Forever Dark

By M. A. Nilles

It's a final showdown for control of the Starfire. Raea and Elis's bond is strong, but the Shirukan intend to use it to force her hand to give up the Starfire shard. To complicate matters, a shadow from Elis's past has returned, claiming to help; but when he betrays Elis to the Shirukan, Raea must figure out whom she can trust before it's too late.

All of Inar'Ahben is counting on them to keep the Starfire out of the wrong hands, but the Starfire has other ideas. They leave Raea with only one choice—make the ultimate sacrifice or risk losing everything to the Shirat Empire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Prairie Star Publishing
• Release date: Jun 19, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476221069

M. A. Nilles

M. A. Nilles is the darker side of Melanie Nilles. Her published works under the name Melanie Nilles are young adult and adult romantic science fiction and fantasy, including the Starfire Angels series, the Adronis series, The Luriel Cycle trilogy, and other romantic-leaning works. As M. A. Nilles, she writes dark fantasy and science fiction, including Tiger Born, Spirit Blade, and the Legend of the White Dragon epic. More can be found at www.melanienilles.com.

Book preview

FOREVER DARK

Dark Angel Chronicles 5

It's a final showdown for control of the Starfire. Raea and Elis's bond is strong, but the Shirukan intend to use it to force her hand to give up the Starfire shard. To complicate matters, a shadow from Elis's past has returned, claiming to help; but when he betrays Elis to the Shirukan, Raea must figure out whom she can trust before it's too late.

All of Inar'Ahben is counting on them to keep the Starfire out of the wrong hands, but the Starfire has other ideas. They leave Raea with only one choice—make the ultimate sacrifice or risk losing everything to the Shirat Empire.

Copyright page

Forever Dark

Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 5

By

Melanie Nilles

Forever Dark is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters, names, places, or incidents to reality is pure coincidence.

Forever Dark

E-book Copyright © 2012 by Melanie Nilles

Paperback Copyright © 2012 by Melanie Nilles

2018 Cover Design by Story Wrappers – storywrappers.com

Published by Prairie Star Publishing; Bismarck, North Dakota.

All Rights Reserved.

For information, visit www.melanienilles.com.

Table of Contents

_______________________

One Perfect Day

What Love Has Joined Together…

Back In The Game

Plus One

Shadows Of The Past

Back Again

Center Stage

Reading Between The Lines

Memories

A Question Of Trust

Nightmares

Confessions

Shirukan Atrocities

Backdoor

Déjà vu

Sympathy

Driver's Ed

Deceptions

Return To Naviketan

Alliances

Meeting Cris

Vengeance At Hand

Reunion

Final Sacrifice

Marin's Judgment Reprised

Monster Within

Walking Into Hell

…Let No Man Divide

A New Life

The Annihilator

Other Books

Author

One Perfect Day

RAEA stretched and smiled, full of warm fuzzy feelings left by the fading dreams. Something large and warm next to her hindered her movements, rising and falling with deep breaths. She snuggled close to smooth skin and inhaled the musky scent she almost didn't notice anymore, except in quiet moments like that. It belonged to Elis. He still slept, despite the lightening of morning through the windows.

Day came.

Day!

What day was it?

Two days after picking up the marriage license. August sixth.

Wedding day. Crystal Fire! The past two days had zipped by with preparations and runs to Bismarck for the supplies they would need, not to mention visiting their few guests who had arrived early and the simple rehearsal last night. The day had snuck up on her in the night.

What time was it?

Raea pushed herself up to look over Elis's bare shoulder while he slept on his stomach. She blinked her eyes to clear them and read the digital clock on the stand next to his side of the queen bed. Seven twenty-one. She was late!

Crystal fire! She threw off the covers and nudged his shoulder. Elis! Get up. She should have been showered already. For that matter, why hadn't Debbie called?

The answer smacked her with reality.

