by K. Webster
“Lark, they’re fine. Okay? One day, you’ll be reunited with your family. That’s a promise.”
Tears roll down my cheeks, and this time, I cry out into the silent car. But with this beautiful piece of information, confusion sets in and another loss grips my throat.
“What about Alpha? If I’m reunited with them, what will happen to him? I promised him forever.”
Clarence squeezes my hand once more, and an ache in my heart eases. Something about his presence comforts me. “Sweet girl, if I told you everything, life would lose all mystery. How about this—Alpha will be happy. Is that enough? Can you live with that answer?”
The distance to the apartment becomes shorter and shorter as we get closer. I feel as if it’s a metaphor for Alpha’s and my relationship—the time is ticking away.
“So, if I can only have him until I see my family again, what’s the point? Why are we going after him? It will only hurt him.”
Clarence laughs with kindness at me. “Lark, you are Alpha’s happiness. Both of you are threads in a carefully woven masterpiece of a blanket that is life. Parts of you are weaved into parts of him. There’s no changing that.”
His riddles confuse me, and I feel slightly dizzy. The Oreos are doing nothing to help me feel better. I’ll be at ease once I’m wrapped up in Alpha’s arms. My sweet Al. The man I’ll only have for a blip of time before he’s gone again. And then I’ll see my family again.
But what about Just Al?
A strong ache in my chest threatens to rip me in half. Why is life so unfair? Why send me Al if only to tear him away from me once again? It just doesn’t make sense. For now, though, I’ll take what I can get of him. Whether it be one more day or ten more years. Clarence said that I was his happiness for the time being. I won’t let Alpha run into the lion’s den and let them kill him. I’ll keep him as long as I can.
Twiggy and Just Al.
’Til death.
LEAVING HER IN the middle of the night was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But it had to be done. Mathias and Father Lester had made it clear. Lark is safe now. Her destiny will change because of the mistake. That meant she would be assigned a guardian angel.
It also means that I am no longer a part of her picture. My fate was to meet the consequences of my actions head on. In the morning, Father Lester and Mathias are taking my case to upper management to clear Lark’s name. There would be nothing they would be able to do for me though. HEA will banish me to HEL. I will refuse to work for them. Luc or Corson will have to kill me. My soul will be forced to Hell.
But I’ll never go willingly.
And I’ll spend eternity with Lark’s face, her voice, her sweet smell seared into my memory. They can try to wipe it from my brain, but as long as I exist, on whatever plane and in whatever capacity, I’ll always have her memorized. I’ll live happily ever after in my own right.
Lark is mine forever.
First, though, I must apologize to my best friend, Omega. I wasn’t there for him. He could have helped me, but I’d chose to forge along on my own. And now . . . Now, he’ll go on to be a Seraph Guardian alone. I let him down just like I let the love of my life down.
As I climb the steps to the second floor of Lark’s apartment building, anxiety threatens to squeeze the air from my chest. I already miss her and it’s only been long enough for me to hitch a ride over here. How will eternity without her feel?
It will feel fucking awful. That’s how.
As soon as I reach the landing, my eyes meet the greasy ones of the same Reaper who has been hanging around these parts lately. It’s another fucking reminder of how much I hate HEL and everyone there.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I growl.
He laughs like a hyena but wisely skitters past me like the rat he is and descends the stairs. I make a beeline over to my apartment and push the door open. Omega is snoring in his room, so I stalk over there and switch the light on. Thankfully, Lovenia isn’t here with him.
“Omega, get up,” I bark.
He sits up and glares at me in confusion. “What the hell, Alpha? Why did you wake me up?”
Running my fingers through my hair, I groan. “Buddy, it’s over. I’ve come to say goodbye.”
Anger sets in as his naked ass springs from the bed and starts throwing clothes on. “What’s over? And where the fuck is Love?”
My eyes skim the other side of bed, which was clearly abandoned by her. “I don’t know where she is. But I’m over—that’s what. I spoke to Father Lester and another old Minder named Mathias. Lark’s file is a mistake just like I knew, and while she will be safe from HEL, I still broke one of the biggest Minder rules by sleeping with her. They both agree that I’m screwed.”
