by Lexi C. Foss
Issac’s arm fell around her shoulders, making her decision for her. He obviously wasn’t ready to stop touching her. She understood because she felt the same way, which she showed by placing her palm on his thigh and relaxing into his side.
“You’re alive and a Seraphim,” Tom said, awe in his voice. “I’m… It’s so good to see you again.”
“We’re all thrilled you’re back with us,” Amelia added, tears in her eyes. Stas suspected the emotion was related to her brother in some way.
She’s relieved for me, Issac whispered. I think I worried her.
It’s the mountain-man look, Stas teased. Scares people.
He pinched her side. Careful, Aya.
Or what?
Or I’ll find a clever way to punish you with the scruff. Perhaps between your legs? All that sensitive skin? Could be fun…
Her cheeks heated. You wouldn’t.
Oh, Aya. You know I would.
“Right. So Stas bonded with Wakefield, which not only grants him full immunity from death but has also reverted him to a horny-teenager phase of being.” Alik shrugged. “That’s the summary of what you’ve missed. Oh, and Osiris seems to think we’re going to play the roles of good little soldiers in his war against the Seraphim. Which, spoiler alert, will not be happening. Ever.”
Tom gaped at the Elder. “I think that’s the most you’ve said to me since you warned me not to hurt Amelia.”
Alik glanced at him. “I’ve not required many additional statements since my first worked so splendidly. Keep up the good work, baby immortal, yeah?” He stood. “Right. Are we going to do anything proactive this evening or just continue talking while Stas and Issac make out? Because the way I see it, Starky Boy here knows how to alter runes. I say he pops on over to the CRF headquarters, does some rearranging of the wards to allow our gifts to work, and then we storm the place and bring Jonathan to justice. Good?”
“Do we even know if he’s there?” Tom asked. “And you trust Stark not to double-cross us?” He snorted. “Because I sure as shit don’t.”
“Better question.” Stark relaxed into the couch, the picture of ease. “What makes you think I would ever desire to help in this scenario?”
“Because you will,” Stas replied, not missing a beat. “You’ll do it for me.”
His brows rose. “I will?”
“You will.” She held his light green gaze. “You altered my memory without my permission. You lied to me—repeatedly. And you fucked with my life in countless ways. Because, at this point, I assume my roommate assignment freshman year was a result of your tampering, just like my friendship with Owen was always planned, not fate.” She paused to wait for him to deny any of it.
He didn’t.
“Okay, so while I can believe you did all of this to enhance my humanity and fulfill some sort of prophecy—that I still do not fully comprehend the goal of, by the way. But anyway, as I was saying, while I can understand your motives, you still betrayed me at every turn. Issac buried me alive because none of us knew my true nature, something you could have told me last year without any impact on who I am today. So don’t give me the bullshit that you waited until the right time. The right time was when I joined the CRF. The right time was after I spent an evening at the Conclave. The right time was before I fucking died and was buried alive.”
He stared at her. “Would you like an apology?”
“No, Stark. I want you to help us get the bastard who tried to kill me. Who killed our friends. Who murdered Issac’s Sire—Luc and Amelia’s father. To take vengeance on the asshole who subjected my best friend through countless years of God knows what kind of torment. Who faked Amelia’s death and tortured her for years. I want you to help us destroy him and everything he stands for. And you will, if you ever want me to even consider forgiving you for the last two decades of my life.” Her hands were fisted in her lap by the time she finished, her breathing harsh with exertion.
And her wings were flickering in her peripheral vision.
Because she’d apparently gone ethereal.
Again.
My wings are still pink.
They’re beautiful, love, Issac whispered through her mind. You’re gorgeous.
Everyone else in the room was blinking in confusion except for Stark, who appeared bored. “We’re going to need to work on your emotional ties to the ethereal realm, sister.”
She narrowed her gaze. “We’re going to need to work on a hell of a lot more than that, brother.” She spit the word out like a curse, but he didn’t react. No, he remained as unfeeling as ever. Stoic. A man behind a mask of nothing. Stas couldn’t even tell if her rant seconds ago had registered.
