by Zandria West
‘So how are we getting back up?’ I ask, hoping they’ll both focus on the pressing task that faces us. I don’t like the look of that ladder.
‘We’re not,’ Reuben growls. ‘We’re going to have to swim.’
I swallow and peer over the ledge to the pale green water a long, long way below.
‘Um, are you sure we can swim in that?’
‘There’s no choice. Unless Grayson wants to sprout wings again.’
I look hopefully across at Grayson and see a look of such bleak despair pass over his features that my heart chills.
‘I can’t. I think… I fear He has taken them from me.’
‘What? Why?’ I say.
‘I was cast out, Lana. Sent by my God from the angelic realm to the world of demons. I was commanded, among other things, to never use my angelic powers if I wished to return at the end of my exile.’
The slow realisation of what that means sinks in and my stomach turns. ‘But you used them to get me out,’ I say.
‘And now they’re gone.’ His eyes are dark. ‘It doesn’t matter, though. I was always bound to fail, it was only ever a matter of when.’ His voice is bitter and hard.
I squeeze Grayson’s hand tighter.
‘You took my pain still. Your powers can’t be all gone…’
He frowns thoughtfully. ‘That’s true. I believe it is something to do with the magic of the bond between us…’
I wish I had his gift. I wish I could take away the pain that I see now in his eyes, which goes so much deeper than the physical discomfort he took from me.
‘So, no wings,’ Reuben says. ‘Can you swim, Lana?’
I try to bring myself back to the present. ‘I’m not fast. I should be able to stay afloat though.’
The lake below us gives me an anxious, uncomfortable feeling. There’s something about it I really don’t like.
‘The cold will be the worst,’ Grayson says, looking across at me with an intense stare. ‘It will make your muscles seize up, your heart race, your lungs burn…’
‘Gabriel and Alex are circling around from the top. They’ll meet us with the car.’
Reuben edges towards us along the ledge. He seems… different to last time I saw him, like the days we’ve been apart have battered and worn him. His eyes are dark-rimmed and his beard has grown, and he looks wary, like he’s expecting the worst at any moment.
‘We stay either side of her,’ he says to Grayson, who nods.
A moment later he’s right beside me. It’s too awkward to actually hug, though all I want to do is fall into his arms, but I squeeze his shoulder and breathe in his scent and smile through the huge lump in my throat.
‘I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again,’ I whisper.
‘Always,’ he says gruffly. ‘I will always be here for you. No matter what.’
‘Is Briony okay?’ I ask.
He looks away. ‘I don’t know. I had to get to you. But I’m sure she’s fine now. She’s with her mother.’
I can see how much it hurts him to have left her behind and my heart aches.
‘Let’s get off this goddamn ledge and then you can do your reunions,’ Grayson says. ‘Are you ready?’
I look down. The height makes me dizzy. It looks like a clear drop into the water, but what if it’s not? What if there are rocks we can’t see, or it’s really shallow? We’ll be killed jumping from this height… Just as I start to panic, Reuben leans closer to me.
‘It’s okay. The excavation was deep. It’ll be fine, Lana. I promise.’
I nod my head, unable to say anything for the fear that’s rushing through me.
‘On the count of three,’ Reuben takes hold of my hand and squeezes it. Grayson has my other hand. I’m ready. I can do this.
‘One… Two…’
16
LANA
It’s like hitting a brick wall. The impact with the surface of the water slaps all the air from me and the chill snap-freezes my lungs and bones and muscles. Icy water closes over my head and I start to panic.
Grayson and Reuben were beside me when we jumped, but I lost hold of their hands. I thrash wildly, not even sure which way is up and which way is down. My lungs are starting to burn. I need to breathe. Fear ripens in me, filling my stomach, hammering through my heart. A moment later I break the surface of the lake.
‘I’ve got her –’ Reuben calls. His arms wrap around me, supporting me. ‘Don’t struggle,’ he says. ‘Just let me hold you…’
I try to relax, to stop fighting. The last thing I want is to drag us both down under the water. I should be swimming, but the truth is I’m exhausted. Every last spark of energy has left my body. My arms and legs feel like lead and my head feels like it’s stuffed with cold, wet cotton wool.
