Unleash The Darkness: (Eternally Mated Novela)

by Valerie Twombly

  Seph?

  Silence.

  Sephtis?

  She waited several seconds as her heart pounded in her chest and the drone of children at play faded into the background. She tried to convince herself he was fine. She would know if something happened, like the time Lucifer had actually killed Seph, and Ashley had brought him back. Eva swore her heart had been ripped from her chest. She had known instantly Seph was dead.

  She took a deep breath and searched for calm. Getting into a tizzy would help no one. Instead she needed to think with a level head and knew several who would help her.

  Eli?

  Chapter Twelve

  Seph watched in horror as Eva fell away. Sucked into an open fissure that led to... Who the hell knew? He was helpless to do anything. His body contorted in pain and so much power coursing through him from Logan and Charon, he swore his guts were going to explode into a hot gooey mess. After he witnessed the love of his life vanish, the entire mountain began to collapse. A volcanic explosion occurred and sent magma spewing everywhere. Seph dug himself out from under the rock he was buried under and opened a portal out of what was left of the mountain. He popped next to Charon who coughed a cloud of dust.

  “That was...” The ferryman bent at the waist and let out one more hacking cough before straightening. “I’m not sure what to call it.”

  “Yeah, fucking awesome, but my mate is missing and I’ve lost connection to her. Again,” he growled.

  “Your mate is safe in the human realm. The loss of your link to her is temporary due to the shit storm we created,” Logan commented, casually brushing dust from his shirt.

  A sense of relief swept over Seph, but he had to see Eva. Hold her in his arms before he could be at complete ease. “You are free of your prison now, I need to find my mate.”

  Logan tipped his head in acknowledgement. “You have pledged yourself to me so you realize you can no longer go to the clouds until your servitude is complete?”

  Seph’s temple throbbed as he shifted back to his human form. “Yeah asshole, I got it. Anything else?”

  “Perhaps you’d like to know your mate can now come and go in this realm any time she wishes.”

  Seph looked upon his new master with weary eyes. “Explain and quickly.”

  “Call it my baby shower gift. Besides, your son should be born in this realm and not that stuffy fucking cloud.” He shrugged. “The choice is yours on where you live. Now, run along to your little mate. I have no further need of you for the time being.” Logan vanished in a puff of show-stopping black smoke.

  Seph turned to Charon who held up his hand. “Go to your mate. Our business will wait.”

  Without further hesitation, he opened a portal into the human realm and hoped once there his link to Eva would be back online. Seconds later, he tested his theory.

  Eva?

  Seph? Oh my heavens, you’re––

  He cut her off with his mouth on hers. She opened up to him and his tongue claimed every inch. She moaned as she melted into him, and it was all he could do to not take her there, but it dawned on him where they were. He reluctantly broke the kiss and placed his palm on her abdomen, searching for his son who was healthy, content, and growing rapidly. He looked deep into her brown eyes.

  “Woman, you bring me to my knees. I would have crushed the universe had I lost you.”

  She forced a smile. “I’m still not out of the woods yet, but Wraith told me his family is looking for the girl.”

  “He is a good hound.”

  “Is Logan free?” She brushed a strand of hair from his eyes.

  “Yes.”

  Sadness darkened her eyes. “Then you can’t go home.”

  “Not for a while, but we will make this work. Our home is where the three of us are.” His heart clenched. “I’m sorry you had to witness my other side. That was never meant for your eyes.”

  Her fingers trailed a path down his bicep and danced across one of his reaper tattoos. “That side of you doesn’t frighten me. You’re a bad-ass, Sephtis, and I love the hell out of you.”

  He leaned forward, bringing his mouth to her ear. “I want you so bad I ache, but our desires will have to wait.”

  “Eva, I’m so glad to see you’re okay,” Ashley said from behind Seph. Perfect damn timing. Ashley glanced around. “This isn’t a good place. The others are waiting at Zander’s home in New Zealand.”

  Seph gave a curt nod. “We’ll be there momentarily.”

