“It didn’t stop the fits!” My body shook with rage. I clenched my fists to my sides. “It released my demon. Made me a prisoner in my own mind. I’ve been a captive for the past several day and you didn’t notice. You betrayed me and you abandoned me. How could you?”
Hot tears trailed down my cheeks. Clutching a hand to my chest, I forced myself to breathe. Horror filled Gabe’s eyes and his jaw fell open. He reached for my hand, but I pulled away.
“I did it to save you,” he whispered in a hoarse voice. Coming closer, he pressed his forehead softly against mine. “I couldn’t lose you, Lizzy. I would’ve done anything.”
Even with my eyes closed, I could recall every inch of him. My green-eyed angel. The scar on his cheek. The smoldering gaze that made my knees quake when he looked at me. The curve of his muscles down his arms and the strength in his hands when they held mine. I felt his misery and his hopelessness. I’d felt that way, too.
I hated to admit it, but if the roles had been reversed, I might have done the same thing. A life without Gabe didn’t seem worth living. I’d have given Seth most anything he wanted to save the life of my warrior angel. I couldn’t blame him for what he’d done.
“This reunion is touching and all,” Seth interrupted from the sidelines, “but there’s just one question remaining.”
He flew across the room in a burst of speed and closed his hand around my throat in a vice-like grip. I was slammed against the wall before I could blink, with Gabe knocked to the ground. Seth raised me off the ground, his hand cutting off the air in my windpipes. Rage boiled in his dark eyes as he stared up at me.
“How. Did. You. Break. Free?” He punctuated the words with a hiss from deep inside his throat. “Obviously, Mona has failed me. The question is, how?”
My lungs screamed for air. I kicked out, but couldn’t make contact with Seth’s body. He stared at me expectantly, as if I could answer him with his hand wrapped around my throat.
“Let her go!”
Gabe lunged into Seth’s back. The Prince of Hell swatted him away as if he were a small child.
“Speak,” he commanded, lowering me to the floor.
I gasped as cool air filled my chest. My neck throbbed where he’d crushed, but it was nothing compared to the sweet relief of oxygen returning to my brain. I coughed and hacked, attempting to catch my breath.
“Tell me the truth.” He bared down on me, his massive bulk blocking out the light. “How did you break free?”
“Nephilim powers,” I croaked, too afraid to come up with some lie. It still felt like his fingers were wrapped around my neck. “My skin began to glow. It forced her back, deep inside.” I tapped the side of my head.
He leaned back, amusement in his eyes. “Hmmm...interesting. Very interesting.” Laughing, he tossed his shoulders and glanced between Gabe and me. “She’s stronger than I gave her credit for. You were right, she is quite a warrior.”
Gabe watched me through the crook of Seth’s arm. Rage and worry burned simultaneously in the dark pools of his eyes. His jaw flexed and he clenched his hands at his sides.
“This is a disturbing incident.” Seth walked away from me, shaking his head. “Disturbing indeed. No doubt, our plans have changed.”
“Call off the attack,” I snarled.
No one would be raiding the manor tonight. He was through.
He turned sharply to face me. “I assume you’ve warned the others?”
Raising my chin, I didn’t blink. “Of course. Your plan has failed.”
At that moment, a rumble of voices and shouts could be heard coming through the door. Someone ran down the hallway, pounding on the doors. I smiled with pride. Raquel had alerted the board. The rest of the manor would be up and ready for war within moments. Seth and his armies had failed. He’d lost his man inside. He’d lost his advantage.
“What to do? What to do?” He paced the floor, folding his hands in front of his chest.
I exchanged confused glances with Gabe. This wasn’t the behavior of a defeated man. If anything, he was acting like this was a board game and he merely had to change strategies, regardless of the fact that we finally had the upper hand.
“Seth, Six Prince of Hell, you are finished.” The words spilled from my mouth as I grabbed the dagger at my waist. “Give up now, or we will be forced to send you back to where you belong.”
His chin snapped up. “Where I belong? This is where I belong. As your ruler.”
