He was a real beefcakeif human females could be believedand was the epitome of fun.
Olivia would probably like him.
Why did Aeron suddenly want to bash the mans face into the wall, ruining those pretty looks? Something hed never wanted to do before, despite Wraths intense need to punish the man, breaking his heart into hundreds of pieces the way hed done to hundreds of women. Only, Wrath wanted Aeron to use a blade.
Aeron had always resisted because he liked William, who may not be a true Lord, but who could be counted on during battle. The man had no limitations when it came to killing.
Without Legion, youre looking for a fight. Thats all. Yes. Clearly he was on edge.
Thank you, Torin, for the warning about William, he said, hoping he sounded properly wry. Though Olivia wont be here long enough to be charmed by anyone.
Im sure William would tell you he only needs a few seconds.
Do not react. Although, if William showed up, Aeron could accidentally lose control of Wrath, allowing the demon to finally have a go at the immortal.
Wrath purred his approval.
Oh, hey, Torin said, claiming his attention. Switching the topic from one sex addict to another, Paris wanted me to tell you that Lucien flashed him into town to find a woman. Lucien planned on leaving him there, so he wont be back until morning.
Good. His relief had nothing to do with Paris being far away from Olivia. Did Lucien see any sign of Hunters while he was out there?
Nope. Not on the hill and not in Buda.
Good, Aeron repeated, kicking back into motion. From one corner to the other he paced. Was there any sign of the dark-haired woman?
No, but Paris promised to continue looking for her. Once he regained his strength, of course. And speaking of lost strength, Paris mentioned that the angel is injured. Do you want me to have someone fetch a doctor?
Fetch meant abduct in this household. No. Shell heal on her own. Theyd been on the lookout for a doctor to permanently employ for some time, but theyd had no luck. Now time was of the essence, since Ashlyn was pregnant. But no one knew if the baby would be mortal or demon, so they had to be careful whom they chose.
Hunters, as theyd recently learned, had been breeding immortals with mortals for years, spawning halfling children in the hopes of creating an unstoppable army. The demon of Violences baby would be a prize among prizes, someone every Hunter would love to use. And in the hands of the wrong doctor, the Lords secrets would be anything but safe.
Torin shook his head in sympathy, as if Aeron were too dim-witted to think things through properly. You sure shell heal? She was kicked out of the heavens.
We were kicked out of the heavens, yet we heal as fast as ever. We even regenerate limbs. Which Gideon, keeper of the demon of Lies, was now in the process of doing. The warrior had been captured during their last battle with Hunters and tortured for informationinformation he had not given. In retaliation, the Hunters had removed both of his hands.
Gideon was still bedbound and a major pain in everyones ass.
Good point, Torin said.
A womans scream suddenly burst from Aerons bedroom.
He stopped pacing, and Torin straightened. By the time the second scream sounded, both were running for the room, though Torin kept a good distance between them. Aeron threw open the door, the first inside.
Olivia was on the bed, still lying on her stomach but now thrashing. Her eyes were closed, and despite the shadows her lashes cast, he could see that bruises now branched under them. That dark hair was in tangles around her trembling shoulders.
Her robe had obviously cleaned itself, most of the blood gone. Yet there were two new stains where her wings should have already begun to grow back, both bright crimson and wet.
THE DEMONS were tugging on her.
Olivia could feel their claws digging into her skin, cutting, stinging. She could feel the sticky slime on their scales and the burn of their putrid breath. She could hear the glee in their laughter and wanted to vomit.
Lookie what I found, one of them cackled.
A pretty angel, fallen right into our arms, another chortled.
Plumes of sulfur and rot thickened the air, and the stench was sucked into her nostrils as she tried to catch her breath. Shed just fallen, the clouds opening up under her feet, sending her tumbling from the heavens, downdown, no end in sight, flailing for something, anything to catch and stop herselfand when the end had finally appeared, the ground had opened up, too, the flames of hell swallowing her whole.
A warrior angel, at that. She has wings with gold.
Not anymore.
