by Cassie Ryan
Jethro winced away. The insides of his mind were still raw and aching from the last time he’d met Raphael’s gaze directly; he had no desire for a repeat performance.
Raphael smiled which made him look like a guilty little boy. “I apologize for the soul gaze upstairs. I needed to get to Amalya quickly and gaining your cooperation that way seemed easiest at the time.”
“Soul gaze?”
“Archangels have the ability to look inside someone’s soul by looking into their eyes and then past them.”
Jethro huffed out an amused breath. “So they weren’t kidding when they said the eyes are the windows to the soul.”
Raphael shrugged. “That saying came from times when humans were open minded to the supernaturals and most of us didn’t hide our identities while traveling among you.”
Jethro shook his head, sorry he’d said anything. He didn’t want a history lesson. Right now he wasn’t sure what he wanted. “Thank you for saving Amalya, but if it’s all the same to you, I don’t think I’ll be looking you in the eye any time soon.”
Raphael laughed. “You have my word there will be no more soul gazes today, is that good enough?”
After a long moment of deliberation, Jethro slowly raised his gaze. Trusting an Archangel might seem like a no-brainer, but Jethro had learned that everyone lied about something—especially supernaturals. Anyway, at this point, he didn’t seem to have much choice.
“So Lilith sent you?”
Raphael shook his head. “No. The blood brought me.”
Jethro frowned at the wording. “So you’re called to anywhere where there’s blood?”
Levi laid his fork on his plate. “Are you going to eat that roll or just fondle it?” He pointed toward the roll Jethro still held in his hand. “I, for one, don’t care how Raphael got here since he saved Amalya. I think our next question should be if he can help us get past the shades.”
Jethro placed the small piece of roll he’d ripped off earlier inside his mouth and forced himself to chew. As the yeasty warm taste exploded inside his mouth, his stomach tightened with hunger and he ignored it. “I would’ve thought with all the time you two have had together down here, getting us past the shades would’ve already been a topic of conversation.”
Raphael laid his fork across his plate and then pushed it away. “Unfortunately, the shades are out of my control. They will be attracted to energy sources, and Amalya will attract them even more than before with all my blood running through her veins.”
Jethro nearly crushed the roll in his fist. “Aren’t you an Archangel? Why can’t—”
Raphael held up one large hand, cutting Jethro off mid-rant. “I’m an Archangel, but believe it or not, we have to operate within the rules of the universe too. Every creature needs sustenance of some kind. For you two, it’s food and water; for Amalya, it’s those as well as sexual energy. For the shades, it’s only energy. However, they have started to move toward the cities where there are larger populations of humans.”
“So the swarm of shades is gone?” Levi pushed away from the table and paced to the back window.
Jethro thought about looking out a different window when he realized how drained he was and stayed put. He needed food and sleep in any order he could get them, and the situation upstairs with Amalya had drained the last of his reserves, which had run purely on hope and ego.
“I only see one.” Relief tinged Levi’s voice. “That’s definitely a good sign.”
Jethro nodded. “We should probably bury the farmer.”
“I’ve already taken care of both him and his wife.” Raphael stood and grabbed the plate in front of Jethro before going to the counter and filling it with pasta and green beans.
“Where was his wife?” Jethro exchanged a glance with Levi that showed him the other man hadn’t known about this piece of news either.
“She was out in the barn. Both have been returned to dust, their souls moved onto the next plane to start again along with their horses, cow, and two chickens.”
“To start again?” Levi echoed the question Jethro had been about to ask.
Raphael grinned. “I don’t think now is the proper time to have a discussion on the nature of the universe or the cycle of the soul.” He set the plate in front of Jethro and handed him a clean fork. “You need to eat. You’ll do nobody any good neglecting your health. Eat, then you two are going to get some sleep.”
Jethro thought about arguing, but lethargy was already slipping over him like a heavy blanket. He ate mechanically. The only clue that he’d finished was when his plate was empty and Raphael took it away and ordered him off to sleep. “Amalya,” he mumbled, unwilling to leave her unprotected even though things between them were shaky right now.
“I’ll watch over her,” Levi said automatically.
“No,” Raphael countered. “I’ll watch over her. You two will sleep.”
Without remembering how he’d gotten there, Jethro found himself lying on the couch in the living room with a blanket thrown over him. He only had time to frown at the gap in his memory before sleep claimed him.
Amalya stepped out of the master bathroom to find a large man sitting on the bed watching her. An Archangel if the energy pouring off him to prickle against her skin was any indication.
Fuzzy memories of his dark gaze, so much like Levi’s, flashed through her mind and she frowned as the full memory remained just out of her reach.
“Greetings, Amalya. I’m Raphael.”
She held on to the large towel she’d wrapped around her body when she’d stepped out of the shower—more an insecure reaction in front of a being so powerful than any sense of modesty. “My lord,” she said remembering the appropriate greeting for an Archangel as she resolutely stared at his nose rather than his dark eyes.
