There was no time to waste—I didn’t want the blood to coagulate. So I sliced the dagger across Harry’s neck. Clean and deep.
Crimson blood poured out of the opening, dripping down his face and landing in the bucket. Because he was hanging upside down, it drained quickly. As it drained, I collected a bit of it in a vial to use for my personal potions. Azazel had given me permission to do so, as compensation for everything I was doing for our cause.
Before long, Harry’s body was ghostly white, the bucket full of his blood.
I walked over to the bucket and picked it up. “I’m bringing this straight to Her Grace, to make up for the blood we lost when the bunker was raided,” I said to Alex, who was still holding onto Harry’s ankles. “You know what to do with the body.”
The corners of his lips rose in a conspiratorial smile. “Soon He will rise,” he said.
“Soon He will rise.” I nodded in acknowledgment, and teleported out to deliver the blood to Lilith.
The Angel Test
Dark World: The Angel Trials 7
1
Raven
Three months.
That was how long I’d been on Avalon, training for the Angel Trials.
Three months ago, I’d barely been able to run a mile without my lungs burning, my stomach cramping, and collapsing into a sweaty, red-faced heap on the ground.
Now I was completing the final lap around the track to finish running a marathon. Yes—an entire marathon. Twenty-six point two miles of running. And as I was coming around the final bend, I felt great.
I’d say there was something in the water here, except it would be no joke. Because the Holy Water we drank and the mana we ate definitely contributed to my body being able to complete feats it never would have been able to do three months ago.
But that was just a small reason why I was able to run this marathon today.
The main reason was that for the past three months, I’d been training my butt off. I’d been running five mornings a week, doing interval training four times a week, weapons training six days a week, and high intensity interval training on top of all of that.
For the first month and a half, I’d been exhausted. No, exhaustion was an understatement. I’d felt like I’d been run over by a truck. The only thing that had kept me going was the knowledge that my mom, Sage, everyone on Avalon, and everyone in the world was counting on me.
But after that halfway point, my body started to adjust. The workouts stopped being torture.
They started giving me energy.
I started feeling strong.
The cheering crowd watching me run the final part of the marathon fueled my strength. As I crossed the finish line, I raised my hands in the air, smiling in victory.
Noah ran toward me, picked me up, and twirled me around in a circle. “You did it.” He lowered me down and kissed me—chaste enough that it was appropriate in front of the crowd, but passionate enough that I felt the slight brush of his tongue against mine. He tasted like the fresh forest, and I wanted more of him. I wanted all of him.
I also couldn’t help being slightly self-conscious. Hopefully I didn’t smell too bad after completing an entire marathon.
“You always smell delicious to me.” He chuckled, gazing at me with those intense brown eyes that had stolen my heart the first time he’d kissed me in that grungy New Orleans bar. “Even when you sweat. Especially when you sweat.” He raised an eyebrow, and my heart pounded faster than it had already been beating after running a marathon.
I hadn’t spoken my thought aloud, but he must have picked up on it through the imprint bond. That happened sometimes when we were touching.
The connection between us would only intensify once we mated.
I couldn’t wait.
My trainer, Darra, also stood nearby. She walked up to me, a giant grin on her face. Her teeth were bright white against her dark skin. “Congratulations, Raven!” she said, to both me and to the crowd watching us. “You’ve completed the first part of the Angel Trials. Tomorrow, you’ll take a well-deserved day to rest. And the day after that… it’s time to face the obstacle course and drink from the Holy Grail.”
2
Raven
I was beyond restless the next day. How was I supposed to relax when I’d likely be drinking from the Holy Grail tomorrow?
I had no idea what to do with myself. Jessica and the other students were training on the supernatural training grounds. Noah trained students in the morning, and took his education lessons during the day. He was now able to read and write, and I was beyond proud of him. I knew he’d learn quickly.
Everyone else I knew decently well—Darra, Annika, Jacen, and the mages—were my superiors. They had their own jobs they were doing right now. As did Thomas and Bella. Thomas had gotten technology up and running on Avalon, so it no longer felt like living in the Middle Ages. But only the leaders of the island were allowed to communicate with the outside world. They were too worried about causing a mass panic if the supernaturals on Earth knew Annika had yet to turn any humans into Nephilim.
It would no longer be an issue after tomorrow, when I’d become the first human to drink from the Grail and survive. Hopefully. Everyone was putting on a positive face, but it was impossible to ignore the nervous energy buzzing through the island. Because even though my chance of survival seemed likely—since Rosella, the psychic vampire seer believed I was the one who could do this—psychics weren’t always correct. The future was fluid and constantly changing.
There was still a chance I might die.
And so, I spent the majority of the day going on a ride with my unicorn, Annar. Galloping along the ground of Avalon—and across the water, too—I could let go of my worries about the future and focus on the present. It was just the two of us, enjoying the beauty of a utopian paradise.
Even after three months, being on the magical island of Avalon still blew my mind. I could get used to life here.
Which meant I definitely couldn’t allow myself to die tomorrow.
