The room fell silent.
Pride kept me from saying his name.
But my love for her trumped everything.
So in that moment at my kitchen table, I closed my eyes and uttered a plea — to my greatest enemy.
"Cassius," I whispered, "help."
Genesis
My tongue felt like sandpaper in the roof of my mouth. When I tried to lick my lips, it was like someone had dehydrated me then handed me peanut butter.
I tried moving my lips. They were heavy, pressed together.
"You won't speak."
I blinked my eyes open. Having already thought they were open, I was surprised when I saw a blinding light appear in front of me then fade into the darkness surrounding my body.
"I allow you to speak after you've earned it." It was the same man or angel as before. His feathers were now fully visible; pieces of every color of the rainbow shimmered from the large wings, though his seemed to favor purples and blues. It seemed like that should be significant, the colors, but I couldn't talk, so instead I stared, knowing I probably wouldn't ever see anything like it in my entire life.
I wanted to be afraid.
And I was.
But I was also fascinated by the sheer beauty of the archangel in front of me. Long white hair, which should have looked stupid and old, created an ethereal effect around his sculpted face. His eyes were a bluish-white, more aqua than anything, and his mere presence filled up the entire room.
"Are you afraid?" He tilted his head to the side, his eyes studying me for a reaction.
I didn't nod.
I simply stared back.
"I'll take that as a no." His full lips curled into a smile. "I am Sariel. I've been watching you."
Creepy statement. I shivered. The last thing I wanted was a being like him watching me.
"It intrigues me…" His smile grew as the light faded around his body, making him look more human than immortal. "How they fight over something so insignificant."
I flinched.
"I don't mean you, little human." He moved around the room. Lights followed each footstep until I realized I was sitting in a large open room — a lot like a typical living room with couches and tables — facing the Puget Sound.
It would be normal…
If an archangel wasn't walking around in front of me, glowing all over the place.
"The situation — it's insignificant. Tell me, why should my brothers — why should I bother myself with the prophecy? It does not directly affect me."
He waved at my mouth.
My lips pulled apart. I inhaled then spoke. "It may not affect you, but it affects others. People are dying — what if I'm the answer?"
He turned his back to me. "Do you think that we would put the balance of immortal lives in the hands of a mere human?"
"Yes," I whispered, "because it's the only thing that makes sense."
"You speak to me as if you have the right to breathe in my presence without falling to your feet in terror."
"And you speak to me like you deserve to be worshipped, when you've done nothing but kidnap me and mock me."
His body stilled.
I blamed Ethan's blood. I'd spoken out of turn. And I was going to pay for it.
"Keep that heartbeat under control. Wouldn't want that vampire blood to boil you from the inside out… quite painful I've heard, the process of a human turning immortal."
"What?" My heart raced. "But I'm human."
"Yes." He turned back to face me. "For now you are human. Until the choice will be made by the immortals. You will stay that way, in my care."
"Why?" I gulped. "Why take me?"
His shoulders hunched; it was the only chink I'd seen in his armor the entire time we'd been talking. "Because once, a very long time ago, one of my sons made a great lapse in judgment, and the immortals have been paying for it ever since."
Sariel folded his hands in front of his large body, his wings going once again transparent. "Because of his sins, a darkness — a sickness — descended upon both races. I mean to rectify that in the only way I know how."
I was afraid to ask.
"Well?" he smirked. "Aren't you the least bit curious?"
"No."
"Lie." His eyes flashed white. "Blood will be spilled. They will come for you."
"And if they don't?" I whispered.
"Blood will spill either way."
Was it my imagination, or did his eyes hold a hint of sadness?
"Balance always needs to be restored, and you, Genesis, will be tested. I wonder, are you strong enough to do what needs to be done?"
I gulped. "What needs to be done?"
"Telling you defeats the purpose, now, doesn't it?"
"So I'm your prisoner… until blood is spilled?"
"Think of it as a vacation." He shrugged. "I've provided for all of your needs." He pointed to an open kitchen I hadn't noticed before. "You won't starve, you won't thirst — unless it's blood your body craves — and you have a view. What more could you want?"
"Is that a trick question?"
His grin blinded me. "I enjoy humans… so small."
My eyebrows knit together in frustration. "Thanks."
"…and interesting."
"You said you had sons." I tried changing the subject.
His face shadowed. "I have… sons, yes."
The conversation must have been over because he quickly walked out of the room.
I thought he'd left me alone…
Until someone or something walked in. I wasn't sure how I knew since I hadn't actually seen anything, but I felt something.
And then I heard chains.
I had a brief vision of watching Christmas Carol and shivered, sitting on the nearby couch and pulling my knees to my chest. "Hello?"
"Hello." The voice was smooth, like a caress against my face.
The couch sunk next to me.
A hand reached out of the air. I followed the fingertips up an arm; the body slowly came into focus.
It was a man. Not an angel.
A Dark One — or something else entirely.
He had chains around his feet, though clearly he'd still been able to walk, and his hands were chained together as well.
"I'm Aziel." He leaned back against the couch. "I hope you're stronger than the last human who visited."