Raphael’s laugh boomed around the room. “There’s no need to fear a soul gaze from any of the Archangels anymore. With my blood running through your veins, you’re now immune.”
As the truth of his statement radiated against her, the sensation of choking came back to Amalya with unnerving clarity and she raised her hand to her throat.
She remembered the viscous liquid forced down her throat in between quick breaths. Panic surged through her and she glared at Raphael. “You made me drink your blood.” She swallowed back the knee-jerk reaction of her stomach heaving at the thought.
He had the grace to look apologetic. “You’d been eviscerated by a demon. If I hadn’t healed you and forced that blood down your throat you’d be dead and we’d all be in trouble.”
“The demon . . .” As if Raphael’s words unlocked another barrage of fuzzy memories, Amalya remembered the heavy sensation of someone pressing down on her and then the agony as her bones broke and her flesh ripped open.
She hadn’t realized her legs had buckled until Raphael caught her and gently sat her on the edge of the bed. “Easy now. You’ve had a rough few days.”
Amalya bristled at his kind tone. “Damn it. I’m a strong, independent woman. I’ve spent more time being coddled over the last few days than I have my entire life. And I’m sick of it.”
Raphael’s lips twitched but he didn’t smile, which was good since it would’ve only ignited Amalya’s temper further.
“I promise I’ll let you fall next time.” His features remained calm, and even if she hadn’t detected the white lie, it was hard to miss the mischief that shone inside his dark eyes.
Stubbornly refusing to be charmed, she held his gaze for several seconds longer, testing out her new immunity to soul gazes. When nothing happened, she smiled. “Let me guess, you got in one last soul gaze right before you gagged me with blood.”
Raphael held his hands out palm up at his sides. “Guilty. I had to calm you down enough for you to allow me to heal you.”
She sighed. “No wonder my insides ache like someone took a blowtorch to all my internal organs.”
“How much do you remember?” He watched her carefully, as if he already knew
the answer.
“Snippets really . . .”
Four succubi must stop horsemen to save all.
Amalya gasped as the chant rang inside her mind again. “Four succubi must stop horsemen to save all.” She raised her gaze to Raphael’s whose expression was stoic. “What does that mean?”
“I think you already know, even if you don’t remember the details.”
Anger snapped through her and she pushed to her feet and stripped off the towel tossing it to the floor. “Just once I’d love to get a straight answer.” She stalked to the closet and pulled it open, hoping to find something to wear because if her few memories of her time with the demon were any indication, her own clothes were a total loss.
“Will this help?”
Amalya turned to find Raphael holding the duffel Jethro had packed for her back at Sinner’s Redemption. They’d left it in the truck when they’d made a run for the farmhouse to escape the shades.
She grabbed the duffel from Raphael and bit out, “Thank you” before setting it on the bed and digging out a fresh set of clothes.
Even with her back to him, she felt his gaze, a heavy weight against her skin. It wasn’t sexual. Raphael’s gaze was more thoughtful and curious.
She sighed. “If you have something to ask me, go ahead. Maybe we can get through two sentences without me snapping at you.”
His rich chuckle flowed over her and she shook her head as she stepped into a pair of lace panties and reached for the matching bra. “Just now you reminded me of Lilith.”
Amalya whirled around to face him with her bra in her hand. “You’ve seen Lilith? Lately?”
He nodded.
Excitement and fear shot through her and she blurted out, “Is she well? My sisters?”
“Lilith is well. Jezebeth is well. I have no knowledge of the other two.”
Amalya wished she couldn’t detect the absolute truth of his statement. She’d like to hold out hope that someone somewhere knew Reba and Galina were well. She sat down hard on the bed as she absorbed the information. “I knew Jezebeth had made it back to the lair. Levi told me. I was hoping for word of Reba or Galina.”
“I wish I had more to tell you.”
Amalya slipped on her bra and then stood to finish dressing. “Me too.”
Four succubi must stop horsemen to save all.
The chant whispered through her mind again and she breathed a sigh of relief. “They’re alive. They have to be.” She smiled up at Raphael who looked puzzled.
She laughed. “Don’t you see? I can’t remember why I woke chanting that, but if it takes all four of us to stop the horsemen and save all, then I have to believe they are still alive or we’d somehow know by now.”
Raphael shook his head, his stoic expression threatening to dampen her newfound confidence. “I sincerely hope you’re right. You know, any other woman would take the appearance of the shades and the boiling seas as signs of the end.”
She raised her brows. “This is the first I’ve heard of boiling seas, but I’m not surprised. If my understanding of Armageddon is any indication, things have to get a lot worse before they can begin to get better.”
Now if I can only convince myself!
“Besides, I’m not just a woman. I’m a succubus.” She pulled on jeans and a tank top and then dug into the bottom of the duffel for socks and the extra pair of running sneakers Jethro had packed. “What did you mean,” she asked nonchalantly, “when you said if I died, we’d all be in trouble?”
She turned to sit down on the bed and pull on her socks and shoes, careful not to look up at Raphael, although the sudden flux in his powerful energy as it buzzed against her skin told her she’d hit a nerve.
