look closely enough. Leviathan, the behemoth, the angel of death, they’re all there. This creature seeks whom he can devour. The word devour actually translates to shred. Seekers shred their victims.”
Nikki’s heart plummeted to her stomach.
Raven pushed his tea away. “I am so going to regret asking this, but why does it shred its victims?”
The Owl swallowed, his gray eyes darkening. “It’s trying to remove the soul. It digs into the victim in hopes of capturing it.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think I wanted to know.”
“The issue is souls can’t be removed. Once a physical person is dead, the soul sails on its own.” Solomon sipped his tea.
Nikki’s brow puckered. Mr. Cuckoo wasn’t making any sense.
She chewed on her lip. “I remember reading in my Bible that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So, everyone who dies goes to God?”
Solomon patted the leather book again, and Nikki realized it must be a Bible. “To be absent from the body is to be present with your lord. Whoever that is. If you serve the Throne, then the Giver of Life is your Lord. If you reject him, the hater of men’s souls is your lord. Either way, your soul is gone from the physical body instantly.”
“Unless you’re a Halfling,” Raven mumbled.
“But the seeker tries to dig through you to find it after you’re dead?” Nikki tried to stop the nausea the mental picture raised.
“That’s what I understand, at least. Seekers aren’t my specialty. I have a friend who has spent more time than me studying them. I think you should talk to him.”
Raven stood. “No time like the present.”
“He won’t be reachable this late at night. He’s in the Bernese mountains.”
“Swiss Alps. One of my favorite ski areas.” Raven began to gather the tea kettle and cups “Can you give us directions?”
“Of course,” Solomon said. “But don’t you think you should sleep here tonight?”
Nikki yawned. “I’m exhausted. But I don’t want to put anyone at risk.”
Solomon reached to pat her hand across the table. “For those of us in the underground, we specialize in risk.”
Choices, choices. Raven glanced down at Nikki. She looked spent. Dark circles under her eyes, worry tilting the edges of her mouth into a frown. Even now she was gorgeous.
And exhausted. Yeah, they needed to rest a few hours. Winter had suggested the tunnels to him as a safe place for the night, but he’d managed to keep them one step ahead of the seeker, and maintaining that advantage was paramount. Plus, there was something really delicious about being her guardian, the only one protecting her. For the first time ever, he had Nikki to himself, and she truly trusted him. But no matter how much he enjoyed their current arrangement, his feelings had to take second place to her safety.
“Solomon,” Nikki said, leaning forward. “We need to get a message to a friend in Germany. Do you have a computer with an internet connection?”
Raven stood. “No time, Nikki.” He dragged her out of her chair and she rested against him. “If we want to stay ahead of the seeker, we have to move. Tonight. Now.” He briefly stared at his hand, wrapped around Nikki’s wrist, realizing the decision he’d made the moment he pulled Nikki to her feet. He couldn’t allow them to connect with the others, as that meant sharing her — and it seemed like sharing her meant more risk. Too much risk. For all of them.
Her long exhale assaulted him, and he tried — unsuccessfully—to avoid drawing Nikki into his lungs. Her breath was sweet where it blew against his skin. Ignoring the Owl, he cupped her face in his hands. “You can rest while we fly,” he whispered. “We’ve been here too long already.”
She nodded, the motion causing strands of her hair to dance over his fingertips. Man, it felt good to have Nikki alone. And he simply wasn’t ready to give that up.
Chapter 5
Raven pumped his wings, taking in the snow-dusted mountains below him. His arm was numb with a thousand prickly spots begging for fresh blood flow, but he wouldn’t readjust. Nikki had fallen asleep, her skin against his, her breathing heavy with exhaustion. She’d groaned once, and he’d drawn her closer, rewarded by her nuzzling into him and whispering his name. There, in his arms while he hovered above the mountains, everything was perfect.
Except for the fact they were being hunted.
He spotted a cabin and a thin sliver of road leading to it. Smoke