Savior of Midnight

by Debbie Cassidy

  Oh man, he was so delusional. “Trust me, you can’t change his mind. You can’t save him.”

  “I cannot turn my back on him if there is even the slightest chance of redemption for his soul.”

  Redemption ... he had to be kidding me. “You can’t honestly believe that Asher can be redeemed.”

  “He can and he will. I have to make him see the light.”

  Why did he even care about saving anyone? “I’m confused. I thought God created you as a weapon to kill the winged.”

  Adamah was silent for a long time. “Is that what everyone believes?”

  “Um ... yeah.”

  “A weapon ...” He sighed again, a bone-weary sound. “Father gave me life because he wanted a son. He wished me to take the reins once he was ready to move on to new pastures. Father was lonely. His mistakes cost him the company of those he cared for the most. They alienated him from his own creation, and so he created me and educated me while I slumbered. He promised me a mate so that I would never experience the same loneliness as he had.”

  I was so confused. “But ... you attacked Dawn.”

  “Yes. It seemed I did. But that was not my intention. I merely meant to speak to the winged and take my rightful place as their savior. I merely wished to find my way home. The shades were my escort for that purpose, but when we approached the gates, the winged attacked us. I had no choice but to retaliate.”

  “They attacked because you turned up with the bad guys in tow. Which is exactly what Asher had been hoping would happen.”

  “Yes, I realize that now. Asher merely informed me that the winged were responsible for the mess the world was in, and when I stated I needed to speak to them, to know for myself, he agreed to let me go to Dawn with an escort for my protection. He warned they may attack, but I didn’t believe him, and when we arrived at the gates, his prediction was realized.”

  “Asher played you.”

  “Played me?”

  “Manipulated you.”

  “It seems that way, yes. However I must remain here amongst these lost creatures. I must fix this.”

  Didn’t he realize how much danger he was in? “If Asher finds out that you’re trying to change him, that you’re trying to rile the shades against him, he will hurt you.”

  A low chuckle. “It seems that the power to hurt is in my hands, not his. Something he neglected to mention. As you stated, I am a weapon, whether by design or side effect, it matters not.”

  He was right. He could defend himself fine. But still, it felt wrong for him to be there. “It doesn’t feel right. You should be here with us.”

  “With you, Eve. Father created you for me.”

  Oh, man. He needed to know the truth. “I’m not Eve, and it wasn’t God who made me, it was Merlin. It’s a long story, but I promise I’ll explain everything when you get your arse here.”

  “Father may not have crafted you with his hands, but it is his energy that courses through your veins. And once I have saved Asher, we will be together again. Our energy will unite and you will no longer be alone. I sipped from your well of power and now it sits within me.”

  What the heck was he talking about? Sipped from my power? He’d made physical contact with me and the pressure inside me had eased, but ... Had he somehow siphoned my grace from me? Oh, God. He had. He’d siphoned and been unaffected. He’d unintentionally given me more time, which meant that he was the answer to my problem. He could save me! I had to tell him, explain how the grace was killing me and how valuable he was to me.

  “Adamah, I need to—”

  “Someone comes. I must leave you.”

  The darkness closed in on me, thick with silence, suffocating and empty, and then I was surging up to the surface, out of sleep and into wakefulness.

  ***.

  The dream clung to my mind like wisps of spider web, and Adamah’s words and purpose burned a hole in my mind. I needed to tell the others, that despite appearances, Adamah was on our side. I needed to tell them that he was my cure, because there was no hiding my deterioration from the guys any longer. They needed to know how close to explosion I was, and knowing that Adamah was out there, that he could save me, had lit a fire in me, one that had died when I’d discovered I was dying. It rushed through my veins like a forest fire begging for action.

  There was hope; real, tangible hope now.

  Ryker and Orin were out on patrol and Rivers was nowhere to be found. They’d gather later, like they always did, in the lounge. I’d find them then. In the meantime, my brain whirred and clicked, working on coming up with a plan to help Adamah, to convince him to leave Asher. Maybe Xavier could help? He knew Asher best. If anyone could convince Adamah that Asher was a lost cause, it was the shade commander’s former right-hand man. We just needed to get them together. And then there was the big question mark of how I was going to stay alive until I could get to Adamah and explain that I needed him to siphon from me.

