by Cynthia Eden
I think I saw the Lord of the Dark in that doorway. Luke Thorne was a man he hadn’t encountered in a very long time. Before, Kale hadn’t thought he was strong enough to defeat Luke or his jerk twin Leo. But this time…
This time, I won’t be on my own. This time, I’ll have Lila at my side. And when their powers blended, he and Lila would be unstoppable.
He just had to make sure Lila was tied to him first. That meant… “Killing the werewolf is your number one priority. Eliminate him.”
And until that happened, until Luke had gotten the hell out of there, Kale would be keeping a safe distance from the action. He hadn’t survived this long by being stupid. Sometimes, retreat worked best.
Because you slip away and come back to attack another day.
Chapter Eight
“Heal her,” Rayce snapped.
Luke lifted one dark brow. “It’s good to see you, too. Though I’d thought the plan was for you to head down to the Keys, not for me to have to fly my ass all the way up here.”
“You have your own fucking wings, Luke. Don’t act like it was a hardship.” And the guy could move at super speed. There was very little he couldn’t do.
Luke smiled, a brief flash of his white teeth. “I have wings…” He pointed to Lila’s still form as she lay in front of the fire. “And so does she.”
“Not for long—some asshole named Kale had his goons shoot her. The bullets tore her wings apart.” His shoulders stiffened. “Now stop wasting time and fix her.”
Luke’s smile was gone. “Kale?”
They could deal with that SOB later. Rayce grabbed Luke’s arm and jerked him toward Lila. “Heal her.” He’d seen Luke work his magic plenty of times. The guy had brought paranormals back from the brink of death. Or, in the case of Julian’s lady love, Luke had literally brought the dead back to life. Healing Lila’s broken body should be a breeze for Luke.
Luke put his hand on Lila’s forehead and hissed out a breath. “She is cold.”
“Heal her.” Rayce was about to go mad. Once more, his hand reached out to stroke her wing, but when he touched her this time, a few of her feathers fell. They were brittle, frozen, and they shattered even though they only lightly touched the floor near her. “What’s happening?” He touched another feather.
It shattered.
Luke pulled his hand back. “I…can’t help her.”
Oh, hell, no. Rayce grabbed him and maybe his claws dug into Luke’s arms. “You will help her. After all the shit I’ve done for you over the years, you’d better help her. This is the only thing I’ve ever asked of you. The only thing I need. Her. You make her better. Her feathers are breaking off. They’re—”
“She’s changing. Don’t you see that? The scales are tipping for her. Good and bad, blending together.” Luke was grim. “Because she is both, my magic doesn’t work on her. She’s not mine yet.”
Rayce’s eyes widened. “Your brother.”
Luke nodded. “If Leo and I worked together, we might be able to help her but…” He gave a rough shake of his head. “What her wings are doing…that’s a sign of transformation. It’s not the cold causing them to shatter. She’s been earthbound for too long. She’s changing.”
Rayce stared at him, his mind whirling.
“Into what?” Julian demanded. He’d been silent, just watching them, but now he stepped forward. “What does an angel become when she stays on earth too long?”
Luke clamped his lips together.
Rayce’s drumming heartbeat filled his ears. “Get your brother here.”
Luke’s expression was guarded. “You know if he comes, he’ll try to take her.”
“He can try.” He won’t succeed. “Right now, she has to be healed. She’s hurting.” He spun away from Luke and picked up Lila, holding her gently in his arms. But even though he was careful, more of her feathers fell away.
They shattered onto the floor, breaking like glass.
Jaw locking, he ordered, “Get your brother.”
Then he carried Lila into the bedroom. He eased her onto the bed—the bed they’d shared the night before. He pulled the covers over her, wanting to warm her. Wanting to do anything to help her. She’d saved him, he knew it. But he was helpless to save her.
And that fact was breaking the heart that she’d brought to life.
***
Luke Thorne watched as Rayce disappeared with his angel.
“Are you seriously going to contact that arsehole of a brother you have?” Julian demanded, glaring at him.
