by Maya Daniels
“What?” Eric and me both ask at the same time.
“That bomb,” Maddison says every word slowly, as if we have brain damage, “was not one of mine.”
“I’m fine, no need to check on me, or ask if I’m alive.” A deep voice, calm and soothing, startles us all.
“Raphael!” My entire body sags when I see him peering at me with those cat eyes of his, checking me for injuries. Crawling over to him, I grab hold of his hand, but he winces and I drop it. “I’m so happy you’re alive.”
“You might be the only one,” Raphael mumbles, repeatedly glancing over my shoulder.
“Eric, stop it!” I don’t need to turn around to know that Eric is either glaring or getting ready to pounce. “I told you what happened. Why would I lie to you?”
“Because your heart is soft and will protect even those who don’t deserve it.” His fingers curl around my shoulders, and he pulls me up, pressing my back to his chest.
“He saved me.”
“That’s the only reason his head is still attached to his body.” Eric wraps me in his arms, but chills pass through me at his words. “Maddison, secure the Archangel. He and I need to have a chat after I take care of my mate.” Raphael nods at Eric as if he understood some secret code that the rest of us mortals missed.
“Splendid!” Clapping her hands, Maddison jumps up. “Party at your house! I can’t wait.” Her enthusiasm makes Eric and I groan in unison.
Eric…
After dumping Raphael in the back seat of Maddison’s SUV, I fold my frame in the passenger seat with Hel in my arms. She doesn’t protest, only curls up tighter onto my chest, and that scares the shit out of me. This woman is too softhearted for her own good, but she is a hellcat. To see her meek and looking lost makes me want to rage and destroy this entire fucking city with everyone in it. What have they done to her?
Tightening my arms around her, I bury my face in her hair. She smells of anesthetic and ash at the same time, but underneath all that is her sweet, natural scent. It soothes some part deep in me that I wasn’t aware existed. She sighs and pushes her face in the crook of my neck. I can feel her dry lips graze my skin when she speaks.
“Thank you.” Her words are soft, barely above a whisper.
“For what?” Curling my hand on the back of her neck, I pull her towards me so I can look at her.
“For coming for me.” Some feeling that I can’t name lurks in her gaze, making my gut tighten. “For searching for me…” she trails off.
“Don’t ever doubt that, Hel.” I make sure she sees my promise comes from the core of my being. “No matter what, I’ll always come for you. But, let’s not test that often, huh?” Trying to lighten the mood, I wink at her.
“Yeah, I have no intention of repeating it anytime soon.” She giggles weakly.
“Rest now, I’ve got you.” Pressing her face to my neck again, I thread my fingers through her hair. “You’re safe. I’ll wake you when we get home.”
She mumbles something intangible, but soon enough, her breathing evens out, and her body fully relaxes for the first time since I found her. Home. That’s where I told her I’m taking her. The tension in my body calms with that thought. The rest of the drive passes in a blur of lights and sounds that I ignore. For the first time since she was taken from me, I feel tired as well. I haven’t eaten, slept, or done anything else. Before I know it, Maddison parks in front of the glass double doors of the place I call home.
“Should I take Raphael with me, and let the two of you get some rest?” Maddison speaks softly, trying not to wake Helena. I want to say yes with everything in me, but uneasiness gnaws in my gut.
“We need to talk,” the Archangel says from the back, my body tensing up at his words.
“You need to shut the fuck up.” Growling through clenched teeth, I do my best to hold myself under control.
“Just because you have her here doesn’t mean she’s safe, Eric.” With a heavy sigh and a painful groan, he sits up in the back seat. I regret that we didn’t tie him up, but I didn’t want to upset Helena.
“Let’s hear what is going on.” Helena shifts in my lap, and her voice is hoarse from sleep.
“You rest, Hel. I’ll talk to him.” I glare at the asshole for waking her up over my shoulder.
“It’s not like I was running marathons, Eric. I’m fine. I could use some food, though, while we talk.” As if to back her words up, her stomach rumbles and she presses a hand on it. “I could eat a horse.”
