“Was that Azrael I heard?” Gage questions through the bond. He stalks slowly though the kitchen then looks back down the hallway towards the bedroom before looking at me again.
“Yes, he's just as angry at his son as we are.” I finally turn to face him and Christian both. Christian looks between Gage and me, confused, not able to hear him through the bond. Quickly Gage uses sign language to fill Christian in.
“What should we do?” Christian asks as he looks back down the hallway towards the master bedroom. As Christian turns to face me again his eyes shine golden, he’s more on edge because he can’t feel Thana yet.
“For now, go sit with her, Chris. One of us should be there for her when she awakens.” I feel so very powerless at the moment, and this is the only solution I have. Christian nods his head and walks back down the hall. My gaze lifts to the clock in the kitchen, duty calls. I really don’t want to leave her like this, but one of us has to go to work tonight.
I decide to fly to work to give me time to sort through everything that’s bothering me. Every flap of my wings is consumed with thoughts of Thana and the broken look Cyrus left on her face. My heart feels like it's breaking, rejecting or damaging a mate bond is one of the biggest sins anyone can commit.
Her pain echoes through the bond to Gage and me, it feels as if it’s happening to us as it happens to her. Distance does nothing to ease the pain I feel from my beloved mate. Sooner than expected, I land on the hospital roof, and Thana’s friend Mark meets me, offering me my lab coat and clipboard. He shifts his weight from foot to foot, looking at me quite anxiously.
“Something on your mind, Mark?” I tilt my head to the left, trying to look as friendly as possible. From experience, I know he and Thana are best friends, and more than likely, he's concerned about her wellbeing.
“Umm … Yes, your holiness. First off, congratulations on finding your mate and bond-mates.” He says with a flourished bow. “Secondly, your holiness, how is she?” He looks genuinely worried as he arches his eyebrows and smiles. He appears to be anxiously awaiting my answer.
“Thank you, Mark, and Thana is doing as well as a newly mated female can.” I smile and laugh softly. “She has four very distinct personalities to wrangle now. No worries though, she’s a strong and capable female. She will make my nest her own in no time.” I speak truly as I guide Mark back into the hospital so we can start our shift for the evening. We head down the stairs, and I go to my office.
Cyrus is sitting behind my desk with his head hung low as he holds his head in his hands.
“You have some nerve sitting in here!” My voice thunders in the room, shaking everything on the wall. My wings burst free of their own volition and take on the golden shimmer that only archangels get as we rise in the ranks.
Cyrus raises his head, and his eyes blacken immediately. “You don’t know what it's like to grow up in literal darkness,” he practically growls out. His voice sounds stricken with pain, perhaps he’s hurting more than he’s letting on. Blackened tendrils seep out of his every pore and pulse around him almost like a symbiote.
Cyrus stands up, and my chair flies back into the wall shattering into a thousand pieces. “You have no idea what it’s like to be raised by demons and passed off to an unsuspecting family to grow up semi-normal.” Sadness mars his usually stoic face as he stares me down. He’s at war with himself, mostly about what he was raised to believe he is supposed to be instead of the man he wants to be.
“You’re right. I don’t understand. Archangels don’t have childhoods like you do. We’re not human, or even part human.” I shake my head and turn to look out the window on my office door. “You and the others in the bond have the best chance of understanding Thana. I can only guess how to help her with her very human emotions.” I’m honestly at a loss when it comes to dealing with how his actions may have damaged their bond.
“Boo hoo, the golden boy didn’t have a childhood. I’d give you mine in a heartbeat.” Cyrus narrows his eyes, almost challenging me to react. The darkness that surrounds him pulses in-time with his speech, it’s as if it’s accentuating his inflection.
“I’d rather you talk to Thana and make things right.” I narrow my eyes right back at him crossing my arms over my barrel chest. My wings flex open and closed as I stare at him, ready for anything.
“FINE!” Cyrus screams then vanishes again in a wisp of smoke from my office. It’s times like this. I wish I knew where he is and where he’s going. I just have to hope and pray that he does the right thing before it's too late.