Oh, right. The last time Julian had been near Leo—well, the panther might have used his claws to leave a mark on his twin. A mark that Leo had more than deserved.
Luke rolled back his shoulders. “Rayce hasn’t asked me for anything before.” The werewolf had spoken the truth.
Julian’s jaw tightened. “Is Leo really the only option?”
Unfortunately, he was. At least, he was the only option for Lila. And even then, I think it may be too late. Rayce will not like what could be coming next. “He is. So I guess that means it’s show time.” He closed his eyes and let his power shoot from the cabin. He and Leo were twins, and they shared a connection that few people would ever understand. A psychic link connected them over time and space.
And, according to a very old prophesy, one day…one twin would kill the other.
That day hadn’t come, yet.
Leo…come out, come out, wherever you are. I’ve found something you were missing.
“Do I get to hurt him when he shows up?” Julian asked.
Luke opened his eyes. “Not until we see if we can help the angel.” His gaze cut toward the bedroom. He heard only silence in there. Luke stepped forward and something crunched beneath his shoes.
Part of her frozen feathers.
“Do you think she can be helped?” Julian’s voice was low, for Luke alone.
“I don’t know.” But he would try. For Rayce. And he wouldn’t even make the guy agree to a deal in exchange for his help. Though Luke sure wouldn’t let that story get out. After all, he had a reputation to maintain. If he started doing favors for free…chaos would reign. And not the kind of chaos he enjoyed.
“Should you lower the shield so that Leo can get to the cabin?”
Luke smiled. “Let’s get Leo to crash into it first, shall we? Then I’ll lower it.” He’d designed that little beauty outside, with the help of a very talented witch. That invisible wall only allowed Luke, Rayce and Julian to gain entrance. And, well, since Rayce had been with the angel, Luke knew the werewolf had tweaked the spell a bit in order to allow her entrance, too.
A loud crash sounded from outside. The ground itself seemed to tremble and he heard the distant roar of— “Luke!”
Luke waved his hand, sending out a surge of magic that would let his twin reach the cabin. A few moments later, the front door flew open and Leo appeared.
His face was red. His hands fisted, and his lips curled back in a snarl. “Where is Lila?”
Luke motioned toward the bedroom with a lazy flick of his hand.
Leo immediately stormed in that direction, but Luke stepped into his path. “I’m afraid we have a problem,” he announced quietly.
“Yes,” Leo replied, voice grating, “the problem is that you’ve been hiding an angel from me—”
Luke shook his head. Then he held up a shard of Lila’s feather. “She’s changing.”
Leo took a step back. His face blanched. “I’m…too late.”
“And she’s wounded.”
Leo’s lashes flickered. “Your work?”
Luke gave him a cold smile. “No, brother, I’m afraid this goes back to you, too. Because your old buddy Kale?”
Leo paled at the mention of that particular name.
“Turns out he’s right here in Colorado. He’s the one who hurt her.”
Leo swallowed. His face was an exact mirror of Luke’s. “He can’t get her. You know he can’t get her…if that happens…”
/>
Luke exhaled slowly. “I get really tired of cleaning up your messes.”
Leo opened his mouth—
And a wolf’s growl reverberated throughout the cabin. Then Rayce was there, shoving between Luke and Leo. “She barely has any feathers left at all! Help her.” He put his claws to Leo’s throat. “Or I will make you bleed.”
Chapter Nine
Leo was a dick, a traitorous bastard that Rayce hated even on a good day. And to see that guy so close to Lila…
“Stay in control,” Julian urged as he clamped a hand around Rayce’s shoulder. “We need him.”
“Could someone please put some clothes on the werewolf?” Leo called without glancing his way. “It’s bad enough that he’s growling behind me…but the fact that he’s naked—”
Luke waved his hand and clothes appeared on Rayce’s body.
“Fix her,” Rayce yelled. Screw the clothes—like that shit mattered. Lila mattered. Only Lila.
Leo stood on the right side of the bed. Luke was on the left. Rayce and Julian waited at the foot of the bed.