He scowls and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’ve been talking to Love about this—about your situation with Lark. She told me Luc had offered you both jobs at HEL. If you take it, this will all be over. Love seems perfectly content working there. You could have your happy ending that way, Al.”
I shake my head at him. “No. I won’t work for them. Luc and Corson—they’re all liars. The end has come for me, Omega, and it isn’t happy.”
He growls in frustration but is once again distracted by the absence of Lovenia. “Where in the fuck is my woman?”
“Dude, snap out of it. She’s probably fucking shit up like she’s trained to do. You need to move on from her anyway. In another two months, you’ll be a Seraph Guardian with your wings and she’ll be a distant memory. You and I both know you can’t take her with you. So you might as well break it off with her.”
His chocolate-colored eyes find mine, and I see the fury behind them. “Alpha, don’t be a fucking asshole. I love her. Just like you love Lark. Forbidden fucking love, I know. Now get off your hypocritical high horse and help me find her. Lovenia loves me too. She says that if I take Corson’s offer—”
Omega’s words are cut off by the screams of Lovenia from across the hall.
“Fucking Pedro,” he snarls and takes off in a sprint.
Holy shit.
The Reaper.
“Omega!” I call after him. Dammit, it’s a fucking setup—I just know it.
While running after him, I get a glimpse of him as he hauls ass out the front door. I chase after him and make it into the hallway just in time to see him kick Pedro’s door in and rush inside.
“Omega!” I roar again as I bolt toward Pedro’s broken door. I have to stop this.
When I enter the apartment, the living room is empty and I hear another scream from Lovenia in the bedroom. Omega is just slipping inside, so I hurry after him. Once I reach the doorway, I stare in shock at the scene.
Pedro grunts as he fucks Lovenia. Both of them are butt-ass naked. Love’s lips are parted in what appears to be ecstasy. Omega just gapes at them in surprise, his emotions in utter confusion.
As if on cue, Love’s eyes fill with tears and she screeches out in horror. “Omega! Help me!”
Omega’s body tenses up as a furious scream tears from his throat.
“What the fuck, Lovenia?” Pedro questions in bewilderment.
But it’s too late. Omega’s inner wild lion has been released and he pounces. “I will kill you, motherfucker!”
Lovenia scratches and pushes at Pedro, which only fuels Omega’s rage as he tackles Pedro right off her. Both men hit the floor on the other side of the bed with a heavy thud.
“He raped me!” Love hisses through her tears and points in accusation at Pedro.
I stare at her, openmouthed, in disbelief, at her blatant lies. Then the sickening crunch of flesh against flesh startles me and I burst over to them.
“Omega, stop!” I attempt to pull him off Pedro by his shoulders.
He swings back and connects his elbow with my jaw, causing me to fall backwards, away from them. Before I hit the floor, I gather my bearings and leap back toward them.
“He hurt me! Pedro hurt me! Kill him, Omega!” Lovenia taunts from the bed.
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As I once again try to grab Omega, who is landing one powerful punch after the other on Pedro’s face, my eyes briefly find Love, who is watching with fucking glee. That bitch used my best friend. He was her assignment. She doesn’t love Omega.
Finally, I seize Omega in a choke hold and haul him away from Pedro. In pure desperation, he attempts to break free from my grasp, but I hold him tighter. Hauling ass, I stumble backwards out of the bedroom with him and into the hallway.
“You asshole! Let go of me!” he garbles out as he claws at my forearm.
Ignoring him, I pull him toward the front door. I’ve just stepped through the broken door and into the hallway when motion to my left catches my eye. The fucking Reaper.
“Not today, weasel. Get the fuck out of here,” I growl.
He shakes his head and then nods toward the stairwell.
And then it all fucking hits the fan.
“Lark, what are you doing here?” I demand.
She’s standing at the top of the stairs, her wild, dark hair looking messy from sleep. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that she was the angel. Lark’s certainly beautiful enough to be one.
