by J. J. Dean
Helplessness seeps into the cracks of my psyche, and I scream out in effort with my next swing. It's all the effort I can manage before the axe is knocked away, and I'm left completely defenseless. I can't concentrate enough to use any other power, struggling as it is to keep Eli hidden. So, this is what it feels like to be up shit’s creek without a paddle, huh? This sucks. Big ol' giant dick.
Just as I start to feel like maybe I really am facing my demise, there's a whooshing noise before black blood splatters over my face. More slicing hits my eardrums, and the pressure and pain of all these Hellspawn turning me into a snack lessens. It's like music to my ears when I hear a particularly nasty sounding noise and gurgle.
Taking this opportunity as the gift it is, I scramble away from the Spawn and quickly conjure Eli's daggers again now that my brain has the capacity to think straight. I spin and raise my knives... only to almost pass out in pure happiness when I see the faces of my angels tearing into the Hellspawn with such ease that I might envy them a little. Only a tiny bit.
Devon is shredding through the Hellspawn with his axe like a professionally trained lumberjack who's just found the holy grail of trees to cut down. Noah is cutting and slicing through Spawn with his sword like a badass while Ash... Oh, my sweet baby kittens, he just caved a face in with a mace. Sicker yet is that the mace is spiked and now covered in rotten flesh. I gag for the second time, even if I'm grateful.
Confident now that I have backup, I jump back into the fray, hacking and carving up as many Spawn as I can get my daggers on. It takes a lot less time to extinguish every one of them than it would have on my own, the last of the Hellspawn dropping with heavy thuds before only the sound of our combined heavy breathing fills the air.
I drop the daggers, but they disappear before they even hit the ground. Turning towards the guys who are looking around at the leftover massacre, I tell them, "I have never been so happy in all of my life. Your faces are my favorite thing in the world right now. I seriously thought I was going to be Spawn sushi."
Devon snorts, shaking his head before looking away. See? I knew he thought I was funny. Asher grins at me before coming over to where I'm standing. His hand cups my neck in a blink, and his lips are on mine before I know it. Mmm, this is a good reward for my valiant effort to protect me and the wounded angel who's still in hiding. When Asher moves his hand lower and grazes one of the deep bites in my shoulder, I flinch and break the kiss with a yelp.
"What the fuck?" he growls, brushing my hair to the side and seeing what damage has been done. I can't imagine I look all that pretty right now. I feel like the ass end of a cow, so I'm sure my outer shell depicts as much.
"Yeah, I got my ass handed to me just before you guys showed up. There were a lot of them and not a lot of me. Don't worry about it, I'll heal. We need to get Eli out of here though. Lucifer made him Fall just before we were ambushed," I explain, batting Asher's hand away with another wince. Now that I'm no longer fighting for not only my life, but Eli's too, the adrenaline is wearing off, and I'm seriously feeling every injury I've been left with.
"He Fell?" Ash asks, looking both pained and furious.
I nod but stop when I remember I'm wounded. "Yeah. He's hurting worse than me right now, so can we leave?"
"Yeah. Let's go," he says, cocking his head towards the door.
Instead of heading that way, I make my way to the hiding spot and drop the illusion. Eli's right where I left him, leaning on the wall looking sickly pale and covered in sweat. His head is resting on the wall with the side of his body, and he looks ready to drop. A proven fact when he leans forward a little too much and starts to fall. I rush towards him, reaching him just in time. Hooking his arm around my shoulders, I tell him, "The rescue party arrived just in time. Let's get you home and taken care of."
He nods, the only thing he's capable of. Asher is there in a second, hooking his brother's arm over his own neck and taking the brunt of his weight. A hand rests on my back, gently brushing over the exposed skin above my jeans. To my surprise, it's Devon. He says, "Let me take him. You've got enough injuries without having to carrying more weight on top of it."
As much as I want to help Eli, I know I'm in no shape for it. For the first time since meeting him, I concede to Devon easily, allowing him to drop Eli's arm over his neck and hold him up better than I was. Dev nods before helping Asher carry the wounded angel out of the room.