“All of you go upstairs. I’ll be back in a few,” Maddison says, already buckling up in her seat. “Shoo, go! I’ll bring food, but I’m not sure I can find a horse at this hour.” She snickers at her own joke.
I glare at her.
Rolling her eyes dramatically, she turns on the engine and looks at me pointedly. I’m in no mood to talk or deal with her antics, but I have a feeling I need to hear what Raphael has to say. Doing my best to not jostle Helena too much, I open the door and get out, kicking it closed with a loud thump. Raphael is beside me the next moment, but ignoring him, I stride towards the lobby. Helena doesn’t ask me to put her down. I’m not sure I could, even if she did. It’s as if holding onto her will somehow erase the last two weeks.
The elevator doors are open, thankfully, so we pile inside. Raphael presses the button for my penthouse, and I raise an eyebrow in question. He stares at the closed doors as we go up, ignoring me. I haven’t interacted with Raphael much through the centuries. He is one of few that likes to stay away from the constant fights between our kinds. Which makes the question why he is here and willing to get his feathers dirty now more important.
Helena is quiet, although she’s not sleeping. All three of us feel the tension building with each second that passes. Whatever it is that Raphael wants to say can’t be good. Not if he wants to tell it to me after he apparently went against Michael. The two of them are thick as thieves. What can possibly happen for one to turn on the other? And for a hybrid of all things. Maybe things are not as good as I always believed they are in Heaven. If I judge by Michael’s actions, things might not be good at all.
The bell of the elevator reaching its destination breaks the silence and thankfully pulls me out of my thoughts. I’m impatient to get Helena inside past the wards protecting my place. Maybe then I’ll be able to take a normal, full breath. The doors slide apart and just as I’m about to walk out, Raphael’s hand clamps on my forearm, freezing me in place.
Dropping Helena on her feet, I push her behind me and my knees bend slightly by instinct. Raphael is still clutching my forearm, as if trying to stop me from moving. The door of my apartment sits somewhat ajar. Not enough to be noticeable, but sufficient for our enhanced sight to pick up. The air stirs around me, and Helena pops up next to Raphael, pressing the “open door” button and stopping the elevator from closing. Lifting one eyebrow in challenge, she looks at me as if daring me to say something. I’m going to spank her for the attitude as soon as I have her safe.
Raphael takes my attention by tilting his chin towards the door, indicating he will be coming with me. I’m torn. I need Helena to be safe and stay back, but she has that stubborn look on her pretty face that tells me I’m shit out of luck. I’ll just have to make sure she’s behind me at all times so I can take the brunt of any attack that comes our way. I grab the Archangels hand, piercing his skin with my claw so his blood drips over the wards I have placed around my home. Doing the same to my hand, I watch them mix and feel the resounding shiver telling me he can enter. Nodding at Raphael, we both move towards the door on silent feet.
Helena steps softly, following me, and my heart fills up, bursting with pride when she comes behind me and her hand gently rests on my back. I strain to hear how many are in my apartment and where they are located, but I hear nothing. A frown pulls my forehead when we reach the door. A quick look at Raphael and I see the same confusion that I feel. Not a sound, a breath, or a heartbeat can be heard from inside the place. Apart from us thre
e, there is no one else on the entire floor. Straightening up, I push the door open and stride inside.
No one is here.
I search the entire place within a minute, but it’s empty. Is it possible I left it like that the last time I was here? I can’t even remember when that was. I’m just walking out of my bedroom when I hear Helena’s gasp. I’ve never moved that fast in my life, but I stop short when I get to the living room.
“Oh my God,” she whispers, turning away from me, and I follow her gaze.
The color is drained from her already pale face, causing the dark circles under her eyes to be more noticeable. Her trembling hands are pressed to her lips, and her eyes are rounded in horror. She is staring at the hand left on the table holding a note between its fingers. Blood still drips from where the wrist has been separated from the arm. Moving one shaking hand, she reaches for it.
“Oh my God…” Repeating it, she points at the ring on one of the fingers. “Hector!”