The tugging became harder, more violent. She kicked and hit and bit, trying to fight her way free to run and hide, but there were too many demons around her, the jagged, rocky landscape behind them unfamiliar to her, so her efforts elicited no results. The tendons anchoring her wings in place began to tear; the scalding pain spread, consuming her until every thought in her head revolved around the easiest way to stop it: dying.
Please. Let me die.
Stars winked over her eyes, suddenly the only thing she could see. Everything else had gone black. But black was good, black was welcome. Still, on and on the laughter and tugging continued. Dizziness soon flooded her, and nausea began churning in her stomach.
Why wasnt she dead? Then one of her wings ripped free completely and she screamed, that scalding pain morphing into what she now knew was true agony. Not even death could end this kind of suffering. No, this would follow her into the afterlife.
The other wing quickly followed, and she screamed again and again and again. Claws continued to scrape at her clothing, damaging more of her skin and sinking inside the fresh wounds on her back. Finally, she did vomit, emptying her stomach of the heavenly fruits shed consumed just that morning.
Not so pretty now, are you, warrior?
Hands squeezed at her, touching her in places no one had ever touched her before. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she lay there, helpless. This was it. The end. Finally. Except, one thought glimmered in that sea of black: shed given up her beautiful life, only to die in hell without ever knowing joy, without spending time with Aeron. No. No!
You are stronger than this. Fight! Yes, yes. She was stronger than this. She would fight. She would
Olivia.
The hard, familiar voice swept through her mind, momentarily blocking the hated images, the pain and the sorrow. The determination.
Olivia. Wake up.
A nightmare, she thought, with a small hint of relief. Only a nightmare. Humans often had them. But she knew the assault had been much more to her. A memory, a replay of her time in hell.
She still thrashed atop the bed, she realized, her back even now aflame, the rest of her bruised and knotted. Forcing herself to cease, she pried her eyelids apart. She was panting, chest swiftly lifting and falling against the mattress, air burning her nose and throat as if she were inhaling acid. Sweat dripped from her, soaking her robe to her skin. That blessed numbness shed experienced earlier was completely obliterated; she felt everything.
Death might have been preferable, after all.
Once more Aeron was crouched beside the bed and peering over at her. A malethe one named Torin, she recalledstood beside him and watched her through haunted green eyes.
Demon, Olivia thought. Torin was a demon. Just like the others. The ones who had ripped out her wings. The ones who had touched her and taunted her.
A piercing scream coiled from her raw throat. She wanted Aeron, only Aeron; she didnt trust anyone else. Didnt want anyone else even looking at her right now. Especially a demon. That Aeron himself was possessed by Wrath had no bearing on the situation. To her, Aeron was simply Aeron. But all she could think about when she looked at Torin was how scaled hands had pinched her nipples and sunk between her legs. How those hands would have done far more if she hadnt begun fighting.
Fight. Yes. She kicked out her leg, but the foolish limb flopped uselessly, the muscles too tense to work properly. Helpless. Again. A sob joined her scream, both choking from her as she then tried to scramble from the bed and throw herself into Aerons arms. But once more, her feeble body refused to cooperate.
Make him leave, make him leave, make him leave, she shouted, burying her face in the pillow. Even looking at the newcomer was painful to her. She might know Torin on sight, but she didnt know him the way she knew Aeron. Didnt crave him the way she craved Aeron.
Aeron, who could make everything better, as he did for his friend Paris every night. Aeron, who could protect her as he did his little Legion. Aeron, who was so fierce he had scared her nightmares away.
Strong hands settled on her shoulders and held her down to stop her renewed thrashing. Shh. Shh now. You have to calm down before you injure yourself further.
Whats going on? Torin asked. What can I do to help?
No. No, no, no. The demon was still here. Make him leave! You have to make him leave. Now. Right now.
Im not going to hurt you, angel, Torin said gently. Im here to
Hysteria was bubbling up inside her, about to consume her and sweep her under. Make him leave. Please, Aeron, make him leave. Please.
Aeron growled low in his throat. Torin, damn it. Get the hell out of here. Shes not going to calm down until you do.
There was a heavy sigh, sadness in the undertones, then blessedly, footsteps sounded.