My grip tightened on the hilt. “You belong in Hell.”
Running a hand over his hair, he smiled at me. “Soon enough, my pet. But not today. Today, I believe I will cash in on a debt that I am owed.”
My eyebrows came together as I tilted my head. “What debt?”
“This one.”
He moved so quickly, I couldn’t track him. Reappearing next to Gabe, he pressed his large hand against his chest.
“I am collecting on your debt owed to me, Gabe Cael.” He spoke the words through gritted teeth. “You promised me your soul. I claim it for Hell.”
Gabe’s eyes grew wide. Fear made his lips part. “You promised to save Lizzy. That was the agreement. That she wouldn’t die.”
“I promised I’d do everything within my power to help her overcome her demon.” He glanced at me over his shoulder, menace flashing in his eyes. “She is free from its influence and safe from my hand. I have delivered. Now, it is your turn.”
I screamed, but it was too late. A blinding light shone through Seth’s palm. The blood drained from Gabe’s face and he crumbled to the floor. Seth stood over him, admiring the little white globe that appeared in his palm, no bigger than a quarter. It threw a pale light on his face and made him appear as white as a vampire. Then, with a victorious smile, he closed his hand and snuffed out the light.
“Nooooo!” I scrambled to the floor beside Gabe and reached for his hand. Glaring up at Seth, I wished my eyes were daggers and that I could erase him from this planet. “What have you done?”
“Harvested his soul, of course.” He shrugged. “I’ll admit, it was earlier than planned. But I sometimes lose my patience. Especially when I don’t get my way.”
Tears clouded my eyes. I clutched at Gabe’s chest, but he didn’t stir. His face was slack and motionless, like death.
Seth kneeled beside me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body through the sleeve of my shirt. Funny. I’d have expected him to be ice cold. Just like his heart.
“Remember this, my little key.” He ran a single finger down my arm, causing me to shiver violently. “This is what happens when you refuse my generous offer. I will call on you soon and I expect you to answer. Don’t make the mistake of making me come after all the people you care about. I won’t hesitate to destroy them one by one.”
I blinked away the tears and he was gone.
Chapter Twenty
Luke was the first person to find us. I still sat on the floor of Gabe’s bedroom, rocking and clinging to his lifeless body, all the while humming a wordless melody that I’d never heard before today. The door flew open and he rushed into the room, a sword in hand. I heard the buzz of his many questions, but they didn’t compute in my mind. Everything had become a fuzzy blur of what my life used to be. It was like walking through life wearing the wrong contact prescription.
Gabe wasn’t gone. He couldn’t be. It had been less than two years since we’d crossed paths in the forest. Two years since I’d rescued him, despite the fact that my head had been screaming at me to leave him be—to walk away. But I hadn’t. I’d followed my heart and found a man worth more than the lies and brutality of my old life. A man who’d loved me enough to give up his own soul. And for that, I’d never be worthy.
If only I could turn back time. Go back to before he’d made the deal. Forbid him from taking such a drastic step to save me.
I forgave him everything. For betraying the Nephilim and for not telling me the truth. I didn’t care if he’d gone about it the wrong way. I n
eeded him here, with me. He didn’t deserve to die. And I didn’t deserve to be left alone.
Before I realized it, Luke had gently pried me away from Gabe’s body and was leading me to the medical hall. He draped his arm around my shoulder, his presence my only comfort.
We met many people along the way. All of them appeared like ghosts in a mist to me. Shapeless people with soundless voices. By the time the doctor tucked me into one of the patient beds, my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton.
“The demons...” I managed to whisper to Luke. “...the attack.”
“All under control.” He tucked my hair behind my ear and stroked the top of my head. “They didn’t have the element of surprise, so we pushed them back. Seth has retreated. For now.”
I nodded, glad that at least one thing good had come out of last night.
Seth had failed.