I go to follow, but Noah stops me with a gentle touch to my arm. "Are you okay?"
He looks over the injuries that cover my body, taking in each one with furrowed brows and concern swimming in his eyes. I nod. "Yeah. I'm alright. I'll heal. Are you okay?"
Blowing out a deep breath, his head comes up to face me. "I am now. We need to find a way to prevent your disappearing acts."
Surprising us both, I laugh. It's one of those 'laugh or cry' kind of laughs, but it eases the tension immediately. Noah offers me his sunshine smile, and my heart squeezes in my chest. "Let's get you home so you can heal. And shower. There's blood all over you."
I raise my eyebrow and start walking with him, his elbow poking out for me to hook my arm through in a sweet gesture. It's the same way we walked before the Hellspawn attacked us for the first time, so it brings an immediate smile to my face. Snorting and raising an eyebrow, I tease, "Is that your polite way of saying I stink?"
We walk out into a lit hallway that's in the exact same shape as the room we've just abandoned, and the light allows me to see the blush that creeps onto Noah's cheeks. He looks down at me with a cringe,and adorable nose crinkle and says, "You kind of do smell pretty bad."
Again, I laugh. Squeezing his arm a little tighter, we walk out of the hallway, up the stairs, and into a construction site. That explains the broken pipes everywhere. Noah leads me away, keeping a hold on me when I grow unsteady. His hold is firm and tender, and I couldn't be more grateful for it.
When we get to my car, however, a slightly murderous feeling blooms in my chest. Irritation and a slight pang of anger simmer under my skin because if my car is outside the place we were being kept prisoner, that means someone other than me drove it. Which then leads to the question: which one of these assholes drove my baby?
Chapter 11
Luna
"Peaches , just get in the car. Please?" Asher asks, standing next to the open door to the passenger side of Nimbus, my baby.
"Not until you tell me which one of you shit heads drove my precious vehicle," I demand, crossing my arms and immediately regretting it when I pull on my cuts. I narrow my eyes on him when he rolls his, but I don't budge. Eli is out like a light, only flinching every now and then. He's still bleeding since his wounds are still open, but he doesn't seem to be in a great deal of pain right now. "It was you, wasn't it? Just so you can rub it in Elijah's face when he wakes up. You heartless son of a bitch. You'd do that to your wounded brother."
I'm shaking my head, trying real hard to lay on the guilt like a thick blanket, hoping it'll help get the truth out of him.
Snorting, he says, "It wasn't me. I've been tortured by you enough since we found you, thanks. My balls need a fucking break. Now get in the car so we can go home. You smell like shit."
I blink. And blink again. That asshole.
Through clenched teeth, I growl, "Who. Drove. Nimbus?"
Asher throws his arms up and rolls his eyes before opting to sit in the car and shut the door in my face. He... did he just do that? Oh, I know he didn't just...
I laugh, one of those little crazy kinds of laugh, before my anger starts filling my body like it's been waiting to for hours. It may be an overreaction at something completely ridiculous, but I’ve been in pain for hours, just suffered another attack, and witnessed Eli Fall. There’s only so much an angel can take before she loses it.
I can see my reflection in the window, my eyes growing brighter until all that can be seen is a bright light where my irises should be. Asher looks over, and his eyes widen. Mistakes were made, and he just
realized he's pissed off the most powerful angel here after she suffered a great ordeal and is severely wounded.
Opening my mouth, I inhale and begin to sing the first song that comes to mind, only I don't get very far since Asher practically squishes his face against the window and yells, "NOAH! It was Noah! He was the safest option!"
Noah. Unbelievable. They picked the one I can't actually stay mad at. They used a weakness against me.
My eyes fade back to normal, and I shake my head with a look of disgust. Stepping around the car and dropping into the driving seat, I hear Ash inhale to speak. Lifting my hand, I say, "Don't you dare."
I hear his mouth snap shut quickly, and I almost laugh. Almost. I'm still pissed.