  “Okay. See you soon.” Ashley disappeared.

  Seph wrapped his arms around his mate and pulled her close. They were still under the shield of his cloak so innocent eyes wouldn’t witness the coming and going of a few angels. “Hold on tight.” He summoned his wings and folded them around her too.

  She looked up at him. “I feel so helpless.”

  “You are anything but helpless.” He couldn’t stop the smile of pride as he opened a portal. “You befriended a hellhound pup and, as far as any of us know, are the only one to ever call her mate’s sword.”

  She gasped. “You know about the sword?”

  “I knew the second it was summoned, and I nearly went insane with worry.” He pulled them inside the portal.

  Eva was curled up on the couch at Lyzander’s home while everyone fussed over her. Seph retold the story about Logan and everything that happened, including the bit about Eva being marked. From time to time, she interjected the missing pieces of what happened between when she showed up to check on Freddie to befriending Rebel. She missed the pup and wondered how he was doing.

  Ashley set down her mug. “Wraith has reported they are closing in on Lilly. He doesn’t expect it to be long before they have her cornered.” Lines of worry wrinkled her forehead. “I don’t like the fact that you are expected to take her life.”

  Eva rubbed her sweating palms down her jeans. “I don’t either, but I don’t seem to have a choice. At least not according to Logan. Lilly took my power and made me mortal.” She picked at a thread on her pants. “Though, I don’t understand how I called Seph’s sword if I had no power at all.”

  “It’s possible that you still held remnants,” Eli said.

  “More likely it wasn’t her.”

  Everyone turned to stare at Tegan who had just entered the room.

  “What do you mean?” Seph asked.

  “I did some digging into some very old texts and discovered another time this happened. The mate of a reaper found herself cornered by several demons, and she called his sword.” He arched a brow. “She was also with child.”

  Eva moved her hand to cover her stomach and felt her son through their connection. “You think it was him?” she blinked. “But he was so young at that moment. Even now.” The thought that her child was already that powerful was both impressive and frightening. She glanced over at Seph. Of course he beamed with pride, and she had to smile. He was going to make a wonderful father, and she could see him teaching their son everything he would ever need to know. No matter what, she had to do everything in her power to survive. Seph would be devastated enough if something happened to her but to lose both of them. Not to mention the fact her heart ached at the thought of leaving Seph behind.

  “My son would be capable of such a thing,” Seph announced and the room filled with laughter. “But seriously, we don’t know how much time Eva has. So, how do we contain Lilly? And I’m guessing Eva will have to call my sword again in order to kill her.”

  Eva tried to remind herself the girl was the epitome of evil on two legs, but the thought of taking Lilly’s pretty head off left a pit in her stomach. Seph looked over at her.

  It’s a matter of kill or be killed. A warrior faces his enemy every day. Unfortunately as a guardian, you have been sheltered through no fault of your own.

  You’re right and I will make sure this never happens to another female again. A surge of determination swept over Eva as she came to the conclusion this would never happen again. Not to her or any other female. She too
k a moment to study Ashley. The woman had grown up not knowing she was a nephilim. Her human life had been tragic, but she managed to find her way. With the help of her mate Eli, Ashley learned to face her demons. Literally. She was the Angel of Death and with the blink of an eye could tear a soul to shreds or even give life back as she had done for Seph. Eva thought of Kelana, the newest angel who had been born a cross between a human and succubus with a side of an elite warrior for a father. Kelana grew up in the demon world. When she mated with Lyzander, she became the first female warrior in so long that everyone had forgotten about poor Zuriel. Eva suddenly realized what the Maker had done by bringing Ashley, Kelana, and Eva into the Tribunal. She leaned over and kissed Seph on the cheek.

  “I need to speak with Ashley, alone.” She got up and headed to the deck.

  “Where is Kelana?” she asked when they were outside.

  “She’s helping Wraith track Lilly and didn’t want to leave since they were so close.” Ashley slid in next to her then stared at her. “What’s bothering you? Dumb question, I know.”