  The roost welcomed me, wrapping me in a cool, crisp breeze that felt wonderful against my fevered skin. The balcony wall was chill against my abdomen as I leaned against it, tipping back my head to allow the wind to slip its fingers through my hair, and, for a moment, I was outside my body, floating up into the starry night. For a moment, the power relinquished its hold, freeing me to relish in the elements.

  “I thought I might find you here.”

  Bane’s voice brought me back to earth with a bump. My heart leapt with joy. He was back. I turned to face him. “How did it go once I left?”

  He ambled toward me. “They’re sending a flock to aid us. They’ll be arriving at the mansion in a few hours. They’ve taken the silvered underground into their City of Light. It’s a holy place for the winged filled with the creator’s word. They’ll be safe there. We were lucky the shades didn’t get to them, but thinking on it now, I don’t think the humans were ever a target.”

  He was right. “No. They were a distraction so the shades could blow up the egg building.”

  “They were looking to disable the White Wings, that’s for sure. To send a message and demoralize them.”

  “They won’t attack again, not with Adamah at the helm anyway.”

  He arched a brow. “You sound awfully sure.”

  “I am.” I filled him in on my dream conversation with Adamah.

  His lips twisted skeptically. “And you’re sure it wasn’t just a dream.”

  “Positive.”

  “In that case, it looks like we could have an ally on the inside.”

  “Yeah, we have to convince him that Asher’s beyond saving first.”

  Bane frowned. “And what if Adamah is right? What if Asher isn’t beyond saving?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know. All I know is that the longer we wait, the more time Asher has to regroup for another attack.” I met Bane’s eyes. “I’m dying, and I thought I’d accepted that, but that was when there was no hope, but now there is, and I ... I really don’t want to die, especially when the solution is within reach.”

  He slid his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. “You won’t. I won’t allow it.” His eyes gleamed with a confidence that made my heart lurch and my throat tighten. In that moment, the brevity of life was a startling reality crushing us together, and I truly believed that he would stand between me and death when the time came. And damned if that wasn’t sexy as hell.

  I raised myself on my tiptoes and nuzzled his neck. “Bane, we should fuck. Right here. Right now.” My voice quivered, and anticipation was a low throb between my legs.

  His pulse jumped beneath my lips, faster, harder. “Yes.” He lifted me up and perched me on the balcony before slipping between my thighs. “Did the others take care of you?” His tone had dropped, suggestive with a dirty edge that always heated my blood.

  I licked my lips. “Yeah, they did.”

  His hand slid up my back and cupped the base of my neck, and his groin pressed against mine, the evidence of his arousal teasing my heat. “How often?
”

  “Bane ...”

  He ground into me, eliciting a moan.

  “It seems like I have a lot of catching up to do, Harker.”

  My pulse pounded in my throat as the heat of desire climbed up my body. “Yes. Yes, you have.”

  His lips parted in that wicked smile that made me melt. “I better get started then.”

  ***

  My body felt as if I’d been put through a workout and then given a massage. Yeah, it felt fucking amazing, and, for a moment, the feverish skin and the pulsing power were replaced by another kind of fever and beat—the good kind. We were still pressed up against the balcony, wrapped in Bane’s wings and shielded from the chill. It was warm. Warm enough for perspiration to trickle down the small of my back.

  “Sometimes sharing you sucks,” Bane said softly. There was a raw honesty, a vulnerability to his tone that tugged at my heart.

  I stroked his face, familiar yet alien, a face that I was rapidly becoming accustomed to. “I fell in love with you, just like I fell in love with the others. Wasn’t it you who told me to accept my nature, to allow the guys to love me, and to allow myself to love them?”

  His fingers bit into my hips but his tone was light. “I must have been insane.”

  A smile tugged at my lips. “No, you thought you were leaving me, and you wanted me taken care of.”

  He stroked my arm. “You’re so hot.”

  “Um ... Thanks?”

  “No. Harker, you’re burning up.” This time I caught the edge of concern in his tone.

  “Harker.” He pulled back to look down at me. “You’re glowing.”