“I came for you. What’s going on?” she questions.
Another scream from Lovenia rings out inside the apartment, and when my attention is drawn against my will from my Lark to see what the noise was about, my eyes meet the wild ones of Pedro. He raises his Glock and aims it right at Omega’s chest.
No!
My knee-jerk reaction is to turn with my best friend in my arms. Then I hear the blast of the gun and immediately feel the impact in the side of my ribs.
“That motherfucker!” Omega snarls as he finally breaks free from my now weak grasp.
I watch in horror as my best friend charges Pedro so fast that the idiot never has a chance to defend himself. Omega wrestles the gun with ease from Pedro’s grasp and points the weapon at his forehead.
“Don’t do it!” I choke out as I feel the tiny arms of Lark wrap around my middle, her cheek against my back.
Omega looks up at Lovenia in the doorway, who just nods her approval. Without any more hesitation, he empties the rest of the rounds into the head of Pedro.
“You’ve been shot!” Lark sobs against my back.
When she lifts her hands in front of me, they’re covered with blood. My blood. The room spins, and I stumble backwards. I see the flash of the Reaper as he pushes past us and into the apartment to collect the dark soul of Pedro.
“I’m so sorry, Lark.” My words are gasps, and I can barely stand on my own two feet.
We stumble again, this time toward the stairwell. She circles around to my front and holds me tight, but not tight enough to stop my weight from carrying us to the top of the stairs.
Looking down at my love, I whisper, “Hang on, Twiggy. I’m taking you for a ride.”
Blackness steals my vision as we fall, but I grip her close. Each time gravity pulls at her, I twist and turn, breaking her fall with my own body. My own bones break with the individual slam of every step just so that she’ll be protected. I cocoon her with my love and what little strength I have left. And when my head finally slaps onto the floor at the bottom, I know it’s done.
My time with her is over.
’Til death.
I just didn’t realize it would be this soon.
“Lar,” I murmur, but my sweet girl is limp in my arms. “Lark!” I try to scream, but the heaviness in my chest makes it sound like bubbles.
With each blink, the world spins until I’m watching my body from across the room. What the fuck is going on? Lark seems so tiny lying on top of my unmoving body, her fingers gripping my shirt.
Am I dead?
“She’s going to be okay, Alpha,” a familiar voice comforts me from somewhere nearby. I can’t look away from her, though, to find out who is speaking to me.
“How do you know?” I ask. My voice is unfamiliar to me now. Nothing makes sense anymore.
“I’m her guardian angel, also known as Clarence, SG.”
Clarence.
Clarence.
Homeless Clarence?”
“I love her,” I tell him with tears in my eyes. “I will miss her so much.”
He chuckles, and the warmth of it soothes my soul just a bit. “I know you do, son. But don’t worry. You won’t miss her.”
Anger wells in my chest at his words. Of course I’ll miss her. I’ll miss her until the end of time.
But my thoughts are interrupted when Luc and Corson step into the foyer of the building. Both men walk over to Lark and the body of me. When Luc nudges my head with his toe, I roar at him.
“Leave us alone!” I scream.
But neither of the men turns around.
“They can’t hear you, son. Don’t waste your breath. You don’t belong to them.”
Movement in the stairwell catches my eye, and I see The Reaper descending the stairs, dragging Pedro by the neck. I know it isn’t the human form of Pedro though—it’s his soul. No matter how hard Pedro tries to escape, he won’t. His destiny is in Hell.
“Good job,” Luc praises the Reaper as he passes.
The Reaper nods and disappears with Pedro in tow.
Seconds later, a despondent-looking Omega plunks down the steps on the arm of a very pleased Lovenia.
That bitch.
“And you, Love,” Luc beams at her. “You went above and beyond the call of duty. Here, you wrangled us one of the best out there. You’ll be getting rewarded beyond your wildest dreams, sugar.” Then he turns his attention to my best friend. “Welcome to the team, Omega. By murdering your final assignment, you skipped the ranks of Reaper and we welcome you as a Leviathan.”
