My head lulled back and forth as everything went in and out of darkness.
There was a shattering of glass and then suddenly quiet with only the whistling sound of the wind against my ears. Were we outside? I couldn’t tell. It felt different. The constant red orange hues that always managed to filter my closed eyes were no longer there. The searing heat was gone too. Cool air hit gently against my face.
A loud siren blared. I felt Cade’s body tense. The wind gusted as he flapped his wings harder, flying faster. Then it grew quiet.
I finally managed to open my eyes again. The sky was filled with big puffy clouds. The sun was no longer high in the sky. It had moved slightly. In the distance, I could barely make out the mountains of the Sanctuary. Home.
A rumbling sound of a motor broke through the quiet and I looked down. Lukas zoomed across the desert on a motorcycle. Riding through the billow of sand was an army of hunters—hundreds of them.
“No,” Cade groaned. “What is he doing? He’ll get himself killed.”
“We need to help him.” Even as I said it, I knew it was impossible. Lukas wove the motorcycle in curves, dodging arrows.
A cold dread washed over me when I heard the sound of horse’s hooves so powerful I could hear them from the sky. A hulking body on a black horse rode past the line of hunters, his sword held high.
Nimrod.
“Lukas! Look out!”
Lukas turned his head, ducking as an arrow narrowly missed him. He then revved the cycle’s engine, driving faster. But not fast enough. Nimrod’s horse sprinted like magic barely touching the sand.
Nimrod lifted his sword high above his head. He was only a few feet away from Lukas and rapidly closing in.
Fifteen.
Twelve.
Eight.
Three.
“No!” I wailed when Nimrod’s sword sliced through the air, aiming for Lukas’s neck.
A sharp gust of wind and sand shaped into a fist and slammed against Nimrod and his black horse. There was another gust and something suddenly swooped over Nimrod. It moved so fast my mind couldn’t register what was happening.
Nimrod fell off his horse. Blank black eyes stared at the sky. The army of hunters trampled over his body, digging him into a desert grave.
“They’re here,” Cade said with relief.
I looked up and saw a pair of wings, followed by another and another, rocketing from the Heavens. These were unlike any angels I’d ever seen. They were fierce warriors. Brown leather covered toned muscles. Their wings were small but swift as they sped down with swords in hand toward the hunters.
“Jahoel. Kaia,” Cade breathed.
Big John soared through the sky. Behind him was an angel with rich mahogany hair and bright blue eyes. Cade’s mother was even more beautiful in person than in his vision.
“You came.” His voice choked with emotion. “You brought the others with you.”
Kaia lifted her hand as we headed to her. She suddenly stopped, her face twisting in horror. “Rahab, no!”
Cade yelled out as a force smashed into us, and I was suddenly falling. My arms flailed as I reached up helplessly for Cade’s hand.
“I’ve got you, Senna,” Big John said as he caught me.
Cade clawed at Rahab’s arm as it tightened around his neck like a serpent. Kaia cried out to Rahab as he placed his hand at the crevice of where the wing met Cade’s body and slowly ripped it.
“No, go back. Please! Cade!” I cried, begging Big John to help Cade. His face was stoic as he pushed forward, flying us further away from the battle behind us.
When we were at a safe distance, Big John landed next to Lukas.
“Take her to the Sanctuary and tell Tovah what’s happening,” Big John directed Lukas as he forced me onto the motorcycle.
“No! We have to get Cade.” I demanded, struggling against Lukas’s strong hold. My head pounded as I gazed up in the sky. Cade had managed to get out of Rahab’s hold. They hovered in the air, circling each other. Kaia flew above them, sobbing as she watched her two sons ready to tear each other apart.
“It’s not safe for us, Senna.” Lukas clutched my waist and sped off.
“It’s not safe for anyone! We couldn’t lift all the curse. And Rahab has Cade!” I craned my neck, trying to see over Lukas. My head throbbed harder. It was like there was a steel band around my forehead. I felt like it was about to explode. Rahab’s sword cut through the air, the tip slicing across Cade’s torso.