"The last human?" I repeated.
"She looked like you." His eyes went cloudy as he stared out through the windows, his jaw set in a firm line. "The same blood flows through your veins."
"She died?" My mouth was like cotton. I wasn't sure how much more I could take.
"She was murdered." His teeth snapped. "I would have made her my queen."
I tried to scoot away, but he put his chained hands onto my legs, holding me in place.
"She was tested," he sighed in a cheerful voice, "and found lacking."
"Why was she tested?"
"Because she wanted too much — because it was within our capacity to give it to her — but we were too early. The prophecy never said when balance would be restored. And we are not perfect."
We?
"We are still flawed." His voice was hollow. "And we were wrong. I was blinded by her face… then again, I've always had a fascination with pretty things." He turned his head to me. "You remind me of her."
I flinched, trying to move my body to the side. His hands grew heavier and heavier on my lap.
"And you will probably die just like her."
Ethan
"The last time you called for me was over a hundred years ago," Cassius said from behind my spot in the kitchen. I'd been pacing for the past ten minutes, waiting for him to arrive.
Stephanie and Alex tried to get me to feed.
I didn't want blood from a bag.
If I couldn't have her — if I didn't have her — I wanted nothing. Death. I would welcome death.
"She's gone." I didn't recognize my own voice. It was hoarse, like I'd been choked and barely
survived. "An archangel—"
Cassius moved by me and held up his hand, his eyes blazing white for a few seconds before he uttered a curse. "Sariel."
Mason whistled and fell down into a chair, hanging his head in his hands. "We should have kept better watch of her. We should have—"
"Mason…" I shook my head. "It wasn't your fault." I turned my attention to Stephanie. "Care to explain how you earned the angel's mark?"
Cassius's head craned to the side, his eyes so white they almost glowed. He stalked toward Stephanie then with one hand pushed her up against the wall, pulling her head to the side to glance at the mark. "Decided to whore yourself out?"
Stephanie's face paled. "I had—"
"Do not lie." Cassius dropped her to the ground. She crumpled against the floor, holding her head in her hands. "He didn't say he was going to hurt her."
I lunged for her.
Mason intercepted me.
"He said she needed to be tested. You all knew there was another way." Slowly, Stephanie inched to her feet. "If an archangel deems the human pure, he'll restore balance, regardless of the prophecy!"
"And that worked out so well last time," Cassius hissed.
Lost, I simply waited for someone to explain. When nothing happened, I pretended to lose my irritation. Mason's arms slackened. I lunged for Stephanie's throat, my fangs hovering over her artery. "What. Exactly. Did he promise you?"
Her heartbeat picked up.
"Worth dying for, siren?"
"Love always is," she whispered.
It wasn't a lie.
I stepped back. Tears filled her blue eyes. "He promised me Cassius."
Cassius went completely still next to me. The room temperature plummeted, causing a frost to cover the granite countertops. "So, you thought to enslave me?"
"No!" Stephanie sobbed. "You said we could never be together… immortals do not mate. I simply—"
Cassius held up his hand. It shook in the air, and pieces of frost fell from his fingertips. "You would betray a defenseless human — one for whom we have been waiting for over a hundred years — because you think yourself in love with me?"
The room began to freeze; pieces of ice formed along Cassius's face, shattering into the air the minute he opened his mouth to speak. "Dark Ones do not love."
A tear slid down Stephanie's cheek, freezing against her porcelain skin. "But we've spent nearly every night together."
"And every morning I spend with someone else," Cassius said in a flat voice. "I didn't think you were becoming so attached as to sell your soul to an archangel in order to align your destiny with mine."
"But—"
"Enough," Alex barked. "Stephanie, stop… you're making it worse."
Cassius hung his head. "You can track her blood?"
"Yes," I hissed. "But going up against Sariel…"
"He's old," Cassius stated in a bland voice. "Older than me."
"Not hard," Mason grumbled.
Cassius snapped his teeth together. "The only way to rescue her, to pull her away from the archangel's scent, would be…" He looked up, his eyes flashing once again. "…to mix the blood."
"Yes." My voice shook. "She needs angel blood."
"She won't take it." Cassius shook his head. "Believe me."
"She has no choice!" I yelled, pain searing my limbs, making them feel heavy. "She either drinks from you and makes the choice to leave, or he'll keep her forever. You know he will."
"He does like his toys." Cassius swore. "Unless he truly believes she's the human we've been waiting for, and then things are about to get a lot worse."
Alex pushed Stephanie into a chair and crossed his arms. "How can it get worse?"
"Death," I whispered. "We can distract him long enough to grab her, shield her from his scent. But if he truly believes what we do — then blood will be spilled."
"For balance to be restored." Cassius sighed. "Blood always needs to be spilled."
"Does it matter who?" Alex asked. "Because I vote Stephanie."
Her soft sobs were grating on my nerves. I should have watched her closer — should have seen the signs of her infatuation. Dark Ones did not mate for a reason. They were too addicted to those who fell for them, destroying the other half that should help make a whole.