  As if his words had given my body permission to turn against me, my vision was suddenly supernova bright. “I can’t see. I can’t—”

  But we were suddenly in motion with my legs still wrapped around Bane’s waist. He barreled back into the building, holding me tight.

  “Help! Oleander. Ambrosius. Marika. Someone!” His cries were saturated with anguish.

  Was I dying? So fast. So sudden. Where was the pain?

  Hope, you’re a fucking bitch.

  Needed to see the guys.

  Needed to say goodbye.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Ryker’s hands were on me.

  Orin’s scent filled my nostrils.

  “Do something!” Rivers’s panicked voice filled my head.

  “I don’t know what to do.” Bane’s despair was a bitter taste on my tongue. “Lilith? Help her. Do the siphon thing you did last time.”

  “I can’t,” Lilith said. “It’s too late.”

  “Dammit, Harker, why didn’t you say something, warn us?” Bane sounded as if he was about to snap.

  “Couldn’t hurt you. Love you. Love you all so much.” My hands brushed skin, fingers, palms. They were here, but I couldn’t see.

  “Serenity!” Drayton’s fingers grasped mine. “I’m here. Oh, God. No.”

  All here, they were all here.

  “Looks like it’s time.” Death’s voice cut through everything.

  “Fuck you!” Bane spat.

  “I’m afraid I don’t swing that way,” Death said calmly.

  “You can’t have her.” Ryker’s voice broke. “Please.”

  A heartfelt sigh. “Oh, I can, but ... I won’t.” A beat of stunned silence followed his declaration. “I know, I know, think of it as a little plot twist. I can see the headlines now—Death saves life. Intriguing, eh?”

  My pulse fluttered like a trapped bird in my throat.

  “What the fuck are you on about?” Orin snapped.

  “I’m on about saving your lover’s life.”

  I grit my teeth, forcing the next words out past my swollen throat. “Get the fuck on with it then.”

  Laughter, sudden and unexpected. “I’m going to need a dagger,” Death said.

  “Like hell!” Bane retorted. “Fucking hell, Rivers. What are you doing?”

  “I trust him,” Rivers said simply.

  A scuffle ensued and then I was held tight against Ryker.

  “We’ll utilize the anchor rune you used on Marika, but we’ll modify it,” Death said. “We anchor Serenity to one of you and then anchor that person to several more, thus creating a conduit for the power to flow through. We trick the power into thinking it is flowing through her body, but your exertions will help to keep it in control.”

  Another solution ... It was another solution ... “Won’t ... hurt them?”

  “No.”

  “And you’re telling us this now?” Bane said. “Why keep your mouth shut about it for so long?”

  “Do you want the rune or not?” Death’s tone was icy.

  “Please, just help her,” Orin replied.

  “Who will be the main anchor? Which one of you has the most stable foundation with her? A friendship that can overshadow passion? Who has the strongest friendship with her?”

  “Ryker,” Bane said easily.

  “Yeah,” Orin consented.

  “Agreed,” Rivers said.

  I squeezed Ryker’s arm. He’d been my first true friend and was forever the calm in the eye of the storm.

  “Do it,” Ryker said.

  Cool hands gripped my arm and then sharp pain cut across my skin. Death was carving a mark into my flesh; the burn that followed stole my breath, and a scream ripped its way free of my throat.

  “What the fuck?” Ryker held me tighter.

  “It means it’s working,” Death said simply.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Rivers sounded impressed. He was probably studying the rune Death had etched into my arm.

  My head began to throb as the power built and took over.

  “Quick. We need to work quickly.” Urgency laced Death’s words.

  The next few moments were a blur of voices that seemed to meld together as every fiber of my being was suddenly hypersensitized. I was at the precipice. I was about to—

  Like the air being let out of a balloon, the pressure began to release, sudden and fucking awesome. My body was finally my own as the weeks of tension suddenly evaporated. The brightness shrouding my vision dissipated and the room came into sharp, stunning focus.

  Bane’s face hovered over me. “You’re back. Thank fuck.”

  “It worked.” Orin sounded shell-shocked.

  I sat up, using Ryker’s chest for support. “It’s gone.”