Helena…
The horror of seeing my father’s severed hand like some decorative piece on top of the coffee table breaks something fundamental inside me. No matter what Michael did to me, he never could’ve managed to damage me to this point. I feel my entire body shaking uncontrollably, and a bone-deep cold settles into my soul. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m aware that I’m in shock, but there is nothing I can do about it. I feel like a passenger in my own body.
I hear voices, Eric and Raphael talking in harsh tones, but everything is muffled as if my ears are full of cotton. Only the severe stuttering of my heart sounds too loud.
Thump! Thump-thump! Thump!
Long moments pass between each painful beat and numbness starts taking over. My teeth chatter, and the shaking of my body turns to an almost full-blown seizure. My knees give out from under me, and the room tilts sideways as my body goes down. The craziest thing ever is that there is only one thought in my head at the moment: I’m going to hit my head on the table and it’s going to hurt like a bitch.
Strong arms wrap around me before I hit the floor, or the table as I feared. When I’m lifted in the air and pressed against a firm chest, I know it’s Eric’s. The warmth that radiates from him seeps through my cold flesh, and gradually, the sounds and feelings return with a whoosh.
“I’ll bring water.” Raphael’s voice is laced with panic as he rushes towards the kitchen.
“Breathe, Hel,” Eric murmurs in my ear, taking us to the sofa. “Just breathe. We will get to the bottom of this.”
“He—” My voice cracks and no sound comes out.
“We don’t know if it’s his.” The gruffness of Eric’s voice brings back some of my sanity.
“The ring…” I tell him numbly.
“Could’ve been stolen and placed on anyone’s hand.” His fingers glide through my hair in a rhythmic motion, calming me more with each stroke of his hand. “Until we know for sure, I don’t believe anything.”
“I can go and check in the Sanctuary.” Pressing a cold glass of water to my lips, Raphael perches on the table in front of us, not far from the hand. “I’ll look for Hector. Regardless if I find him or not, I’ll be back before you know it.”
The front door opens, and both men jump, Eric pushing me behind him and spilling water all over the place. The glass falling on the floor with a loud cling is followed by a thump of multiple bags.
“What on Earth…” Maddison’s voice is high-pitched, making me wince.
“Close the door,” Eric growls at her, turning back to me and pulling me into his arms.
“New problems.” With a sigh, Raphael bends down and picks up the unbroken glass. “Someone left a gift.” He points at the hand after he straightens up.
“Who’s is it?” Picking up the bags of food that she dropped, Maddison strides towards the kitchen. “I’m guessing no one has an appetite right now.”
“It’s Hector’s.” I hear myself answer her, but I can barely recognize my voice.
Maddison’s steps falter, but she regains her calm almost as fast as she lost it. After dropping the bags somewhere in the kitchen, she comes back and sits on the sofa across from us. She looks at the hand for long moments, her beautiful face not giving anything away. Then, those unnaturally blue eyes lift to mine. She looks at me for a long time, making me wonder what she is thinking. Whatever it is I’ll never know, because her focus turns to Raphael.
“You said we need to talk. Let’s hear it.” Lacing her fingers over her bent knee, Maddison looks expectantly at the Archangel.
“I never thought it would get this far.” Raphael looks defeated as his broad shoulders slump and he runs his hands through his hair, messing it up.
Eric growls something under his breath, but I elbow him to shut him up. I need to hear what the hell is going on before I can even try and deal with the fact that the hand still sitting in front of us is my father’s. He tightens his arms around me and sniffs my hair in long, deep inhales. For whatever reason, it calms him down, so I lean back into his chest.
“You both know,” Raphael continues, turning from Eric to Maddison, “that Michael has always been against the hybrids. I’m not even sure why he let me talk him out of killing Helena when we found her. But more than that, he has always been almost obsessed with luring Lucifer out of Hell so he can fight him.”
“You mean kill him.” I point out something that they all skirt around. “I doubt he is looking for a friendly sparring match.”
“Well.” Raphael grimaces as if the words he is about to say pain him. “Who will be the victor in that fight is still up for debate. If they fight one on one.”