I text Christian and Gage letting them know about the run-in with Cyrus. Gage questions why we even need him in the bond. It’s time that I relay to him how and when I knew Thana was mine. I watch my phone intently watching the dots pop up and stop several times from Gage before his message is sent.
He and Christian go back and forth several times about the night I saw Thana’s wings. Rolling my eyes, I express my concern over Azrael exposing the fact he knows I had seen her wings before the trials. He can easily call to have the bonds rescinded and have Thana wait for the next trial in twenty years before she can attend again. Not only would I lose my mate, but my life would also become forfeit. The short version is, we’re stuck with Cyrus. We can only hope he gets his head out of his ass before it’s too late.
The deep rumbling of my wolf guardian gives me solace and comforts my breaking heart. Deep down, I know he will give his existence to save me, only to have him rise again and again like a dark phoenix. My fingers thread through his thick fur, petting him. I know I should have sought out one of my mates instead, but right now I just need to be.
“Thana love?” Christian says softly from the other side of the room. I raise my head, looking over my wolf’s back and look at him. The sadness in his eyes makes my chest tighten, and it's hard to breathe. I’ve seen this look before from him, it usually occurred after each failed Mate Trials where he came back empty handed. The thought that I have caused him pain makes me feel ill.
Gently, I pet Fenrir and bid him to return. His giant wolf tongue gently licks my cheek before he returns to my tattoo. I stare down at my arm, at his inked likeness, and stroke his body. A soft sigh escapes my lips. “Sorry for worrying you.” I turn and look down and away from him. Guilt wracks my heart. I caused my sweet protective mate undeserved pain.
“Kichōna mono, don’t be sorry. It’s my honor to be allowed to worry about you and for you.” Christian closes the distance between us and sits beside me on the bed. His hand comes up, caressing my cheek so tenderly. “Let’s go get you cleaned up. You smell like a hellhound.” He scrunches his nose and sticks his tongue out.
I laugh and slide off the bed. “Oh, ok, fine …”
Walking across the room, I can feel Christians eyes upon me. My confidence wavers as my steps carry me across the space. I make my way towards the bathroom and flick on the light; piece by piece, I drop my clothes on the floor. Christian is different than Raphael, he’s been my best friend and confidant over the years. Raphael was the unattainable boss that was always just out of reach. Angels like Christian have the choice of whom they can bond with besides their destined mate. So, the fact that Christian waited all this time after his first wife died says something about the type of man he is. Me being his mate drops all the previous barriers between us. His request to take Gage before him makes me think he doesn’t see me as anything other than his best friend.
I adjust the temperature of the water in the shower and try to clear my head of all the negativity. The fact that he has followed me into the bathroom hopefully indicates that he’s interested in me. My nerves are starting to get the better of me as I set the bathroom up for my shower. I’m second guessing everything I’ve ever thought to be true.
“Kichōna mono, let me help you.” Christian’s voice is so soft as his hands rest lightly on my shoulders. I look over my shoulder at him; he’s completely bare before me. My eyes drink in every inch of his toned and battle-hardened body.
He looks like a sculpted piece of marble. His muscles almost perfectly symmetrical, and what few scars he has look to be centuries old. His long black hair flows like ink down his back and over his shoulder and onto his chest. A rather old tattoo of a tiger digging into his right ribcage is almost faded away. My eyes roam over his taunt abdomen, seeing the horizontal scar that would have gutted him if it was deep enough. Eventually, I raise my eyes and look into his dark brown ones.
He raises an eyebrow, and smiles. “You honor me by looking at me like I am the only man in the world.”
His lips descend on mine, and we step back into the hot running water of the shower. We kiss as if there's no tomorrow. Our hands roam over each other, searching and learning every single curve of our bodies. Christian jacks me up the wall without warning, using his arms to hold me in place against the tiles. As he leans into me, I feel the tentative nudges of his hot member at my entrance. I rock my hips, practically begging him to give me what I desire most from him. Christian nuzzles my neck and slams me down on his shaft.
