Free Nancy K. Duplechain - Dark Trilogy 03 - Dark Legacy by Nancy K. Duplechain Page A

another glance at Nadia, and a
little smile worked the corner of her mouth. “Thanks for the ride,” she
whispered in Noah’s ear, and then put her lips to his, kissing him slowly and
tenderly. Noah was lost in the moment for a second until she pulled away and
giggled, closing the door behind her. He stood there, dumbfounded, before
heading back to the car. Nadia raised her eyebrows at him.
    “I have no
idea,” he said, and then headed for the convent.
    It was getting
late, and traffic had thinned considerably. The Charger was the only car on the
bridge going back across the river. Noah was lost in thought about the kiss
Ruby had planted on him. Nadia stewed in silence. The radio was mindlessly
playing some old rock song Noah remembered from grade school.
    Just as they reached
the middle of the bridge, something large landed in the lane in front of them.
Noah had just enough time to register the face of someone who looked a lot like
him in the headlights before he swerved into the next lane and spun around.
    “It’s him!” said
Nadia. “It’s the man I saw when I touched your mother’s hand!”
    The angel looked
over his shoulder and found Noah’s eyes, which looked so much like his own.
Noah revved the car and hit the gas pedal, charging for the angel. He flew up
just before the car hit him.
    Noah turned the
car around, put it in park and said to Nadia, “Stay here.” He went to open the
door, but Nadia pulled him back.
    “No! He’ll kill
you!”
    “He doesn’t want
to. I’m going to take care of him.”
    “Don’t be
stupid!”
    “Stay in the
car!”
    He stepped out
onto the bridge. The angel hovered about ten feet above, looking at Noah with a
menacing smile.
    Noah jumped onto
the roof of the car and yelled to the angel, “What are you waiting for?!”
    The angel flew
toward him, stopping in front of the headlights. “You know who I am.”
    “Yeah, I know
who you are, and I know what you did.”
    “Then you know
who you are.”
    “What the hell
do you want with me?”
    “The others said
you are special, that you have something none of them have. They can smell it
on you. I smell it, too, underneath that concoction that’s supposed to protect
you.”
    “Not just for
protection. To get rid of the wings, too.”
    The angel smirked.
“You hate us that much, do you? But do you realize how powerful you could be? A
nephil with paladin blood could be a strong force to aid us. You could be a
ruler some day.”
    “You’re all
disgusting and evil, and I will never join you.”
    The angel
considered him for a moment. “How is your mother?”
    Noah’s jaw tightened,
and a vein in his neck throbbed.
    “She still looks
as beautiful as the last time I saw her,” he continued.
    “You stay away
from her!”
    “Join me, and
you have my word that no one will touch her.” He looked at Nadia in the car.
“Or your little friend in there.”
    Noah leaped off
the car, almost tackling the angel, who dodged him at the last second, spun
around, and grabbed Noah, lifting him up fifty feet in the air.
    Nadia jumped out
of the car and looked up at the sky. “Noah!”
    The angel held
him by his upper arms and stared into his eyes. “Think it over. When you’re
ready to join me, meet me at the pier where you found Arcelia. I’d tell you to
come alone, but it really doesn’t matter who you bring. There are more of us
than there are of you. Don’t take too long to think about it. I know where you
live. And don’t be foolish enough to think that a protection spell around your
house is going to keep me out.”
    He released his
grip, and Noah fell to the bridge with barely enough time to reposition himself
for a steady landing. It still hurt his legs. He groaned and sat on the asphalt
with his head between his knees. Nadia rushed over to him.
    “Are you okay?”
she said.
    “I need to take
you to the convent, and then I need to get home and warn my mom. Tomorrow, I’m
going to go see Miles. We need to take this