“So, this vow… what does it mean?” I ask, seeing pleasure growing in his eyes as I probe his plan. It’s so strange to see him look like this when we are discussing such a serious subject. He looks happy.
Reed gives me a sublime smile. “It means that you are mine and I am yours and no one will come between us. It means we become one and it’s irrevocable.”
“So, if you are essentially me, and I am essentially you… what happens when someone decides I’m evil and that I need to be destroyed? I ask in confusion.
“Then I can fight for us,” he says, sounding smug and satisfied.
This loophole is sounding frighteningly like he is jumping in the frying pan with me. I bite my lower lip, and then I ask, “But what if there is no way to fight it? What if it’s some kind of ruling and they decide to execute me?”
His answer is simple and absolute. “Then, I die too. We will share the same fate.”
I shoot to my feet. “No! Absolutely no! No way,” I say, shaking my head. He is psychotic if he thinks I’m going to let him go down with me.
“Genevieve,” he sighs.
“Reed!” I counter.
“What is it that you object to?” he asks me in a solemn tone.
“All of it,” I say emphatically, pacing the floor in front of him, wringing my hands together that have become sweaty all of a sudden.
“You don’t want to be mine?” he asks in a low tone, and there is something in his eyes…he’s hurt. “I’m sure that Zephyr will bind with you, if that is your wish, but you might consider Buns for a second,” he says with a taut quality to his voice that I hadn’t expected at all when I had responded. I stop my pacing to look at him.
“Reed, you can’t be serious. I would never consider binding with anyone but you,” I say, and his eyes shine as the corners of his lips pull upward. “I just can’t let you do something like that for me. I can’t do that to you.”
“Genevieve, I am already bound to you…I’m not afraid of anything in this world. There is nothing the Fallen could throw at me that I haven’t already seen, but I can tell you that when it comes to you…” he says, standing up and catching me in his arms, hugging me to him. “You don’t even know our language and you are so young and you don’t even expect justice for yourself.”
His face is very serious when he says, “I’m sure that Pagan had many friends here that didn’t enjoy watching her die. I have encountered a few who, although are not openly hostile to me, may not hold back their hostility with you if I were to leave,” he says, and I understand what he is saying. They wouldn’t pick a fight with him because he is an elite fighter, but I’m not. “Preben and his men are assigned to protect you now, but I don’t trust all of them either. We have made a powerful enemy in Gunnar. I think he has some plans that include you because he is anxious to have me gone, along with Zephyr.”
A shiver runs through me. Just because the council have ruled not to kill me openly doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. If someone here wants me dead, there are ways to accomplish that without much fuss. These Powers may not be the elite caliber of assassin as Reed and Zephyr are, but they are all probably highly effective killers.
“Would you stop being noble?” I ask with a sigh. “I should’ve done what you asked me to do when we first met. I should’ve left, like you told me to. I didn’t know—I wouldn’t listen and now you are trying to protect me, but I know right from wrong and this is wrong. You don’t make the person that you love the most a target. If you love someone, then you have to do what’s best for him, not what’s best for yourself.”
“This is best for me. No one can save me but you. I can’t walk away from you, so I will have to stay and fight them all to remain with you. If that is what I must do, then I will do it. Do you believe that I lied when I said I love you? I will prove to you that I did not,” he says as his lips form a grim line, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is serious.
I turn my face into his chest, shaking it back and forth, picturing him fighting to remain here with me. I wait several agonizing seconds before I turn my face up to look at his. “If I bind with you, then you won’t have to fight them all to stay with me?” I ask, because I need to be sure.
“They will be unable to stop me from taking you away because I’m free and we are one. You are not Fallen because you are not stained, like the Fallen are all marked,” he says, and he is as still as a statue. “You are also not a Nephilim… you may have a similar parentage, but you have a soul and that means you have redemption.”
“So, you will have to love me for eternity or something?” I ask, because I know that I have no concept of the infinite space of time he will be promising to me. Reed, on the other hand, probably knows just how long we are talking about and he doesn’t seem phased by it.
