One way or another, she was going to get that door open.
She’d only been half conscious when they’d dragged her in here, her mind still reeling from the pain of having the muscle and sinew of her back torn, but she remembered the path they’d taken.
The long winding corridor was strangely silent as she tiptoed her way down, but the commotion she’d heard earlier was now taking place toward the entrance. It sounded like the angels guarding the tower were frantically trying to figure out how best to defend it.
Her body protested as she forced herself to keep moving. The fatigue that had been plaguing her earlier had only been compounded by her imprisonment. She wasn’t as strong as she needed to be, and she knew it, but this battle wasn’t going to wait for her to be ready for it. Like it or not, the time to fight back had come. And the Fallen needed every bit of help they could get.
She poked her head around the corner into the room that served as the tower’s entryway, and the reason for all the shouts and panic became clear.
Ethan had managed to gain entry, probably through one of the tower windows, if she had to guess. He was partially hidden behind a stone column and engaged in a flame torch battle with nine or ten white-wings whose backs were turned to her. The room was devoid of all but several columns, like the one Ethan hid behind, and a reception desk, so the angels were doing their best to zig and zag in an effort to avoid Ethan’s flames.
A stray flame shot her way, and she ducked behind the safety of the wall. Only when a minute had passed with no additional fire did she dare look back. That was when she noticed a second man hiding behind the column closest to Ethan.
It was Seth.
Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected to feel such overwhelming relief, such love at seeing him. It gave her renewed strength to do what she did next.
Lily turned back to the room and took aim with her torch.
Her gaze almost immediately landed on Darius, who was so preoccupied with shooting at Seth that, like the rest of the white-wings, he hadn’t noticed her behind him.
Grinning, she pointed the torch right at him and shot a flame.
It caught him square on the back and he screamed as he caught fire.
She only had a moment to rejoice in Darius’s demise before several of the white-wings turned toward her.
Aiming her torch, she shot several flames, and then dropped to the ground and crawled back behind the wall.
A scream told her at least one of her shots had found its mark. Still kneeling on the ground, she chanced a peek around the corner.
Seth had emerged from one of the columns, and he expertly aimed his torch and fired two shots in succession. Both scored hits, and two more white-wings almost instantly burned to ash.
Yes!
The white-wings might have invented the flame torches, but clearly they weren’t battle trained like the Fallen and their human accomplices. Knowing them like she did, Lily was willing to bet they had never expected to be attacked like this. Their hubris would be their downfall; she was determined of that.
Ethan stepped from around the column and whirled toward a few other white-wings, shooting a succession of flames at them. They flew in a haphazard pattern through the air, but he still managed to connect with one.
When a lick of flame shot toward him, Seth yelled, “Watch out.”
That was when Lily noticed that all of the angels were preoccupied with avoiding the flames. No one guarded the double doors as the front entrance, which were currently bolted with an iron slide bolt.
Her heart rocketed in her throat as her eyes swiveled back to Seth. He seemed to sense her because their gazes locked, and his eyes widened as he read the intent on her face.
Scrambling to her feet, Lily raced out into the open area of the entryway. Her ruined wing precluded flight, causing her to narrowly miss colliding with a white-wing in her mad dash for the door.
She made it, though, and when that same angel let out a sharp scream, followed by the noise of sizzling flesh, she knew Seth had stopped him before he could prevent her from opening the door.
Her hand clasped the bolt, and she slid it up and out, shoving at the double doors.
They opened into the night, and chaos erupted.
Lily retreated back inside, searching for a safe place to rejoin the fight. Given her lack of flying ability, she didn’t know if she was going to make it out of this mess, but she did know one thing: Whether she was here at the end of the fight or not, the angels were going down.
Chapter Ten
Ashes and the smell of charred clothing filled the air as the last of the flames died down. Smoke and soot settled over what was left of the tower’s entry way, which had all but fallen down around them, choking Seth’s lungs and making his eyes water.
“Halt,” he heard Ethan’s voice call.
“Stop,” another voice shouted from somewhere outside.
Another voice, even farther in the distance, echoed that one.
Seth coughed and staggered past a smoldering pile of ash. His mind was murky with battle lust, but he knew enough to understand what was happening.
It was over.
They had won.
Enough of the smoke cleared for him to see Ethan. Their gazes locked, and deep emotion passed between them. While he was overjoyed that they’d won, there was also a healthy dose of sorrow. The men and women they’d just killed had once been their family, their kind. And now, because of their pride and unwillingness to peacefully coexist with humans, they were gone.
“Are they all dead?” he whispered to Ethan.
Ethan nodded, his gaze scanning the room. “I believe so. Once the humans attacked with their flame torches, they had no chance. They were hopelessly outnumbered.”
That was true. The memory of arc after arc of fire made Seth shudder. “It’s a miracle they didn’t take us out too, with all their aimless shooting.”
When Ethan’s blank gaze met his, instant panic set in.
He didn’t know whether they’d all made it, did he?
“Where’s Lily?”
