Echoes and Embers (Rebel Angels) (18 page)

“You know how that feels.” He used his most compelling voice, insinuating himself into her mind. “You know the agony of being trapped in the shadows. You’re shunned by the light, yet afraid of the darkness.” He felt her dark nature stir and pushed deeper, intensified the compulsion. “I’ve been there, Lailah. I understand your isolation, but you’re not alone. Let me comfort you. Let me teach you. Let me—”

“I want nothing from you. I will not Fall!” She shook her head and strained against the chains.

Enos spun from her, his face raised to sniff the air.
Paimon’s
fortress was so foul he nearly missed his brother’s scent. “They’re here.”

“Finally!”

Golden light illuminated the stairwell as two figures emerged from the gloom. Sariel stepped into the chamber, his wings spread wide, shielding the female behind him. The light came not from a torch but from Sariel’s flaming sword.

“We’ve come for Lailah,” Sariel stated.

“We offered an exchange,” Paimon sneered. “Where is the girl?”

They both knew Alyssa would fight to the death to protect her ward. Their proposed exchange had been a simple ruse.

Sariel folded his wings and Rosalind stepped into view.

Paimon gasped.

Enos stared. What was the meaning of this?

“I am here,” Rosalind said softly, her voice tight with resignation.

“Where is Alyssa?” Paimon charged forward, but Sariel blocked her advance with his sword.

“You offered an exchange and we are here to accept.” Rosalind motioned toward the wall.
“Release Lailah.”

Paimon turned on Enos, her dark eyes glowing. “Why is that creature here? I want Alyssa!”

He moved past the indignant demon and stared at Rosalind. “Do you know who I am?”

“Enos, Lord Diadem is what you called yourself at court, but you are not…” She licked her lips, her eyes wide and luminous, so like Catherine’s. “What do you want with me? Why have you been pursuing me?”

“Sariel, get her out of here! What were you thinking? They cannot force me to
Fall
.” Lailah jerked against the chains, twisting wildly, her face flushed with anger and fear.

Ignoring Lailah’s outburst, Enos went on. “We were searching for Alyssa at court. Imagine my surprise when I found you.” He paused, his gaze intent on Rosalind’s innocent face. “Paimon, release Lailah. I’ve changed my mind. I will accept the exchange.”

“Nay!”
Paimon screeched, flying at him with her claws bared.

He flung her away with the wave of his hand. She collided with the stone wall not far from Lailah. “Never touch me unless I give you leave!”

“This was not our arrangement. You promised to seduce Lailah. You promised—”

Focusing his gaze on her throat, Enos cut off her protests midstream. “I promise a lot of things.”

Trembling, Paimon struggled to her feet and faced Lailah. “Life has lost its splendor because you wallow in mediocrity.”

Paimon’s
pleading tone disgusted Enos. He had lost interest in her long ago. Their separate motivations carried them in the same direction, so he had indulged her for a time. His gaze narrowed as her whining continued. Why had he put up with her for so long?

“We can show you splendor.” Paimon leaned in and Lailah turned her face away. “We can give you power like you’ve never imagined. Join us!”

“Go back to Hell where you belong!” Lailah shouted.

“There is no one quite as blind as one who will not see!” Paimon lunged for Lailah. Her hand pressed over the Rebel Angel’s eyes.

Lailah screamed
.

“Nay!”
Alyssa shouted as she launched herself toward Paimon.

Sariel and Enos arrived before her, their flaming swords impaled the demon, one from either side. Glaring at each other, the brothers flung Paimon to the stone floor and withdrew their swords at exactly the same time.

Paimon jerked, her breath rasping. “
Why?
” She stared up at Enos as her energy dispersed and her body dissolved into ash.

Alyssa rushed past the males and gently turned Lailah’s face toward the torch light. Lailah moaned and Alyssa cried out.
“Oh dear God.”
She sobbed brokenly. Lailah’s eyelids were seared black and sealed shut. “Undo this! Look what that creature did!”

Sariel slammed his sword against one chain and then the other. Lailah collapsed into Alyssa’s arms. They sank to the floor together. Alyssa wept. Lailah was unconscious.