“Damn it, Lukas! Turn around. You have the crossbow and arrows. We can help.”
“There are too many of them,” he growled.
I looked back again. Kaia was now by Cade’s side. Rahab’s face was red as he stared at the pair with his sword in hand. Cade’s chest heaved as he clutched his stomach. His eyes blazed with determination.
I could get Rahab. I’d shot from this distance before. I reached my hand around Lukas, searching for the crossbow on his back. The band constricted. I cried out as a stabbing pain pierced my head. Black dots filled my vision.
“Senna!” Lukas cried as my body slumped forward.
32
I was on fire.
It wasn’t like the desert sun that seared its mark onto any area of exposed skin. The heat came from within me.
I was the fire.
I couldn’t breathe. Was I dead? Alive? I didn’t know. All I could see were flames dancing around me. And the heat. The unrelenting heat.
I was falling.
Falling into the flames.
Then my head touched something soft.
Soft words murmured over me. A girl’s cry.
Lily.
Don’t come near me. I’ll burn you.
Something cool was on my forehead. The fire was gone. I was alone in the dark. Where was I?
Black waves swam through my head. Then I heard his voice.
Cade. Where are you?
I ran through the darkness. I had to get to Cade. He needed me.
I needed him.
My legs sank into the black nothingness, swallowing me whole.
“Senna. I’m here.”
Cade. His sweet breath washed over my lips.
I was alive. I wanted to open my eyes. I couldn’t.
Was I dreaming? Was he really here?
A cool hand brushed my hair back and soft lips pressed against my forehead.
He’s alive.
I smiled and fell into a deep sleep.
Tovah and Cade were arguing. My brain moved slowly as it tried to grasp their words.
“The curse wasn’t fully lifted,” Tovah said. “Rahab may return.”
“He won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Cade was quiet. “I saw to it that he won’t.”
“Even so, others will be tempted to take his place unless the curse is broken.”
“I’ll be here to make sure that doesn’t happen. When Senna is better, we’ll go to the city and destroy the curse for good.” His hand gently squeezed mine.
“She’ll return, but without you. You must explain yourself to the council.”
He stroked my cheek. His voice was soft as he spoke. “There’s nothing to explain. I’m not leaving her.”
Cade’s hand was gone. I moaned.
“Cade.” My voice came out in a hoarse whisper. I moved, expecting to lift my body out of the bed and go look for him, but I could barely turn my head. When I managed to lift it slightly, the room spun despite my closed eyes.
“There. There. Everything is all right,” Lukas’s mother said, holding onto me. “I’m right here.”
“Me too,” Lily’s voice chirped. “We’ll make you better, Senna. Mommy’s making you some of her special soup and cookies. It always makes me feel better when I’m sick.”
My eyelids slowly peeled open. Through blurred vision, I could barely make out Lily. Her freckled face slowly focused. “Lukas is feeding Mika and Milo,” she said.
“Cade,” I croaked again
. I knew I hadn’t been dreaming. He was alive in the Sanctuary. I had to see him, touch him, to make it real.
Lily blinked and bit down on her lip. She looked like she wanted to cry.
“Let’s get you some soup, Senna,” Lukas’s mother said in a way-too-cheerful voice. “Lily, why don’t you get Lukas?”
Lily sniffed. “Okay,” she said and ran out the door.
“Do you think you can sit up, dear?”
“Yeah.” I groaned, lifting myself up. A cold dread washed over me as I watched her dashing around the room. Something was wrong.
Lukas’s mother talked non-stop with a strained smile, not giving me a chance to ask any questions. She handed me a big bowl of soup, fluffed my pillow, and cleaned the already spotless room and floors. Anything to avoid having to look at me.