When Ethan didn’t answer, Seth stalked through the room, searching the debris and crumbling walls for Lily. He heard the familiar voices of Aaron and Jason from outside, but he paid no heed to what they said.
All that mattered right now was Lily.
“Lily?” he called. “Lily!”
After what seemed like a mind-numbing eternity, a weak cough sounded out from beneath a pile of rubble that had once served as a column. Then Lily’s faint voice called out, “Here.”
“Thank the Heavens.” Relief settled over him, and he sought her out, not bothering to hide his silent stream of tears. He didn’t know what he would have done if something had happened to her. Truthfully, after everything they’d been through together, he doubted he could have gone on living.
He smoothed the dirt and rocks off Lily as she struggled into a seated position. After wiping the soot off her face and reassuring himself that she was indeed here, alive, and breathing, he crushed her into his arms.
“Oh Gods, Lily,” he gasped. “I’ve never been so scared.”
“Me too,” she whispered. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and she let out a groan that told him the movement had caused her pain. But at least her wounds would heal.
She was alive.
Over along the corridor, leading deeper into the tower, the sound of booted feet crunched over rubble.
Still holding onto Lily with one arm, Seth snatched a nearby flame torch from the ground and aimed it in that direction. But when he saw who it was, his hand lowered.
“Michael,” he murmured.
And not just Michael. He led an angel in front of him, one of his arms wrapped tightly around her throat and the other around her waist.
It was Marian, one of the Tribunal members.
The terrified angel dragged her feet, but she was no match for Michael’s strength. She surveyed the room when they entered, and h
er eyes lit with panic at what she saw.
“Is she the only survivor on their side?” Seth asked no one in particular.
“I killed Ezekiel,” Michael said, his voice practically humming with satisfaction. Who could blame him, given that Ezekiel had murdered his sister?
A hoarse sob escaped Marian’s throat, and muted tones of sorrow drifted from her. Marian had once been mated to Tayla’s father, but she’d walked away from him when he was condemned for supporting mankind; she hadn’t been able to handle the fact that he’d fallen for Tayla’s mother, a mere human. From the emotions that emanated off her, it seemed she and Ezekiel had become lovers after Tayla’s father had been killed.
At that moment, Jason and Aaron both flew into the room in a show of black wings.
“We’ve searched the remainder of the tower,” Jason said, absorbing his wings into his body. “There are no more surviving white-wings.”
“Then it’s over,” Seth murmured.
Marian’s eyes flashed with rage. “You might have taken down one tower, but many others remain. You’re never going to win against all of us.”
Michael’s eyes flashed with rage and his arm tightened around her windpipe. “Two of the three Tribunal members are dead, and you are our prisoner. I’m willing to wager that, without leadership, the others will be far more likely to listen to what we have to say.”
Marian scowled, but before she could respond, Seth added, “Not just that. There’s something else. Something bigger.”
When Michael’s questing gaze landed on him, he raised his voice so that all his brethren could hear his voice.
“I’ve discovered a dimensional tear less than an hour from here.”
The emotions of pure shock zigzagged between them all, and Marian’s mouth fell open. “A… what?”
“Our world.” He let his gaze wander to the others so they could read the truth of what he’d discovered. “It still exists. Barren and in much the same condition as when we were expelled from it.”
Michael sucked in a breath. “How is this possible?”
“I wonder the same thing,” Seth murmured. “Did the two dimensions fold onto themselves, expelling every angel from our world? And if so, what happened to force it back to its original condition?”
Stark silence spread through the room. Finally, Marian said, in a shaky voice, “Our world is still there?”
“As if waiting for us,” Seth told her grimly. “This battle,” he waved toward all the destruction they’d caused, “all these deaths could have been prevented, had you but chosen to act differently.”
She said nothing, but her face crumpled and her shoulders shook with silent sobs.
Setting his jaw, Michael turned to Tayla, who stood by the doorway. Her hands were curved into fists, and her chest heaved as she glared at Marian. “Tayla, I leave Marian’s fate up to you.”
Seth understood what Michael didn’t give voice to, and clearly Tayla did as well, because her shoulders stiffened. Michael was giving her the option to decide whether Marian, the woman ultimately behind the death of Tayla’s father, would live or die.
After a long, loaded silence, Tayla said, “I personally don’t think she deserves any mercy, but there’s been enough bloodshed.”
Michael gave her a deferential nod. “As you wish.”
The soft thud of booted steps along the concrete floor preceded Ruby’s entry into the ruined room. She came from deeper within the tower, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Her mate, Jason, took one look at her and crossed the room to pull her into his arms. “What’s wrong, my love?”
“It’s Adam,” she said loudly, so they could all hear. “He, ah…” She took a breath and then faced the others. “If anyone has anything to say to him, now’s a good time.”
Several of the rebels stepped forward, their shock and sorrow showing on their faces, in their every movement.
When a note of despair drifted from Lily, Seth looked down to see her face wet with tears.
His heart wrenched at the sight of them, at what they meant.