“Did I say that?”
The false question hit her immediately. Raphael knew very well he had said that exactly.
She finished tying her shoes and stood, meeting his gaze, daring him to dissemble again. “You know, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question and it hung between them as tension crackled and built. “You already know what my chant means, and you aren’t going to tell me.”
Raphael met her gaze calmly a long time before answering.
“We’ve all made vows and promises we must keep. Events will play out as they must without my interference.”
“Does it ever make you crazy?”
From the confusion that flashed across his handsome features she’d surprised him. “What do you mean?”
“You know, having to follow all the rules when Lucifer’s side doesn’t. Having to take the high road when you think that maybe sometimes a nudge or two from you could ensure that God’s side comes out on top?”
He grinned, suddenly looking like the mischievous little boy. “Absolutely.” He glanced around the room and Amalya frowned at the sudden change. He’d looked directly at her during the entire conversation, so why was his gaze searching the room now?
“Amalya, have you ever been to Oregon?”
Confused by the sudden switch in topic she frowned trying to figure out where this had come from. “I think so, but I was probably just passing through and it was long ago before modern times. Why?”
He shrugged. “There’s a really beautiful place there called Graveyard Rim Cliff. In ancient times it was a pagan holy place. In more recent times it has become property of the Catholic Church, which has fenced it in and made it more of an outdoor mausoleum to all the people buried there.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.” She resisted the urge to ask him why he’d suddenly chosen to tell her about it.
“In ancient times people would go there when they wanted to travel to see the gods. They would slit their wrists, and as their blood drained out into the earth, it was thought that a portal to the other side would open and the gods could choose to let that person enter the otherworld if they were worthy. I think the church took pity on all those they considered godless sinners and buried them there where they would always be remembered.”
A chill trickled down Amalya’s spine. It sounded like a horrible, creepy place. “I take it you’ve been there. Does it have some special significance I’m missing?”
Raphael smiled a bit too brightly. “I’ve been there quite a bit. It’s very peaceful for the most part.”
She laughed. “Except when people are bleeding out and calling for help from the other side?”
“Exactly.” He shrugged. “The interesting part is that all those pagans thought they were calling out to gods, but it was usually one of the Archangels who heard them. It’s pretty loud lately with all the shades there. Apparently, it also sits on a natural energy vortex, so thousands of them have congregated there.”
Amalya shuddered. “Thanks for the tip. No upcoming trips to Oregon in my future. Nearly dying twice is my quota for a lifetime if I can help it.”
Raphael smiled down at her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad I was here to prevent the second and also glad Levi and Jethro were able to bring you back from the first.”
She cocked her head to the side as she studied him. “Wasn’t saving me the kind of interference you’re not supposed to engage in?”
“I am the healer among my kind. It’s what I do. How could I see a woman in so much pain without rendering aid?”
“Even when that woman is a succubus?” she countered.
He smiled. “Especially in that case.”
14
Amalya pulled the blanket Jethro had kicked off back over him before she climbed the stairs to an office on the opposite side of the house from the master bedroom. She’d hidden inside the guest bedroom like a coward until Raphael had come to tell her that both men were asleep.
After that it had taken another several hours for her to convince Raphael to leave. He’d helped her to the extent he was able but had promised to keep an eye out for Reba or Galina. Then just before he left, he’d fortified the house against further demon attacks and gave her some unasked-for personal advice.
She smiled
to herself and shook her head. Men, no matter what species, always thought they knew best. Unfortunately, this one might actually be right.
Amalya quietly opened the door to the office and, thanks to succubi having excellent night vision, immediately made out Levi’s large form on an oversized couch that sat against the back wall.
She padded across the floor to where he lay facing her. The blanket had slipped down around his waist to reveal a broad expanse of bare chest that she remembered well from their meeting at Sinner’s Redemption. His dark hair fell over his brow and she smiled at the urge to brush it back or to trace his long sideburns with her finger.
Instead, she crossed her arms as she studied him with a quiet sigh.
Since she’d met him he’d lied to her by omission, manipulated her, and even talked over her straight to Jethro.
He’d also protected her and saved her life. Although, to be fair, she’d known immediately about the lie of omission and hadn’t called him on it. So some of the blame fell on her own shoulders.
From everything she could tell, he was a good man, loyal, honorable, and determined.
He still intrigued her. Despite the world falling apart around them, she found herself wanting to know more about him.
Raphael’s advice had been about appreciating the small things. The small perfect moments in time that made all the others worthwhile. She’d never thought about life in quite those terms, which surprised her with as long as she’d lived. But succubi, just like humans, often became creatures of habit.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she kicked off her shoes and stripped off the rest of her clothes, dropping them on the floor in a pile. With a smile, she lifted the blanket that covered him and slid in front of Levi, tucking herself back against him spoon-style.
He murmured in his sleep as one strong arm slid around her middle pulling her tight against him before he stilled. The musky male scent of him surrounded her and the heat of his body radiated against her back making her sigh against the comfortable sensation.
Amalya smiled and let herself relax.