Within seconds, I feel the tethers of our bond snap into place, and he exists in my heart and soul. We grind and paw at each other fiercely. My core pulses and tingles with each thrust. My orgasm rips through me as I call out and cling to Christian with every fiber of my being. His thrusts become erratic, and he hugs me tightly to him, his orgasm crashing down on him. He buries his face in my neck and cries out.
Christian starts to soften and slows down his thrusts. We snuggle in close under the hot water as it washes over us. Giggles escape my lips as I slide down his body to stand on my own two feet. “I thought angels didn’t fornicate before finding their mate?” The smile slips from my lips as Christian’s face darkens.
“Long before you were created—in a land far, far away—I once had a wife.” He sticks his face under the water, letting it wash away the darkness.
An easy smile crosses his lips as he looks back down at me. “It was just after one of the last great dynasties fell; she was the youngest princess in the emperor's family.” Christian spins me around, putting my long, ash-blonde hair under the water. He threads his fingers through my hair, massaging the shampoo in deeply.
“I helped her escape through the secret passage then hid her for months. Over those months, we hid as man and wife.” His eyes change yet again as if the memories plague him.
“She died in labor giving birth to my son. I believe you’ve met him. His name is Ben.” He smiles as he washes out the shampoo out of my hair then starts applying the conditioner.
My eyebrows shoot up and I turn to stare at him. “Ben is your son! He’s flipping awesome and so much fun!” I can’t help but laugh watching Christian try not to laugh at my antics.
“Ben has always spoken highly of you, especially when he relieves you at the end of your shift.” Christian caresses my cheek and kisses my forehead. “Apparently, it’s in the genes to appreciate things of beauty.”
Suddenly I reach up and kiss Christian passionately; he thinks I’m beautiful. The warmth blooms in my chest as his love joins Gage and Raphael’s love all at once. I feel on top of the world, knowing I’m the loved by my three mates. Happy tears stream down my cheeks as we kiss. Christian breaks the kiss and finishes washing out the conditioner from my hair.
“We should meet up with the others,” Christian says softly before planting a chaste kiss on my lips before stepping out of the shower and moving out of sight, leaving me to my thoughts.
So many changes have occurred in the last week, and it's intense to think that I’ve gone from being an outcast to desired. Moving through Raphael’s room, I duck into the closet and pull out a silver gown that catches my eye. It amazes me that it conforms to my body like it was made for me, no matter what I choose. I close my eyes briefly and focus on the bond with my guys, and sense they are in the kitchen waiting for me.
Silently, I walk barefoot through the house, heading towards the kitchen. I walk into a vision of perfection; all three men are huddled around the table, passing the breakfast fare around. “We know you’re there, Thana,” Raphael says without turning to face me, and he tilts his head, beckoning me to him.
I close the distance between us, Raphael and Gage pull out a chair for me. All my favorite foods are on the table, there’s bacon, eggs, cheese Danishes and English muffins. The guys take turns passing a plate around, filling it for me. Raphael pulls me down to sit in the chair between him and Gage. Christian sits in the chair across from me, smiling broader than I’ve ever seen him smile before. “You three crack me up.” Giggles escape my lips as I sip at my coffee.
“Why do we crack you up?” Gage questions as his hand rests on my upper thigh.
Shock crosses Christian's face as he hears Gage for the first time. I shake my head and smile at him. “I have before me three of the most powerful warriors, and you all dote on me like lovesick puppies.”
Raphael draws me into his lap, then grips my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes as they churn liquid gold. “We … Are … Only … This gentle with our mate.” He stares deep into my eyes, and the only thing I can focus on is him.
“You are the most precious person in our lives. Some are never blessed with a mate. You are ours to treasure.” Raphael leans in, kissing me deeply to drive his point home. My fingers thread through his hair as I hold him tightly to me. Reluctantly, he breaks the kiss then presses a softer kiss to the tip of my nose.