  “Have you thought about why the Maker chose us to be part of the Tribunal? I mean there are other females who might be a better fit.”

  “The thought had crossed my mind several times.”

  Eva turned to face Ashley. “It’s time for change. For too long we have lived under the barbaric rules of the Maker’s father, who has been gone for a very long time now.”

  Ashley touched Eva on the arm. “Do you fear dying?”

  Did she? Hell yes! She steeled her shoulders. “I refuse to die. So here is what I want. If for some reason I do not make it, I want you and Kelana to make sure that from here forward all of the women in our society learn how to fight. We must be able to defend ourselves.” She glanced away for a moment before bringing her focus back to Ashley. “I was lucky that Seph asked Eli to train me. Others are not so fortunate, and we will meet resistance with some of the elder males.”

  A sly grin curved Ashley’s lips. “Let them try. I like where you’re going with this, and I totally agree.” Her delicate blonde brows pinched down. “However, you are going to win this and be by my and Kelana’s side while we make angelic history.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Oh sister, Kelana and I both plan to make sure you succeed.” Ashley shrugged with a smile on her face. “I’m sure Seph will help too.”

  Both women giggled and pulled each other into a hug. Ashley, who was shorter than Eva, stood on her tiptoes. “You really are like a sister to me, and when I was tossed into this world you were there for me. We will get through this, together,” she whispered.

  Eva had never been more relieved. “Thank you.” She had an awesome team on her side and she was determined to win.

  “We need a sound plan,” Seph stated as he watched Eva and Ashley out on the deck talking and hugging. If a reaper could get the warm fuzzies, watching the two females interact would be the thing to bring it on. As it was, he was glad Eva had Ashley on her side. Nothing like having the Angel of Death, or Death as they sometimes called her, as your bestie. Not for one second did he doubt Eva would make it through this. They just needed to locate the evil bitch, and he was confident Wraith would make that happen.

  “Agreed.” Tegan pulled Seph from his thoughts. “From my conversations with Freddie, his sister began to act odd. He said she became more angry and violent toward others. Continually told him they’d soon be joining their father, Lucifer.”

  “So what are we dealing with? I mean she’s all of... How the fuck old is she anyway?” Lyzander asked. The fallen warrior had been quiet during most of the conversation.

  “In human years probably about twenty-three,” Tegan said.

  “So, that makes her forty-six in demonic,” Lyzander replied.

  Tegan shook his head. “You are forgetting something very important. Lucifer isn’t a demon.”

  “He’s the son of a god. So, what does that make his daughter?” Seph asked.

  “Impossible to kill?” Eli grumbled.

  “We really have no idea, but we have to go on the assumption that he is at least as hard to kill as we are.” Tegan stared out the window at his daughter Ashley. “I know one person who might have a better idea how to kill Lilly.”

  “The Maker?” Seph asked.

  Tegan rolled his shoulders. It was evident everything that had happened in the past several months wore on the elite hunter. “The Maker could never give information that would harm anyone, let alone her own family. My mother, however, may be able to shed some light on this for us.”

  “Sherease. I hadn’t thought about her.” Seph jumped to his feet as the women came back inside. He quickly moved to Eva, who looked tired. Concern for her welfare grew because she never looked anything but perfect. He slipped his arm around her waist and scanned her. The baby was doing well, but his son’s rapid growth was wearing on his mate. Her body was already showing signs of aging. When Eva had been summoned by the Tribunal, her aging had slowed immensely. When they mated, it had stopped. Locked into the human years of twenty-five. Now, with the death mark on her she was closing in on forty. They needed to act fast before Eva’s body gave out completely.