It didn’t take long for sleep to overtake me, plunging me into dark dreams and bottomless pits. Gabe’s face appeared over and over. His lips curled into that smile he had only for me. His eyes burned with desire and love. I reached out to him, but he disappeared every time, leaving me to cry out his name.
“Where is he? Where is my son?” Georgia’s voice tore me from my restless sleep. “You will tell me where he is!”
“Georgia, please.” Luke’s low, calming voice answered back. “Lizzy isn’t up for questions right now. She’s in shock.”
“I don’t care if she’s on her death bed,” she replied in a trembling voice. “I want answers.”
My eyelids felt heavy, but I managed to peer through my lashes at Gabe’s parents. Georgia and Ben stood together near the entrance. Ben had thrown on a wrinkled buttoned shirt and was sporting a day’s worth of stubble on his defined jawline. Georgia was as unkempt as I’d ever seen her. Her white blouse had a stain on the front and she’d skipped a few buttons in her haste to get it on. Both of them wore worry on their faces so deep it made me want to cry.
“We’ve got Gabe in the other room,” Luke told them, indicating the private patient room at the end of the hall. “He’s still got a faint pulse, but he’s non responsive. We’re not sure what caused this.”
Ben steadied his wife and glared at Luke. “Well, then, he’s still alive. He’ll pull through. Our Gabe always pulls through.”
Even from this distance, I could see the pain on my father’s face as he rested an arm on Ben’s shoulder. “I’m afraid brain scans show no activity.”
“No.” He jerked away from his touch. “It’s not possible.”
I closed my eyes again. This didn’t feel real. Like a dream, I wanted it all to fade away. No more pain.
“You!” Georgia’s abrupt cutting voice caused me to snap open my eyes. She was glaring at me and holding out a bony finger in my direction. “You! What happened to my son?”
“Georgia, please...” Luke held out his hands.
“It’s alright.” I pushed myself up to sitting and cleared my throat.
They deserved to know what happened. All of it.
“Tell me.” She pushed past my father’s protective stance and stood next to my bed, towering over me.
I didn’t have the energy to look her in the face. Instead, in a monotone voice, I recounted the events of the last few days. The demon attack during the games. How the ferals had gone for the box but we’d fought them off. Gabe’s mysterious disappearance and his meeting with the Prince. And all the events since then. When I got to the part about Mona taking over my body, I felt Luke by my side, his hand grasping for mine. He was shaking his head, muttering to himself. But I didn’t give it another thought. If I paused in my story, I might not be able to finish it. Instead, I barreled on through the tough parts, until it was over.
“That was when Seth placed a hand over his chest and took his soul. That’s it. That’s what happened.” I stared down at the sheets and blinked hard, expecting tears to come to my eyes. But there was nothing. Just emptiness.
A long, heavy silence followed my story.
I took a chance and looked up at my audience. Ben had tears in his eyes and grasped the back of a chair in a white-knuckle grip. My father had closed his eyes and wrapped my hand tightly in his. Meanwhile, Georgia stood motionless at my side, staring just over my head with wide eyes. Little splotches of red speckled her neck and cheeks. Her hands trembled as she brought them to her face.
Luke slowly released my hand and stood. “I’m so sorry, Georgia.”
She brought up a hand and held it in front of her. “Don’t. Just don’t.”
Her intense blue gaze fell on me once again. I knew what she was thinking. She hadn’t been a fan of our relationship from the start. I was a danger and she was right. I’d gotten her son killed. It was my fault. Gabe should’ve stayed away from me. None of this ever would’ve happened if he’d just let me burn that day on the pyre. He would still be alive, the Hell Gate would’ve remained shut, and the Prince of Hell wouldn’t be releasing Hell on Earth. She had every right to hate me.
“I want to see my son,” Georgia said. “Now.”
“Of course.” I could feel Luke’s heavy gaze upon my face. “Follow me.”
I laid back down and rolled over in bed, pulling the sheets over my shoulder. Luke’s warm hand patted my back and tucked me in a little tighter. As they proceeded into the private room, I squeezed my eyes shut, releasing the tears that had been held back for too long.
