by Lexi C. Foss
However, she’d stopped herself from reacting without thought. An indication she was at least learning from her past mistakes. While she might not be able to die now, she could be taken captive and endure treatment much worse than death.
Issac kissed her again, his mouth a promise against hers. We’re going to figure this out, Aya.
Thank you. Just being held by him made her feel a little better. No one here would allow Lizzie’s disappearance to go unanswered. They just wanted to ensure the plan—
Gabriel reappeared, his light blond strands windswept and rearranged on top of his head. “Sethios and Caro are with Lizzie,” he announced.
Stas gaped at him. “What?”
“Osiris took her,” he went on to explain. “And he secured her in an estate on a private island in the Caribbean. It’s covered in protective wards to hide her from the council.”
“He knew they would come for her,” Luc said.
“So it would seem,” Gabriel replied. “Skye prophesied that Sethios would gain his wings the same day Lizzie went into labor. As a result, Osiris laced a compulsive spell through Sethios to force him to mist directly to the island the moment his wings appeared.”
“Lizzie’s gone into labor?” Balthazar said, pushing off the wall.
“Yes.” Gabriel held up a hand. “There’s more. They told Ezekiel—who relayed all this information to me—that they believe this is some sort of ornate trap meant to ensnare Stas. Skye says she can’t see anything that confirms that threat, but she also didn’t predict Sethios being compelled into Osiris’s waiting arms either.”
Luc nodded. “He likely left behind compulsions in her mind that keep her from commenting on his actions.”
“Exactly,” Gabriel agreed. “So this is all some sort of setup, but Caro checked the runes and said they’re legitimate. Which means that regardless of his trap, it’s a safe place for Lizzie to give birth.”
“Safer than Hydria,” Luc translated, his muscular arms tensed across his chest, his distaste of that proclamation clear.
“Your island isn’t warded, something we can change, but we need more time than we currently have available.”
“Gabriel’s right.” Leela sat up, her blue-green eyes alert and very unlike the healer beside her. “She’ll give birth within the next hour or two. Which means we need to go. Now.”
“Misting her back here could also put her at risk,” Gabriel added. “And not just because of the missing wards. She’s in a fragile state, as is her unborn child.”
“Moving her isn’t an option. We’ll go to her.” Leela was on her feet, her cheeks flushed with renewed color. She glanced at the worn-out female on the floor. “Thank you, Lara.”
“You’re welcome.” Her eyes drooped closed, causing Stas to frown.
“Isn’t she supposed to assist Leela with delivering Lizzie’s baby?” she asked warily.
“We’ll handle it,” Balthazar said, walking up to Leela.
“There’s no we here,” Leela replied.
“There is absolutely a we here,” he corrected. “You have your Seraphim fertility mojo. I have the medical training. And she’s my best friend’s wife. So you’re going to have to deal and let me help, Lee.”
The Seraphim blanched. “Don’t call me that.”
“Oh, I’m going to be calling you a lot of names, sweetheart. Just as soon as we deliver a healthy baby together.” He grabbed her hand and looked at Gabriel. “Tell us where to go.”
Her brother looked her way. “You heard my warning about what they think is going to happen?”
“Yes.” If Osiris wanted to trap her, then so be it. She’d escaped him once before. She’d happily do it again.
Except she was starting to think that he might not be her biggest enemy, that the Seraphim who wanted her best friend dead might pose a bigger threat.
“Then what you do with this information is up to you,” he replied, then gave the location to Balthazar and Leela. “I haven’t verified that yet, and it’s a crude guess based on what Caro found outside while looking at the wards. She didn’t have much time to survey the property, just long enough to confirm it was safe before returning to Lizzie.”
“If they’re wards meant to keep Seraphim out, I might have a problem,” Leela pointed out.
Gabriel shook his head. “Caro said the protection runes thwart those who mean Lizzie harm.”