"Track her," Cassius finally said. "We'll go when he's at his weakest."
Night.
Sariel taught the stars how to shine. At night his resources were depleted on account that his power was shared with the sky.
"Alex…" I nodded toward the siren. "Keep her locked up until we return. And Mason?"
He stood. "Let me go with you."
"You're not strong enough." I hated saying it, almost as much as I hated that I was right.
Mason let out a growl.
"Wolf…" Cassius put his hand on Mason's shoulder. "Your diet makes you weak. Therefore, it makes us vulnerable. You stay."
I knew it hurt Mason's pride.
His eyes went completely black as he slowly sank into the chair, his face completely tight with outrage. Berries and cones didn't make a werewolf strong — he knew that as much as we did.
"Ten miles away." I sniffed the air for traces of the woman I loved — the woman who was taken from me. Anger overtook all good reason as I started moving toward the door.
"Level head, Ethan." Cassius's cold grip stopped my blood from boiling over. "She'll need you at your strongest."
"I know."
"Drink."
I had to have heard him wrong.
"Drink." His teeth snapped. "Before I change my mind." He lifted his hand to my lips.
With a sneer, I pushed him away.
He slammed me against the wall. "You want to save your love? Stop being so damn prideful and drink."
With a hiss, I bit into his arm and sucked deep. His blood was like ice, cooling my veins, making my body so calm I was finally able to think clearly. I took a step back, the blue tint of his blood dripping from my fangs. "I won't thank you."
"And I won't expect it." He moved his fingers along the small indents. The skin slowly closed back together.
"If she touches you—" I whispered.
"When she touches me," he clarified, "you will finally see it."
"That you were right all along?" I growled.
"That you should have trusted her to begin with."
Genesis
Aziel sat with me for what felt like hours. Sometimes he spoke, but mostly he rocked back and forth. It didn't make me feel better.
When I tried to get up and grab something to eat, he told me that the food was poisoned.
I didn't know if I should believe him or not.
I got up anyway because I couldn't handle just sitting and staring out the window, even though that seemed to be his own specialty.
I found a bottle of water in the fridge and drank, then made my way back over to the couch. Sariel hadn't returned. I wasn't sure if Aziel was supposed to be my guard or just a punishment.
"What's with the chains?" I asked, taking a seat next to him, careful to be out of his reach just in case he decided to put the same hands in chains on top of me, forcing my legs to go to sleep.
"A punishment." His eyes went white as snow. "For my sins."
"What did you do?"
"I wanted."
"What did you want?"
His hair became more visible. Pieces of black and white tendrils fell across his face. "I wanted."
"Okay…"
"Haven't you ever wanted so desperately you'd do anything to have it?"
That was how I wanted Ethan, but it wasn't just want. To say want almost seemed selfish — I needed him.
Just thinking about him had my heart racing. My entire body trembled with a need to just be in his arms.
"I wanted," Aziel continued, "so I took."
"And you were punished?"
"Very much so." Aziel nodded. "I can no longer fly." He shrugged. "I'm grounded with chains, and now I must watch history on
repeat until the balance is restored."
"Until humans stop dying," I clarified.
"Yes."
"Is it me?" I was afraid to ask but needed to know. "Will I bring balance?"
"We could have waited to discover the truth." He ignored my question. "Better this way — to get it over with. I pushed Sariel to pursue it, though he'd deny my involvement. I smelled her on you. And I knew we needed to try."
Great. So I had two people to blame for my captivity.
"Soon." Aziel faded into the air briefly before flickering back. "Very soon now."
The sun had already set, casting a pink glow across the sky.
Ethan was out there somewhere… I wished in that moment I could communicate with him, tell him not to come for me. I didn't think it was a trap, but something in my gut told me things wouldn't end well, and I'd rather sacrifice myself than see him hurt.
I swallowed the fear.
Cassius had made sense when we'd talked earlier.
Fear was selfish. It kept me thinking about me and not about others. It kept my heart safe, because if I stayed afraid, I wouldn't risk losing.
But for Ethan? I would risk it all.
My life.
My soul.
My heart.
"So the Vampire has decided to work with the Dark One." Aziel clapped his hands together, shooting me an amused grin. "Perhaps you are worth the trouble."
Sariel walked through the door, eying Aziel briefly before making his way toward me. "They're close. Shall we begin?"
I took a step back.
"Fear?" He smiled mockingly.
"Let's try excitement."
His mocking smile faded into a real smile. "Ah, that's better."
"What?"
"I can see why my son was so enraptured with you."
"Aziel?" I guessed.
Sariel glanced to the couch and shuddered, "No."
"Then I'm confused."
"My son…" His eyes went from blue to icy white. "Cassius."
Ethan
Cassius was irritated that we had to drive, but not everyone could simply appear out of thin air. Part of his angelic heritage made it so that he could, in essence, fly, though he preferred not to discuss it with anyone. Just another reason Dark Ones couldn't be trusted. There were parts, dark parts, they kept hidden that we would never understand.
A Kiss For You Page 16