We make slow, painful progress across the icy cold lake. Grayson swims beside us, I sense his presence even when I can’t see him. The cold is making me ache and shiver, my teeth chattering, my feet alternating between shooting pain and dull numbness. I’m too tired and my mind can’t make sense of anything anymore. But I’m here. I’m alive. I’m free. I close my eyes and let myself drift.
I have no sense of time but eventually I hear other voices I recognise, and they spark warmth into me. I stir and open my eyes as I’m dragged ashore.
‘What the hell happened?’
It’s Alex. He sounds angry. I don’t want Alex to be angry.
I open my eyes and see him and when he looks at me, he lets out a sound like a sob. ‘I thought you were gone,’ he falls to his knees beside me and wraps his arms around me in a tight embrace. I look up and see the dark figure of Gabriel against the sky, watching us with a worried, drawn expression.
‘I missed you,’ I say into Alex’s neck but not just to him; to all of them.
He lifts me up, and Gabriel takes off his long cloak and wraps it around me. I realise how cold I am – I’m shivering, almost numb from being in the water for so long…
‘We couldn’t find you,’ Reuben says. ‘I lost hold of your hand when we jumped, then we surfaced and you didn’t. We couldn’t find you.’
Alex holds me tighter but I can’t stop shivering.
‘You did though,’ I say. ‘You saved me.’ I look up and try to give Reuben a reassuring smile but my teeth are chattering so hard that it’s more of a grimace.
‘Enough talk,’ Grayson says. ‘Lana’s exhausted and freezing and we don’t know if she’s hurt. You need to get her somewhere warm where she can rest. Now.’
‘Hang on - where’s Lawrence?’ I look to Reuben questioningly. ‘Did you get him out?’
‘Damn!’ He glances around. ‘I told him to wait here. Just give me a minute…’
He crouches and studies the ground near the car then rises and paces quickly, sniffing the air, for a little distance. He turns back to us. ‘He’s run into the forest.’
Dense, dark forest looms not far from the road, stretching to the mountain ranges beyond.
To think of Lawrence alone in that wilderness horrifies me. ‘We have to find him! He’s only a kid --’ I protest.
‘He’s Grey Pack. The forest is his home. He’ll find his way back to the Pack,’ Reuben growls, though he doesn’t look happy about it.
‘It’s not too far from here to the eastern border of the Grey Pack’s territory. He’ll be safe enough,’ Gabriel reassures me.
Alex stands and lifts me in his arms as easily as if I were a child. He starts to move towards the car with Reuben by his side. Gabriel follows.
‘Wait!’ I call out. Grayson is just standing there, watching us leave. ‘Grayson? Are you coming?’
‘I…’ He looks down, his face shadowed, and for a moment nobody says anything. The silence is like fingernails on a blackboard level of uncomfortable. I look around, and the expressions on the faces of each of the men tells a story of anger and distrust.
‘What the hell?’ I splutter. ‘You said we needed him. You said we had to find him. Well, I found him. Here he
is. Let’s go.’
‘Did you torture Lana?’ Reuben growls low in his throat. ‘That’s what I heard. That you were the prison torturer.’
Grayson looks at the ground. ‘I did. And I was,’ he says, his voice flat.
The growl in Reuben’s throat grows louder.
‘It’s not like you think it is,’ I say. The last thing I want is to see my men fighting. ‘He took my pain away. I think that’s the whole reason he was there. It was the only way possible to protect me. He took my pain. And he got me out of the prison. When Garenda attacked me, he fucking flew.’
‘Garenda attacked you?’ Gabriel says, his brows narrowing in consternation. ‘You didn’t mention her involvement.’
‘There hasn’t been much time to talk yet, Gabe,’ I say, holding his eye. ‘There’s a lot you don’t know. But if it wasn’t for Grayson, I wouldn’t be here, so whatever issue you all have, get over it and let’s get out of here. Please.’ A sudden shiver moves through me. Alex holds me tighter, buries his face in my hair.