Eventually the sun started to set, and Annar and I ran back to the academy manor house. The other students were returning from the training grounds on their unicorns and wyverns at the same time as us.
I’d hoped to have a semi private dinner with Noah in the dining hall, at a table on the side, like we normally did. But we had no such luck.
Now that I’d completed the marathon and was attempting the next Trial tomorrow—the obstacle course—everyone at the academy suddenly wanted to be my best friend. They crowded our table, so busy talking about how the previous humans of Avalon had performed on the course that I couldn’t get a word in myself.
Luckily, the imprint bond allowed Noah and I to communicate telepathically.
I thought the annoying perky blonde vampire hated you? he asked through the bond.
One glance at where he was looking confirmed he was referring to Samantha. She’d squirmed her way into one of the seats closest to me. Her two closest friends, Adriana and Ellen, surrounded her, as always.
I’d disliked them since they’d snubbed me my first day at Avalon. Especially Samantha. Jessica had used her gift and forced Samantha to say what she really thought about me, and those thoughts weren’t pretty.
She does hate me, I answered. But she wants to be the most popular girl at the academy. If I pass the Angel Trials, that’ll probably make me the most popular. I shrugged, since popularity had never mattered to me. I guess she thinks it’ll earn her brownie points to be associated with me.
Luckily I knew her true colors, and knew better than to trust her.
Not “if” you pass the Trials, Noah said into my mind. When.
Right. I corrected myself, since to have the best chance at passing, I needed to believe I could do it with every fiber of my being. When I pass the Trials.
He smiled, and I smiled back.
I loved how despite being surrounded by others, we could always escape into our own little world.
“All right, everyone,” Darra said, bursting into the dining hall. “Raven has had enough excitement for the day. If she’s going to perform her best tomorrow, she needs to get a full night’s sleep.” She looked pointedly at me, her message that I needed to retire to my quarters clear.
“Darra’s right.” I slid my seat back, more than happy to get away from the overly eager students around me. Noah’s hand was in mine, and he stood up with me. “I need to head to bed.”
“I’ll make sure you get there safely,” Noah said, accompanying me out of the dining hall.
Darra zipped in front of him, blocking his path. “No, you will not.” She crossed her arms, as stern as ever. “Trainers aren’t allowed in student quarters. You know the rules.”
I shifted uncomfortably, aware that the room had gone silent. “Given the circumstances, I was hoping an exception could be made for tonight…” I said, trailing off when Darra’s expression didn’t change.
“No exceptions,” she said, glaring at Noah. “And no distractions. The two of you will have plenty of time together after Raven completes the Trials. Unless you don’t believe she’s going to pass…?”
“No.” Noah’s expression hardened. “Of course she’s going to pass.”
“I thought so,” Darra said, her gaze as strong as his. “But there’s no need to worry about her getting to her quarters. I’ll see her there myself.”
As one of the head trainers of the academy, Darra was above the rules.
Noah gave me a long, intense kiss—which was sort of inappropriate given that we had an audience, but neither of us cared—and the two of us said good night.
3
Raven
I couldn’t sleep.
All I could do was toss and turn, worrying about what would happen tomorrow.
What if I died without mating with Noah? Everyone seemed convinced I stood a chance at surviving, and I believed I had a chance, too. But nothing was a hundred percent.
I couldn’t help thinking that waiting to mate with Noah was a mistake.
Yes, I hated the thought of my mom not being there to support me and give me away on the day I pledged myself to my soul mate. But I also hated the thought of dying without mating with Noah.
I’d been so focused on training these past few months that I hadn’t let it hit me until now. And now that it was, sleep was impossible.
It wasn’t doing me any good to keep tossing and turning. And so, I got up, opened my wardrobe, and removed my cloaking ring from a small drawer inside. I hadn’t needed to use the ring since getting to Avalon, since no one hid what we were around here.
But I didn’t stand a chance of sneaking out of the manor house if the supernaturals could smell my distinctly human scent traipsing through the halls.
Since it was past midnight, everyone was fast asleep. With the cloaking ring on, it was easy to stroll out of the house and walk to the cabin where Noah lived with the Southern Vale pack.
I didn’t have a chance to knock before Noah yanked the door open, staring down at me with eyes that held so many loving emotions that it was impossible to separate one from the next, and pulled me into a passionate kiss. This kiss was everything I’d wanted with him at so many times during the day, when we’d kept ourselves in check because of being surrounded by others. Now, we could truly be together without holding back.
I wanted him—all of him—and I was ready for this.
Sometime during the kiss, he picked me up and carried me into his bedroom. The master bedroom, since he was the alpha of the pack.
“How did you know I was there?” I asked, staring up into his eyes as he lowered me onto the bed.
“The imprint bond,” he said, and I realized of course—even with my cloaking ring on, he could sense me through the bond. “I haven’t been able to sleep all night,” he continued. “Everything you feel… everything you want… I want it to. You have no idea how much.” His eyes swirled with emotion, and I did have an idea how much he wanted this. Because I felt the same way.