Chapter Twenty-One
I wrapped the oversized sweater tighter across my body and tread carefully down the empty stairwell to the lower level of the manor. It had been two days, six hours, and nine minutes since Gabe’s soul had been harvested by the Prince of Hell. And it had been nearly as long since I’d taken up the habit of wandering the back passages of the manor, staring down at the floor and my bare feet.
Even now, I could feel Luke’s overwhelming worry for me. I saw it in the deep lines on his face every time he looked at me. Heard it in his voice when he spoke to me in quiet whispers, never directly asking me about Gabe. Never probing. Just letting me be.
His quiet and constant concern was grating on my nerves. I wanted him to lecture me. To shout and scream at me, telling me I’d put them all at risk. That I wasn’t worth it. But those words never came. Instead, he treated me like a porcelain doll that was about to break.
I spent my time wracking my brain for ways to bring Gabe back. He was still lying in that medical room, motionless. A vegetable, in all senses. As the heart monitor slowed down over the passing minutes, so did my waning hope to bring him back. None of Luke’s books held an answer. We’d both scoured through them during the long night. The board didn’t know what to do.
No angel had lost his soul before now. None had dared to make a deal with the devil. Only my beautiful Gabe and his selfless heart. He’d given himself up for me and what did I do? Fail him, time and time again. I didn’t deserve him. And he didn’t deserve to rot in Hell.
My limbs lost the will to carry on somewhere between the third and fourth floors. They deposited me on a step where I huddled and breathed between my knees. The soft creak of the door below alerted me to an approaching stranger. Despite the urge to run away, my body wouldn’t cooperate. Instead, I remained deathly still until a dark figure appeared on the landing beside me.
“I figured you might like a bite,” Noah Brown said, shoving a plate of food in my lap.
There were mountains of mashed potatoes and golden gravy, succulent vegetables in a buttery sauce, and fruit that the very gods would desire. Still, nothing caught my fancy. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. My stomach had forgotten how to yearn for such nourishment. I set the plate on the floor beside me and ignored Noah as he sat down and picked at it.
“Not going to eat the grapes?” he said, holding up a bunch.
I looked away.
“Fine, more for me.” He held them up and plucked them off, one by one, with his lips.
I listened to the grinding of his teeth as he mast
icated his food slowly and deliberately. He was waiting for me to speak, I just knew it. But there was nothing to say.
Finally, he sighed and shoved his rear into the small space on the step beside me.
“I’m not here to give you a pep talk,” he said, holding out his palms in surrender. “That’s the last thing you need. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
I hugged my knees closer. I’d never be okay. Not by a long shot.
“What can I say to make it better?” He peered at me, his brown eyes turning into molten chocolate as he refused to turn away.
“Nothing.” My voice cracked as I spoke.
“How about a story?” A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I’ve got a million of them.”
A bedtime story was the last thing I wanted right now, but it made me think of my mentor, Manuel. He had one of those presences, calm and steady. He knew just what to say. If he were here now, he probably would’ve told me another story about his brother. His own personal tragedy. Together, we’d be connected through our sadness. I missed him.
“Do you have any brothers?” I asked.
“Do I?” The half-grin broke out into a full-fledged smile. “Three elder brothers. And boy, were they tough on me. I was lucky to survive my childhood.”
I rested my head on my knee and gazed at him. “You were lucky just to have them.”
A thoughtful expression came to his face and he nodded. “Yes, I was. They’re all warriors now. Protecting home. I was the geeky one. And the troublemaker.”
My mouth turned into a wry smile. It hurt my face. “I have trouble picturing you as a troublemaker.”
“Oh, I was the biggest pain.” He slapped a hand to his forehead. “Little Noah was a rebel. Sneaking out late at night. Boozing, partying, chatting up the sheilas. For a long time, I rebelled against the Nephilim life. Wanted to be a rock star. You know, join the Beetles? Funny thing was, I was rubbish at singing. But that didn’t stop me from trying.”
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