She peeked out the window impatiently as she rambled on. She told me how Lukas’s father and the others were ready to cross the boundary to look for Lukas and me despite Tovah’s warnings when Mika and Milo returned to the Sanctuary without us.
“I’d never seen him so angry. He gathered all the men in the Sanctuary and marched right into the guardians’ temple. I could hear them yelling all the way from the village. He demanded they go with them. And Tovah was so mad. And you know Tovah, she is always so soft and refined. She looked like she could spit nails.” She looked out the window again. “How’s the soup, dear?”
Before I could answer, she continued. “I don’t know how Tovah did it, but she finally got everyone calmed down and promised that the guardians would go to the city to find you but to give you time first. Then we started seeing strange lights from outside of the boundary. Some of us went to investigate. Oh my goodness, you poor dear. You and Lukas were in that heat for days. No wonder you’re exhausted.”
“I’m feeling better,” I said, breaking into her pause for breath. Then I quickly added, “Can you tell me where Cade is?”
She looked at me for a moment with wide eyes. “Uh…well…Oh, look at that! You’re finished already.” She took the empty bowl out of my hands. “You need to try the cookies Lily helped me bake. She added what she calls her super-secret ingredient. Here you go.” She handed me a plate of cookies. “It’s only cinnamon but you know, Lily is at that age. Lukas, look who’s awake.”
Lukas stood at the open doorway. Even though he was smiling, his eyes wore a haunted expression.
Oh, god. My stomach churned. Maybe I had been dreaming and Cade didn’t make it.
“How are you feeling?” He tossed a pair of leather gloves onto the table when he walked in.
“Better. Did Cade—”
The question caught in my throat, fearing the answer. “Where’s Cade? I thought he was here.”
“He was.”
I let out a breath of relief. “He’s okay. So where is he?”
Lukas looked nervously over at his mother before glancing back at me. I was about to ask him what was going on when Lily ran into the room. “Did you eat my cookies? They’re really good.”
“Yeah.” I took a bite and ruffled her hair. “They’re delicious.”
“What did you see on your ’venture with Lukas?”
“Uh, Lily, Senna and I need to talk.”
“Okay.” She plopped herself on the edge of the bed.
Lukas looked to his mother, nodding in Lily’s direction.
“They need to talk alone, sweetie,” she said, taking Lily’s hand. “Come on, let’s go find your father.” When they were out the door, I immediately turned to Lukas.
“What’s going on? I figured the angels won. I heard Tovah saying that Rahab was gone.”
“He is.”
“And Cade’s here, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me.”
He brushed a hand through his dark hair and let out a breath. “A lot has happened since you’ve been sick over the past few days.”
“I’ve been sick for days?”
“You were running a high fever. Cade never left your side. He didn’t want to leave, but…”
“Come on, Lukas. Tell me. Why are you acting like—wait, I thought I heard Tovah say something about explaining why he couldn’t lift the curse to the council. Is that where he is?”
“Uh, yes, he was.”
“Was?”
Lukas ducked his head and muttered something under his breath.
“Lukas!” I pushed him to tell me.
He looked up, his gray eyes heavy. “Don’t get mad. I have to ask you this.”
He was quiet for a moment. He kept looking around the room as if he were too embarrassed to make eye contact. “Did you…? Did Cade…?”
“Damn it, Lukas! What is it?”
His eyes flicked to mine, holding them. “Were you with Cade?”
“Of course I was with Cade. You were, too. What kind of stupid—”
It all hit me at once. The angelic council. Tovah’s accusatory tone. He wasn’t sent to the guardians to explain why he couldn’t break the curse.
“No,” I said in a hoarse whisper.
“I’m sorry, Senna. The council met yesterday morning.”
I swallowed thickly, knowing the answer before I even asked the question. “Where is he?”
“Flathead Mountain.”
The plate of cookies shattered to the ground as I ran for the door.
“Don’t, Senna. It’s too late,” he said, grabbing me.
“No, it’s not. Let go!” I screamed, beating against his chest.
