Chapter Twenty-Two

Uriel

“What are you thinking about?” She lay on top of me with her head at the crook of my shoulder, my wings flat against the mattress, the coverlet pulled up to her waist.

I’d been stroking figure eights on her naked back absentmindedly after our third time making love. She’d dozed off, and it was now nearly morning. I hadn’t slept at all, just basking in the sheer bliss of having her near me—warm and safe and mine.

“Icarus,” I answered.

She laughed, wrapping her arm farther around my waist. “After last night, that’s what you’re thinking about? Greek mythology?”

I trailed my fingertips up to her shoulders, tracing the sweet slope. “I was thinking that I’ve flown too close to the sun. And now the heavens are going to punish me for it.”

She lifted up onto her elbow to look down at me.

I brushed my fingers through her silken hair, this shade of deep midnight coloring her irises almost violet. Especially in the gray light of early morning.

“I want what Icarus wanted,” I continued as she watched me, her expression soft. And sad. “I want the impossible dream.” I slid my fingers into her hairline, stroking my thumb along her lovely cheekbone. “I want you. And I’m willing to burn my wings and fall to my death to have you.”

“Uriel,” she said so seriously. “I’m not an impossible dream.”

I lifted up and flipped her onto her back on top of my right wing, her head resting on my forearm. I’d had to convince her that my wings weren’t delicate in the least and could take her rolling around to her heart’s content. At the most, I’d lose a feather or two. That had made her smile the most radiant of smiles and want to sleep on top of them, just to gather a few of my feathers. If I’d known it would make her that happy, I’d have plucked out a dozen and handed her a bouquet of them the first day I walked into her cottage.

“I think you are.” I traced a finger down her jaw, along the center of her throat, and then along her delicate clavicle. “I’ve never known this kind of happiness. It must come with a cost. I’m sure I’ll pay for it.”

“Is that how it always is in your world? Everything comes with a cost?”

“Yes.”

She heaved out a sigh as I traced a finger straight down between her breasts then circled back up to her clavicle.

“Well, I think that’s bullshit.”

I stopped, letting my palm rest just below her neck. “What was that?”

“You heard me. It’s bullshit.”

“Why does that sound so pretty coming from your mouth?”

She let out a little laugh but wasn’t swayed. “Just because you’re so used to the scales being balanced—angels and demons, good and evil, sin and redemption—it doesn’t mean you’ll be punished for finding happiness. Besides, we’ve been punished enough. We deserve a little joy.”

I didn’t believe her. I stared into her far-too-giving eyes.

“How do you do that?” I asked.

“Do what?”

“After all you’ve seen. After all that’s happened to you, you still look at the world with such, such…goodness.”

She cocked her head, a tender smile tilting her mouth up on one side.

“My life won’t be ruled by the evil of others.” She trailed her hand over my shoulder, up my neck to cup my jaw. “My life is mine. No one else’s. No matter what they’ve tried to do to me.” The smile slipped, her gaze dropping to my mouth. “And after what you did for me last night, I don’t even have to hide from my own reflection. You’ve…you’ve changed me.”

How? How could I want her so much? How could I crave her sweetness this much?

Lowering my mouth to hers, she spread her legs for me to settle between. It was like our bodies couldn’t stand being apart.

“What have I done?” I asked against her lips, brushing softly.

“You already know.”

“Tell me.”

She bit my bottom lip between her teeth, a swift nip before soothing with her tongue. “I came here to find peace afterward. I spent time expelling the poison he’d put inside me. In my life here, helping the villagers, giving what I could to heal and comfort others, I’d rid my soul of all the toxicity. I’d found…myself again. Do you know what I mean?”

I nodded, understanding completely what she meant. I’d done the same after Lisabette. I’d raged and purged the nightmare as best I could. But…then she went on.

“But there has always been a part of me that still felt that what happened had been my fault. That I deserved the shame he’d punched inside of me.”

Propped on my elbows, I cradled her head between both hands, listening, learning my story through her own.