Lily suffered over Adam. No matter what sort of primitive jealousy that caused within him, he had to respect her feelings.
“Do you want to see him?” he murmured to her.
When she nodded her head, he lifted her into his arms and followed Ruby deeper into the tower.
They stopped in front of a small room, where rebels and already gathered, packing themselves in as closely as possible. They all crowded around Adam, who’d been laid on a pile of cloth in one corner of the room. A blanket covered him, and Ruby had her hand clasped in his.
When Lily gave a soft shove against his shoulder, Seth took the hint and set her to her feet. She swayed unsteadily, but then grasped the doorframe for support.
A tangy odor wafted to him from the room beside this one. Since Lily was focused on Adam, Seth left her for a moment to follow the source of that familiar, yet sickening, scent.
The door to the room was slightly ajar, and Seth’s gut twisted when he peeked in and saw what lay inside: a gurney, complete with metal instruments.
This was no ordinary room. It was a torture chamber. And it didn’t take a genius to figure out that this was where Adam had been kept. Someone had mercifully moved him into another room so his loved ones wouldn’t see what he’d been put through.
His stomach roiled as he set his hand on the doorknob and tugged the door shut.
By the time he made it back to Lily’s side, many of the rebels were already exiting, their bodies racked with quiet sobs. But Lily still stood there, her eyes wide and her lips trembling.
Seth set his hand on her shoulder and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Do you wish to speak to him?”
She visibly braced herself and, without tearing her gaze off Adam’s battered body, nodded her head.
“Then go,” he urged her. It was plain to see that Adam didn’t have much time left. “I’ll wait for you right down the hall.”
His feet felt like lead as he forced himself to turn and walk down the hall. He would give Lily and Adam their moment.
It was the least he could do.
*****
Lily’s heart pounded in a fierce staccato inside her chest. Nausea rose in her throat, and her feet ached to whirl around and run in the other direction.
Coward.
She’d seen death before, more times than she cared to count. But it was still beyond difficult to force her feet to enter the room, to stride toward Adam’s side. She did it anyway, and by the time she stopped in front of him, everyone but Ruby had already left.
Standing there, Lily looked down on Ruby and Adam. Ruby held one of his hands in hers, and her thumb rubbed his hand in comfort as she bit her lip in an effort not to sob. Adam’s swollen eyelids were closed, and his breathing was shallow.
Maybe I should go. After all, she didn’t really know Adam. Ruby was the one who’d practically grown up with him. Just because she’d felt drawn to Adam didn’t mean they had any true connection. She should leave them alone.
But before she could move, Adam’s eyes fluttered open, and he gave her a weak grin. “Hey, sunshine.”
That was when she knew. Though it might not have amounted to anything, their connection had been real. It had been strong. If she’d made different choices, he would have been her mate.
Shell-shocked, she let her gaze wander to Ruby, who gave her a trembling, yet reassuring, smile and squeezed Adam’s hand before letting it go. “I’ll leave you two alone for a bit.”
With that, she was gone, and Lily found herself sinking to her knees.
She tried not to look down at the blood seeping through the blanket Adam had been covered with. She could only guess what the angels had done to him, and she knew she didn’t want to see it.
“Oh, Adam,” she whispered. Her hand reached out and caught his, and he gave it a limp squeeze.
“I’ve looked sexier, huh?” he said dryly.
Laughing thro
ugh her tears, she bent to place a kiss to his cheek. “Not to me.”
He chuckled, but then winced and let out a groan.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her face close to his. “I wish I could take your pain away.”
“Not feeling too much anymore,” he murmured.
At least she could take comfort in that.
Going on instinct, she gently stroked her fingers through his hair.
“That feels nice,” he whispered hoarsely. “Don’t stop.”
His emotions floated toward her: pain and resignation and deep, deep fear.
Driven to give him any little bit of comfort she could, she lay on her side right next to him, one hand continuing to play with his hair while the other rested lightly on his shoulder. She concentrated on infusing him with a sense of peace. It was all she could give him.
“I’m sorry for what could not be, Adam,” she told him honestly.
“Don’t be.” His breath caught for a moment. “I have a feeling things worked out like they were meant to.”
When she made a soft sound of assent, he added, “And hey… we won, right?”
“Yes.” Even though it seemed a hollow victory right now.
“Lily,” Adam murmured. His voice sounded further away this time.
“Yes?”
“Promise me you’ll be happy. You deserve that.”
Tears choked her vision. Screwing her eyes shut, she said, “I promise.”
“Good.”
His breath caught again, and this time his chest arched off the floor.
He was going into shock.
Shooting into a seated position, Lily garbled out, “Ruby!”
Her friend raced into the room, kneeling by Adam’s other side. She grabbed his hand and held on tight.
It was over quickly, thank the Heavens. His eyes rolled back into his head and, after a minute of shaking, he was gone.
Ruby dissolved into wracking sobs, her sorrow a palpable thing that permeated Lily’s bones. While she knew she should comfort her friend, she found herself frozen there, looking down at Adam, grieving too.
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