  “No, not gone,” Death said. “Simply diluted because it’s split between the six of you. It now has plenty of space to circulate.”

  Six? I glanced about me. Ryker, Rivers, Orin ... Bane, and ... Xavier? No, not Xavier. It was Drayton looking back at me. They were all marked, but the rune on Ryker’s arm was more intricate; it matched mine, while the others had smaller marks. They were connected ... connected to me in a circuit, and in the next moment, the silver threads responsible for that connection were evident, glowing in my mind’s eye as they linked us all with Ryker as the anchor.

  “Wait! Bane’s a Black Wing and Drayton has a shade in his body, this will kill them!”

  Death rolled his eyes. “I know what I’m doing. The runes are designed to trick the grace into believing it circulates through your body alone. They will be perfectly safe.”

  I sagged against Ryker, relief a tidal wave that left me breathless for a long beat. This was working. I was alive ... living ... I wasn’t about to die. But then doubt and skepticism dug in their razor-sharp claws. “How long do I have? This can’t be permanent, can it?” I hated the hope in my voice, the need for confirmation that it was all truly all right.

  Death shrugged. “It’s as permanent as you want it. This is the solution you were looking for.”

  He’d had the solution we’d been scrambling to find at his dagger tip all along. “You knew but you kept quiet. Why cave now? You almost had my soul.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve waited this long, I can wait a little longer. I’m sure you’ll die of something eventually, and then I’ll be there to collect.”

&
nbsp; “Nice,” Rivers said dryly.

  No, there was more to it than that. More than a sudden desire to do the right thing, but unless he decided to open up, there was nothing we could do to make him spill. The guy would make a great poker player.

  “What are you?” Bane asked. “Who are you really?” His tone was hushed, almost reverent. “I saw your light when you appeared in the arcane circle. It reminded me of—”

  “I swear if you say his name I will hurt you.”

  Bane’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t snap back. Instead, he slowly stood to face Death. “You’ve helped us, you’ve fought alongside us, you’re pretty much part of the team.”

  Death’s mouth parted in surprise, and he blinked rapidly. “Part of the team?” His expression hardened. “I don’t operate in a team. I’m a solo worker.”

  “Maybe,” Bane said. “But recent events say different, and the look on your face when I asked you who you really were, that tells me that you want to tell us, and that your truth has been buried for too long for lack of someone to share it with. Well, now you have us.”

  This was a side of Bane I hadn’t seen, probably because it was more Lucifer than Bane. It was a softly, softly, diplomatic approach and it was working, because Death’s tense shoulders relaxed a fraction.

  “It has been a long time. Too long.” He walked over to the lounge window, pulled back the drapes, and looked out into the night. “You want to know who I am, then we need to go back to the beginning. Way back. You need to understand that God did not create this world alone.”

  “What do you mean?” Bane asked.

  Death glanced over his shoulder at us. “I mean he had help.” He grinned. “He had me.”

  Chapter 15

  Death stared back out the window, leaving us to absorb what he’d just claimed. That he’d created the world with God, a god who was faraway, untouchable, and all powerful. How could I wrap my brain around the claim that this being standing in our lounge had once stood side by side with God while weaving this world into existence?

  Long seconds ticked by before he continued.

  “We are brothers,” Death said. “Yet from the very beginning, his power exceeded mine. It never bothered me, though; we were family, after all, the only two of our kind, stronger when we acted as one entity. This world was something we dreamt up together, every creation was a triumph, but he was never satisfied. He wanted more, always something more. The shades were his clean-up crew, and I was slowly pushed into the background. I roamed the world we’d created looking for answers to his dissatisfaction until he summoned me back to his side. He’d made a breakthrough with a new creation. Something wondrous, he said, something he needed my help to perfect. Oh, to be wanted again. It felt like home.” Death chuckled but there was no warmth in the sound. “He wanted my help all right. He wanted my grace, and when I refused, he stole it from me. He took almost all of it, and he used it to breathe life into his creations. He created man’s soul, man’s humanity by using my essence. He almost killed me in the process, and fearing retribution, he banished me to a parallel realm, a pocket of existence where I could merely watch and wait and gather my strength.”