“Yes,” he says like a meditation, “and then, it will be you and me. You will never be alone in this again because you will have me…always,” he breathes.
Every cell in my body responds to what he says and before I can stop myself I say, “Okay, I’m in.” I smile, feeling euphoria spreading through me.
I am only allowed a few moments of pure bliss before the image of Russell enters my mind. A part of me feels really guilty and there is another part of me, my soul that wants to resist again because Reed is not Russell; he is not my soul mate. The deep burden of what this will do to Russell enters my mind then, sending a slicing pain straight through me. Russell begged me to come back and this is the only way that I can conceivably do that now. If I don’t bind with Reed, I will have to stay here with the Powers because they will not willingly let me go. It probably won’t be long before I annoy one of them with the simple fact that I’m still breathing air. Russell said that his love for me is unconditional. We will see if that is true.
“What do I need to do to bind with you?” I ask, looking up at him. His face changes from grim to one of pure pleasure. Reed lifts me off my feet and kisses me with a passion that I don’t expect. I’m lightheaded and wobbly when he finally sets me back down. The shape of his lips still echoes on mine as he goes directly to the balcony. After signaling someone, he steps back in the room. In an instant, Buns and Zephyr are on the balcony with someone else that I have never met.
“Sweetie, I knew you would say yes!” Buns says, flying at me and embracing me in a tight hug. “Reed thought we might have to make you bind to him because of how overprotective you are of all of us, but I told him that you would see reason,” she smiles, ushering me to the bathroom and closing the door. “But, just in case, we took away all of your clothes so that you wouldn’t go anywhere.” She hugs me again and says, “Thank you—for Zee, I mean. He told me what you did for them and I—I’m really mad at you—and I’m really grateful, too. I knew you had moxie, I just didn’t know you had that much.”
“It wouldn’t have worked without your help. Thank you for everything you did to get us here,” I say, squeezing her tight. “You were right about the outfit. They couldn’t kill me because of it.”
Buns gives me a knowing grin. “I told you. We just had to remind them of what they were missing, but we have to hurry with this. We don’t have much time because we don’t know when the council will decide they need to see you again,” she says, pulling away from me. She disappears out the door, and an instant later, she is back with a bag full of things. Buns pulls out a protein bar from her bag, along with some water and insists that I eat. After I’m done, she shoves me in the shower. When I finish, she sets to work on my hair, sweeping it back from my face with a gold clip and letting the length flow down my back.
Buns frowns. “I’m sorry that you have to wear a borrowed dress for an occasion like this, but Zee says we can’t afford to wait. We have to leave as soon as possible to catch up with Brownie and Russell,” she says. She helps me put on the gown; it’s a silk chiffon tunic-style dress with a rounded collar that slips off of my shoulder, baring it on one side in an innocently daring kind of way. The color of the gown i
s a beautiful sage green that has an iridescent quality to it and it’s belted at the waist with golden cord that flows the length of the dress as it reaches to just below my mid thigh. When I see my reflection in the mirror, I frown because, although the dress is beautiful, it makes me look fay. Since I don’t care for the faeries I have met, I don’t like the effect.
“You don’t like it,” Buns says dejectedly as she reads my expression. “I think you look lovely. I have never seen a more beautiful Seraph,” she says, sounding breathless.
I force a small smile. “It’s very pretty. Thank you for bringing it,” I say quickly to reassure her. I remind myself that none of this matters. What really matters is what I’m about to do. The thought of it is making me panic a little because I know how selfish I’m being in accepting Reed’s offer, but now that it’s out there, I want it. I want it more than I should. I want him to be bound to me for eternity because I will always want him… need him… love him. He is perfect and I can’t give him up. But I also can’t give up Russell; he will always be my best friend… always. What is that going to do to Reed?
Buns must be reading the panic on my face because she grasps me by my shoulders and makes me look at her when she says, “You have to do this, Evie. This is the only way we can save you and we can’t go on without you. We can’t just leave you here to fend for yourself—they might try to use you as bait for the Gancanagh. Zephyr overheard the council discussing it. If they let the Gancanagh capture you, Brennus might be lulled into enough complacency that he wouldn’t expect their attack, making him an easier target. They think that what you saw was only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. They have uncovered some things in a short amount of time that leads them to believe that Brennus has an army of Gancanagh at his disposal,” she informs me.
