by Ciara Graves
“Come on,” I told her as I helped her stand. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
There was no argument. I wanted to pick her up but was worried about how much pain she was in. Each step sent a shudder through her body. She flinched with every footfall. When we reached the stairs, I carried her up them the best I could without jostling her. Once inside her room, I walked her into the bathroom and set her on the edge of the tub.
Grabbing a washcloth off the sink. I ran it under the tap, wetting it with cool water. I left the faucet running, and starting with her hands, washed the blood from her skin. Her knuckles were a mess. She grimaced when I ran the cloth over them. I waited for her to pull back or yell at me. All she did was sit there and look out the doorway.
Before the attack, I’d been worried I was losing her to depression from losing her holy light.
Now, I feared I was losing her to something darker. Something I wouldn’t be able to pull her back from. Rotten piece of shit sent them here to wipe out the humans. Did he know Lela was here? Was that why he targeted this one? Or did he just hope he’d stumble across her by attacking?
Keeping my anger tamped down was hard, but I couldn’t lose my shit quite yet. I moved the washcloth up her arms. The sink turned red as I rinsed out the cloth again and again. The blood began to stain the washcloth, and when it was too dirty, I found another one. After her arms were clean, I went to the bedroom and found a clean shirt in one of the dresser drawers.
“You want to change?” I asked as I held the black shirt out to her.
Her eyes flicked to it, and she nodded. Slowly, she stood and reached for the hem of her soiled shirt. She removed it. The white tank she wore underneath was just as dirty. I averted my gaze at the last second and heard the tank hit the floor. The fresh shirt was taken from my hand.
I chanced a glance and found she turned her back to me. The gaping wounds, though hard to look at, actually looked better than I thought they would. Whatever she went through tonight—and overcame—was helping them heal. Without thinking, I closed the distance between us and rested my hand gently on her back.
She stilled, not telling me to get away.
I left my hand right where it was.
“How bad?” she asked.
Our gazes met in the mirror.
“You’re finally healing,” I told her. “They’re starting to close and scab over.”
“Can you clean off the blood?”
I wet the cloth again and started at her lower back then worked my way up. With each swipe of the cloth, I revealed the smooth skin of her back. Until I reached where her wings used to be. They weren’t too damaged, and as the last bits of blood were washed away, I ran my fingers feather-light around her shoulders then back down her side.
Her shoulders tensed.
I sensed her eyes on me and found her watching my reflection.
She held the fresh shirt to her chest, making no move to put it on. I set the washcloth on the counter and rested my right hand on her hip. Our eyes stayed locked. Not once did she look at the bit of her back that was visible in the mirror.
“Have you seen them?”
She shook her head. “Don’t want to.”
“You’re going to have to look. Eventually.”
“Says who?” She snapped and spun around in my arms, clutching the shirt to her chest. “You? You have no idea what I’m going through.”
“If you’d tell me I would.”
“That won’t do either of us any good.”
I huffed, annoyed, and reached for the cloth again and wiping more of the angels’ blood as well as her own from her cheeks.
She leaned into my touch, seeming surprised at her own action. The fear of losing her and the reality of how close it had been rushed to the surface.
Dropping the washcloth, I cupped her cheek and placed my other hand at her waist. Lowering my lips to hers, I kissed her. It was a simple brush of skin on skin, until she sighed and pressed her body against mine.
My hand ended up tangled in her blood-filled hair as I deepened the kiss.
Part of me was aware of how little fabric was between us, but a second voice reminded me of what she’d just gone through.
Plus, I had yet to tell her the truth.
She fisted her hand in my shirt when I tried to break the kiss and yanked me right back.
I picked her up at the hips and set her on the bathroom counter. Her lips tasted of the battle she’d endured, the sweat and blood it took to survive.
Every instinct I possessed burst to life inside me. This was right. Being with Lela was where I was meant to be.
My eyes had slipped closed as the kiss intensified, but now they opened and landed on the sight of her back in the mirror. Fresh bruises had formed. She’d be in pain once the adrenaline wore off and morning came.
I broke the kiss a second time, resting my forehead to hers.
Somehow, her shirt remained firmly between us.
“You need to rest,” I whispered. “I need to see to the dead.”
The coldness I hoped would disappear after a while returned with a vengeance. “Yeah, sure.”
“I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you.”
“You have anything you need to tell me?”
I frowned, not answering, and wondered what Bobby might’ve said to her before the angels attacked.
“About what you and Kexan found?”
“Are you going to tell me about your nightmares or what you’re keeping from me?”
She clamped her lips shut, and the cold in her eyes turned even colder.
“Fine. I’ll be back in a few hours. Rest, Lela.”
I quickly left the bathroom before it turned into another heated argument that left her tossing things at my head and took in the damage as I retreated to the main floor. She’d told me every detail and as I passed the shattered railing, the dents in the stairs and the walls, I pictured the fight playing out. My hands fisted until I couldn’t take it anymore and spun around, bashing my fist through the drywall.
The brief, sharp pain wasn’t nearly enough to subdue my growing anger.