“That no matter what I did, I’d always carry that stain. Then you.” Searing me with a look of completeness that sucked the breath right out of me, she went on softly, her other hand cupping my jaw. “I saw myself in you. I saw the scars behind your eyes. And I knew that,” she dragged her mouth over mine, “I knew that I wasn’t alone.”

I took her mouth, telling her she was indeed not alone, shifting my body and palming the back of her thigh so I could push inside her.

“You’ll never be alone, Nadya.” Pressing my forehead to hers, I cherished the little sounds she made as I pumped in and out on a slow, sweet glide. “Never.”

Wrapping her arms behind my neck, she pulled me closer, my face nuzzling into her throat. She rocked up with each deep thrust, her voice full of heartbreak and longing and lust.

“Never,” she repeated.

…

The next two days were a blur of beauty. Nadya laughing, lounging, crying out beneath me, whispering such sweetness as I came inside her again and again. Long walks in the snowy woods as I rebuilt my power and strength, ethereal energy filling me up with such swiftness I wondered how and why. Had the heavens known I was still their soldier and on a quest to do away with one of their most hated enemies? Or had Nadya’s love become a magnet, pulling all that was good in the world and arrowing it to my heart? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t care. As long as I had her by my side, I knew I could do anything. Including the seemingly impossible—kill Vladek.

I was trekking back to the house, having taken a deep route into the woods, the snow packed without a fresh fall in several days, when I sensed otherworlders nearing the cottage. Beating upward hard, I arrowed toward the cottage just over the tops of the trees, heart pounding that a threat was drawing near. I exhaled in relief when I came over the rooftop, cutting through the chimney smoke, to see our visitors. Nadya stood in the yard greeting Xander, Carowyn, and Maximus.

Maximus’s black wings made a stark contrast against the white snow. If a legion general was here, then something was up. I landed a few feet behind them, stirring up a flurry of flakes.

“There he is,” said Xander, the flint in his eyes belying the charming lilt of his voice. “The man of the hour.”

“Archangel,” I corrected, aiming my question at Maximus. “What’s happened?”

He wouldn’t be here for any other reason than military movements.

“I’m fine, Uriel. And how are you?”

“Let’s cut the niceties. Why are you here?”

“Why don’t you all come inside?” interjected Nadya, placing her hand on my arm.

Our three visitors noted her touch. Xander arched a brow at me. I arched mine back and laced my hand with hers to lead them into the cottage.

“Well now,” murmured Carowyn behind us.

Yes, the fact that I couldn’t stand anyone’s touch for so long, not even an accidental brush in passing, screamed volumes when I took her hand in mine. I didn’t care. The sooner the world knew Nadya was mine and I was hers, the better. It would keep her safer once word got out that she had an archangel protector.

We crowded into the small den of Nadya’s cottage. Deimos pounced onto the loose lace of my boot as soon as I propped myself near the mantel. I glanced down, not minding him, before fixing my attention on them again.

“Now. Why are you here?”

I liked Maximus, because he was efficient and honorable unlike some of the legion generals who had taken their armies on rogue hunts, destroying any and all life—including humans—in their quest to annihilate the demon hordes roaming the earth. Maximus had worked with us here in our territories on a number of occasions. He might be a stubborn ass, but he still got the job done. That, I could respect.

He sat on the edge of the sofa, his black wings tucked tightly in the close quarters. “I received a message for you this morning, but I didn’t know how to reach you.”

“A message from whom?” I asked.

“A skinny as fuck demon, practically a skeleton.”

“Gibbon,” said Nadya, looking at me.

I stiffened. “What was this message?”

“Apparently…” He crossed his arms, glancing down at Deimos who was now attacking Maximus’s boot laces. He made no move to shoo the kitten though he paused in confusion a second before going on. “You have been, how did he say it, ‘much admired in the demon fighting circuit’ and you’ve been given a request not to continue on to the final round in Romania.”

“What?” I jerked away from the mantel, standing straight. Deimos jumped and hissed.

Maximus raised his hand then said, “You’re bypassing the third round. You’ve been extended an invitation to go straight to the arena in Ivangorod.” His expression hardened. “Congratulations.”