Lovenia releases him to hop over Lark and my body. Meanwhile, Omega stares with longing at us before raising his sad eyes to Luc and Corson.
“What happens to Alpha?” he questions as he steps over us.
Luc grumbles. “Forget about him now. He made his bed, and now, he has to lie in it. We certainly don’t want him over at HEL. I’m sure HEA will figure out something to do with his ass.”
With a jovial slap on Omega’s shoulder, Corson chuckles. “Come on. I want to take you to your suite. You’re going to love working for us. We’ve already prepped your room. I’ve sent two sexy-as-sin women to welcome you properly.”
Omega growls and snaps his attention to Corson. “I don’t want women. I want her.” He points right at Love.
Lovenia’s cheeks redden, but she looks down at her feet. “Omega, you can’t have me. You were my job. You’re with us now, but we will never be together.”
“But I love you,” he whispers.
Luc shakes his head in disapproval at him as he holds out a hand to Lovenia. Without hesitation, she takes it. With a wink, he raises it to his lips and kisses it fondly.
“Love isn’t an emotion we have over at HEL. You may have feelings of lust for sweet Lovenia, just like I do, but you can’t love her. Besides, who could love someone who betrayed them? You do realize, Omega, that she used you, right? You were a pawn in her game to recruit you. But don’t worry. We’ll take care of you. You don’t need her. We have other plans for a fierce man like you.”
Omega raises his gaze to Lovenia and pleads with his eyes. “Is this true, Love? I mean nothing to you?”
Lovenia bites her lip and looks down at the floor. “It is true. You were a job.”
Something in Omega’s eyes hardens as he turns them to Luc. “Then by all means, boss. Lead the way.”
Corson grins with pride at Omega. “You’re one of us now.”
Omega growls out his response. “Make it four women. I’m in a mood to fuck.”
Luc and Corson exchange pleased glances as they guide Omega out of the building with a seemingly lost Lovenia behind them. I hope she feels remorse for what she’s done to my best friend.
“It isn’t fair,” I mutter to Clarence.
His warm hand settles on my shoulder. “Omega will b
e okay. Don’t worry about him.”
I’m about to tell him that his answer isn’t good enough. I want to run after my best friend. I want to climb back into my body and hold Lark against me. But I can’t do any of those things.
I’m stuck. Staring ahead.
I’m shaken from my thoughts when Lark moans and Clarence walks over to her.
“Is she okay?” I manage to mumble.
Clarence looks over his shoulder and grins. At first, I think he’s looking at me, but his gaze falls behind me. When I smell the cigar, I know that Pallas is here. He’s come for me. I should feel terror or remorse, but all I feel is grateful that it’s over.
“Time to go, Alpha,” Pallas booms behind me.
“Clarence, just tell me she’s okay,” I call out through my tears.
He smiles so beautifully that I feel it warm every part of my being. “She’s okay. And so is your baby.”
My baby?
She’s pregnant?
“What?”
“Congrats, Daddy. I’m sorry you have to go, but I’ll take care of them forever. I promise,” Clarence vows as he strokes Lark’s hair.
After one last glance at my sweet love, I finally turn and meet my destiny head on.
Goodbye, Lark Miller.
As I sit in the cold chair in the stark, white room, waiting for the verdict of what will happen to me, I try to imagine a life with Lark. A life where we could be a family. Her, me, and our baby.
When Pallas brought me back to HEA, he told me the truth—that my life would soon be over. He revealed that Mathias and Father Lester had explained everything to upper management, but rules were still rules.
Fornication. Voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons or two persons not married to each other. In biblical terms—idolatry. But it wasn’t just the act itself that was the problem. As Minders, we’re allowed to be sexual creatures if we so choose. Just not with our assignments. With each other is fine—even with those over at HEL like Omega was doing with Lovenia. That wasn’t frowned upon. But with your assignment?
That was the big, fat rule I’d broken.
My thoughts dissipate when the door cracks open and Pallas steps in. His face is unreadable, and my chest feels tight. To rid myself of the anxiety, I close my eyes for a brief moment and conjure up an image of my beautiful Lark.