“How’s she doing?” Bobby asked, carrying his head under his left arm.
The sight was unnerving until I paused to remember he was inhabiting a body. His soul had simply taken over the body. He was a zombie. This was possible. Sometimes, I had to repeat it over and over.
“Not sure yet,” I answered.
“At least she fought. That’s a good sign, right? She doesn’t just want to roll over and die now.”
“No, but whatever she’s going through is changing her.” I glanced upstairs but couldn’t see her door from where I stood. “I’m not sure what’s going to take the place of her angel.”
“So she beat two angels up, so what?”
“She beat one to death, Bobby,” I reminded him quietly. “Most humans can’t do that. She said it was like something possessed her.”
“And? You think she’s what? Turning evil?”
“No, it’s not that.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Keep an eye on her. I have to locate Kexan and report to Koreth.”
“Find anything good?”
The remembered sensation of hands clawing their way up my legs had me gritting my teeth as I stormed for the door. “Way more than I hoped to find. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“She did what?” Kexan exclaimed after I finished telling him and Koreth about the fight at Bear Run. “How did she manage to do that?”
“Tim told me the tail end of it, but I don’t know.”
I paced around the table in my father’s private study, dragging my fingers over the scruff at my cheeks.
My clothes were as dirty as when Kexan and I escaped the zombies at the encampment. They were covered in more gore from the scene at the safe house.
I thought of Lela, the way her eyes turned to ice, like she had no heart left. Like she was a completely different person. She’d been brutal with the shotgun and from
what Tim described, had been cursing and muttering about Hadariel each time she brought the butt of that gun down on the angel’s face. When I went back, I had to make her tell me what else that asshole did to her. It was going to eat her alive and turn her into the type of human she would usually protect others from. She wouldn’t be innocent.
She’d be a cold-hearted killer. Merciless. A monster.
“I’m worried,” I finally admitted as I rested my hands on the back of a nearby chair.
“You have every right to be,” Koreth said. “Did you tell her yet?”
I glowered at him, and his lips thinned. “Kind of hard to do that right now.”
“Mech, the longer you wait, the more these feelings are going to build and confuse you both. You need to tell her the truth.”’
“And if it breaks her more? If it breaks her completely?”
“You have to take that chance. From what Kexan has told me, we’re going to need her.”
“For what?” I snapped. The wooden chair back creaked in my hands. “She’s mortal now. She shouldn’t be thrown into any battle plans we have. She can’t even be brought down to Hell. The trip could kill her.” Before, I might’ve considered trying it for just a few moments. She’d be alright as long as I got her back to the surface in under an hour. Now though, if I brought her to the depths of Hell, whatever evil lingered could attach to her wounded soul. She could become possessed. Or worse, turn into an abomination. No, she had to remain on the surface.
“She might be mortal,” Koreth said, “but she is a commander. She’ll still have information that we could use against Hadariel.” He walked toward me slowly. “Kexan told me about you two being spotted. About the one who looked like Hadariel.”
“And?”
“And you nearly got yourself killed trying to go after him—it—even though it wasn’t really Hadariel.”
“You’re saying you wouldn’t have done the same? He’s the reason Mom died. You’re saying you don’t want to see him dead?”
“I do, but you can’t run around like an idiot.” Koreth glanced at my hands, gripping the back of the chair still. “We’re going to need Lela’s help whether you like it or not. I’ll not have you attacking the guards or Kexan if they push Lela to do what needs to be done. You want this war to end?”
“How is that even a question?”
“I have to make sure we’re on the same page. We’re all a part of this war, and it’s only going to end if we all play our part.”
“So you’re saying you just want her around for information? And nothing else matters?”
“That is not what I said. We need her. And I need you to be level-headed. Can you do that?”
I turned away from him and took a walk around the room. When I made it back to Koreth, I nodded. “But if I say it’s too much, then it’s too much. I’ll not have the demon lords driving her to be something she’s not.”
Koreth’s eyes narrowed, but he agreed. “Now, about this Hadariel lookalike you two saw. Kexan said it had wings and horns?”
I took a seat at the table, and with Kexan, relayed what we’d seen to Koreth a second time. He said nothing the entire time we talked, and his face remained carefully blank, as always. Once we finished, Koreth tapped his fingers on the table in a steady rhythm.
“We need to get eyes on this encampment,” he said to Kexan. “See it done. Tell them to keep their distance and avoid the ditch. I want to know the numbers in this army and what kind of evil we’ll be facing.”
Kexan stood and bowed. “Right away, Lord Koreth.”
“I’ll help him.”
“No,” Koreth said, and I sat back down. “You are to see to Lela and have her ready to join me and the other demon lords when they arrive.”
“I’m not bringing her to Hell.”
“No. We are coming to her. Bear Run is no longer secure. You will set up a new location. Once the place is established, the nine of us will join you and Lela there to discuss our next move against the Heavens.”
“The assault,” I said quietly, and he nodded. “You’re going through with the plan to attack Hadariel on his own turf.”