‘Of course, Lana, I’m sorry,’ Gabriel says wincing. ‘Grayson, you’re in the back with Reuben and Lana. Everybody, let’s go.’
Expressions haven’t softened much but there’s no arguing at least, and no outright violence, though I feel its possibility singing in the air.
Alex carries me up a small trail towards where the car is parked. The sky is reddening to dusk. I look back, and meet Grayson’s eyes, and he looks at me with such naked longing that I shiver again, for a whole different reason, remembering the feeling of him inside me.
‘Whoa, what was that?’ Alex murmurs in my ear.
Shit. Of course. I can’t hide anything from him.
‘I had to complete the binding, as you well know,’ Grayson says evenly.
Alex doesn’t say anything, but I can see the muscles of his jaw working. Grayson’s words bruise me. Is that what it was? He fucked me because he needed to complete the binding? Not because he wanted me, not because he felt any connection to me?
I feel like an idiot for imagining it was something more.
‘You’re tired, angel, you should rest,’ Alex says gently, as Reuben opens the door of the car. Alex lowers me to standing and puts his hands on my shoulders. ‘You’re here. You’re safe. Nothing else matters right now,’ he says, then leans in. I fall into his kiss, which is warm and soft and gentle. He kisses me like he’s scared I’m going to break.
‘We need to move, Alex,’ Reuben says.
I climb into the back seat, Grayson on one side of me and Reuben on the other. Gabriel sits in the front and Alex drives, of course. Reuben takes wraps a warm, protective arm around my shoulders and I lean into his broad, familiar chest.
‘You’re home Lana,’ he says.
My eyes fill with tears and my throat gets such a lump in it I don’t even think I can swallow. I have no idea where I am, or where I’m going, or what I’m going to do next. I know once I start to think about it, I’ll be overwhelmed by exhaustion and fear. But regardless of all that, Reuben’s right.
I’m back, safe, with my men.
I’m home.
17
LANA
I hear their voices through the heavy haze of exhaustion-induced sleep.
‘We need to re-think…’
That’s Alex.
‘But where can we take her? With the entire demon guard hunting for her? They know she’s the key and they know she got away…’
That’s Grayson.
‘Back across the Barrier to the human realm,’ Gabriel says, his voice bristling with authority.
I stir and open my eyes.
Reuben is watching me. He’s not engaging in the conversation with the others, he’s just sitting watching me. His face creases with a smile as our eyes meet. ‘She’s awake,’ he calls softly.
‘We need to restore the Barrier as soon as we can,’ Alex says. ‘It’s the only way we’ll keep her safe. Then, once she’s back in the human realm, they won’t be able to touch her.’
‘The human realm?’ I say, sitting up awkwardly. ‘What about you? Will you all be there too?’
‘Let’s not get too far ahead. One thing at a time, cub. First thing, we take you to meet your mother,’ Reuben says, reaching forward and stroking a stray strand of my hair, tucking it behind my ear.
I’d almost forgotten. Endless days of trekking through the forests are still ahead of us. I feel exhausted just at the thought – I honestly don’t know if I can do it. But I know we need to move and move fast. We should leave immediately.
‘They know about my mother,’ I say in a low, desperate voice. ‘Garenda cast some kind of spell on me and I told them everything. They know where she is. They’ve sent people to find her and kill her. We have to hurry.’
‘It’s alright, Lana,’ Gabriel says.
I shake my head. He doesn’t understand. ‘No, I told them everything. I told them who she is. I told them where to find her. They know she’s going to help me access my powers…’
‘Lana, it’s alright. I’ve made contact with your mother. By the time they get to where they expect to find her, she’ll be long gone.’
‘What?’ I say, my mind suddenly blank.
‘Do you think demons are the only ones with contacts in the human realm? Do you forget that I have lived there, on and off, for centuries?’
Relief floods through me.