“You’re ready to mate?” I felt insanely vulnerable as I watched his face for his reaction.
Luckily, all I saw was love and, more surprisingly, relief.
“I’ve wanted to mate with you since the first time I kissed you in New Orleans,” he said. “Hell, I wanted you before that. But the imprinting caught me off guard. If we hadn’t been in public when we imprinted, I think I would have taken you as my mate right then and there.”
My cheeks heated. Because I had a feeling that if that had been the situation, I would have let him have his way with me, even though I’d never been with anyone like that before.
“You and I are meant for each other, Raven,” he continued. “We always have been, and we always will be.” He paused and pulled back, worried. “But are you ready? You’re the one who said you wanted your mom to be there…” He let the sentence trail off, waiting for me to make my decision.
“I’m ready.” Every inch of my body pulsed with desire for him, making it nearly impossible to focus on thinking clearly. “It’s the twenty-first century. We can mate now, and have the official ceremony later—once my mom is here and can celebrate with us. But this—right here, right now—feels right. I don’t want to go into the Trials tomorrow without truly being with you. I love you. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved, and the only man I will ever love. So yes, I’m more than ready for us to mate.” I pulled him in for a kiss, and his lips slammed into mine, an unspoken agreement that he felt the same way.
Until this moment, whenever we’d been together it had been controlled—careful.
Now, that caution was abandoned as we used our hands to explore every inch of each other. I was lost in everything about Noah—his taste, his feel, his scent. I could feel how much he wanted me, as he could feel the same in return.
Before long all of our clothes were off, leaving us only in our underwear. And I’d never felt more ready for anything in my life.
But just as his hands moved around my back to unhook my bra clasp, his bedroom door flew open, slamming against the wall behind it. My breath caught in my chest, and we both turned to see who was daring to intrude on such an intimate moment.
Sarah—the eldest wolf in the pack—stood in the arch of the doorway. Her eyes were lowered, and her cheeks were flushed red in embarrassment.
I would have assumed the intrusion was an accident… but she had supernaturally strong hearing. She knew exactly what she was walking in on.
“I’m sorry,” she said, still not meeting either of our eyes. “But as the eldest member of the pack, it was my duty to stop you from continuing.”
“You want to stop me from claiming my mate?” Noah growled, not moving from where he hovered protectively above me.
I’d never considered myself the type of person who would want to be “claimed,” but wow, it sounded hot when he said it.
“I’m stopping you from risking Raven’s chance in the Angel Trials tomorrow,” Sarah said, more confidently now as she raised her gaze to ours.
Silence filled the room. That was a surefire way to kill the mood.
“What do you mean by that?” I moved out from under Noah’s body, and the two of us sat up. We were still both in our underwear, but Sarah wasn’t flustered. Which made sense, since shifters weren’t as modest as humans.
“To enter the Angel Trials and drink from the Holy Grail, you need to be human.” Sarah’s wise eyes focused on me. “But when shifters mate, our souls link for all eternity. That’s how dyads are created.”
I nodded, since I knew about dyads. I’d seen one when I’d first joined Noah’s hunt. The shifter who could shift into the forms of both a coyote and a mountain lion.
Dyads were only created in the rare circumstance when two shifters with different animal forms imprinted on and mated with each other.
“Hold on.” I held a hand up to my forehead, taking this all in. “You think that when Noah and I mate, I’ll become a shifter?”
> “I have no idea what will happen when the two of you mate, since a shifter has never mated with a human,” she said, moving closer to us. “No one knows what will happen to you. So is right now—the night before the most important day of your human life—the proper time to conduct this experiment?”
When she said it like that, I felt like an idiot. Judging by Noah’s silence, he felt the same way.
“I just couldn’t imagine going into the Trials tomorrow without us mating first.” I wrapped my arms around myself, swallowing as I prepared to say the rest of what I’d been thinking. “Because what if I don’t make it tomorrow?”
“If you don’t make it tomorrow, then you’ll have mated with Noah, and you’ll have stopped him from ever finding a possible mate again,” she said, her words cutting deep. “Shifters mate once, and it’s for life. You know that.”
I took a sharp breath inward. Because in my anxious, exhausted, scared, lust-crazed mind, I couldn’t bear the thought of dying tomorrow without mating with Noah.
How had I forgotten the most important part—that if we mated and I didn’t survive the Trials, he’d never find true love again?
I glanced over at Noah. From the angry way he was staring at Sarah, he was pissed at her for bringing it up.
I shook my head in horror at myself for almost having gone through with it without thinking about every possible outcome. “You should have said something,” I told him. “You should have reminded me.”
“There was no need.” He faced me, his eyes hard. “Because first of all, you’re going to survive tomorrow. I have no doubt about it. Secondly, I’ll never love anyone as much as I love you, imprint bond or no. I meant what I said earlier. You’ve always been the one for me, and you always will be the one for me. That’s never changing. Ever.”
The Angel Trials- The Complete Series Page 93
