by Ella Summers
The Lord of the Legion remained silent.
“Trust doesn’t flow only one way,” I told Ronan.
“The Legion has been doing things this way for a long time.”
“So it’s about time for a change, don’t you think?”
“You are trouble, Leda Pandora.”
“Of course I am.”
“To absorb the Nectar that will make you an archangel requires great resilience,” Ronan told Jace and Harker, the only two people here who hadn’t gone through the archangel trials or knew what they entailed. “But it also requires great sacrifice. An archangel’s second, the one they love and trust the most, the one they choose to stand by their side as they complete the trials, must die for an archangel to rise. In so doing, an archangel demonstrates unerring devotion to the Legion, a willingness to sacrifice what they love most for the greater good.”
Jace blinked. “I don’t understand. Leda was General Windstriker’s second in his trials. She didn’t die.”
“Leda doesn’t fit into the natural order of things.” Resignation strained Ronan’s voice.
“During Nero’s trials, we figured out what was going on and we circumvented it,” I said.
“And the gods almost killed her anyway,” Ronan noted.
“If not for the political in-fighting and scheming, they would have killed me,” I admitted.
“The gods’ council will not allow such an aberration to repeat,” said Ronan.
Comprehension dawned on Harker’s face. “Because then it would become a pattern. And the gods’ order would break down.”
“Just that,” said Ronan.
“The one my father loves most…that’s my mother.” Jace’s voice shook. “He asked her to be his second for the trials. She will die.”
“No, she won’t,” I said with a sidelong glance at Ronan. “Things have got to change. There’s no need to force a sacrifice on an archangel. Let them level up or die, just as it works everywhere else at the Legion.”
“Not everywhere.”
Jace was referring to me, to the odd impossibility that I had neither leveled up nor died when I’d drunk the Nectar for Fairy’s Touch. It was because my magic was balanced, so now I needed Nectar and Venom together to gain new powers. As Ronan had said, I existed outside the Legion’s normal laws of magic.
“We can’t allow Jace’s mother to die,” I pleaded with the Lord of the Legion. “Too many have died already. These senseless sacrifices have to stop.”
“The Legion changed the day you walked through its doors.” Ronan looked reflective. “That was the impetus, and things have been spiraling out from there ever since.”
I frowned. “Was that a yes or a no?”
“I will need to speak to the rest of the council. I’ll do what I can, but I make no promises.”
Well, it wasn’t a refusal at least. I was right about Ronan. I knew I was. He might be a god, but he was still a good person. He would do the right thing.
“I should have put a stop to this sacrifice long ago.” Was that regret I spied in Ronan’s eyes? “It serves no purpose and robs the Legion of good soldiers. But I allowed the other gods to convince me otherwise. I allowed them to convince me of a lot of wrong things.” Regret definitely burned in his eyes this time, as they fell upon Nyx.
“There are times when I wish you had never found me, never woken me, that I’d never remembered who and what I am,” Nyx confessed to Ronan. “Things were simpler then.”
“Simpler, but not happier,” he replied.
“No, I wasn’t as happy as I am now. But I also didn’t hurt as much as I do now.”
Nyx said nothing more. Neither did Ronan. But that short exchange between them had given me a much closer glimpse into who the First Angel truly was inside than I’d ever had before.
It was Jace’s turn now. “Leda, when we first met, I thought you were a dirty street urchin from the edge of civilization,” he told me. “I soon realized how very wrong I was. I came to admire your determination and marvel at your ingenuity. And most of all, I consider myself fortunate that you are my friend. You taught me more than anyone I’ve ever known.” His voice dropped to a whisper, “Just don’t tell my father that.”
Jace looked around, as though Colonel Fireswift would suddenly pop out of nowhere and strike him down for making such a bold claim.
Fortunately, the leader of the Interrogators did not spontaneously appear. Colonel Fireswift was Faris’s man, and if Faris found out what we were confessing here in this room, we’d all be in really deep shit.
“There is something special about you, Leda, but it isn’t your divine blood,” said Jace. “It’s the person you are inside.”
I wiped a tear from my cheek. “I thought you guys were saving the sappy speeches for the wedding.”
“Pull yourself together, Pandora. The last thing I need is for Nyx’s ward to break under the weight of your tears, and then have all my badass soldiers break down like a bunch of weeping willows.” Jace winked at me.
I laughed and cried at the same time.
“General Windstriker, you scare me more than anyone, even my father. And even the gods.” Jace shot Ronan an apologetic look, then his gaze flickered back to Nero. “Every time you look at me, I feel like you’re thinking about killing me.”
The faint hint of a smile hovered on Nero’s lips. “The thought has crossed my mind once or twice.”
Jace swallowed hard. “But you should know that while I love Leda, I love her like a sister.”
I burst into tears again.
Jace smirked at me. “Seriously?”
“Sorry.” I rubbed my wet eyes. “I blame the Fever for the emotional turbulence.”
“You’ve looked out for her, Angelblood.” Nero’s smile was considerably less scary this time. It was almost amiable.
“Not even half as much as she looked out for me.”
“I have experienced the same phenomenon,” Nero laughed.