‘When we were trying to keep your existence hidden, a silent passage through the mountains made sense. But things have changed now. We need to move quickly. We’re crossing over in the centre of the city and heading straight to the airport. It’s cost me, but I’ve called in some favours. We’ve got a plane ticket booked, departing tonight. I’ve made arrangements to meet your mother at a convent in the mountains near San Luis. All going well, she should be joining us there in a few days’ time.’
‘A fucking convent? And when were you going to share this information with the rest of us, Gabe?’ Alex sounds pissed but to be honest, all I heard were plane flight and that my mother is safe. I can live with that.
‘Alex,’ I say. ‘This is a good plan. I like this plan.’
‘I’m sorry, angel. I just… I’m tired and I’ve been so worried, we all have. I guess it’s making my temper short. At least I didn’t kill anyone, unlike some…’ Alex makes eye contact with Reuben in the rear vision mirror who shifts uncomfortably beside me.
‘What? What are you talking about? Who did you kill, Reuben?’
Reuben’s expression hardens and he turns away and looks out the window. I let out an exasperated sigh.
‘You may as well tell her,’ Alex says.
‘I found an off-duty prison guard, and I interrogated him. He told me about Grayson. When I thought of you in the prison, I couldn’t let him live.’
Reuben killed someone? For me?
I’m pretty sure I should feel something about this – regret, responsibility, at least some level of inner conflict. But the truth is, I don’t. After what I was put through, I don’t care. It’s not even that I want revenge, I simply don’t care. Reuben did what he needed to do. That’s enough.
‘Okay,’ I say quietly. My exhaustion must show through in my voice because I see Alex soften at my words.
‘Tell me where to drive, Gabe,’ he says, not breaking eye contact with me.
‘We’re going to need to cross in the centre of the city, and then we’ll head straight out onto the highway for the airport. We’ll be on a plane and far away before they even know we’re through.’
‘And you’re all coming? I’m not going anywhere without all four of you,’ I say, warily. I’m not leaving anyone behind. Not after I only just found them all.
‘Absolutely,’ Alex answers. ‘I can promise you, Lana, there’s no way any of us are letting you out of our sight after what we’ve been through.’
I frown, thinking about the risks that they’ll face in the human world. ‘How will you be able to get on a plane though? There’l
l be security checks. Won’t they know you’re… from across the Barrier?’
‘We’ll all have fake passports waiting for us,’ Gabriel assures me. ‘As long as you have the paperwork, there’s generally no problem. I’ve travelled like that many times before. I’m sure we’ll be fine.’
I look down at myself. I’m still wearing demon prison clothing and I’m soaked from the dip in the lake, and stained with blood from, well, something that happened in the past twelve hours. Grayson looks like he’s walked out of an exploding building, which is actually almost true except he didn’t walk he fucking flew. His clothes are tattered and burned. None of the others appear to have changed or showered in days, probably not since I was taken by the guards. Our combined stench would probably be classed as a biological hazard.
‘We might need to have a shower before they let us on a plane,’ I say.
Gabriel smiles, a rare and brilliant smile. ‘I’ve made arrangements for that too. There’s a small hotel near the airport. I’ve known the owner for years. We have a room there for a few hours, so we can clean ourselves up. There will be clothes there waiting for us that are more suited to travel than what we’re currently wearing.’
I close my eyes and let out a long breath.
A hot shower.
Clean clothes.
A few hours in a hotel room with all my men, knowing that my mother is safe.
That all sounds like heaven about now.
18
GABRIEL
‘Gabriel, it is good to see you friend.’
I reach across and shake Benedict’s large, muscular hand. ‘Thank you as always for your hospitality,’ I say. I feel the shimmer of his magic move through my arm as our palms touch.
‘Just a precaution, you understand?’ he says as he holds for a moment longer, then nods and lets go.
Benedict might be welcoming, but he doesn’t willingly invite trouble into his small establishment. All weapons, magical or otherwise, must be left in the safe behind the front counter.
Reuben grumbles as he unstraps knife after knife, and deposits them in the safe box, scowling at me. Grayson carries a single, slim blade that he hands over without a moment of hesitation. Alex and I are unarmed.