Wait, Aeron called, and Olivia wanted to scream. Did Lucien flash to the States as planned the other day and purchase Tylenol for the women?
As far as I know, yes, Torin replied.
They were conversing? Now? Make him leave! Olivia shouted.
Bring me some, Aeron said, talking over her.
The door creaked open. Finally, the demon was leavingbut he would return with human medicine. Olivia whimpered. She couldnt go through this again. Would probably die from fear alone.
Just throw it inside the room, Aeron added, as though sensing her thoughts.
Thank you, sweet merciful Deity in heaven. As Olivia slumped onto the mattress, the door clicked shut.
Hes gone, Aeron said softly. Its just you and me now.
She was trembling so violently, the entire bed shook. Dont leave me. Please, dont leave me. The plea proved just how weak she currently was, but she didnt care. She needed him.
Aeron smoothed the sweat-damp hair from her temples, his touch as soft as his voice. This couldnt be her Aeron, speaking to her so sweetly, caressing her so tenderly. The change in him was almost too vast to be believed. Why had he changed? Why was he treating her, a virtual stranger, as he usually only treated his friends?
You wanted me to hold you earlier, he said. Do you still wish it?
Yes. Oh, yes. Whatever the reason for the change, it didnt matter. He was here, and he was giving her what shed desired for so long.
Very slowly, he eased beside her, careful not to jostle her. When he was stretched out, she inched forward until her head was resting in the groove of his strong, hot shoulder. The action lanced more of that debilitating pain through her, but being this close to him, finally touching him, was worth it. This was why shed come here.
He wrapped one arm around her lower back, still so careful of her wounds, and his warm breath trekked down her forehead. Why arent you healing, Olivia?
She loved when he uttered her name. Like a prayer and a plea, wrapped in the same pretty package. I told you. I fell. Im fully human now.
Fully human, he said, stiffening. No, you didnt tell me that. I could have brought you medicine sooner.
There was guilt in his tone. Guilt and dread. The dread she didnt understand, but was too wrung out to question. And then she forgot all about it. In the center of the room, an amber light sparked. That light grewand grewbrightening so much she had to squint.
A body took shape. A big, muscled body draped in a white robe very similar to hers. Pale hair appeared next, waving to thick shoulders. She saw eyes like liquid onyx and pale skin with the slightest dusting of gilt. Last to fill her gaze were wings of pure, shimmering gold.
She wanted to wave but could only manage a faint grin. Sweet Lysander, here to comfort her at last, even as a figment of her imagination. Im dreaming again. Only, I like this one.
Shh, shh, Aeron whispered to her. Im here.
As am I. Lysanders gaze swept his surroundings and his lips curled with distaste. Unfortunately, this is no dream. As always, he spoke true, his voice as filled with certainty as hers.
This was truly happening? But Im human now. I shouldnt be able to see you. Actually, seeing him was now against the rules. Unless her Deity thought to reward her? Given that shed just turned her back on her heritage, that hardly seemed likely.
Now he peered straight into her eyesstraight, it seemed, into her soul. I petitioned the Council on your behalf. Theyve agreed to give you one more chance. And so, right now, a part of you is still angelic and will remain so for the next fourteen days. Fourteen days in which you may change your mind and reclaim your rightful place.
Like a bolt of lightning, shock lanced through her, burning and sizzling. I dont understand. No fallen angel had ever been given a second chance before.
Nothing to understand, Aeron said, still trying to soothe her. Ive got you.
I am of the Seven, Olivia. I wanted fourteen days for you, and so you were given fourteen days. To live here, toenjoy. And then, to return. Lysanders affronted tone proclaimed his status should explain everything.
It did not, but still the hope in his voice saddened her. The only thing she regretted about her choice was hurting this amazing warrior. He loved her, desired only the best for her.
Im sorry, but I wont change my mind.
He appeared thunderstruck. Even when the immortal is taken from you?
She barely managed to stop her horrified cry. Im not ready to lose him. But weak as she was, there was nothing she could do to save him, and she knew it. Is that why youre