“He used her blood to create the markings,” Leela said, her eyebrows lifting. “He really did create the place for her.”
“So it would seem,” Gabriel replied.
She nodded. “We’ll meet you there.” She disappeared with Balthazar, leaving them all to discuss the next steps.
“I’ll stay here and wait for Jay to wake up,” Luc informed them. “As soon as he does, we’ll have Jacque teleport him in.”
“He’s back at Ezekiel’s house,” Gabriel replied.
“Technology will fix that.” Luc pulled his phone from his pocket, showed it to her brother, and returned it to rest against his upper thigh.
“Speaking of technology,” Issac murmured. “Tristan is with Mateo.”
What wasn’t said out loud was that Tristan had volunteered to supervise Mateo and report back on his movements. Luc would understand Issac’s context without him elaborating, something he proved by dipping his head once in understanding.
“If they stop by, I’ll bring them up to speed,” the Hydraian King said.
A lie, but one that would make the comments seem normal to everyone else in the room. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Gabriel or Lara, but they weren’t sure who else might be listening. With Mateo’s penchant for technology, he could have placed bugs all over Balthazar’s house without anyone knowing.
That part freaked Stas out the most—she didn’t like that Mateo could be listening to everything she said. Which made her even more thankful for her bond to Issac and their ability to talk mentally.
I want to go to Lizzie, she told him now.
Yes, he said. I knew you would.
Am I being reckless for going? She knew he would tell her the truth, which was why she voiced the question.
You’re aware of the potential consequences. It’s quite possible Osiris will make an appearance. That said, I don’t think he intends to harm you. He needs you.
But he might put you in a cage and use you to force my hand, like he threatened before, she replied.
Would you prefer me to stay here, then? he asked, looking at her.
She considered it and shook her head. I want you there. It would be the first time she’d seen her mother in eighteen years. Something about that left her uneasy. Mainly because of her nightmares. She wasn’t sure how those would impact her when she finally saw her mom again.
We’ll face it all together, Issac promised, lacing his fingers through hers. “We’re going to the island.”
Luc stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. “Better to walk willingly into the trap and learn the results than to wait around for a surprise opportunity. We’ll arrive armed and prepared.”
“I don’t think it’ll be needed,” Gabriel said. “Sethios told Ezekiel that Osiris knew of his intentions to escape. He’d used the entire situation as a way to test Stas. Which I’m guessing he’s doing again now. He doesn’t want to hurt her; he wants to train her.”
Stas bristled at the insinuation. “I’m not his to train.”
“Something he’ll learn with time,” her brother replied. “I’ll meet you both there. I need to have a conversation with someone here first.”
She frowned at him. “Who?”
Rather than reply, his red feathers appeared, and he vanished into thin air.
“Now I get to hit him twice,” she muttered.
“I’ll enjoy watching,” Issac replied. “Shall we?”
She responded by misting since, apparently, that was how Seraphim did things. They acted rather than explained.
Issac’s chuckle hummed across her thoughts, his amusement at
her version of a tantrum warming her a little inside. He always knew what to say and do to calm her. She wrapped her arms around him a little tighter, her opal wings fluttering in the ethereal state as she took them to the location Gabriel had mentioned.
When their feet met the white sand beach, she knew it was the right place. Because she could feel the power reverberating around them, the wards enclosing her friend in a shield of absolute protection.
“He didn’t lie,” she said. “I can sense his magic all around this place. He’s sheltering her.”
“And you,” a deep voice said as Osiris appeared beside them. “Hello, Astasiya. I was hoping you would come.”
Energy flared around Aya as she faced her grandfather. Issac moved with her, his arm brushing hers as he stood right next to her.
“Osiris,” she said, her tone flat.
“Granddaughter,” he returned, his lips curling. “You knew I’d be waiting for you here.”
“I expected it,” she admitted.
“And you came anyway.”
She lifted a shoulder. “You have my best friend. Of course I came.”
“I’m protecting her,” he said.
