“Are you all right?” She couldn’t seem to be able to stop touching him—his face, his head, his chest—just to reassure herself he was real and alive.
“Must go.” He hiked his chin toward the walls.
Thana followed his gaze. New hordes of Nephilim breaching the heavenly walls.
They were coming fast.
She didn’t have the power left to take them down. Thana struggled to her feet, pulling Luther up alongside her, and slung his arm around her shoulder. “Hold on.”
The white fortress loomed ahead of them. If they could reach it, they might have a chance of hiding out in the maze of corridors until they could regroup with the other Scion and regain their strength.
A dark spot waited in the entrance.
Her heart clogged her throat. Friend or foe, it was too late for Plan B now.
Whoever it was, she’d deal with them, but she couldn’t slow down. She had to get Luther to safety. She wasn’t sure what damage he’d done by asking Lucifer to take him instead of her, but he’d already been bleeding and hurt and weak. She redoubled her efforts, determined to get him inside.
As they neared the fortress, the dark dot became the man who’d escorted in here in the first place.
Xander.
He shot past her heading for the half-breeds. At the entrance, she looked back toward the walls to find him battling the horde of Nephilim, holding them back until they could get inside the fortress. Soon more rainbow-bright lights appeared over the walls. The other Scion warriors.
Chago swopped down in his vortex close to them. She couldn’t contain her relief. While she barely knew the guy, he’d been with them at the apartment in Chicago which meant he wouldn’t harm her.
“What happened?” he asked, looking over Luther, then her.
“Lucifer.” It was the only word she could get out between breaths. She felt faint again and wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep going.
“Hurry. Xan can handle the Nephilim. He’ll keep them busy long enough for us to reach safety without them seeing where we went.”
He led her inside the maze of corridors. Another explosion shook the air and she looked back toward where Xander was battling the half-breeds. He was on their side. She found that hard to believe after he’d refused to tell Luther what his real mission was and he’d all but dragged her from the apartment in Chicago, but she wasn’t going to complain. The Scion commander’s attacks light up the sky and she could feel his immense strength despite the distance between them. He was a powerful ally and she needed all she could get right now.
She’d escaped one death, but they weren’t out of the wood yet.
Thana followed Chago inside what looked like a suite at a five-star hotel. Huge king-sized bed, immaculate sitting area, and a bathroom to die for.
“These were my heavenly quarters when I watched my Irena from here,” he said.
Sloane and Lin stepped out from the sitting area and she tried to thank them but couldn’t find her voice. They rushed over to take Luther’s weight and help him onto the bed.
“Let’s see what the bastard’s did to him,” Wyck said, drying his hands on a towel. “I got Kagan patched up in the bathroom.” “
“Is he okay?” she whispered and Wyck nodded.
“We Scion heal fast. Kagan will be back to his normal self soon enough. Let’s see about Luther now.” He smiled at her then rounded the foot of the bed to the other side.
Thana watched as Wyck pulled the covers away from Luther and held his hands out above him. Pale light filtered down from his palms, washing over Luther’s bruised and battered form.
“Will he be alright?” She tilted her head, taking in her beloved’s profile.
“He’ll be fine.”
The confident assurance in those words brought her comfort and she surrendered at last to the exhaustion pulsing through her aching body. She laid down on the bed beside Luther and took his hand.
“Let’s send you to sleep, shall we?” Wyck’s voice cut through the fog in her head and Thana sighed as his warm hand rested on her forehead.
Sleep sounded wonderful.
She wanted to sleep forever in Luther’s strong arms.
Safe at last.
25
Luther’s head felt heavy and his limbs weak, drained of strength and limp at his sides where he lay shrouded in darkness. His soul was in agony, torn and beaten, and it was a struggle to breathe through the pain. He hadn’t considered the consequences of his actions. He’d thought only of saving Thana.