“Okay, and he took me so he can open the gate. He should have enough blood by now to keep it open for years.”
I should’ve kept my mouth shut. Maddison frowns, her eyes glowing brightly. Eric growls a deep, feral sound, and my entire body is covered in goosebumps from it. Even the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight.
“What else did he do?” The voice that comes from behind me is a thing of nightmares. It’s almost as if Eric is speaking from deep in his chest, not his throat.
I shiver.
“That is why I made sure Eric had the coordinates for the laboratory.” Raphael’s words save me from replying.
“That was really you?” Eric’s voice is still scary, but less nightmarish.
“Hmm, yes.” Shifting uncomfortably, Raphael presses his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose. “Things weren’t supposed to go the way they did. You were supposed to destroy the laboratory while I took Helena away from Michael and brought her here. My planning went awry somewhere along the line.”
“It would’ve been easier if you just told us that,” Maddison says dryly. I can’t help but agree.
“And you would’ve believed me?” the Archangel challenges back.
“We’ve always been at war, Raphael, but obviously you haven’t yet learned that we are not stupid. If you came with an offer of bringing her back, why would we turn our back on it?” Maddison looks unblinkingly at him. “We might’ve thought it’s a trap, but you know Eric. Traps are his favorite pastime. The way he was crazy with the need to find her, he would’ve taken you up on it even if he knew you were lying.”
“What’s done is done,” I butt in because this is about to turn into a pissing contest. “What’s the laboratory?” An uncomfortable feeling swirls in my stomach as I wait for him to reply. I’m just grateful that Eric has been quiet and hasn’t tried to go for the Archangel, yet.
“That’s the problem.” Raphael huffs, clenching his fists. “I don’t know what’s in it. Somehow Michael prevents me from entering it. I’ve searched for demonic wards that will prevent an angel from crossing, but I don’t sense any.”
“So, you figured sending Eric there was the best idea?” Anger overtakes my entire being at how nonchalantly they treat our lives, as if we are nothing. “Big fucking deal if a demon died, huh?”
“Why would I wish him dead?�
� Raphael looks at me with disapproval. “I just figured if we work together, we both get what we want. I bring you to him, and he tells me what’s in that cursed building.”
“I find it hard to believe that you’d be willing to set me free just to satisfy your curiosity, Raphael. I might be young, but I’m not an idiot.”
“There she is.” Eric chuckles behind me, squeezing me tighter in his arms. “I missed that fire in you.” Kissing the top of my head, I feel his breath stirring my hair. “She has an excellent point, Raphael. What gives?”
“You think he is commencing an army?” Maddison stiffens. “You think we might have the start of a new great war?”
Raphael looks at each of us for long moments. His chest rises and falls with even breaths. I can see the war he is fighting inside him in the storm brewing in those yellow cat eyes. Clenching and unclenching his fists, he finally comes to a decision. I don’t even realize that I’ve been holding my breath until he exhales a long breath through his nose and drops the expressionless mask, showing us the fear that he feels.
“I think he is trying to kill Lucifer and tip the balance of all realms in the process.” At his words, Eric goes still as a statue and Maddison gasps.
Me? I’m confused as fuck, and I still don’t know if that really is Hector’s hand sitting on the coffee table. Well, my confusion clears when Raphael speaks again.
“And I think he has demons helping him achieve his goals.”
Eric…
“You are out of your mind!” The deceptive softness in my words is not lost on Helena. She shivers in my arms, and I tighten my hold on her.
“It actually makes sense,” Maddison says while she looks lost in thought.
“You think that’s how they found us when Michael took me?” Wrapping her cold fingers over my forearms, Helena is trying to calm me.
It’s working. I haven’t been able to stop touching Helena ever since I found her in that damn building. Just seeing her in front of me is not enough. My anger at feeling helpless when she was taken from me requires additional confirmation that she’s really here. Her words finally penetrate my still enraged mind. I’ve been operating on it for so long now it seems I can’t function without it.