“All right.” Two words. Toneless.
“All right?” she repeated.
“I’ll help.” He shrugged. “If that’s what you want, consider it done.”
Stas blinked, surprised he agreed.
And her wings disappeared in a flash.
His lips twitched, causing her breath to catch. An actual facial movement to express amusement? Holy crap.
“It’s like walking. You’ll get used to it.”
“Walking,” she repeated slowly, her brain still focused on his display of unexpected emotion. “Uh-huh. Right.”
The flicker of a smile disappeared as he addressed Luc. “Apparently, I will be assisting you in this plight. For Stas.”
“Liar,” Amelia accused, stepping away from Tom. “You may have them all fooled, Gabriel, but I know you care. We have history, you and I.”
He glanced at her. “I was only doing my job.”
She smiled, moving closer. “As a Sentinel? Or as a guardian angel?”
His lips flattened. Another display of emotion. “You’ve been talking to Leela.”
She sat beside him, still grinning. “I have, and she explained how the messenger line inspired myths of guardian angels. You were mine at the CRF.”
He said nothing.
“Is that true?” Tom pressed. “I know you helped heal Amelia. She said you gave her drugs. What else did you orchestrate?”
Stark ignored them both in favor of Alik. “When do we leave?”
“Now?” Alik suggested.
Balthazar chuckled, shaking his head. “Try telling him that out loud.”
“He won’t listen,” Luc muttered in reply. “How many millennia have I attempted to teach him the importance of strategy?”
“About three too many.” Alik continued twirling the blade between his fingers, his stance ready near the foot of the stairs. “Come on, King. Let’s do this. I’m ready to kick some Sentinel ass.”
“I see that. And what if Osiris finds out?” he argued. “I’ll tell you what will happen—the treaty will be forfeit and we’ll go to war. Again. People will die. Our people. All because we didn’t think this through.”
Alik snorted. “According to Starky Boy, Osiris wants us alive to fight the Seraphim. He won’t care if we take out Jonathan and his minions.”
“Stop calling me Starky Boy.”
“Nah, I think I like it.”
“Me, too,” Tom agreed, waggling his brows. “Starky Boy.”
“All right, Fitzy,” Stark returned.
Tom stopped smiling. “Fuck that.”
“Nah, I think I like it,” Stark deadpanned.
Did he just make a joke? she asked Issac.
I believe he did, yes. His astonishment trickled through the bond, rivaling her own. It seems there’s a lot more to your brother than meets the eye.
No shit.
Alik rubbed his hands together. “All right, what are we doing? Because if we’re not going tonight, then I’m out.”
“We’re not going tonight,” Luc stated flatly.
“Fine. Jacque?” Alik called.
The teleporter appeared in a blink. “ ’Sup?”
“Let’s go.” Alik held out his hand. “Call me when you’re ready to blow some shit up.”
The duo vanished, leaving Luc to sigh
in their wake. “One day he’ll understand strategy.”
“Doubtful,” Balthazar replied, patting his friend on the back. “But we can discuss strategy all night. We’ll figure this out together.”
A long moment passed before Luc nodded. “Yeah.” Stas caught a note of sadness in his gaze—there and gone in a flash.
Aidan, she realized, her heart giving a pang. That was who he would usually converse with regarding plans and ideas. But he couldn’t. Because his father was dead.
Luc’s features hardened as he stood, clearly pushing away the emotions. “You’re coming with us, Stark. I need to know as much about these runes as possible. I also want a detailed layout and suggestions for entry.”
Stark shifted forward, his elbows on his knees again as he studied Stas. “Think about where you want to go and the ethereal plane will appear to guide you. Similarly, think about being corporeal and you’ll become physical again.” He stood. “I’ll meet you all in Hydria after I check in with Owen.” A cloud of red feathers whirled around him as he dissolved into thin air.