“They won’t listen to you. I already tried. No one would listen.”
“I’m not giving up on him, Lukas. I’ve already lost Hannah. I can’t lose him, too. You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone you love—the crushing ache in your chest that never goes away. Everyone you love is here with you.”
“That’s not true.” He sucked in a breath, surprised by his words. His eyes glazed over for a moment. He spoke slowly as if realizing something he hadn’t before. “I do know what it feels like.”
His hands fell to his sides, finally letting me go.
33
My legs couldn’t move fast enough. They trembled with each labored step I took up the mountain, threatening to give way. Nature itself seemed to be against me as tree branches scratched against my arms and my face and I stumbled over loose rocks. I pressed harder, not caring that my head was pounding or that I could barely breathe.
Images of Sylas and Hannah flashed through my mind. Sylas begging the guardians to punish him. Hannah’s blonde hair and pink ribbons blowing gently in the wind. Her face gazing down at Sylas, holding him in her eyes even as the flames licked her feet. Her eyes carried the love she had for Sylas until the very end.
I tripped over a branch and scraped my hands as I caught myself against a tree. Tovah wouldn’t listen to Lukas, but she’d listen to me. I had to believe I meant more to her than just a helpless creature to look after. I could convince Tovah, all the guardians, that Cade didn’t take advantage of me. I gave him my love willingly.
Lukas was wrong. It wasn’t too late.
Before I entered the clearing, I could hear Tovah’s terse voice drifting down the mountain. “You’ve been judge by the guardians as guilty of having relations with a human. Do you understand the punishment you are about to receive, Cadriel?”
“I understand what you’re about to do to my body, but you’ll never destroy the essence of what I feel for Senna,” Cade said.
“What you feel is forbidden! They’re to be cared for as the children that they are. They’re not our equals and are not meant to be loved in such a manner.”
“I’m not a child!” I yelled, bursting into the clearing.
The guardians turned, their eyes filled with surprise. Fire danced on their lit torches. Thick ropes wrapped tightly around Cade’s neck, stomach, and legs just like with Hannah.
“Let him go. You can’t do this to him.”
A couple of the guardians took a hold of my arms, dragging me awa
y.
“Stop it!” I yelled.
“Leave her alone,” Cade growled, struggling against the ropes.
“I’ll take her.” Big John blocked the guardians with his massive body, his face fierce.
They instantly let me go.
“I’m not leaving,” I said to Big John.
His gentle brown eyes gazed at me sadly. Then he looked to Cade as if waiting for instructions.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Cade said.
“I won’t let them hurt you,” I said, then turned to Tovah. “Please, Tovah. You can’t do this to him. Everything he’s done was to help us. He took down Rahab. He saved the Sanctuary. He saved me. We can go back to the city and find a way to break the entire curse. You can’t kill him like you did Hannah for breaking a stupid rule.”
There was a low roar of disapproval from the guardians.
Tovah raised her hand, silencing them. “Cadriel did more than just break a rule. Having relations with humans is against angelic law. We are duty bound to protect those who are not our kind for they cannot be trusted to decipher between love and angelic compassion. They are not our equals.”
“I agree,” Cade said.
I snapped my head to him, confused. What was he saying?
His blue eyes glimmered as he spoke. “Senna, Sylas, Lukas, Nevada, and the others are not our equals. They are more!”
The guardians murmured angrily.
His eyes scanned over each one of them, pounding in the words that they refused to hear. “They know more about love and compassion than any of us. They fight for each other. They care for each other. They sacrifice to save one another—not because it’s their duty or because they think the other is a lesser being, but for love.”
His eyes rested on me. The pull between us was there, stronger than I’d ever felt it. His voice shook as he spoke. “To be loved by them—by you—is the closest to heaven I’ve ever experienced in my entire existence.”
Lowering his voice, he uttered two words that overflowed my aching heart with love for him. “Don’t blink.”
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