“We don’t have any other choice. Evil is organizing. If we let Hadariel remain alive much longer, we will lose this war. Stopping him is our only option now. You have five days before we arrive. Keep me up to date on your progress. You’ll be taking more demons back with you.” He grabbed my shoulders and leaned in closer. “And do not let her fall into darkness. We will need her before the end. We will need you both.”
“No pressure,” I muttered.
Koreth laughed, surprising me. “Son, I would never ask too much of you. I know these last few years have been hard on us both, but you’re finding your path. Have faith in yourself.”
“Hard to do that when I feel like I’ve already screwed up.”
“She’s alive, Mech. You haven’t screwed up anything.”
I took his words to heart as much as I could and left the study.
The angels couldn’t get to Lela again, which meant ensuring I had to triple the guard detail wherever we set up home next. I had five days to prepare her for meeting with the demon lords. How would she handle talking about the Heavens or Hadariel? She beat an angel to death. Anything could set her off. I’d have to keep a closer eye on her. For the safety of everyone involved—especially, humans—it would have to be a very close eye.
Anxious to return to the surface, I marched straight for the barracks, rounded up twenty demons, gave orders to send more once I had a new location scouted.
I created a portal and walked through it back to the destroyed outpost.
“Mech.” Bobby was there as soon as I stepped out. His head had been reattached.
“New orders. Gather everyone. We’re moving out. Need to find a new location for a safe house. Where’s Lela??”
“Around somewhere. Helping with the wounded.” Bobby pointed over his shoulder.
“How’s she been?”
“Well enough, I guess. Hasn’t said anything to anyone.”
“At least she’s not hiding in her room,” I muttered and crossed my arms as I once again took in the damage done by Hadariel. “I want everyone ready to move out in an hour. I need a new location. Take some demons and find us somewhere to keep all these people safe.”
“I’ll see it done.” He shuffled away.
I spotted a familiar head of hair across the outpost. She had the shotgun slung across her back and a bandolier of shells crossing the other direction. She also carried a rough-hewn halberd. She seemed to be boxing up supplies. Bailey was with her. I caught the healer’s eye, and she came toward me. Lela continued her task, not even looking my way.
“Did you see her back?” I asked as Bailey approached.
“It’s healing. Told you all she needed was a push.”
“Not sure this was the right push.”
“You’re going to have to decide if you would rather have the Lela who’s depressed and thinks she should no longer be alive, or the one willing to risk her life and kick ass.” She patted my cheek hard enough to make me grunt. “She’ll be fine, Mech. Get that scowl off your face.”
It was easier said than done.
As Bailey walked way, I sensed someone watching me closely.
When I shifted my gaze, Lela’s ice-cold eyes were narrowed on my face.
Her hands fisted, she squared her shoulders as if she was getting ready to wade into another battle.
The next few days were going to be impossible to get through if she threw up too many walls. I’d break them down, but would it be in time?
Chapter 6
Lela
Roaring water woke me sometime in the middle of the night.
We were in the process of raising two buildings for the people who were wounded and needed someplace warm and dry to sleep. The rest of us were sleeping in the caves Bobby and the demon scouts had found hidden behind the falls coming down from the mountains.
I
had a small alcove up on a ledge that could be reached by a ladder. There were a few other humans up there with me. The ones I saved from the angels who weren’t injured in the attack.
Quietly, not wanting to wake anyone else up, I threw back the fleece blanket, grabbed the shotgun that never left my side, and crept toward the ladder.
Two demons stood guard by the last rung. They nodded to me as I reached the cold, stone floor of the main cavern.
The falls thundered about thirty yards to my right. Torches and a couple of braziers lit the space. Shadows flickered along the uneven grey-and-brown stones and shimmered against the stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
I tugged the heavy, black cardigan that Bailey had brought me yesterday around my chest and crossed my arms as I searched the cavern. We’d been here for two full days. The warding had been placed, as well as numerous boobytraps and various lookouts that would be able to alert us in case the angels attacked again. Mech wasn’t taking any chances.
We hadn’t talked to each other since the evacuation. Or really, since we kissed. It was a moment I repeatedly replayed in my head, whether I wanted to or not. I felt him watching me constantly, but he never came to speak to me. Only watched me, as if he was worried that I was going to combust at any second. It was probably good he didn’t try to talk to me.
After the attack, my every instinct remained on high alert. My muscles were tensed all the time. It was like I was an exposed nerve that was never going to heal. Every shift of the cool air in the cave or step I took jarred me, making me uneasy all over again.
There was no sign of Mech in the main cavern. I figured he was outside the cave or in one of the alcoves getting some sleep. I followed the narrow ledge that created a path along the stream of cold water that flowed into the cave from the fall. It led into the mountain and formed a five-foot-deep pool. There was no one else back there, though someone had left a stack of towels on a stone shelf. I glanced around, but it was the middle of the night, so everyone was either asleep or on guard duty.
Steam rose from the water the demons kept heated with hellfire. A ring of fire surrounded the outer edge of the pool and parted when someone neared it. Hoping the heat would help me relax and maybe get some sleep tonight, I set the shotgun aside, but close at hand.