Starting the car, I pull away from the sidewalk and drive us home, taking the speed limit seriously since I already almost died once in... how long were we actually held hostage for? I'll ask when we're home. The silent treatment is in play, and I'm nothing if not dedicated.
We all sit in silence for a while, Devon and Noah in the back with Eli sprawled over their laps a little awkwardly. I check the mirror, only to find Devon smirking as he looks out the window and Noah biting on his lip nervously. I find my anger lessening like I knew it would. Like they knew it would, the turds.
When the tension stretches, Noah finally blurts, "I'm sorry, Luna. Neither of us have a car yet, and we've been searching for a day and a half for you both, and the quickest option was to drive your car."
At least I don't have to ask how long we've been missing for. A day and a half. Damn. Those bullets really knocked me out, huh? I keep my silence for a few minutes before I groan and curse. "It's fine, Noah. It's not your fault."
Asher's head pops up from leaning against the window, and he looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "Whose fault was it, then?"
I give him a quick look before focusing on the road again. "You know damn well whose fault it is. I can't believe you used him against me because you knew I can't stay mad at him. Asshole."
Another quick look has me catching the grin Asher is sporting. I roll my eyes, but my lips twitch with the smile that wants to break out. Damn him. I guess considering Eli Fell and I almost died, I can let it go. They touch my car again, I'm going to blue ball every one of them. Even Noah. Maybe. Probably not. Ugh.
The rest of the journey is made with only my soft singing filling the space while I direct my power at Eli to comfort him when he jostles and cries out in pain. It's about two hours later by the time we get home, and I'm dragging ass. My entire body is battered, bruised, sliced and diced, and I'm beyond hurting. I'm not sure why I haven't healed already, but I'm still sporting every gash and laceration.
Parking the car carefully in the side street, I turn the key and climb out. Asher does the same while all three angels help get Eli out of the car. It takes some maneuvering, and I have to offer more power when Eli can't seem to bottle the pain, but we finally get him out of the car. Instead of forcing him to walk up five flights of stairs to my apartment, Asher throws him over his shoulder as carefully as he can and carries him instead.
We all make our way up the stairs in silence. I've fallen behind since my injuries are slowing me down, my breath labored as sweat pours off me. Devon is just ahead of me, and when he notices me struggling, a frown of concern pulls at his eyebrows. He looks away before turning around and walking down the few steps that are between us. Without hesitation, his arms go behind my back and knees, and he scoops me up like my knight in shining armor.
I don't even have the energy to complain about it. Instead, my arm wraps loosely around his neck, and I mutter, "Thanks. Those stairs were killing me."
He huffs a laugh. "This is the second time today you're not arguing with me about something. Must be my lucky day."
"Don't get used to it. I'm broken right now. When I'm fixed, I'll continue to piss you off like you piss me off. This is a temporary truce," I explain even as I drop my head to rest on his shoulder. He doesn't reply, only tightens his arms and carries me silently up the stairs.
When we finally walk into the apartment, it's to find Asher pouring water into a glass and Noah carrying Eli towards the spare bedroom. I bite my lip, but before he gets too far, I say, "Noah, do you think you can carry him up the stairs?"
Asher sends me a look before turning the tap off and setting the glass down. "I'll help."
I send him a grateful smile and drop my head back onto Devon's shoulder. He carries me to the couch and deposits me gently on what feels like the comfiest thing in the world after sitting in that rigid chair for who the hell knows how long.
"Stay put," he demands, pointing a finger at me like that'll do one bit of good. Once again, I find myself rolling my eyes, but I do as I'm told, keeping my ass firmly planted on the couch. The pent up tension I've felt since waking up finally starts seeping out of me, and my aching body relaxes into the cushions, head lolling against the arm rest.
When Devon returns, it's with a bowl of warm water and a washcloth. "Alright, Princess. Let's clean you up while you work on healing. Deal?"
I nod, feeling exhausted and wanting so desperately to sleep. The white-haired angel doesn't let me though. He pokes me in my side, careful not to jab any open wounds, and says, "Come on, Luna. Start healing."
