Archangel's War (Guild Hunter #12) - Nalini Singh Page 0,83

sheath, while Ashwini’s gun hung at her hip; she played throwing stars around her fingers—the light glinted off the viciously sharp edges.

Kenji had taken a seat and begun to snap a garrote between his fisted hands, while Rose was practicing throwing a pretend knife. A passing doctor ducked as she sent one invisible missile flying. Honor, meanwhile, was “catching” Rose’s throws and sending them back.

“Did he spill yet if it was a girl or a boy?” Demarco wrapped one arm around Elena’s waist, careful to keep his forearm away from her wings.

Elena shook her head. “Said they don’t know. Wanted it to be a surprise.”

“I’m going to kill all of you.” Sara rushed into the waiting room on black high heels, her outfit today a fitted dress in deep plum and her hair swinging glossily across her shoulders.

“We know you’re magic, boss.” Demarco, with no regard for his life, sent Sara a quick salute. “Had zero doubts you’d make it here in time.”

Sara glared at him. “Any news?”

“No.” Honor brought up her legs to sit cross-legged on the hard plastic chair. “Doctor said since it’s Nyree’s first, it might take a while.”

But it was only two hours later that Ransom walked out with a shit-eating grin on his face. “I’m a dad.”

They swarmed him with hugs and congratulations and questions. After Sara corralled the lot of them into order, they snuck in to see mother and baby in groups of two or three. Nyree had already told Ransom it was all right.

Elena entered with Demarco and Rose to find Ransom on the bed beside his wife, his arm around her back and his hand stroking the tiny head that lay nestled against Nyree’s skin. The new mother looked a little tired, her dusky skin paler than usual and her black curls wildly tumbled. Her smile, however, was radiant.

“He’s so tiny.” Demarco’s tone was awed; he kept his hands scrupulously behind his back. “Jeez, Ransom, how’re you going to handle him without breaking him?” Not a smart-ass question, an honestly petrified one.

Ransom ran the pad of his finger over his son’s head again. “You have no idea of my current level of fear.” His grin didn’t fade an inch. “But I can’t wait to do the dad thing.”

“Nyree,” Elena whispered, “you grew a human.” With miniature fingernails and skin so new it was dewy.

“I can’t believe it myself.” Ransom’s tough little wife pressed a kiss to the downy hair on top of the baby’s head. “You’ll all be babysitting so start studying up.”

A collective spike of terror shared between her, Demarco, and Rose.

Nyree’s laughter filled the room.

At that instant, all was right with the world, Lijuan’s reign of death forgotten in the gift of this tiny new life. But things deadly and violent were stirring awake even as Elena dared touch a careful finger to the baby’s fragile hand.

36

Archangel! I have the best news!

Stepping out onto the balcony outside his office to meet his consort, Raphael went to ask the reason for her joy when a lightning strike speared out of the sky. Elena jerked out of the way just in time, and the bolt hit the balcony beside her.

The surface cracked, fine fault lines spreading across the entire space.

More bolts appeared out of the cloudless sky on the heels of the first, deadly arcs of energy that could fry an angel’s wings and crash him to the earth.

LAND! NOW! He sent the mental command to the edges of his ability, saw angels begin to arrow down to land wherever they could. A number of the Legion did the same, but one of them couldn’t avoid a strike.

His body disintegrated.

At least the Legion would rise again, unlike an angel who was hit. “Stay down, Elena. I must see if I can protect them.” The strikes were coming faster together now and many angels had been high, couldn’t drop fast enough.

Be careful! A mental shout as she got to the shelter of the doorway and he took off.

The lightning altered direction to angle toward him. He permitted a small bolt to hit him so he could gain further information, absorbing the impact with the strength that made him an archangel.

No strange Cascade energy. This was simply weather run amok.

But, for some unknown reason, he drew the violence like a lightning rod. Maybe because the energy that danced on his skin was akin to the lightning. Instinctively creating a shield around himself, similar to the one he used when he and Elena