Sariel spun and pressed his sword against Enos’ chest, directly over his heart. “My blow alone would not have killed her. Tell me why you struck.”

Enos shrugged and glanced away. “Old habits die hard.”

“Can you undo the damage?” Sariel nodded toward Lailah.

Enos shook his head.

“Did you defile Lady Catherine?”

The question brought Alyssa’s head up, dread slicing through her grief.
Enos
was Rosalind’s grandfather?

The demon looked at her, something akin to tenderness in his bright green eyes. “I don’t know how Catherine managed to conceal the truth from me, but when I sensed who you were at court… Oh child, I seduced your grandmother. I did not force her. I never even revealed what I was.”

“
Why?
” Sariel demanded his brother’s attention with the point of his sword. Blood trickled down Enos’ chest. He didn’t struggle. He seemed resigned to die. “Isn’t that your favorite pleasure? Watching passion turn to terror as your victims realize what you are?”

Enos stared into Sariel’s eyes. “Just as you’re fascinated by the darkness, I sometimes hunger for the light.”

Enos disappeared and Alyssa cried out. “Why did you let him go?”

Sariel sank to his knees, his sword dissolving as he opened his hand. “He saved Lailah’s life.”

“You should have killed him,” Alyssa cried, rocking Lailah against her chest.

Shaking his head, Sariel met her gaze, his expression utterly tormented. “If God wants him dead, another will have to be dispatched. Enos is my brother.”

* * * * *

Alyssa sat beside Lailah’s bed, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. The mists were vanquished. She remembered everything clearly, and she had never been more miserable.

She had applied a healing salve to Lailah’s burns and covered them with clean bandages, but Alyssa knew without being told that her sister would never see again.

Paimon had won!

Bitterness surged within her and all of her angelic resolve couldn’t suppress her fury or frustration. How could Lailah find splendor in life if she couldn’t see!

“That is her quest, not yours, Alyssa. You have your own wounds to heal.”

Dragging her gaze away from Lailah’s bandaged face, Alyssa found Gabriel standing at the foot of the bed.
Kind, patient Gabriel.
A fresh rush of tears spilled from her eyes and she rushed into his outstretched arms. Warmth inundated her senses and she buried her face in his golden hair.

“This isn’t right!” she cried. “How can she help but fail? How can
she
possibly…”

He eased her away and placed his finger against her lips. “You must be strong for her. These negative thoughts will compound the darkness.”

Wiping her tears on the back of her hand, Alyssa focused on her anger, driving back the pain. “She will know nothing but darkness now. Why was this allowed to happen?”

“Why is generally a useless question,” Gabriel said firmly. “But you are mistaken about the darkness. Only Lailah’s corporeal eyes were damaged. Her angelic sight is still intact.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ve been given permission to train her, to help her through this crisis.”

Alyssa studied his angular features, his gold-speckled brown eyes. Hope shimmered on the fringes of her consciousness, but she was afraid to embrace it. She couldn’t bear another disappointment—another failure would destroy her.

She turned from Gabriel and walked back to the bed. He hadn’t come to ask permission. He’d come to collect his newest assignment. Alyssa tried to find comfort in the thought. She couldn’t help Lailah, but perhaps Gabriel could.

“What about her missions? Is
this
penance enough or will she still be expected—”

“Lailah’s missions were never part of her penance. She is what she was created to be.”

“But now… Can’t she be given some other task, something less…dismal?”

“Lailah is an Angel of Death, but death is not always dismal. Death can be a joyous release from suffering. Death is as much a part of the cycle as birth. Lailah understands this.”

Alyssa sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair back from her sister’s brow. Lailah had stayed by her side while the mists consumed her. Lailah had never lost hope. “Are you taking her with you now?”

“Aye.”

She’d known the answer before she asked the question, but a pang of loneliness still squeezed her heart. “Will I be allowed to visit her?”

“Of course.”
Gabriel
smiled,
his gaze warm and encouraging. “But your work here is not yet finished. You’ve one last task to complete.”

She indulged in a heavy sigh. “Rosalind.”

“Aye.”
He paused, studying her silently for a moment. “Are you prepared to see this through?”

Meeting his gaze directly, she said in a strong, sure voice, “I am through with lies!”