She'd given Debbie explicit instructions not to call unless it was an emergency. So, like, being late for their wedding day didn't count as an emergency? Of all the times for her aunt to leave her alone. Debbie…

Raea jumped out of bed wearing his pajama top like she usually did, while he wore the bottoms. Why hadn't the alarm gone off?

Oh, hell. Too late to worry about it. She hurried to get her jeans up and fastened.

Elis rolled over sluggishly and squinted at the clock. What?

Hello! She whipped through changing while he stayed in bed. Wedding day. We've been planning this for nearly two months. Everyone's here, what few there are. I mean, it's not like this is a big wedding or anything—fifteen people total is hardly anything—but it's still an important day, especially if we're going to stay on Earth. The words rushed out without a breath.

What? Elis pushed himself up on his elbows, and she hurried to his side of the bed while giving her brown hair a quick comb-through with her fingers.

Wedding day. Hurry up! Could he move any slower?

Elis sat up and rubbed his eyes, his bare chest revealing the scars of that spring's attacks. She put a hand to the dime-sized scar in the center of his chest. The Risaal had nearly killed him in their search for the Eye and the secret of Atlantis. Only a combination of her using the Starfire to heal him and the Risaal putting him in their health pods had kept him alive. She had sworn then never to waste a moment, which was why she didn't sleep without him next to her anymore.

She blinked away the horrible memories of believing he was dead that night two and a half months ago. No time for that. They had a lot to get done in just a few hours. She gave him a quick kiss on his smooth cheek and stood.

Up! Up! UP! Raea hurried to the door and glanced back. Elis hadn't moved. Of course, he wouldn't. She was the one with all the work to do—hair, dress, flowers, to name the easiest. He just had to shower and dress. Then again, Debbie had hired a local decorator to set up at the park. They were lucky Father Paul had agreed to officiate. Although neither she nor Elis were Catholic and it wasn't official in the church, he knew them through Evelyn and Debbie and had agreed to do it if they agreed to let him use his versions of the vows. Neither of them objected. It was still legal; that's what mattered. They were already bonded physically, and it was nearly complete, if not already there. The wedding was a mere formality, but one she was eager to make happen.

So much to do that morning!

She rushed down the stairs, wincing at the squeak from the loose step.

Good morning, dear.

Raea gasped and caught the banister at the bottom to keep from falling forward in her sudden stop. Her heart racing from the surprise, she turned to the old woman standing in the doorway to the dining room.

A smile lifted sagging cheeks on a wrinkled face outlined with short gray curls. The hunched old widow leaned on her cane.

Raea's brain caught up a second later to acknowledge her. Good morning, Evelyn.

I'll make sure he's ready.

The words with the wink from those gray eyes lifted Raea's mood from the jumble of panic about getting everything done. Thanks.

Elis probably didn't need the prodding, but it reassured her that he wouldn't be late for his own big day, not that it was needed. He wouldn't disappoint her.

A knock on the door startled her again. Damn! She was jumpy that morning. Raea caught her breath and opened the solid door to Nare standing with the storm door open.

Elis's cousin with the light blue hair cropped short and earrings up the sides of her ears jumped at her with an embrace, her hands covered by blue fingerless gloves like the black ones Elis typically wore to cover his Starburst marks.

Raea! Congratulations! She held Raea close and in a low voice said, I never thought he'd stick it out.

I heard that! The deep voice came from upstairs.

Raea shook her head. If Nare wasn't family or the best person she could think of to be a maid of honor, she probably wouldn't have bothered. But since helping her retrieve the Eye, Nare had been chosen as a Crystal Keeper, and she was Saffir's grandchild. Having her in the wedding party—small that it was with Josh as the Best Man and no other attendants—was a bit of an honor as a fellow Crystal Keeper, and it seemed the lesser of evils to having to pick between her friends Linds and Jess.

Chuckling, Nare stepped away and gave Evelyn a light hug. So good to see you again, Evie.

It's good to see you too, dear.

Nare stood aside, the high neckline of her shirt hiding the Starfire shard she wore. So—Raea—how's the bonding? It must have killed her to bite her tongue last night at the short rehearsal. Most of Raea's human family knew nothing, but her grandparents wouldn't have approved of her living arrangements, strict Catholics that they were with no knowledge of what she was.

