Return to Me (Storm Lords)
Page 22
Bella bit her lip; there was nothing she could say.
“Enough,” Lilith snapped. “The stone, Razul.” She held out her hand.
Bella could feel the demon’s hungry gaze wandering over her and shivers ran across her skin. He lifted the chain slowly over his head. Then he held out a hand to her. She reached out as he tossed the stone to Lilith.
A shadow passed over them. A great red eagle swooped down and clasped the chain in its talons as Razul grasped her hand and pulled her to him.
***
Torr stood transfixed as Razul dragged her closer. He hardly noticed as the eagle flew over him and dropped the chain at his feet.
Bella stared at him; he could feel her willing him, trying to tell him something with her eyes.
“Torr,” she cried out. “You must smash the stone. For me, please.” Her words were cut off as Razul held a long wicked blade to her throat.
Rage pounded through him. He wanted to leap at the demon, rip its head from its body.
Focus!
He looked down and saw the black jewel at his feet. What was she telling him? Destroy his soul? For her...anything.
He lifted his boot and crashed it down on the crystal heart.
A roar filled his mind. Agony flowed through him, unbearable pain, and he fell to his knees, then collapsed on his side. Bella’s scream filled his ears, and all went black.
This time when he came around, Razul’s laughter echoed in his mind. But something was different. For the first time in nearly two thousand years, the void of his missing soul was filled. He was whole once more. He remained motionless, but peered through his half-closed eyes.
What use was his soul if he lost Bella? God would not be so cruel.
Bella was crying hysterically. Nevertheless, she turned briefly his way. For a moment, her grief cleared, and she stared at him intensely as though she knew he was watching.
Then she broke down, lost it, sobbed uncontrollably, and started to fight against Razul’s hold.
“He’s dead,” she wailed.
Razul drew back a hand and slapped her. The force of the blow loosened his hold and she was thrown away from him to lie in a crumpled heap.
In that moment, Torr leapt to his feet.
He heard the angry cry of an eagle and the roars of his brothers, but his focus remained glued to the demon. Razul sensed the movement and whirled to face him. Torr stretched out his hand and lightning erupted from his fingertips. Razul burst into a ball of flame. Throwing back his head, he shrieked a curse to the sky, and then crashed to the ground.
Finally, he lay still as the flames flickered and died.
Torr turned to where Bella lay on the ground. She stared up at him as though she didn’t quite believe what had happened. As he held out his hand, she slid her palm into his, and he pulled her to her feet and into his arms.
She gazed into his eyes, her fingers grazing his cheek, a smile slowly curving her lips. “You’re back,” she whispered.
He nodded. “How did you know to break the jewel?”
“Gabriel told me.”
Someone came to stand beside him and he dragged his gaze from Bella to his former queen.
Lilith scowled. “Bitch,” she said. “You set me up.”
Bella didn’t answer. She burrowed her face in Torr’s chest.
“You lost,” Torr said, picking Bella up in his arms. “And we’re leaving.”
Epilogue
Bella was flying.
Soaring upward. Torr’s arms wrapped her tightly to him as little bubbles of euphoria fizzed in her blood. All around them, thunder roared, lightening flashed, and she caught brief glimpses of Torr’s brothers flying with them.
Above their heads, a tear opened in the fabric of the world. They soared through and she found herself under a star strewn sky, back on Earth, the city of London spread out beneath her. Then another tear, and they left the city and the nighttime far behind.
Now they were flying alone, the sun hot on her skin.
She peered down; an ocean covered the Earth as far as she could see. No land in sight. Torr swerved to the left. As he flew lower, a patch of green and gold emerged against the deep sapphire of the ocean. He landed them lightly on the beach, and she lay in his arms, breathing in the salty tang of the air.
Reluctantly, she released her grip on Torr’s shoulders and he lowered her to the ground. She took a step back and peered around. They stood close to the water’s edge on a tiny piece of paradise. Golden sand, turquoise sea, the fronds of palm trees waving in the slight breeze.
Heaven.
But only because Torr was by her side. Torr had been her own personal Heaven from the moment they’d met.
The last of the tension eased from her limbs. They had both survived and she hadn’t allowed herself to hope for that. Now the future stretched out before them.
Torr’s wings vanished, and he stood before her, skin gleaming in the sunlight, midnight hair wild about his shoulders. His eyes held a sense of peace she’d never seen before, but as he studied her, the tranquility vanished, his expression hardening. “When Razul touched you, I…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Don’t ever, ever, do anything like that again.”
“Of course not.” She grinned. “And you know I never lie.”
He chuckled. “Well, not for a few thousand years at least.” He reached out and took her hand in his. “You married an angel. Can you really accept me as I am now? Forgive the things I’ve done?”
“Hey, you just saved the world. That’s got to buy you a little forgiveness.” She decided not to let him off too easily. “Though I have to say, I cannot believe you slept with that bitch.”
His lips quirked. “With hindsight—neither can I.”
“Well, never, ever do it again.”
“I won’t.” Tugging on her hand, he drew her close, whispered against her skin. “I love you.”
The words reverberated through her, banishing forever the nightmare of loss and loneliness that had haunted her all her life. She didn’t know what the future would bring, but she would face it side by side with Torr, and that would be enough. They would find a purpose, a way to atone for the sins they had both committed, but that was far ahead. Now they were alone in paradise and the future could wait. Here and now was all that mattered.
She tugged him down and together they sank to the warm, soft sand. He rolled her, so she was sprawled beneath him. Reaching up, she cupped his face between her palms.
“You’ll always be my angel. And I’ll love you forever.” She stroked her finger along the scar on his face. “You promised me eternity.”
Lowering his head, he took her mouth in a fierce kiss. “It’s yours.”
The End
About the Author
Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of nine-to-five work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain. Nina writes all types of romance, often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction. www.ninacroft.com
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Also by Nina Croft…
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