She a Seal host, born of Divinity and Lucifer, and he’d witnessed her strength when she’d annihilated their enemies outside. Her true power had reached deep inside him, filling him with countless images of death and destruction, for that was her Seal’s purpose. But Thana had not wanted to die. She’d wanted to live, with him. She’d wanted all of this to end and for them to finally be together.
He’d wanted that too.
It had taken only a handful of words from her to give him the strength to fight the archangels and hordes of Nephilim and defeat them, for now at least. They wouldn’t give up, of course. They’d continue to pursue the mortal hosts of the seven seals of the Apocalypse, continue to push and push against Divinity and her Scion until they were too weak to fight back and would succumb.
A cool breeze washed over him, sweeping upward from his toes.
“Luther.” Her soft voice restored his strength and he slowly opened his eyes.
She descended from the moonlit sky above, her arms outstretched and a smile curving her sweet lips. Her silver-black hair shone brightly as it fluttered behind her. Thana drifted down and halted mere inches above him. He closed his eyes at the first touch of her hand on his face, then leaned into her caress.
“Thana.” He sighed as her warmth flowed through him. The pain in his soul lessened and her hand rested above his heart. She landed beside him, kneeling at his side. “I’m so tired.”
He sought her gaze. Her smile heated his chest and stole his heart. It was hers anyway. He only hoped their time together lasted more than a few moments. He wanted it to last forever.
“Rest then, my love.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and the ache in his soul disappeared. “My brave Scion guardian.”
Luther closed his eyes and mourned the loss of her lips when she drew back. She laid down beside him and curled up, her head on his bare chest, her hand still over his heart.
The ground shook, and she tensed.
“What’s happening?” He stared at the black expanse of sky above. Stars twinkled. The full moon dazzled. This wasn’t the real world. They were back in Thana’s dreams again.
“We’re safe, I think,” Thana whispered. She traced patterns on his chest, following the lines of his muscles then circling his right nipple. “Wyck sent us to sleep.”
“Are we still in the heavenly realms?” He couldn’t recall much after falling to his injuries on the battlefield. The immediate drain on him as the inevitable healing began had rendered him unconscious. When he had come to briefly, someone had been dragging through endless white marble corridors. Then blessed blackness again. He looked down at Thana. She lay with her head on his left pec and her eyes closed. There was a cut across her left cheek. He traced his fingertips over it gently. “You’re hurt.”
“Only a little.” She tipped her head up to look at him. Her eyes were inky dark again, with only faint glimmers of silver. He still wasn’t sure how the Seal manifested within her, but there seemed to be two sides to her, the Seal and the mortal. Right now, she looked like a mix of both, merged into one beautiful being. “Are you all right? You look so tired.”
He nodded.
“We should go back to reality, shouldn’t we? Everyone else is fighting because of us.” The worry didn’t leave her eyes. “They won’t stop until they have me. I can stop this. I don’t want anyone else to be hurt because of me.” She pushed away, but he caught her arm.
“Can’t let you do that… and
they won’t either.” Luther raised his other hand to brush the long strands of her silver-streaked hair from her face. “My Scion brothers fought for you, Thana. I fought for you.”
Thana looked away, tears in her eyes. “I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve you.”
He smiled now. “You do… you deserve someone better than me.”
She looked at him again, uncertainty shining in her eyes. “I don’t know how you can look at me now. I wish I didn’t look this way.”
He frowned at those words and the hurt in her tone.
“Why?” He cupped her cheek, trying to make her look at him. She refused, keeping her face firmly turned away from his.
“How can you feel anything for me when I dragged you into all of this?”
“You’re beautiful, Thana,” he whispered. “I love everything about you. You’re still the woman I love.”
A tiny smile touched her lips. “You really love me?”
He cupped her cheek and swiped away her tears with his thumb. “I do.”
“I hope you won’t regret it one day.”