A hint of mischief crossed Raea's mind, since Elis could obviously hear them well in the quiet house. She glanced up but saw no sign of him—he was probably still in bed but attentive. In fact, if she closed out her surroundings, she could almost feel his irritation against Nare grinding against the edges of her awareness. If Nare really wanted to know, who was she to hold back, especially when she could rub it in her face?

Pretty darn good. All pleasure and no pain.

The irritation turned to a sense of amusement.

One icy blue eyebrow lifted with a coy grin. He's treating you well?

Oh, yeah. And that's as much as Nare would hear about it.

So, why aren't you getting ready for your big day?

Right! Yes. I was on my way when you interrupted.

I was coming to get you. Debbie didn't want to…um…interrupt anything important. The coy grin suggested she knew exactly what Raea was thinking. She could think whatever she wanted. Raea wasn't going to play her game.

Besides, they had no time for banter. Raea hurried to the door with Nare, but hesitated and called up the stairs from the foyer, See you later, Elis!

Before he could answer, she let the door hiss shut behind her and hurried with Nare through the clean, crisp morning, across the short lawns between houses, and up the cement steps of the blue house to the door with the oval decorative pane of glass and matching sidelights. Home, or what had been home for thirteen years. She couldn't imagine it not being home, but hers was now with Elis, wherever that would be.

Raea turned the handle, which squeaked faintly and elicited the barking of a dog from the other side of the door. Good old Buddy. The minute she opened the door, the shadow of the chocolate lab charged at her across the open main floor, his nails clattering on the laminate. Buddy crashed into her, his butt wagging with his tail. Nare came in behind her and the storm door hissed shut. A wet nose shoved into Raea's palm for attention.

She obliged the head to get past the whip-like tail. Hey, Bud! How ya doing?

He leaned on her, his body shaking excitedly. Someone was happy to see her.

Raea! It's about time.

She looked up from the dog.

Wearing a white and purple robe, Debbie stood in the kitchen area without make-up and her hair still wet. Hurry up before Dave wakes up, not that he'll be up at this time in the summer, but you have a tight schedule. Go! Hair appointment's at eight and the wedding's at eleven. You're lucky Paul squeezed you guys in the morning on such short notice.

All right, all right. No need to get her panties in a knot. Sheesh!

Despite a moment of irritation at Debbie's greeting, or lack thereof, Raea hurried across the open main floor with the sitting room and dining room separated only by the back of the sofa.

She bit her lip on a smirk and caught the cool handrail along the stairs to the second floor over the garage. Not even a 'Hey, Raea. Good to see you.' Typical.

Hey, Raea. Good to see you, Debbie said from behind the kitchen counter. Now, get your butt moving! You're gonna be late.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Debbie was so predictable. Gotta love it. Raea shook her head with a light chuckle and hurried up to her room. The day was going to be great!

But her room felt lonely and stale. She'd hardly slept in it that summer, preferring the privacy she and Elis had in Evelyn's house to the interruptions of her cousins outside the door. Dave seemed to find a particular talent for mockery. If only she could use the Starfire power on him.

At the glow of the aquamarine Starburst marks on her hands, she took a breath and clenched her fists, stretching the smaller marks on the backs of her hands while they faded to simple aquamarine. It came easily now, finding the resonance to access the power. Just once… Too bad she couldn't. Oh, well. Seeing him suffer in a suit and tie would have to suffice.

While Debbie and Nare talked in low voices downstairs, she grabbed clean clothes from her dresser and hurried to the bathroom.

She swore that was her fastest shower ever and, in jeans and a tee shirt and wet hair, met Debbie at the front door with Nare less than ten minutes after coming in that same door.

Show time, girls. Debbie smiled and grabbed her keys. While cheering Raea, they passed through the door to the garage and piled into the sedan parked inside.

