Burning Skies (Guardians of Ascension #2)(10)
Author: Caris Roane

She brought hot Starbucks and a couple of dozen maple scones and buttermilk doughnuts, which got devoured within minutes. But it was her presence that eased them all, her earnest expressions, her desire to help, and the knowledge that for the past several months she had made some really useful changes at Endelle’s administrative headquarters. Her enthusiasm and her service helped all of them, dammit. And tonight she’d just saved Luken’s life.

Yeah, his eyes burned and then some.

“Will he be all right?” she asked. She had a lovely voice, light, melodic, except when she got particularly adamant on a point. Then the tone evened out to something approaching strident—a necessary effect since she worked every day within twenty yards of Endelle.

“Of course he’ll be all right,” Thorne said, wondering if she could gauge the lack of truth in his voice.

“What about his wings?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

She was silent for a moment. “I wish Endelle would get here. She has healing abilities. Maybe she can help. Are you sure she’s on her way?”

“She’s coming.” He’d contacted her through their shared telepathic link, interrupting her meditations. He knew it would take her a few minutes to shake off the effects of doing her split-self moves through nether-space. The truth was he couldn’t have kept her away. She played her tough-bitch role really well, but he knew her heart, he knew how much she loved her men.

The air shimmered. Thorne slid away from Havily as gently as he could while at the same time drawing his sword into his hand, but thank f**k it was only Endelle. Speak of the devil. She wore a purple gown, something like a Grecian robe, which he knew she wore when she did her darkening work.

“Holy shit,” Endelle cried, her loud voice drawing the attention of all five healers in her direction. “Why the f**k does this room smell like someone’s been lighting chickens on fire?”

Havily burst into tears and moved to the window.

Thorne just stared at Her Supremeness. For being the ruler of all of Second Earth, the damn woman was as tactful as death vampires at a prayer meeting. “The enemy used some kind of firebomb, Endelle. Apparently, the sky all around Luken exploded. His wings were burned well into his back and he fell to earth … hard.”

Endelle whistled. “Well, shit, that’s gotta hurt.”

Understatement of the century, he sent, but aloud he said, “He passed out on-site.”

“Thank f**k for that. Is he on opiates?”

“Yes. Even Horace thought it was a good thing, and you know how he hates drugs of any kind.”

“So what is she doing here?” She jerked her chin in Havily’s direction, disapproval in her tone.

Thorne knew of Endelle’s disappointment in Havily, so he smiled a little as he said, “She saved Luken’s life. Now what do you say?”

“I say I find that f**king hard to believe.”

He rolled his eyes and told her the story even though he still didn’t understand how Havily had known what was going on. Her explanation of having had some kind of vision just didn’t fit into his current understanding of the usual ascender’s preternatural powers.

Endelle grimaced. “Morgan, get over here.”

Havily wiped her face before she turned around. To her credit, she stiffened her back and straightened her shoulders before rejoining them.

In her usual take-no-prisoners manner, Her Supremeness said, “What Thorne has told me doesn’t make a lot of sense and I want some answers. You say you had some kind of vision and saw Luken fall from the sky?”

“Yes. I watched him. I can’t exactly explain how it happened. But I woke up and the next thing I knew I was sitting in the desert, on the ground, and I could tell from the geography that I was at the Superstitions. I saw the sky on fire, then Luken—” She put her fingers once more to her lips, and her gaze skated back to the bed. The rest of the story came out almost in a whisper.

“Well, it sounds like you have some kind of link with Luken, maybe left over from his guardianship when you ascended.” She shook her head back and forth, scowling in disapproval. “These visions of yours? They ever happened before?”

Thorne watched color invade Havily’s creamy white cheeks, but she didn’t answer the question.

Endelle scowled all over again and glared at her. “Why the f**k did you just tighten your shields, Morgan? You hiding something from me?”

“It’s … it’s a little personal, but yes, I’ve had these visions before.”

“Anything I can use against the Commander?”

Havily shook her head. “No.”

“That’s what I thought. Well, if you happen to get any useful visions anytime in the next ten millennia, you’ll let me know, right?” Her sarcastic tone fried the air between the women.

“Of course,” Havily responded evenly. Thorne was f**king proud of her tonight. It took balls to stand up to Endelle or at the very least not to crumple into a faint.

“Then if the pair of you will excuse me, I’ve got a bastard to chase around the world.” She gritted her teeth. “And tomorrow I’m going to have to take this firebomb attack before COPASS, or at least request a hearing. An incendiary weapon works both ways. They start burning us, we’ll start setting all those glossy black wings on fire. Whatever. Havily, I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.”

“Yes, Madame Endelle.”

But Thorne waylaid her with a hand on her arm. He jerked his head toward Luken. “Can you do anything for him?”

Endelle glanced in the direction of the bed then sighed. “My healing powers don’t exceed Horace here. What can be done for him, Horace will do.” With that, she lifted her arm and was gone.

“God, I hate her sometimes,” he muttered.

Havily drew close once more, but a small chuckle left her lips. “You lie.”

Thorne laughed. “Yeah, I guess I do. I’d give my life for her, but you’d think she could try a little harder sometimes. And she sure has it in for you.”

“She’s just really frustrated right now.” Havily slipped her arm around Thorne’s and gave him a squeeze. “Alison tries to make headway with Endelle but even she loses it now and then, which is amazing because I swear Alison is a saint. Do you know what she said last week?”

Thorne looked down into light green eyes that actually showed some humor. Havily was a beautiful woman, and some of that beauty pierced his heart. He was so grateful for her presence among his warriors. “Tell me,” he said.