“I’ll never regret anything when it comes to you. You mean so everything to me and that will never change, no matter how long we’re together. I’ll always love you, Thana.” Luther held her close and smiled. “You deserve so much more in life than pain and suffering. I wanted to give you that. I wanted to be a man worthy of your love. I don’t know if I am, or ever will be, but I want to be a good man for you. I love you, Thana. All of you.”
She kissed him, breathing life back into his weary body.
Luther savored the feel of her body against his and how good it felt to have her in his arms again. He wasn’t sure what was happening in reality, but here, Thana was in command. She had total control of him in her world.
“You’re worried.” Thana pulled away and smoothed her finger over the lines between his brows. “I can see it.”
“How long can Wyck keep us hidden here?”
“Not sure. But I do know that when we leave, those half-breeds will be waiting for us. The archangels who’ve defected to their side too.” Luther hated hearing the solemn edge to her voice, like she’d already given up. He’d give her courage at least. A reason to hope.
“We only need to remain hidden until the end of the planetary alignment.”
Her brows rose. “The one I told you about?”
He remembered now. Way back before all this had happened. They’d been sitting in that café and she’d mentioned seeing a show on TV about space and the alignment. At the time, he had been so lost in her beauty and battling his growing feelings for her he hadn’t focused on their conversation. Luther nodded. “Seven days. If we can remain here for seven days, then your blood will no longer be of use to them.”
“What does it do?” She looked down at her hands where they rested on his chest.
The ground trembled again, and Luther held her close. He had faith in his Scion brothers. They’d all survive this. Lucifer wasn’t foolish enough to start an all-out war on Divinity’s turf. It went against the terms of their eternal accord.
Still, it was difficult to ignore the attack when the urge to join the fight beat deep in his heart. He wasn’t convinced that Lucifer or his minions would leave them alone after the planetary alignment ended. Not had his hunger for revenge on behalf of himself or Thana been assuaged. He wanted to settle this score once and for all, to ensure they’d never come for Thana again. But he was in no fit state to fight at present. It was impossible.
Thana pressed closer to him, her heart beating in time with his. He stroked her cheek and pushed away his desire for vengeance, focusing on her instead.
“Neilar said your blood was capable of closing both Heaven and Hell, if spilled in the right place at the right time—at the precise moment of the planetary alignment. The effects only last a moment, until the blood dries. Then it’s over. He believes the half-breeds, under Lucifer’s direction, want to use that precious time to find and kill as many Seal hosts as possible and unleash the Apocalypse. If we can keep you safe until it passes, they’d have no reason to come after you anymore.”
Unless there was more to Lucifer’s plan than Neilar knew. The bastard was the original trickster, the father of all sins. He didn’t trust the Prince of Darkness any farther than he could spit at him. No. Luther would never allow the filthy prick to capture Thana. They’d keep moving. He’d protect her forever if that’s what it took.
“They’ll always be after me, won’t they?” she whispered, seeing the truth through his lie.
“I’ll protect you, Thana. I promised you that, remember?” He ran his right hand over her bare thigh down to her knee. “But I don’t know what will happen when we leave this place.”
She frowned. “Back at your apartment. When Kagan attacked me, Mira tried to command him. For a moment it seemed to work. Maybe we could try that too?”
“I’m not sure. Mira and Kagan met because of a contract she formed with him through her powers.” He thought about it a moment. Since her rebirth, Thana was far more powerful than Mira had ever been. “I suppose, if you call to me and bind us by contract, it might work.”
“Contract?”
“Mira called to Kagan, requested something of him, and he agreed to it. That’s how it works. If you do the same, then there is a chance it will forge a bond between us… or perhaps something stronger.”
“Stronger?”
Luther’s heart raced at the prospect. It was worth a shot.
“You are so powerful now, Thana. You could do far more than just create a contract. You can change your future.”
“Really?” The word trembled with possibility.
He nodded. “Go ahead. Try it. I need strength to protect you. You can give that to me.”