“That’s not all,” said Carowyn. “I had a visit from Skaal. He couldn’t come here because he said he was being watched. He told me to tell you not to go. Vladek knows you’re with Nadya. He’ll take you prisoner as soon as you enter the arena and torture you to get to her.”

Xander had his arm propped along the sofa back behind Carowyn, his leg crossed at the ankle over his knee. “So George and all of us have another plan. One that won’t get you killed.”

“I know what his plan is,” I cut him off. “And that’s not how we’re going to do it.”

Xander lost his nonchalance, leaning forward and drilling me with a piercing look. “You’re not going in there alone.”

I exhaled on a deep sigh. If we did things George’s way then yes, we’d win the battle. However, we’d lose Vladek. One thing I’d discovered in my time at his castle and then at Lisabette’s palace was that he kept secret chambers that were unwarded so that he could sift out any time he wanted from within the castle. As soon as he saw the tides turning, he’d run.

“I’m not letting him get away,” I growled back.

“There’s another option,” said Nadya, her voice soft but sure.

All eyes swiveled to her. She sat up straight.

“If I went with you—”

“No,” I snapped before she could complete that awful fucking sentence.

“Listen to me.”

“No.”

“Uriel—”

“No.”

“Dude, let her speak,” huffed Carowyn.

“Why in the hell would you think that’s a good idea?” I turned on Nadya, hands low on my hips, wings partly open. A defensive stance.

She stood and walked to stand right in front of me, intimately close, placing her hands on my chest.

“Listen to me.”

Grinding my jaw till I was sure I tasted molar dust, I stared at her, willing her to take back and not even think whatever idea was flitting through her head. But I had to hear her out.

She clutched the material of my shirt, resting her hands there in a soft gesture as if she wasn’t contemplating suicide. And the murder of my heart and soul.

“Xander is right. He knows I’m with you. So, if you go in alone, he won’t even allow you to fight. This boon you think he’ll grant will never even happen because he’ll drag you into his dungeon and torture you until you give him my location.”

“I’d never tell him. I’d die first. And how is handing yourself over on a silver platter the better option?”

“Tell me. How badly do you want that boon? To fight him one-on-one because I know that’s what it is?”

I should’ve been shocked she’d known all along. She seemed to know me better than anyone. “You know how badly I want it.”

“Wait, what boon?” asked Xander.

Maximus cleared his throat. “If I were a gambling man, I’d say Uriel is counting on one-on-one combat.”

Xander snorted a laugh. “You’re joking, right? Vladek won’t do it. He won’t take a chance on being humiliated in front of his court. Much less take a chance on getting killed. He knows you’re equally matched.”

“Xander’s right,” said Carowyn. “He won’t agree to it.”

“Yes, he will,” said Nadya, her eyes all for me. “Because I’ll be there and I’ll tell him he has to, if he wants me back.”

“No, Nadya,” said Carowyn, standing next to the sofa. “You can’t sacrifice yourself like that.”

“I’m not.” She pressed close to me, her sweet face softening, looking at me with so much emotion my knees buckled. “Uriel will beat him. And that will be the end of it. Once and for all.”

Her staggering confidence in me punched steel into my spine, making me feel a hundred feet tall. All the same, my body vibrated with rage at the idea she was proposing.

“But how do you know he won’t just take you both prisoner there on the spot. It’s too dangerous,” added Maximus. “Let us go with George’s plan.”

“Trust me,” she said, letting go of my shirt and turning to face them before leaning back against my chest. “His ego won’t allow him to back down. I’ll imply he’s a coward if he doesn’t fight for me. I’ll say it publicly. He would never allow himself to look weak in front of his court. Or me. I know this.”

“You seem pretty sure of this.” Xander stood beside Carowyn.

“I know him better than any of you here. Trust me when I tell you that if I’m there, I can get him to fight Uriel. More importantly, he’ll be distracted by my presence enough that it may throw him off his game. He won’t expect it.”

Carowyn scoffed. “I’d say not.”