“Thanks for the lesson,” Stas muttered after him.
Issac brushed his lips against her temple. “Don’t worry, darling. We’ll figure it out.”
“Glad you’re confident,” she grumbled. Because she certainly wasn’t. It seemed her wings only appeared in moments of high emotion. But when she wanted to go ethereal, she didn’t.
Luc smiled at her. “It really is good to have you back, Stas.”
“Yeah, we missed you,” Balthazar added, his expression holding a secret she immediately understood.
You were there for him just as I asked, she thought at him, her mind instinctively opening to his ability.
It was strange. Before, Balthazar had unfettered access to her musings. Now, she had to actively allow him entry, almost as if she’d opened a door and invited him inside. It wasn’t tied to her Seraphim genetics but to the bond between her and Issac. As if they’d formed their own cloud of being that no one else could access unless granted entry.
But it worked, as the subtle nod from the mind reader confirmed that he’d heard her.
Thank you, she whispered to him, her heart in her throat. Thank you for being there for him.
Another nod, this one accompanied with a small smile.
I can still hear you, Issac murmured, his lips at her temple. But Balthazar told me your dying wish was for him to be there for me.
It was. I asked him to say goodbye when I couldn’t.
His mouth lingered against her skin, his body shuddering beside her. Don’t ever leave me again, Aya.
Never, she vowed. We’re in this for always.
Always, he repeated softly. For eternity.
She smiled. Yes. And apparently, Stark thinks you’ll live to regret it.
Issac snorted. Never going to happen, love.
I know. And she did. Because this relationship—this bond—between them ran far deeper than anyone could ever fathom. It shattered all expectations, surpassed any perceived rule, and cemented them together in a connection not of this world.
“So does anyone want any cold pizza?” Balthazar asked. “I have a few boxes.”
“We’ll pick up a few new boxes on our way to Hydria,” Luc said. “We have a lot of planning to do in a short amount of time. I want to use the Stark connection to lure Jonathan out of hiding, preferably sooner rather than later.”
“It’s a smart play,” Issac agreed. “He still assumes Gabriel is his right-hand man.”
“Exactly. Let’s use it to our advantage.” Satisfaction lit Luc’s gaze, his lips curling. “Jonathan’s days are numbered.”
A round of agreement sounded through the room.
Approval radiated from Luc’s expression. “Let’s get the bastard.”
29
Issac
Three teams.
A-Team—led by Alik.
G-Team—led by Gabriel.
T-Team—led by Thomas.
Each with a different purpose and entry point. Issac and Astasiya were on Gabriel’s team with Tristan. Their primary objective was to capture Jonathan alive.
“I’ve arranged a meeting with him in thirty minutes,” Gabriel confirmed, his shoulder braced against the wall of Balthazar’s living area. The same wall led into the dining area and open kitchen, providing an oversized room for everyone to fit into. “The wards have also been altered to allow your gifts to function.”
“On it.” Jacque disappeared in a flash, taking Ash with him. She’d been assigned to Alik’s team due to her penchant for playing with fire.
“And you’re sure Osiris won’t notice?” Lucian asked from his position at the dining room table. He and Balthazar were reviewing the layout—again—searching for any last-minute strategic alternatives or potential threats.
“He didn’t notice when I changed it after first starting at the CRF. Nor did he notice when I made updates last summer to allow Stas’s gifts to flourish underground.” He shrugged. “There’s no reason for him to check considering he assumes I’m just a human with genetic modifications.”
“Wait, you updated the wards so I could compel?” she asked, frowning. “But Issac and I tested the wards before I met with John in June. Before I became a Sentinel.”
Issac recalled the afternoon vividly. That was the day he found out about Amelia’s captivity, via the camera Mateo had attached to Astasiya’s blouse. It was also the day he realized how much he trusted Astasiya.
“Was that test performed above ground?” Gabriel asked.
“In the parking area, yeah.”