She scrambled to her feet, her long hair shining in the moonlight. Thana held out her hand to him and easily hauled him to his feet, shocking him.
“First, let’s get you some fresh clothes and deal with those wounds.” She waved her hand over him and his cuts and scratches disappeared, followed by clean jeans and a white shirt covering him. “Much better.”
Then Thana held out her hands and two curved silver blades similar to those he’d used earlier appeared in her palms. She looked down at them. “The originals are gone. I can’t give you back what you sacrificed to save me, but I want you at my side throughout the journey that lies ahead. I don’t want to go on without you, Luther.” Her tears fell onto the blade, shimmering for a moment before vanishing. “You’re the only guardian, the only man I need. I love you with all of my heart and I want to stay with you. I don’t want us to suffer anymore.”
He eased down on one knee in front of her, and held his hands above his head, palms up.
She placed the blades into them and he looked up at her, then lowered his head again and offered his blades back to her. Thana touched them, power flowing from her through them and into him.
“Luther, I’m calling you to the eternal duty of protecting me. In exchange, I offer my heart.”
His hands trembled, and he drew in a long deep breath to steady himself. Her words echoed deep in his Scion heart, compelling him. A master’s voice, powerful, true.
Luther met her gaze again and bite back a smile. It had been a good speech, though all she’d really needed to say was his name and let her heart tell him the rest.
“I accept, your call.” He lowered his head again then rose to his feet, standing barely a few inches in front of her. “I love you.”
She stood on tiptoe, threw her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him.
Letting his blades fall to the sand, Luther slipped his arms around her and drew her in for a heated kiss, making the most of this moment. Her tongue swept over his lips, teasing him. She tasted as sweet as he remembered. He’d been dying to taste her again. It seemed almost too good to be true and he didn’t want to let her go in case this all turned out to be only a dream.
The ground shook again, the t
remor lasting longer this time.
Thana pulled away to hide her face against his chest.
Looking around, Luther saw the scenery had changed. In place of the sea and the shoreline, there was a bright green sunlit valley. The hill they stood on sloped downward toward a river below. Trees lined its bank in the valley bottom. Hills stretched far into the distance.
“Is this your world?” she asked him.
Luther frowned. “I don’t think so.”
“It’s mine.” A familiar deep voice boomed down the hill and they turned to see Wyck striding toward them. “Quinn lets me travel here sometimes.” He stopped before them. “I have a message. We’ve defeated the hordes for now and will be taking both of you back to Chicago with us. Kagan is staying behind to talk with Divinity and Xander about what happened today.”
“Kagan?” The last time Luther had seen his Scion brother, he’d been falling from the sky having expended all of his power. “Is he well?”
“He’s good. Well, as well as Kagan can be. He’s a bit by-the-book for my tastes.” Wyck sat on the grass and stretched out. It didn’t hide the weariness in his eyes. They’d all fought hard that day. His Scion brother looked Luther up and down, snorting. “Nice outfit.”
Luther frowned.
“I’ve put you all through so much trouble.” Thana sighed.
“Scion like trouble.” He smiled for her and she managed one in return.
Then a voice boomed out of the heavens, putting an end to their idyllic interlude.
“Get your asses back here!” Xander.
The world around them darkened and Luther was overcome with bone-aching fatigue. He opened his eyes to stare at a thatched ceiling made of what looked like twigs. The thick, warm air hummed with the sound of insects and the smell of the sea. Definitely not Heaven.
He looked left and smiled when he saw Thana lying next to him, looking as confused as he felt. a similarly confused look on her face.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. “Feels like we slept forever.”
Luther pulled her against him and kissed her, relishing his ability to do this in reality. She’d called him, commanded him. They’d always be together now. He wouldn’t allow anyone to separate them again and he wouldn’t let anything happen to Thana. He’d keep his promise. He would be a good man for her. Starting now.
Scion's Redemption Page 18