We all stood in silence. My heart hardened to a block of stone, collapsing into my stomach at the thought of her plan. Her plan that made perfect sense and would be the only shot we had at getting Vladek. For the first time, I doubted my goal, my endgame.

“Or you could stay here,” I whispered down to her. “We could do George’s plan and hope he stays and fights.”

She looked over her shoulder, her mouth inches from mine. “No, Uriel. You were right. He’ll get away.” She reached back behind her and took my hand, squeezing hard as she said in a low voice, “We will never be safe. He’ll always hunt us.”

I’d been planning this battle with my greatest enemy for a very long time. I didn’t know how inconsequential it would become in the face of putting her in danger. But she was right. He’d keep coming and keep hunting. Eventually, when we had finally let our guard down, he’d find the right angel or demon to torture and catch us unaware. As much as I’d rather burn in the deepest bowels of hell than bring her back to Ivangorod, the idea that he could snatch her away from me and take her where I could never find her had my body quaking in unfathomable fear. The only way to defeat him was to be on the offensive and throw him a surprise he wasn’t expecting. Like placing the object of his desire right in front of him in his own lair.

Wrapping my arm around the top of her chest till my fingers gripped her opposite shoulder, I pressed my forehead to the top of her head and mumbled, “We’ll do Nadya’s plan.”

I couldn’t look at them, couldn’t see the possibility of failure or doubt in their eyes. The sounds of feet shuffling as they made their way to the door was all the response I got.

“Meet us at George’s place tomorrow. Thornton Hall,” said Xander.

Once they’d pulled the door closed behind them, I remained where I was, battling with the sensation of sinking into quicksand at what I’d just agreed to. Nadya pulled away, tightening her grip on my hand and pulling me with her.

“Come to bed with me, Uriel.”

I followed, needing her close, needing my skin on hers, to be buried inside her. In a few days’ time, I’d finally get what I wanted. A face-off with Vladek. Somehow, now, rather than victory, it tasted like ashes in my mouth. But I couldn’t fight Nadya’s logic. She was right. If we didn’t catch him, he’d hunt us for eternity. And that wasn’t an exaggeration of the length of time he’d seek us out. This was our chance. So I’d take it. I’d have to risk it, have to risk her.

I groaned as I pulled her onto the bed, both of us shoving off clothes with desperation. Her breath caught on a sob when I opened my mouth on her breast and sucked her nipple hard. She writhed beneath me as I tasted and licked and sucked every sweet curve and dip, needing to devour and imprint her scent into my skin, into my bones.

“Nadya,” I growled when I lowered between her legs and pushed inside her wet heat.

She clawed me closer, tears slipping silently into her hair, as I ground down and pushed deeper, hammering with a drive that threatened to unhinge my mind.

“Can’t get deep enough,” I whispered on a stream of curses.

She fisted a hand at the back of my hair and lunged up to kiss me hard, latching her ankles behind my thighs.

“Harder, Uriel. Don’t hold back.”

I gave her my weight, seeking an end I knew would never come. This madness called love wasn’t like anything I’d ever imagined. It was a sentient being, binding us in a silken rope woven with hope and ecstasy and a terrifying kind of joy. It remade my flesh with new chemistry and atoms taken from the woman crying out beneath me, reforming and melding us in an unfathomable way. It couldn’t be described. Only known by those who’d experienced it before. The thought of that rope being severed was worse than enduring the seventh circle of hell. Worse than death.

I came so fucking hard, my vision blurred, and three words spilled from my mouth over and over. I hoped the heavens could hear and sympathized with what the loss of her would do to me. Did they care? I could only pray they did.

“I love you. I love you…”

She pulled me close, pressing her mouth to my neck, kissing and whispering in gasping breaths near my ear. “I know, Uriel. I feel it straight through me.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “You’re in my heart, too.”

I pressed my forehead to hers. “This has to work.”

“It will,” she assured me.

“I’ll kill him once and for all. For you. For us.”

“I know you will.”

As our breathing evened out, our bodies slick and sated and wound together, we said no more. There was nothing left to be said. One way or another, this trip to Ivangorod would save us or destroy us both.