The giggling and teasing didn't start in full until all three of them sat in the downtown beauty parlor getting their hair and nails done. Nare took it all in stride, teasing about Elis while the hairdresser complimented her hair color and did her nails. Raea had to give her a sharp look to warn her not to say it was natural, but Nare didn't miss a step. She'd been on Earth for over seven years, going on eight; why would she slip up? What took up most of the conversation was the ring on Raea's finger, always a favorite subject, except for how he could afford it; she usually steered clear of that detail, preferring to keep Davrel's part unmentioned.

They left with their hair up and a sparkling tiara on Raea's head. Afterwards, they picked up coffee from the drive-thru and her face warmed at the odd looks from the girl at the window.

They reached the house at ten, and Raea couldn't get her heart to slow down. In the house, her uncle Mike and the boys looked up from the television, all of them in jeans and tees. All that time and they couldn't have done more to get ready. She should have expected that, but just that one day, she had hoped for better.

While Debbie chased them to their rooms to change, Nare brought her dress into Raea's room and changed while Raea slipped into her gown. After zipping each other's dress backs, Raea stared at her reflection in her full-length mirror, her heart fluttering in excitement.

Oh, my. Behind Raea, Nare sat on the bed in her blue, sleeveless gown with the matching shawl. Her eyes widened in the reflection. If he doesn't drop dead in shock, I'll kill him myself.

Honestly. Nare couldn't give up harassing him, and Raea doubted she ever would.

I'd rather not become a widow on my wedding day.

She did look good, though. It was a beautiful but simple fitted gown of white; no train and no sleeves, nothing fancy but the sequin designs on the skirt. The fitted bodice sparkled in the light like the aquamarine crystal shard hanging from a silver chain around her neck. The only thing that could make it better would be to see him standing beside her.

Raea smiled at her reflection, remembering for a fleeting second the morning she had awakened with wings only five months ago and studied her reflection then. Elis had revealed then what she really was and that he had come to protect her. It seemed ages ago after all they had endured. And now, she was getting ready to publicly commit the rest of her life to him. Six months ago she never would have imagined it possible.

Things had changed. She had changed.

She turned to Nare, and her eyes slipped to the clock next to her bed. Whew! Still time. Sleeping in hadn't messed up her morning, and it had helped tremendously for her to feel rested.

Raea? Debbie's voice was muffled by the closed door. Are you ready? We have to go.

I'm ready.

Debbie stepped in wearing the new lavender and purple floral dress she had bought specifically for that day and her jaw dropped. Oh, my. You look beautiful! She smiled and stepped forward for a hug. I can't believe this day is happening. This will be your day. You deserve it.

Thanks…for everything. Without her aunt, none of that would have happened. Debbie had helped Elis when he first came to Earth, and she had given Raea a home after Padina and Scott died, not to mention that she had organized most of the wedding details.

Oh…You're welcome. I'm so happy for you. They parted and Debbie carefully wiped her eyes. Sorry. Can't help myself. It's hard seeing you all grown up like this. I wish Padina could be here.

Raea touched the crystal shard hanging at her chest and smiled, but she couldn't deny the longing she felt for her mother to be there in person. She is…in her own way. The entities of her shard had shared many memories of prior Keepers, including her mother. In a way, her mother was in that shard, and for that reason, Raea would never give it up.

Are you ready to go? Debbie asked.

Flowers?

Yes. Flowers. Debbie rushed out, her shoes thumping on the stairs and clacking across the laminate.

Nare stood from the bed. Ready?

As ready as she would ever be.

* * *

You look great, man. Dark is definitely your color. From the walkway outside the bathroom door, Josh gave Elis a thumbs up with his quirky smile.

Elis stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Both he and Josh wore black tuxedos with satin, hook-patterned vests including the same shade of light blue as Nare's dress, the accent color Raea had insisted upon. The black jacket made him cringe, though. It reminded him of the overcoat worn by the Shirukan, the elite soldiers of the Shirat Empire, the ones who had come for Raea's crystal shard twice.