"Asshole," I mutter before settling properly and focusing on fixing my battered body. I tap into my Divine Healing and let the warmth I've missed run through my body. Slowly but efficiently, every scrape, cut, and bruise begins to heal. I can feel my skin stitching back together in several places, the deep bite wounds mending with ease.
The soft touch of the cool cloth brushing against my skin has my eyes opening to watch Devon as he acts unnaturally sweet and considerate. I must be wearing my thoughts on my face, because his lips tug up in a smirk, and he tells me, "Don't get used to it, Princess. Temporary truce, right?"
My lips twitch, but I nod and keep watching him, just because I'm not going to waste this rare moment of civility between us. It takes some time to heal every injury, but by the time I'm done, my body just feels sore and achy, like I've done twenty-four hours of working out without stretching first. Devon's managed to clear a fair bit of the blood from my body, but I know for certain that I'm having a shower before I even think about getting in bed. I refuse to ruin my sheets with disgusting Hellspawn blood.
"All done?" he asks, dropping the ruined washcloth in the bowl and pushing it away on the coffee table. He turns back to me with a raised eyebrow.
I raise my arms and stretch them out, feeling the ache but relishing the lack of pain from any left over lacerations. "Yeah, think I'm done. Pretty sure I got them all. I can't feel pain; I'm just aching like a bitch."
Devon shakes his head and stands. He holds his hand out for me, and I take it readily, letting him help heave me off the couch. I get a little woozy as soon as I'm on my feet, but he steadies me by placing his hands on my arms. "You good? Think you can get up the stairs on your own?"
"Yeah, I've got it," I tell him, slowly releasing the hold I have on his forearms. He's slow to release me, but he steps back as soon as he's happy I won't topple if there's a light breeze.
"I'm going to clear this up. Hopefully Noah can fix your couch. Go make yourself smell like something other than rot and shit," he teases, his smirk growing when I narrow my eyes on him.
He turns and picks up the bowl and makes his way to the kitchen. With careful steps, I make my way towards the stairs that lead to my room, holding onto the banister just in case. Before I start climbing, I poke my head around and clear my throat. "Thank you for, uh, rescuing me. And Eli. And taking care of me."
His face shows surprise before he nods. "You're welcome, Luna."
I give him a quick smile and make my way up the stairs before things get super awkward.
Opening the door, a freshly cleaned Eli greets me, lying on the bed in only his sleep pants, his bare back on display. He looks like he's sleeping despite the two long jagged wounds that still lay o
pen down his shoulder blades. His face is wound up in pain, so I don't waste more time and head to the shower.
Stepping into my ensuite, I find Asher moving away from the shower after turning it on and Noah cleaning up the stained towels they must have used to clean Eli.
"How're you feeling, Luna?" Noah asks, dropping the last of the towels in the bin before giving me every ounce of his attention.
I give him a tired smile and tell him, "I'm ready to drop. All healed, though."
He nods and returns a dimple-less smile. He looks as exhausted as I feel. We all seriously need a nap. Noah lifts his hand and tucks a strand of matted hair behind my ear before saying, "We'll get out of your way so you can get to bed. I can imagine you’re beyond ready to pass out by now."
Why is he always so sweet? It's melting me.
Smiling once more, I step closer and wrap my arms around his waist, giving him a tight squeeze. He's quick to return the gesture, even dropping a quick kiss to my head. I give him one last squeeze before moving away and tell him, "Thank you."
He understands completely without needing me to elaborate why I'm thanking him. He knows how much the three of them coming for us meant to me. I'm pretty sure I'd be dead if they hadn't found us in time.
"You're always welcome," he whispers before heading out of the bathroom, and I hear his feet take him down the stairs.
When I turn, it's to find Asher watching me intently. "You're really okay?"
Nodding, I walk over to him. He opens his arms immediately and yanks me to his chest, his beefy arms coming to wrap around me like a vise. He buries his face in the crook of my neck, inhaling slightly. I hug him back just as tight and tell him, "I'm good. Tired and sore, but I'm fine. Just worried about Elijah now. Are you okay? Your back? Still in pain or has it eased some?"