“I know.” The nonchalance in those two words almost made Issac’s lips twitch. He wondered if Aya realized how much she’d grown in her confidence over the last few months. She was facing the most powerful being in existence—the one who had created all of them—and she hadn’t even broken a sweat.
Osiris studied her. “You approve.”
“Of keeping my best friend safe? Always.” She folded her arms. “But if you’re planning to separate her from Jay or their baby, then no, I don’t approve.”
His brow furrowed. “Why would I separate them?”
“Because you want to use her to create your own progeny,” she said.
“I wouldn’t need to separate them for that.”
“Then you underestimate Jay’s possessiveness,” Astasiya replied.
“I could make him watch, if I so desired, but that’s neither here nor there. The time to create new life has diminished due to recent events. Trying to train a new progeny won’t be possible. Which is why I’ve wanted to speak to you.”
“You want to train me.”
He dipped his chin in confirmation. “I do.”
“And if I don’t want to be trained?”
“Then you’ll die,” he replied simply.
Issac narrowed his gaze. “Choose your next words wisely, Osiris.” A statement he never would have made a year ago, but Aya didn’t exist in his life then. She did now. And this ancient being had just threatened her, something that could not be tolerated.
Osiris arched a brow at him. “Was that a warning?”
“Yes.” A single word underlined in confidence. It didn’t matter that this Seraphim possessed incredible power. He lacked family. Emotion. Heart. Those three items were ones Osiris looked down upon because he didn’t understand them. However, Issac did. They weren’t weaknesses but strengths. They created a defensive unit, one that would be used against Osiris should he try to harm Astasiya.
“Fascinating,” the Seraphim murmured. “I’ve always respected you, Issac. You’re bold and creative and loyal. And now you’re proving to be protective of my most valuable weapon.” He nodded slowly. “Yes, that’ll do just fine.”
“I’m not your weapon,” Aya replied.
“Not yet,” he agreed. “But you will be.”
“Which leads us back to the training discussion. I’m not interested.”
“Who else is going to teach you the full range of your gifts?” he asked, his tone chiding.
“My father,” she offered. “My mother. Hell, Gabriel? Yeah, I’d allow him to teach me over you.”
“You don’t even know me, child.”
“I know what you’ve done. And actions speak far louder than words.”
“Actions,” he repeated. “Such as freeing Skye from my compulsion and creating a compound with the sole purpose of protecting your best friend during her weakest moments? Or how about the fact that I let you free your father?”
“You didn’t let me. We fought.”
He chuckled. “Sweet child, that wasn’t a fight but a training exercise. I don’t wish to hurt you. I need you. Just as you’re going to need me.”
“I think I’m doing just fine on my own.”
“Do you know what would have happened to Elizabeth had I not taken her when I did?” he countered, his dark brow arching upward again toward his bald head. “The council would have sent warrior Seraphim to Hydria to destroy her. No trial. No edict. Just a swift execution.”
“She’s a Seraphim,” Aya replied, her eyebrows pulling down. “She can’t die.”
He gave her an indulgent glance. “She’s not a pure-blooded Seraphim, Astasiya. But you’re right; she might have survived. Which would have been worse for her because they would have responded by throwing her into a reformation chamber to be reprogrammed. And her child would have suffered the same fate.”
Silence fell between them.
Do you believe him? Aya asked softly into Issac’s mind.
I think there’s a lot we don’t know yet about the Seraphim. However, Skye told Gabriel that the council would kill Elizabeth and the child. He also said they removed her wings as a punishment for not complying with their assignments. Neither event paints a kind picture where they’re concerned.
“There’s much you don’t understand. Do you know why I was exiled?” Osiris asked.
“You killed a Seraphim,” a feminine voice replied as a blonde female appeared beside him in a flurry of pale blue wings. Her face gave her away immediately, her defined cheekbones and pert chin both traits she’d given to her daughter.