  Seph summoned a portal and pulled his mate closer to him. “Let’s go pay a visit to Tegan’s mother.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Eva wanted to melt into her mate and never leave his side. Her strength waned and every moment Lilly lived, Eva grew weaker. Her muscles ached, something she had never experienced before, and she was tired down to her very soul. Every step made her body feel like an elephant sat on her shoulders. She tried her best to hide it but was certain she fooled no one, especially Seph. She knew every time he touched her, he scanned her body, something she could no longer do. The only connection she had with her son was the small movements he made. Fear tore into her with sharp claws, and she worried she would not survive. From the time she had stood on Lyzander’s deck chatting with Ashley until now, she felt like she already had one foot in the grave. Her mind wandered to her father, a man she never knew. By the time she had come to the Tribunal, the angel who had sired her had been killed in battle. Another of the angelic customs that pissed her off, but she knew both Ashley and Kelana felt the same way as her on that issue and would make sure changes took place.

  “Tell me about my father,” she said to Seph, the second they exited the portal. She tried not to shiver as she stared at the terrain of Hell. Again. Though not excited to be back here so soon, she did wonder how Rebel was doing. She missed that pup.

  “Why are you asking about him?” Seph stared at her with raised brows.

  “I’m not sure. I guess I’m feeling my mortality and wonder if I’m close to actually meeting him.”

  Lines creased her mate’s forehead, and she swore the reaper tattoo on his bicep gave her a dirty look. “You speak like that again, and I’ll put you over my knee and make you wish you were meeting him.”

  Was it wrong that her center heated at the thought? “I’m being practical. Now tell me about my father. I’m tired of the secrets. Do you think he would have approved of me?”

  “Your father broke the rules on a few occasions,” Tegan said from behind them.

  Eva spun to face him. “What do you mean?”

  “You look like him.” Tegan smiled.

  She figured as much. Yes, she had her mother’s tall slender build, but the woman who had raised her was blessed with pale creamy skin, blue eyes, and straight caramel-colored hair. Eva, on the other hand, had dark curly locks, brown eyes, and skin the color of creamed coffee. When Eva was a little girl, her mother used to tuck her into bed with stories about how perfect and handsome a man her father had been. How lucky Eva was to be born from such good stock.

  “I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to meet him, but he was gone when I got here,” she replied. “Was he bad by breaking the rules?” Eva had put her father on a pedestal her entire life, a picture of perfection painted by her mother. If he
was less than that, it would break her heart.

  “He visited you a couple of times when you were a child. Your father didn’t like the rules any better than most of us,” Tegan said as he indicated for Eva and Seph to follow him. “He loved you.”

  Eva swallowed the lump in her throat. “Thank you for sharing that.”

  Tegan looked over his shoulder at her. “Anytime. He was a good man and a great friend. He would be proud of you.”

  She only nodded as she fought the tears. Now she really missed her father and was sorry she’d never gotten to meet him. She had once visited his sword on the Wall of Honor––where the Maker placed the sword of those who fell in battle––one time. She swore she had felt his presence watching her but figured it was her imagination.

  They had been walking, and Eva was so deep in thought she hadn’t even realized they’d arrived at a small cottage. A woman with long black hair pulled into a braid stood on the porch and waved at them. When she stepped down, Eva noticed the big smile on her red lips as she approached Tegan.

  “Son.” The woman threw herself into Tegan’s open arms.

  “Mother. I hope you’re well.”

  Sherease pulled back and studied her son. “You look tired. Angels should never look tired.” She touched his cheek. “You need a break.”

  “I’m an elite, Mother. We don’t take breaks.”

  She simply nodded then looked around his large frame at Seph and Eva. “I’ve heard what happened. How can I help?”

  Seph was grateful Tegan had suggested Sherease because the woman held a lot of knowledge. As a direct descendant of the Maker herself, she was privy to things many of the rest of them were not. Time was ticking for his mate so he didn’t hold back.

  “What do you know about the mark on Eva and how it works?” Everyone was seated in Sherease’s cozy living room. Seph squeezed Eva’s hand to offer some reassurance.

  “I know of only once that this ever happened. Many centuries ago, a demon had found a way to put the mark on another guardian, and the same thing happened to her that is occurring in your body now. She began to show her age. For her, it was even quicker because she was already several hundred years old when it happened.”