It also reminded him of friends and family lost to the heartless murderers.

He supposed it wasn't the same, though, with the white shirt and the black and blue bowtie to match the vest, rather than the black flightsuit the Shirukan wore under their coats. And the jacket was a different style.

"It's your wedding day. Try to look a little cheerful."

The pat on his shoulder made him look aside to the human who had been one of Raea's best friends since before Elis had arrived on that world two years ago. He understood why Raea had suggested Josh as a best man; they could trust him with their secret and he'd always been supportive, despite having had a crush on Raea himself.

This was his wedding, their wedding. He should be happy.

Humans. They had ceremonies for everything. Inari had long ago forsaken such trivial nonsense in everyday affairs. Even the bonding was informal and private, as what he shared with Raea. No others could come between them, although they'd need comparative brain scans to confirm the completion of the process. He'd bet they were close by the whisper of her thoughts in his head in close proximity to her, and she probably heard his thoughts.

So why did the wedding make him anxious? They were nearly complete with the bonding process, connected in every way now.

But Raea had grown up in human society and this was what was expected and a last chance to reject each other. That was probably the fear still nagging at the back of his mind—that she could still reject him, despite that they had come so far already.

No doubts. They loved each other and would never turn back.

Like so many experiences, he did this for her, although he hated gatherings. Worse, this one included Nare. He shuddered at the thought of his annoying second cousin playing a part in what was supposed to be his and Raea's special day. Worst of all, his cousin was now a Crystal Keeper, which only magnified her belittling attitude towards him. All of that was what made him nervous.

He adjusted the skin-colored gloves hiding his Starburst marks. No black gloves today; Raea had made that request and he wasn't about to deny her.

Getting cold feet? Josh asked.

What does the temperature of my feet have to do with anything? What an odd saying, but he had encountered many strange phrases over the last two years on Earth and suspected Josh's question didn't mean what it sounded like.

Elis stepped back to the rail along the walkway overlooking the stairs and let Josh in to use the mirror to comb his hair. Josh's brown hair was normally as untamed as Elis's black hair, but Josh had cut his for this day so that it didn't blow over his eyes. Raea had insisted that Elis keep his the way it was, which suited him just fine.

It's just an expression. You know— Josh ran his comb under the water. The meticulous care he gave every strand of hair lightened Elis's mood with amusement. Are you afraid to go through with it?

No.

Good answer, and quick at that. Josh frowned at his reflection and a particularly defiant piece of hair, which he attacked with more water and the comb.

I have no doubts about the future of Raea and me. Elis had imagined that future and what it might entail—good or bad, Earth or Inar'Ahben. The possibilities were endless, but whatever happened, he wanted to always be with her.

Then relax. Today is your day.

Along with thirteen other people with whom he'd rather not share it. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. For Raea's sake. That's why he did it. It was important to her. They had discussed the details of that day for the last two months of planning, ever since he had given her the ring.

A ring paid for by Davrel. He would be there, was already in McClarron. It was the least Elis could do, inviting the man who had paid for his ring and who supported all the Keepers on Earth. Davrel had been an engineer and computer expert back home. Recent advancements in human technology came from a lot of his knowledge, Inari knowledge. He was paid well for it, but he shared that wealth with all of them through his private trust set up to invest the funds and disperse the profits to everyone, and the government knew about it; Anita Cross had threatened to take it away if they didn't cooperate.

He hated that woman as much as Raea. Living on Earth would be no picnic. He hoped Anita and all the others like her stayed away.

Now was not the time to think about that. This day would be perfect, as Raea wished it to be. He would make sure of it.

Davrel. Nare. Josh. Father Paul. Him and Raea. Debbie and her family. Evelyn. Jess. Linds. Debbie's parents. Fifteen people, but only two who mattered. A late morning ceremony, then lunch in the park and relaxing the rest of the day. It wouldn’t be so bad, but he would have preferred clothes

Reviews for Forever Dark

[aflippinpixie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is yet another amazingly written book by this author! It is definatly a MUST read book in this series