“You are our love embodied.” He kisses me once more before sitting me back on my chair. My eyes roam to Gage and Christian, who both nod, agreeing with what Raphael said.
“I am eternally grateful to have all of you. I love you all so very much.” Using the bond, I try to push my emotions to the three of them, letting them feel how deeply embedded into my very being they are. Sadness washes over me as I look around the kitchen for Cyrus.
“He’s not here, kichōna mono. I’m sorry.” The resignation in his voice speaks volumes. He looks to Gage and then over to Raphael. “I’m sure he’ll surface when he works through whatever plagues him.”
I just nod, listening to what he has to say. “I should get ready for my shift tonight,” I slide off my seat and make my way around the table, kissing each of my mates.
“Have a great evening, everyone, be safe please. Love you!” Their voices harmonize as they say goodbye to me. Work will be a lot more interesting now that I’m not afraid of being exposed.
Spreading my wings, I take flight towards work for the evening shift at St. Michaels. The wind moving over my feathers feels incredible; the freedom flight has granted me is absolutely amazing. Then I realize I forgot I didn’t learn to land. Panic floods my system as I circle the rooftop at least a dozen times.
A burst of light streaks across the darkened sky on a direct trajectory to me. At the last minute, it stops before me, and it’s Raphael. His kind smile radiates at me. “Forgot you didn’t learn to land, my love?” he says in a kind and joking tone as he motions to the rooftop.
I laugh as I flutter my wings, trying to hover in place like Raphael is doing. “Can you show me how?” I motion to the rooftop and shake my head, feeling foolish for not knowing.
“You literally just learned how to fly two days ago. You’re doing fantastic; most females wouldn’t have been able to fly the distance you did just now.” Raphael beams with pride. “Let me help you,” he extends his hands out to me, and I take them without hesitation. I know deep in my soul he will never let me fall no matter what. “Do like I do Thana, it’s a lot easier than it appears.”
I mirror each movement of his wings and through the bond, I feel his intended movement before he does it. I release his hands and move my wings exactly the same as he does. We come in for a silent landing on the roof, and I can’t help but scream with joy, then jump into his arms. Raphael spins us in a circle, whispering praises in my ear. Giggles escape my lips just as he sets my feet on the roof.
“Great job, daughter …” echoes from the darkness, and I spi
n to face the voice I haven’t heard in over two hundred years. I open my wings up wide and do my best to shield Raphael from my birth father.
“Nyx, what could you possibly want from me? I haven’t existed to you since I was a little over a hundred and fifty.” I practically spit his name out like a curse.
Raphael teleports to stand before me in his full archangel armor and his sword blazing to life. “How did you escape your sentence?” his voice booms, shaking the roof as he points his fiery sword tip at my father.
“Thana, your grandfather would be so disappointed in you …” Nyx spits out at me like a hissing cobra. His words cut me deeply, making me grab at my chest.
“Father, don’t!” Fear runs through me like the fiercest raging river. The true name of my grandfather would even frighten Azrael if he heard it. Speaking of Azrael, I press on my raven and speak his name softly, summoning him to me quickly. Hopefully, he can imprison my father before he can spill the truth of my lineage.
Azrael manifests beside me, putting me between him and Raphael. A husky laugh escapes his lips as he stares down at my father. He immediately silences my father, sealing his lips until such time that Azrael sees fit to free him. He presses a kiss to my temple and smirks. “Thank you for making my job easier daughter, your birth father has eluded me for days now. Though—” he looks between Raphael and me then back to my father “—I’m guessing there’s a deeper reason why you summoned me.”
All I do is nod my head then look away.
“Ah, I see … Nyx was playing dirty again. Come clean with golden boy, then head to Club Dread my wayward son is playing a show there tonight.” I look back at Azrael, then nod slowly before he grabs hold of my birth father and vanishes in a wisp of smoke.
Discovered: The Dark Angel Chronicles Page 8