“On our first mission, she went off alone, across the Black Plains after you,” Jace recalled.
“Indeed she did.”
“I would have crossed the universe for you, Nero.” Sure, it was a sappy thing to say, but I meant every word.
Nero chuckled. “Flattery will not save you from the consequences of your actions.”
“You can’t punish me for something from nearly two years ago, especially not something you already punished me for,” I protested.
His lips curled with promise. “Oh, my dear Pandora, of course I can.”
I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Do that again and see what happens.”
I was so tempted. My tongue flicked across my lips.
“Pandora, go take a cold shower,” Nyx ordered me.
“But we are finally all getting along so well.”
Nyx’s eyes panned from me to Nero. “Perhaps too well.”
“I’ll behave,” I promised her.
Her brows peaked.
“As best I can,” I amended.
“Flirt with Nero again, and I’ll cast a cold shower over you both.”
I shivered at the thought. Nyx’s showers probably came with a copious serving of ice cubes.
“So that’s your confession?” I asked Jace. “That you’re scared of Nero?”
“I have very few secrets, Leda, and the ones I do have, you’ve already long since uncovered.”
“Surely, there has to be something else,” I probed him. “Something I don’t know. This is about sharing, Jace. You’ll feel better if you do it.”
He was eerily still, like he was afraid of something.
“I knew you were holding back! Ok, out with it. Tell us.”
“It’s silly and totally embarrassing.”
“My favorite kind of secret,” I said brightly.
Jace took a deep breath. “I think Colonel Starborn is the Legion’s sexiest angel.”
“Leila?” I choked out in surprise. “You have a crush on Leila?”
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“Teenage kids have crushes. Angels admire from afar.”
“No angel I know ever admires from afar. They jump right in and get their hands dirty.” I looked to Nero and Harker for confirmation.
“You just used the words ‘angel’ and ‘dirty’ in the same sentence.” Harker frowned. “I’m sure there’s a regulation against that.”
“There is,” Nero confirmed. “It’s in article thirty-six, section twelve.”
My mind sifted through the Legion’s enormous rulebook. “There is no article thirty-six, section twelve.” I frowned at Nero.
“No, there’s not.” His voice was a dark and dangerous caress.
I stole a peek at Nyx. A hint of magic crackled on her fingers. She’d promised to hit us with a cold shower if we didn’t stop flirting, and I didn’t doubt her for a second.
“So, Leila, you say. When did this happen?” I asked Jace quickly.
“During the gods’ recent challenges. We spent a lot of time together.”
“You’re not alone,” Harker told him. “Leila has been featured on the front of the Legion of Angels calendar more often than any other angel.”
Jace’s face turned red.
“Wait, there’s a Legion of Angels calendar? How can I not know about this?” I asked.
“I’m sure the editor will approach you to model for it soon,” Harker said.
I grinned at Nero. “Maybe we can share a spread.”
His brow cocked upward at me.
I looked hastily at Nyx. “I meant a photo spread. Not any other form of…spreading.”
Beside me, Harker’s shoulders were shaking. “You’re digging yourself deeper into that hole, Leda.”
“Thank you for your helpful advice.”
He shrugged off my sarcasm. “You’re welcome.”
“You’re sitting between me and Nero, smartypants. If Nyx casts a freezing cold shower over us, who do you think will get hit the hardest?”
The humor drained from his face. “Being your friend is rife with hazards.”
“But it’s worth it?”
“Every moment of it.” Harker told Jace, “You’re not the only one who’s ever been enamored with Leila. When she took me on as her apprentice, I have to admit I found myself appreciating her in utterly inappropriate ways.”
My grin grew wider. “You know, I’m starting to wish I’d invited Leila along to this meeting.”
Harker laughed, but Jace looked considerably less merry.
“You both do realize that Leila likes women, right?” I told Jace and Harker.
“Yeah, that hit me hard when I found out.”
“I already knew. The knowledge didn’t help me,” Jace sighed.
“Leila is dating Basanti. I wouldn’t share your appreciation of Leila with her,” I advised Jace.
“Indeed,” Nero agreed. “Basanti hits hard.”
“I am not sharing it with anyone,” Jace said, his voice rocky. “No one is going to share it. It’s completely embarrassing.”
“Are you in the habit of desiring unattainable women?” Damiel asked Jace casually.
Jace blinked. “Sorry?”
“First Leda, then Leila. There seems to be a pattern with the objects of your affection.”
“I was never the object of Jace’s affection,” I told Damiel. “We’ve already cleared that up. Or did you nap through that part, old man?”
“I’m glad Nero is marrying you, Leda,” Damiel laughed. “I want grandchildren with a lot of spunk.”
At the thought of children, of bringing them into this dangerous world, my body grew colder than Nyx’s promised icy shower. I could barely protect myself from the horrors and monsters that lurked around us. How could I hope to protect a child? My pulse pounded beneath my skin, like a metal hammer against a sheet of ice.
Nero shot Damiel a look laden with threat. “Stop annoying Leda, or I’ll hang you from the ceiling at our wedding like a piñata and let all the guests take a swing at you.”
Damiel laughed. He actually looked proud of his son for threatening him. Or was he proud at Nero for standing up for me?