* * * * *

After searching for nearly an hour, Sariel found Alyssa in the high tower room, looking out at the castle compound far below. She had opened the window and a steady breeze rippled her long silver hair. Her true appearance had returned as the mist dissipated. He would miss her flame-red hair, but her silver locks made her look more…angelic.

“Gideon set up this room as a scriptorium for Naomi,” she said without turning around. Sariel had materialized silently, but her angelic senses had returned full force. “He wanted her to be happy in her new life.”

He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “And did she find happiness?”

“Aye.”
She turned within the circle of his arms, leaning her bottom against the stone sill. Breathing out a little sigh, she looked into his eyes. “Gabriel came for Lailah.”

He cupped the side of her face and pressed a light kiss to her forehead, tenderness tightened his chest. “Are you all right?”

“I hate to be parted from her, but it gives me hope.” She wrapped her arms around his back and molded her body to his. “Where have you been?”

“Gathering information.”

She eased away and looked up again. “Regarding what?”

“Options.”
He smiled into her eyes.
“Yours and mine,
Gadrayel
and Rosalind’s.
None of us can make decisions until we understand what is permissible.”

“What is permissible?” She returned his smile, her curiosity obvious in her expression.

“
Gadrayel
and Rosalind will return with the dawn. I will explain what I’ve learned then. Tonight is for you and me. We can walk in the garden or cuddle before the fire. You have only to tell me what you want and it’s yours.”

She closed her eyes for a long moment, her lips slightly pursed. When she looked at him again her eyes sparkled with mischief. “I want to stay right here and join with you until it grows dark and no one can see us.”

He glanced at the clear blue sky. “Are you challenging my stamina? Nightfall is a long way off.”

“Are you not up for the challenge?”

“I’m always up for the challenge. I have only to look at you and I’m up for anything.”

She laughed. The light, musical sound soothed him as nothing else could. After all she had been
through,
he’d been terrified she’d pull away.

“And once it grows dark and no one can see us,” she
slid
her hands up along his chest, “I want to soar across the sky at your side.”

“Do you remember how to fly?” he asked carefully, not wanting to upset her.

“I want to find out. Are you strong enough to catch me if I falter?”

He lifted her effortlessly and kissed her full on the mouth. “I think I can manage.”

Her lips parted sweetly beneath his and her tongue curled around him as he pushed past her teeth. Looping her arms around his neck, she relaxed, confident in the strength of his arms. He set her on the wide stone sill and reached behind her to close the window.

“Nay, leave it
open
. I love to feel the wind in my hair.”

“Someone could see you.”

She worked the laces at the front of her
cotehardie
and smiled invitingly. “As long as we only rearrange my clothing, no one will be the wiser even if they do happen to glance this way.”

Thrilled by her boldness, Sariel wasn’t about to argue. She still wanted him. Even after letting Enos escape, she still wanted him.

Her fingers paused and she looked deeply into his eyes. “You were right not to kill him. Your brother’s blood should not be on your hands.”

Surprised that she had read his thoughts so clearly, it took him a moment to respond. The tightness in his throat made the words difficult, but he wanted her to understand. “Thousands of years have passed and I am still tormented by what I did to—”

She pressed her fingers to his lips. “You did what you were
commanded
to do to protect the world from evil. But you have suffered enough. You are not responsible for Enos. Someone else can bring him to justice.”

He buried his face in her hair, filling his nose with her womanly scent. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, holding him tightly. “How have I survived so long without you?” He whispered the words into her silky hair.

“I have no idea.” She eased away and smiled. “But you’ll never be without me again.” She guided his hand to her breast, her gaze gleaming with sensual invitation.

He parted her gown and slipped his hand inside her chemise, cupping her full breast, skin to skin. She sighed, her eyelids drooping languidly. He stroked her with his thumb. Her nipple gathered beneath his insistent caress.

“I think we should go to our bedchamber. I want you naked.”

She shook her head. “I want you now.”

“As you wish.”
He ripped her chemise down the middle, baring her breasts. Her startled gasp turned to a giggle as he lavished attention on her nipples. She was so delightfully responsive. He would never tire of the sounds she made, her abandoned expression or the way her body felt when she surrendered to release.