Leo lifted his hand, and he caressed her wing.
The few feathers there broke away at his touch.
Leo jerked his hand back, his face flashing with pain. “There’s no going back for her.”
“I’ve been telling you that,” Luke muttered. “You thought, what? You’d find her and let her fly back to heaven?” He shook his head. “Take a good long look at your handiwork, brother. Because this is on you.”
Leo swallowed. His hand curled around Lila’s, and a faint glow appeared from his fingers.
At the same instant, Luke caught Lila’s other hand. He held her tight. Flames seemed to dance around his hand and the ring he wore on his finger, the reputed Eye of Hell, gleamed.
But Lila’s eyes didn’t open. And that terrible blue tint in her skin didn’t change.
“It’s not working,” Rayce said.
Julian’s hold tightened on him.
“Why isn’t it working?” Rayce was nearly yelling. “You said she was a mix of good and bad—that’s what you both are! You should be able to heal her!”
Luke turned his head and stared at Rayce. “Not if she’s past the point of saving.”
He surged free of Julian’s hold and rushed to Luke’s side. “You’ve saved the dead. I’ve seen it. And you’re going to stand there and let an angel perish?” His heart was squeezing in his chest, and a deep, dark rage grew within him. He wanted to let that rage out. He wanted to hurt others…as he was hurting.
“She isn’t going to die.” It was Leo who spoke. “She just…isn’t going to be saved.”
That made zero sense. He growled at the idiot.
Leo still had a tight grip on Lila. So did Luke. They seemed to be pumping their power into her, but she wasn’t waking up.
He put his hand to her forehead. Ice cold. She wasn’t supposed to be like that. Not her.
“What will she become?” Leo asked quietly.
Her eyes opened. Relief burst inside of Rayce. She was back! But—
Her eyes were like chips of ice. So cold. An unnatural blue gleaming up at him.
And then Luke’s fire seemed to sweep over her body. Luke’s fire and that strange glow that came from Leo. She was surrounded, engulfed, and her head slowly turned toward him.
“Rayce?”
He tried to reach through the fire. It burned his skin and he didn’t care. He kept reaching until he touched her cheek.
“I’m scared.”
“Don’t be, Lila, don’t—”
Then the fire exploded into a white-hot ball of pure power. She screamed. Rayce lunged for her, flying right onto that bed and holding her tight. He could feel the flames all around him, lancing over his skin and…
Nothing.
He lifted his head. He was over Lila, his body bent to shield her. Her skin wasn’t blue tinted or cold any longer. The color was a healthy hue. Her lips were red and soft. Her long lashes were dark against her cheeks. He rose slowly and saw that her clothes had burned away. Her clothes and…
“Where are her wings?” The question was torn from him.
He’d burned, too. Blisters were all over his body, but they were already healing. His clothes were gone, but Luke waved his hand and a t-shirt and jeans suddenly covered Rayce.
Rayce checked Lila carefully. There were no blisters on her body. Her skin was warm, her breathing even and…
Her wings are gone. “Where are her wings?” This time, his question was louder. Harder. Angrier.
“She doesn’t need them any longer,” Luke replied in a measured tone. “Your girl is officially a fallen angel.”
His head snapped toward Luke. “What does that mean?”
Then he remembered what Leo had asked moments before. What will she become?
Luke’s face was solemn. “It means she won’t be returning to heaven.” He pointed across the bed at Leo. “And it means you have no reason to be here any longer, brother. No part of her is yours anymore. You lost this one.”
Leo backed away from the bed. His eyes were on Lila’s face.
Rayce surged away from the bed and grabbed a blanket from the chest. He covered Lila with it, making sure to conceal her body from view. It wasn’t a fucking peepshow. The danger had passed—the others needed to get their asses out of there. And get their eyes off Lila.
“You knew this would happen.” Leo’s hands were fisted at his sides as he took a lurching step from the bed. “That’s why you sent him after her.” His chin jerked toward Rayce. “Stacking the odds in your favor, huh, brother? You sent the wolf to seduce the angel so that when the time came, she’d have no choice about her future.”
