smile he’d worn as her fingers twined with his. And for a while the two of them stayed there, staring into each other’s eyes. They really didn’t need words. She had this kind of closeness with Mace too, of course, one they’d both built with her while facing the threat of death over and over, experiencing the effects together. But with Raven, it felt more like a mutual connection. He needed her as much as she needed him. Mace needed no one. By nature, Mace was the quintessential leader — the kind people followed, the kind that never wavered. Hadn’t she seen that so clearly at the train crash? The day she fell in love with him all over again. His very personality bred loyalty. Mace was whole. And Raven was damaged. Like a broken flower pot, still working to hold the flowers, trying to keep up, hoping to hold it together — at least until roots worked their way through the clay and caused it to crumble.
And weren’t people always drawn to help what’s broken? Nikki was. She’d proved it when they’d first connected in the art gallery, shown it through the painting she’d created. She needed Raven. He needed her.
Chapter 10
They were readying to leave when the first bits of apprehension trickled over her shoulders. Raven was unfazed, so Nikki cast her unease aside. “You look rested.”
He smiled. “Yeah, I had sweet dreams. You?”
She didn’t try to hide the smile. “Yes. Pastor Layton’s wife let me sleep in an ultra-comfy recliner in her office after they gave me some instruction about faith and how to fight the seeker.”
“Great, you can fill me in on all the details after we go.” He gave her his full attention. “What’s the main thing you learned?”
“To pray for peace. Peace is a major key in defeating the seeker.”
“Pray for peace, got it.”
“I wasn’t finished. Pray for peace. But prepare for war.”
Raven nodded. “Sometimes war is the only way to peace.”
Didn’t she know it? Rough roads often had the best scenery. And what she’d learned on this difficult journey was fast becoming the framework of who she was becoming. That girl who liked drawing and karate felt so far away from her, except, on some deep level, that girl was still there. Not dead, just … transformed. It was as if she’d been reborn, and because of that everything looked different, like the world was spinning in a new way. Pastor Layton and his wife helped to make sense of the craziness and in listening to them, she’d found a new kind of clarity. And maybe a new kind of determination. Faith was no longer the foolish thing she’d imagined it to be earlier — now it was like air.
Relationships with boys, however, was another matter. Raven was busy folding the blanket he’d used. It smelled like him, a scent she loved. She couldn’t deny that. Last night, sitting at his side, holding his hand … it all felt so right. But Mace felt right too. Always. How could this be so hard to figure out? Maybe she never would. Maybe there’d never be a clear picture, and the only answer would be choosing neither.
Pastor Layton met Raven and Nikki at the door to his office. Bags rested beneath his red eyes and he looked like he hadn’t slept all night. Oh yeah, prayer meeting. He probably hadn’t.
“Time is of the essence,” he said, rushing them toward the door that led to the large parking lot they’d entered through the night before. “The intercessors are sensing …” He paused in the hallway, swallowed, and gave a weary shrug. “Well, I don’t know what they’re sensing exactly, but —”
Raven pulled the door open and they stepped outside. A bright morning sun greeted them, offering the promise of a beautiful day. Which — considering their current dilemma — was a pretty unlikely possibility.
Nikki heard the sound immediately. A deep, guttural howling noise that cut through her flesh and straight into her heart. For a moment, all three looked at one another as if waiting for one to ask the question none of them wanted to answer. Raven led Nikki to the edge of the portico where he could leap. But it was too late.
Something dropped near them from the sky. The massive black creature landed close, grunting and screeching. But there wasn’t just one creature; other beings soon intertwined with the monster. Here and there, its form was interrupted by slashes of color and wings.
Nikki