“Then I can’t do this! I can’t put you up against an army like that,” I say, turning white. They’ll be crushed.
Buns shakes her head and says, “We can amass our own army now. We don’t have to keep you a secret anymore. Reed and Zee can be in charge and they have many associates who will be thrilled to be involved. Don’t even think about staying here, Evie. These angels don’t have your best interests in mind.”
“Maybe they won’t kill me, you know, maybe I can turn them to my will,” I say, throwing out ideas that do not include putting everyone I love at risk again.
“Evie, don’t hand yourself over to them. Zee found out that Gunnar was Pagan’s lover. He wants to hurt you… bad. He has ordered several of his personal guard to hunt for Fallen and to capture them alive. He wants to bring them back here and put you all in a room together to see how they react to you,” she says bluntly, and the fear that goes through me is enough to make my hands shake.
“Oh,” I reply, beginning to see the big picture. One way or another, Gunnar will avenge Pagan.
“I’m sorry I told you that. I just need you to see why you have to do this. You have no choice,” she says, placing her hand on my cheek and gazing into my eyes.
I nod. She’s right. If I want to live I have to do this. There is nowhere I can run. I need protection and the only protection I want is Reed’s protection and by some amazing feat of chance, he is offering it to me freely. He will use everything at his disposal to protect me from Dominion and the Gancanagh.
Buns nods back at me, looking extremely relieved when she asks, “Are you ready to do this now?” I nod again, because I’m not sure I can say anything, yet. I have so many levels of fear regarding what I’m about to do, ranging from the fear of inadequacy to the terror that this action may lead to Reed’s end. But that is fear. I have to control my fear, because if I don’t, I’ll be lost, since there is nothing but uncertainty about my life now and for the foreseeable future.
Buns opens the door and walks out first, going to Zephyr’s side as he stands back near the balcony. I step out and see Reed standing with the other angel in the room. Reed doesn’t say anything, at first, when I come to stand by his side. He just stares at me like I’m prey and he is going to pounce on me at any moment until the angel next to him clears his throat and gets his attention.
“Genevieve,” Reed says formally, “this is Phaedrus. He is here to witness our binding oath and bestow upon us God’s blessing. He is a Virtue angel.”
I smile at Phaedrus who has a different look to him than all of the other angels I have met thus far. He doesn’t have the long, sleek, powerful wings of Seraphim, Archangels, or Powers, nor does he have wings like any of the Reapers I have seen, which are more like insects and butterflies. Phaedrus has wings with feathers that look like they have a more downy texture, like the wings of an owl that almost look furry in comparison to mine. The color is also amazing because the primary feathers are a cream color with dark brown spots and the secondary feathers are a mix of caramel and copper that form almost a mantel over the crest of the wings. His hair has the same caramel-color tones in it as his wings do, but the most startling thing about him are his eyes. His sclera and iris are both black. They are wicked looking, and staring at his eyes, I feel a little unnerved by them.
I try to cover my reaction to his eyes by saying, “Thank you for coming, Phaedrus.”
“No, thank you,” he says, looking me over slowly. “I thought that I had seen everything at least once, but I can see that God continues to be mysterious.” He makes a circle around me, taking in all of my attributes. “You are remarkable,” he says, like he is stunned and a bit in awe of me, which is such a different reaction from what I usually get that I instantly like him. “Do you see how God blesses me when I least expect it?” he asks with a grin that lights up the planes of his face. He has perfect human features other than his eyes and wings, but I wonder how he blends in with humans because of them.
I can’t help the smile that creeps to the corners of my mouth or the blush in my cheeks at his words. I look up at Reed to see him watching me with a smug smile, like a kid who is getting everything he wants for his birthday. “Are you ready?” he asks me.
“Yes,” I reply, trying to figure out what is going to happen next.
