. Then to make matters worse, you drink and fuck your way across the globe with Ruin, the 7-Eleven of demons. Her legs are open all night, all day, to everyone!”