Caro materialized into her corporeal form, her focus entirely on Osiris. “Touch my daughter and you’ll regret it,” she added, her tone lacking all emotion.
“I’m beginning to see why my son is so enamored with you,” the ancient male replied, blinking at her. “What Seraphim did I supposedly kill?”
“The name has never been mentioned, only the act.”
“Convenient,” he replied.
“Are you claiming innocence, Father?” Sethios asked, misting in on his other side, his black wings causing Issac’s eyebrows to lift. Gabriel hadn’t mentioned this development.
Black and blue wings, and yet I end up with pink feathers? Aya thought at him. Seriously?
Your feathers are opal, love.
They look pretty pink to me, she mentally muttered back at him.
Your parents are here with Osiris, and you’re still fretting over some pink plumes, Issac mused, his lips threatening to twitch.
It’s a good distraction, she admitted.
Yes, he agreed. And he imagined she needed it to keep her calm facade.
“Seraphim can’t die,” Osiris said. “How could I properly kill one?”
“You’re the Seraphim of Resurrection,” Caro replied. “You control life.”
“I do,” he agreed. “Life, but not death.”
“So you’re saying it’s not true?” Sethios pressed, his tone expressing serious doubt. “That you were exiled for another reason?”
“One day I’ll tell you my story,” Osiris said. “The real one. Perhaps then you’ll understand.”
“Why not today?” Aya asked him.
“Because Elizabeth needs you, and I desire her survival.” The stoicism in his tone reminded Issac of Gabriel. It was such a practical reply, confirming Osiris truly did have Elizabeth’s best interest in mind.
At least for the moment.
“I only wished to see you for a moment,” Osiris continued. “To express my desire to teach you. As I said, we’ll need each other very soon. And I would prefer to ensure you’re prepared for when that day comes.”
“What day?” Sethios asked, his hands tucked into his pockets in the picture of ease. It didn’t appear to be an act. As the male had spent thousands of years with his father,
it made sense for him to know whether or not the ancient being posed an imminent threat.
That knowledge put Issac slightly more at ease.
But he kept his hands free just in case, his arm still touching Astasiya’s.
“You’ll see soon,” Osiris said, his black wings springing to life. “I look forward to the future, Stas. Please give Elizabeth and her daughter my best.”
He disappeared without another word, causing Caro to frown. “That’s his second anticlimactic exit today.”
“Yes,” Sethios agreed, his gaze lifting to the darkening sky. “It seems his goal for now is to convince Astasiya to work with him via pleasant methods. But that will change if she proves too stubborn for his manipulative games.”
“I’m never going to work with him,” Aya said at the same time Caro replied, “It will never happen.”
The two females looked at each other then, Aya’s green eyes widening a fraction as Caro’s blue irises flared.
Mom, Aya thought, causing Issac’s heart to skip a beat at the emotion underlining that single word.
Silence fell between them, Aya just staring as Caro stared back.
And in the next second, they were in each other’s arms, hugging one another as though they feared the other wasn’t real.
Love and affection poured through Issac’s bond from Aya, followed by a deep-seated ache that was finally healing after years of agony. Visions of drowning flooded his mind, Astasiya reliving each one as she clung to her mother harder. Tears fell from her eyes, the reunion one of joy and sorrow and defined by their joint pain.
Issac cleared his throat, his own emotions rising at the sight of so much love flaring to life between a mother and her daughter. He looked at Sethios and found him in a similar state, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. They didn’t fall, but the love was there. Pride, too.
And then he looked at Issac and it all disappeared in a heartbeat.
A darkness returned to the green depths of his gaze. His lips flattened. And power raged around him.
“You stood up to my father,” he said. “Told him to choose his words carefully.”
Ah, so they’d been watching the entire exchange. That didn’t surprise Issac. They’d all known Osiris would be waiting for Astasiya, and her parents never would have allowed him to take her after all the sacrifices they’d made to keep her safe.