by Cameo Renae
I was glad I would get to spend the next few days with them, without danger lurking over our heads.
“So, I guess this is our farewell dinner?” Dom asked.
“You are always welcome here, Dominic,” Alaine replied. “You’re family.”
“At least the Siberia mission worked out in your favor,” Mark said.
Dom’s left brow furrowed. “I’m still going to pay him a visit for South Africa and Tibet. I almost got stomped by an elephant. That could have done some damage to this perfectly sculpted face.” He ran his fingers down his cheek and chin.
The room erupted in laughter.
“We will return to Grandia tonight,” Gideon said.
“Thank you all for coming to help us,” Alaine returned.
“Yes, thank you,” Samuel agreed, as did Kade and I.
“It was our pleasure,” Gale replied. “It was satisfying to utilize and sharpen our skills.”
“You all were amazing,” I said. “Gwyn, you were especially deadly with those knives.”
She grinned and shrugged.
“Yeah, I haven’t seen any other female throw with that kind of accuracy,” Dom noted. “That was kick ass.”
She turned and they shared a smile.
“That’s why she’s here instead of worshipping. She’s got a deadly aim. Better than the rest of us,” Gideon added.
“Speaking of worshipping, why don’t Mark and Gwyn end the night with some music?” Dom suggested.
“No, no,” Mark said, throwing his hands up.
“Yes, dude. It’s a gift that needs to be shared, and I think we could all use a bit of relaxation.”
Gwyn agreed, so Alaine left the room to retrieve the guitar.
When she returned, Mark and Gwyn sat next to each other as he picked the strings.
Their voices filled the room, wrapping us in a blanket of tranquility. It was entrancing and mesmerizing. The music entered my soul, mending and strengthening the brokenness with each new word. After a few minutes, it had an even stronger effect on the mortals.
Jeremy, Lia, Caleb, and Courtney had all passed out. Their heads on the table, and their eyes closed. Caleb and Jeremy were even snoring. The angelic music must have been too much for them.
When it was over, we all said our goodbyes and headed up to bed.
“Hey,” a voice called as we reached our door. Dom came and stood in front of us. “I just wanted to say, aside from all the jesting, that I really love you guys. You two are family to me, and I will always be available if you need me. Unless Ephraim sends me on another godforsaken mission where I have no contact with anyone.”
Kade stepped forward and hugged him, patting his hands loudly on his back. “It’s been great to have you back, brother. It’s never the same when you’re gone.”
“Yeah, everyone needs a Dom in their life,” I giggled.
“I knew you wanted me,” he winked.
“Of course, you’re my big, brother bear.”
His eyes rolled. “Fine, I’ll settle for brother. But bears can be cuddly.”
“I wasn’t referring to a teddy bear.” I laughed. “What about Gwyn? She’s gorgeous and it seems like you two would hit it off?”
“Yeah, she is beautiful, but the fact her father is an Archangel, and she has seven warrior brothers who are all extremely protective of her, would make it difficult to get close to her. There’s someone out there for me, but I’m not in a rush. I can wait for my Emma.” His grin made my heart warm.
Kade wrapped his arm around me. “She’s one of a kind.”
“Which is why I hate you,” he said with a straight face, then immediately broke character and squeezed Kade in a bear hug. “Well, I better head off to bed. I still have some healing to do before returning to Midway tomorrow. I guess they’re sending me out on another mission.”
“So soon?” I asked.
“Yeah, Ephraim contacted Alaine. I guess he doesn’t like me lingering at Midway.” He grinned widely.
“We’ll miss you,” I laughed.
He sighed. “With all the trouble that seems to surround you, I have a feeling I’ll be back soon.”
“I hope not too soon,” Kade said.
“You never know with this one.” He pointed to me and chuckled.
We hugged him one last time before he left and we slipped in our room.
TUCKED UNDER THE SHEETS NEXT to the love of my life, I still had one question.
“Who called the angels?”
He grinned and brushed a stray hair from my cheek. “Michael.”
“I thought they weren’t supposed to get involved.”
“He didn’t, and technically, neither did the army. They merely showed themselves and gave a verbal warning.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “I was so frightened when they surround you. I thought you were going to—”
He placed his lips over mine, kissing me so passionately it took my breath away.
“They can’t knock me off that easily.”
I smiled against his lips. “No. They can’t.”
I curled in his arms, safe and secure, at least for the time being.
We had been thrown another obstacle and overcame it. With Lucifer still alive, we would always be walking a fine line of real peace and freedom, but for now, we reveled in our victory. I was glad we hadn’t lost anyone else besides Bane. But it saddened me that Lilith chose not to see the truth until it was too late.
Love had won this battle. The power of love was the greatest weapon I would ever possess. It wasn’t something I was born with. It was freely given by those I surrounded myself with. It was something so precious and priceless; it pushed me to a strength I never knew I possessed. And, in the end, it rescued us.
I may not have been the luckiest girl in the world, but I was loved. And that is the greatest gift bestowed onto anyone. No matter how bad things were, or would ever get, I knew I would always have the love and strength of my family and friends.
And that bond was stronger than anything that could try and come against us.
Cameo Renae was born in San Francisco, raised in Maui, Hawaii, and recently moved with her husband and children to Alaska.
She's a daydreamer, a caffeine and peppermint addict, loves to laugh, loves to read, and loves to escape reality. One of her greatest joys is creating fantasy worlds filled with adventure and romance, and sharing it with others.
One day she hopes to find her own magic wardrobe, and ride away on her magical unicorn. Until then...she'll keep writing.