“Your turn, Daddy,” I said to Damiel.
One brow lifted, the other dipped. “Daddy?” He seemed amused by the title.
“Well, you’re going to be my father-in-law. And as crazy as you are, I think I’m actually in less danger from you than from my own father.”
“You’re not wrong about that.” A small smile touched his lips. “All right. I’ll play. My biggest secret is already out: I’m alive.” He glanced at Nero, declaring, “And I’m not the only one. Cadence is alive too.”
Nyx dropped her fork. Ronan grew very still. So, they hadn’t known.
“Cadence and I planned it all, down to every detail,” Damiel continued. “I would stage my death and hers. And then we would meet up later. We never did. The Guardians got to her first. They took her, and I have spent every waking moment since then trying to find my way back to her.”
Silence filled the room.
Ronan finally broke it. “The Guardians have Cadence Lightbringer?”
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Impatience tinted Damiel’s voice. He was usually in complete control of himself, but when it came to Cadence, all bets were off. “I tried to link to her, but the Guardians’ defenses are obscuring my spells, preventing me from telepathically connecting to her.” His jaw clenched.
“Nero, Damiel, and I have been working toward getting her back,” I said.
“We believe that if she gains the power of Ghost’s Whisper, the three of us together would have enough power to break through the Guardians’ defenses and find my mother,” said Nero.
“And my brother Zane,” I added. “That is the truth of why I joined the Legion. My brother, a ghost, was abducted.”
“And you thought if you could gain the power of telepathy, you would be able to take him back from the Guardians?” Nyx said.
“At the time, I didn’t know the Guardians had him. But, yes, that was my reason, the spark that sent me down this path. The event that brought me to Nero.” I looked around at the others seated at this table. “The event that eventually brought us all together. Here, where we are united, joined by the bonds of friendship, connected by a common purpose: a desire to protect, to be the true champions of the people, just as the Legion is supposed to be. The Legion has lost its way over the years, but we have the chance now to make it all right. To be not only the champions of Earth, but of all worlds. To be the ones who protect those who cannot protect themselves. To be the champions who hold off the monsters, demons, and even gods who threaten the people. But we can only succeed if we work together.”
Their eyes were all locked on me, as though hanging on my every word.
“She is good,” Nyx commented to Ronan. “Did you feel the siren magic reverberating from every syllable, drawing us in?”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “Her magic sings even better than Faris’s. Or at least it will once she smooths out the rough edges.”
“You know, part of this whole unity thing is not talking about your friends as though they are not there,” I told them.
“Sorry,” Nyx replied, and she actually looked like she meant it.
“Old habits die hard,” said Ronan.
I’d never seen either of them so contrite before. It was definitely a step in the right direction, and it made me glad that I’d shared my secret about Zane. I needed allies. I meant what I’d said. I could not do this alone. I needed help to save Zane.
And Zane really did need saving. I could feel it. He was in danger. Maybe he didn’t realize it just yet, but I did. I could almost see the dark storm cloud closing in on him.
None of us could do all of this alone. We needed one another. Together we were stronger than any other force in all the worlds. I only hoped it would be enough to face the many challenges that lay ahead.
25
Duty and Sacrifice
Today was running a little
backwards. After breakfast, we all went to our rooms to sleep. Not that I could sleep. After an hour of tossing and turning in my bed, I finally admitted defeat and went for a walk through the corridors to clear my head.
The odd thing was all the corridors were completely abandoned. At this hour, they should have been bustling with activity. Jace must have cleared out everyone in this wing of the New Orleans office. I bet Nyx was behind that. Maybe she thought the ward she and Ronan had cast around me would spontaneously burst at the first sign of other people. Or maybe she was more worried about my tongue than about my magic; she’d always said I was a bad influence on others.
Speaking of Nyx, voices drew me in as I passed the First Angel’s study. Every Legion office had a room reserved for her.
“I’m not interested in hearing more excuses, Ronan,” Nyx said, her voice sharp and impatient.
Ronan was in there too?
“Ignoring this won’t make it go away,” he said.
“If I listen, then will you go away?”
“No, I won’t. I left you once before, I chose the other gods over the only person I have ever loved. And because of that, I lost you for over a hundred years. I won’t make that mistake again. It is the biggest regret of my immortal life,” he said. “But I refuse to believe it was wrong to try to protect you from being hurt.” His voice rang with conviction. “That was not a mistake. It wasn’t a decision made out of fear but out of love.”
Nyx said nothing.
“I know you, Nyx,” said Ronan. “I know your dedication to duty, even at your own expense. If I’d told you about Leon, you would have interrogated him, and that would have hurt you. I chose to spare you that pain.”
“How magnanimous of you.” Her voice snapped with bitter sarcasm. “You don’t make decisions for me, Ronan.”
“No, you don’t make decisions for you. You make them for the greater good, never taking your own happiness into account. You need to look out for yourself now and again.”
“That is an outrageous statement coming from a god, particularly one who sits on the gods’ council. Particularly, the Lord of the Legion. You designed the Legion of Angels, Ronan. It was you who made it all about duty and personal sacrifice.”