You sent the wolf to seduce the angel.
He hadn’t seduced her, not yet.
Rayce stalked around the bed and stopped right beside Leo. “You tried to help her.”
“You think I don’t know that you’ve touched her? You think I don’t see the way you look at her? Lila wasn’t meant for you—it’s because of you that she’s this way now.”
Rayce lifted his claw-tipped hands. “Because you tried to help her, I’m not trying to carve out your heart.” He waited a beat. “Not yet. But it’s time for you to get your ass out of here.” He needed to be alone with Lila. He’d come far too close to losing her. “All of you,” he added darkly, sweeping a hard glance at Luke and Julian. “Get the hell out.”
When Lila opened her eyes again, he didn’t want her to find those men around her bed. He didn’t want her to be afraid.
“This isn’t the end,” Leo said, a warning in his voice. “You’ll wish that it had been, but it’s not. She isn’t who you think.”
“I’m giving you until the count of five, and then I start cutting into your chest.” Rayce smiled at him. “One, two—”
Leo vanished.
A soft moan came from Lila. The sound tore at Rayce’s insides. “Get out,” he snapped to Luke and Julian.
Luke lifted his brows. “You’re welcome.” Then he turned and sauntered for the door.
Rayce grabbed his arm. “Thank you.” His gaze met Luke’s. “I owe you, and you know you can count on me to repay the debt.”
“I don’t remember saying you owed me a damn thing.” Luke’s voice was careful. “And before this is all done, you might not be so grateful to me.”
Everyone kept talking in riddles. He was over that shit. “So she’s not an angel. She’s alive. That’s what matters.”
Luke’s gaze drifted to the bed. “The first thing she felt on this earth was pain, and pain is what brought on her transformation tonight.” His shoulders sagged a bit. “Maybe I shouldn’t have sent you after her. Maybe someone else—”
“No.” He’d felt the connection to Lila from the first moment. Werewolves had mates—those perfect partners who were supposed to be the other halves of their souls. But his soul was damaged and battered, so twisted, that he hadn’t even thought he’d find a mate. Then he’d
seen an angel in hell and his first fucking thought had been…
There you are. I’ve been waiting for you.
“That’s part of the problem,” Luke murmured. “The possessiveness you feel for her. But you’ll see soon enough.” He motioned to Julian. “Let’s go. She’ll wake, and they don’t need us here for that part.”
Rayce waited until they’d left the room, and then he shut the door. He drew in a ragged breath and hurried back to the bed. Lila’s eyes were still closed. Her breathing was even and deep, as if she were just sleeping.
He pulled back the covers. There were no feathers in the bed. It was as if they’d vanished.
Her clothes had burned away. He’d burned, but the bedding hadn’t even been touched.
Fucking magic.
Gently, he turned Lila onto her side so that he could see her back. Her hair brushed over his cheek.
There was nothing on her back. No scars. No blisters.
It was as if she’d never had wings.
He held her there a moment, keeping her close, and he whispered, “I’m sorry.” Then he pressed a kiss to her back, wishing, more than anything, that he could return those wings to her.
***
Luke paced toward the fireplace. His brother was gone, for the moment, but he was sure Leo would be making an appearance again. There was no way the guy was just going to walk away—not from Lila and not from Kale.
“You gonna clue me in as to what’s happening here?” Julian asked him.
Luke stared at the flames for a moment. The gas hadn’t been making them flare high enough, so he’d enhanced them a bit. “An angel lost her wings. She sacrificed them for a werewolf. Probably not the smartest choice but…love can make people—and paranormals—do some really stupid things.”
“You’re saying Lila loves Rayce? When the hell did that happen?”
Luke turned toward him. He needed to watch what he said—and didn’t say. “I didn’t say that. I don’t know what she feels.” If she feels. “Her sacrifice for him could have just been some left-over angel goodness flowing through her veins. Angels always like to try and save the world. It’s one of their more annoying perks.”
But Julian was watching him with narrowed eyes. “You are keeping so many damn secrets.”