Phaedrus, approaching us, places one of his hands on each of our heads and speaks in Angel. It feels right to close my eyes while listening to him. His voice is musical, with deep rhythms of sound, but with a humming sort of undertone that I have never heard before now. The vibrations of his voice are permeating through my mind, eliciting a primal sense of peace.
The music Phaedrus makes ends abruptly as he withdraws his hands from our heads, and then Reed gently turns me to look at him. He speaks to me in Angel and it is the most perfect sound from the most perfect voice. I glance over at Zephyr when I hear him grunt in approval to whatever Reed is saying to me. Buns, however, rolls her eyes a little at Reed’s words and I make a mental note to ask her later what that is all about.
My focus drifts back to Reed, and when he finishes Phaedrus asks me, “Do you think you can repeat after me?”
“I’ll try,” I reply with skepticism. I listen hard as he makes sounds that have no meaning to me. I stumble through them, trying really hard to mimic the cadence he utters, but my version lacks the beauty of his tone. When I finish, I glance over at Zee to see him biting his lower lip, trying really hard not to laugh over my butchering of their language.
“Do you know what you just said?” Phaedrus asks, and I shake my head. He glances at Reed and says, “Let’s also do her vow in her language so that we make sure that it is accepted and is binding.”
Phaedrus looks at me again and says kindly, “Can you repeat after me again?”
“Yes,” I reply, because this version should be much easier for me to accomplish.
“I ask God to bind my life to your life so that my mind will be one with your mind,” I repeat the words Phaedrus says while I gaze at Reed and hold his hand. “My heart may be one with your heart,” I recite it with a small smile on my face, “and my body may be one with your body,” I blush a little when I say this part, seeing desire registe
r in Reed’s eyes. “From this moment through eternity, so let it be,” I repeat Phaedrus, intoning the vow word-for-word. I can’t contain the grin that breaks on my face when I finish. It’s really a beautiful vow and I’m a little surprised because there is usually a catch to these angel things that I least expect until it’s in my face.
No sooner do I have that thought then Zephyr steps up, handing Phaedrus a jeweled dagger. With a perplexed glance at Zephyr, I turn back to Phaedrus who speaks in Angel again as he holds out the dagger so that it resembles a cross. Pausing after a few moments, he then turns to Reed. Then, Phaedrus uses the blade of the knife as he chants something in Angel, scoring a small, downward slice in Reed’s skin just over his heart. Phaedrus, turning to me next, holds the dagger above my heart and I know it is my turn to get cut.
I hold as still as possible as Phaedrus pulls the material of my tunic dress aside a little to expose my heart. I try really hard not to flinch when he cuts a downward slice in my skin over my heart. He turns away from me as I bleed to return to Reed. Using the same blade, Phaedrus cuts another slice into Reed, this one horizontal, and it bisected the other slice to form a cross, mixing my blood on the blade with Reed’s blood from his wound. When he finishes with Reed, he turns again to me, making a similar slice, mixing Reed’s blood with mine. Phaedrus gives the blade back to Zephyr, before putting his hands on our heads, chanting musically.
The cut on my heart is burning in an unusual way while it’s slowly healing. It doesn’t feel like any cut I have ever had before because of its odd, tingling sensation. Analyzing the cuts, they are not very deep, but my skin doesn’t look normal. I want to examine it further and compare it to Reed’s, but Phaedrus is still speaking so I have to wait.
When Phaedrus finishes, he pulls his hand from my head. I lift my eyes to see that they are all staring at me with an air of expectation. Confused as to what I am to do now, my eyes shift to Reed’s for direction, but he has such a euphoric expression on his face that it captivates me. In a reverent way, Reed’s hand rises to my heart. Buns is by our side in an instant, handing Reed a small towel. As he wipes away our blood from my skin, Reed reveals something that I never expected. Where the cut used to be, there is now an almost tattoo-like marking that resembles the coloring and characteristics of Reed’s wings. It’s no larger than a quarter in diameter, but as I look close, it has all of the same color variations and traits that Reed’s wings possess.
Intuition: The Premonition Series Page 44