“Had you tried it in the basement, you wouldn’t have been able to persuade. That’s a Seraphim’s only weakness. We can’t access the ethereal realm, the source of our gifts, while underground. Not without proper runes, anyway. Which is why the wards are there to begin with—Osiris needed them to be able to mist in and out of headquarters. I just altered them slightly to grant me the same access, and you.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s why Mom’s trapped.”
“Correct. You can’t create a ward in water. And she can’t mist because she’s trapped underwater, way below sea level.”
Issac wrapped his arm around Astasiya as she shivered. They both stood next to Gabriel in the living room because the majority of the seating was already taken. Most of those involved in the pending action had gathered in Balthazar’s house for the final review of the plan. Alik’s team would stir up hell and distract the Sentinels. Thomas’s team would handle freeing any hostages or test subjects. Gabriel’s team would capture Jonathan.
No deviations.
No arguments.
No offhanded missions.
All strategically planned and driven by Lucian, who expected everyone to return alive. And they would. With Jonathan in tow.
Jacque reappeared near the front door with Ash beside him, his smile radiant. “Checked it out. We’re good to roll, people.”
A flame flickered in Ash’s hand. “This baby worked just as expected.”
“Brilliant,” Lucian murmured, still reviewing the schematics. “And all the players are where Stark and Tom predicted?”
“Yep,” Jacque replied, his lips popping at the end. “Most of the Sentinels are near the armory, guarding the basement entry point. I didn’t see Jonathan, but I also wasn’t looking for him.”
Gabriel shrugged. “He’s probably in his office.”
“Didn’t go near there,” Jacque confirmed. “But everything else is ready.”
“Good enough for me,” Alik said, jumping off the kitchen counter overlooking the dining area. “I’m ready to kick some Sentinel ass.”
“Don’t kill them all,” Lucian reminded him.
Alik cocked his head to the side. “Sorry, what was that? Did anyone else hear bullshit flying about?”
“I certainly did.” Tristan sat in the recliner chair, mischief in his gaze. “Sounded something like ‘Don’t kill the enemy despite everything they’ve do
ne to deserve it.’ Clearly, a misguided edict.”
“The goal is to extract Jonathan without raising alarm,” Lucian said, sounding exhausted. “Chaos equates to future war. I would like to avoid said war.”
“According to Starky Boy, war is inevitable. Why not kick it off early?” Alik tugged on the lapels of his leather jacket. “I’m ready to burn some shit up.”
Lucian sighed. “Try to remember that not all of the Sentinels are guilty.”
“He’s right,” Thomas agreed, his arm around Amelia on the couch. “A lot of them have been essentially brainwashed by my father. They don’t realize they’re being led by an asshole of epic proportions.”
Gabriel pushed off the wall, his hands falling to his sides. “Not sure I agree with that assessment, Fitzy.”
Thomas narrowed his gaze. “Fuck off, Starky.”
“Clarify that, Gabriel,” Issac said, genuinely curious. “You don’t think there are innocent Sentinels?”
“I can name the ones I believe might be good men on one hand. The others enjoy killing and haven’t bothered to seek the facts. They’ve just followed the commands because they enjoy them.” Gabriel focused on Thomas. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
The former Sentinel clenched his jaw. “Some of them are good men.”
“How am I supposed to tell the difference?” Alik interjected. “I’m a telepath, not a mind reader.”
“That’s why I’m on your team,” Balthazar said. “I’ll let you know if any of them are innocent.”
Lucian glanced at him. “I still don’t like you going. Doesn’t feel right.”
Balthazar clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re just upset that you have to stay here with Mateo. I’ve got this.”
“He’ll be fine,” a feminine voice added as purple feathers erupted in the center of the room. Bright, fluttering, gorgeous. But nowhere near as alluring as Astasiya’s.
Liar, she breathed into his mind. Leela’s feathers are exquisite. Mine are pink.
He chuckled, amused that after three days, that was still at the forefront of her thoughts. Try misting again, darling. Maybe they’ve changed.
