Rebel Angel: A Sainted Sinners Novel (13 page)

E
zra came back
to the present, the shifting silver swaying before his eyes once more. He thought perhaps the trial would release him, but he had no such luck.

In a moment, the silver sucked at him again, pulling him down. Another vision of himself, this time in Hell. The scene was eerily familiar.

L
ucifer clapped
Ezra’s shoulder as they walked through a dark tunnel. It was only one of the endless honeycombed paths through the bedrock of Hell, leading from one level to another.

“You’ve done well,” Lucifer said.

Ezra knew better to shudder from Lucifer’s touch, but it was hard. Just the sound of Lucifer’s posh English accent gave him chills.

“I only culled Azirah because he attacked me. He was determined to kill me, of that there was no doubt. It was self-defense,” Ezra finished lamely.

Lucifer tossed back his perfectly-coiffed blond hair and winked at Ezra.

“Of course.”

Ezra forced himself to look away. He did not want a fight with Lucifer. Lucifer was strong, and he fought dirty. One wrong word, one misstep, and Lucifer might sic a dozen Fallen on Ezra.

The worst of them, the ones that truly belonged in Hell, would gladly rip Ezra limb from limb. Not just kill him, but take pleasure in it.

Ezra, the Destroyer. They’d love it, brag about it later, even if it was a hundred to Ezra’s one.

And he would be one, for he had no more friends in Hell than back in Heaven.

“I want you to give Useral a little talking to,” Lucifer said, ushering Ezra down the tunnel. “Now that I know how loyal you can be, I think we’ve got a lot to discuss…”

T
he vision shimmered and vanished
. The silver swirled again, showing him many quick images.

L
e Medcin
, giving Ezra orders to protect Aurora.

Mere Marie smirking as she sent Ezra on some small errand, knowing he would not refuse.

Belial, calling Ezra a good soldier.

Lucifer.

Metatron.

Le Medcin.

T
he faces swirled and morphed
, changing until they nearly blended into one. All around, he heard voices whispering.

Duty.

Honor.

Obedience.

A
nd then
, everything stopped, silent and still but for one final, booming word. A hundred voices suddenly cried out to him:

S
ervitude
.

T
he silver swirled
, the darkness descended once more. He floated there, suspended, uncomprehending.

His trial of truth was creating more questions than answers.

Then he blinked, and he could see the temple again. He took a step back, looking around wildly.

He was free.

Beside him, Aurora was still standing over her golden bowl, staring down at it. Her eyes gone silver, her expression rapt.

Clearly, she was still in the throes of her own trial of truth.

The hairs on the back of his neck rose. He held out his hand to summon his sword and whirled around. Far above, he could make out a dozen pairs of white wings, silhouetted against the bright blue sky.

In moments, a pack of angels began to descend, Armeros leading the charge.

Aurora sucked in a breath and stumbled back from the marble podium, which vanished. He glanced back to find that his was gone, too.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She stared at him, wild-eyed.

“Aurora, say something,” he said, looking toward the approaching angels. They were getting closer by the moment.

She noticed the angels, then glanced at the temple behind her.

“I can’t leave you,” she said.

“I am the Destroyer,” he uttered. “If anyone should be afraid, it is Armeros.”

She shook her head, looking again at the temple. Frightened for him, but longing to finish her work, the reason they’d come all this way.

“Go,” he commanded. “Free your mother.”

She nodded hesitantly, then stepped forward and shocked him by planting a kiss on his lips. In the next moment she was gone, running flat-out toward the temple.

Ezra turned away from her regretfully, striding forward. Armeros and the other angels touched down a hundred yards away, their expressions nothing short of deadly.

Ezra fell into his combat stance, bringing his sword center.

If Armeros wanted to go after Aurora, he’d have to go through Ezra first.

Bracing himself and taking a steadying breath, Ezra waited.

Let him come
.

The ringing of two swords clashing together echoed in Aurora’s ears as she run into the temple. She plunged into the shadowed entrance, heart thrumming. There were stone walls on each side of her, and nothing but darkness ahead.

She pressed on, knowing she couldn’t stop now. She wouldn’t fail, wouldn’t let down Ezra, or her mother… or herself.

Leaving Ezra behind made her heart ache, especially after her trial of truth. The experience had been quick but brutal, showing her glimpses of the past. The most horrific moments of her life, finding her mother and brother.

And then scenes of her life before they died. The best moments, the ones she truly cherished. The times when she and Mom and Jackson had celebrated, enjoyed each other despite the fact that they were on the run for their lives.

An afternoon picnic at the park with her Mom. A first date with a boy she liked, back in high school. The day Jackson announced that he’d been accepted into training as a firefighter.

She sensed that each of the moments played out a pattern, the trial of truth telling her something… but her adrenaline-filled brain was too rushed to sort it out now.

The air around her seemed to thicken, and her next step felt like she was pushing through an invisible membrane. Another step, and the world lightened a little…

Three more steps forward, and her movements came with more ease. The sky all around her in every direction brightened to a dusky navy. She pushed forward three more steps, and blinked.

A soft white light flickered in the distance, then winked out. Then another, to her right. Another, and another. It was almost like seeing the Faeries in the safe house gardens, but then more and more little lights lit up, rising. Closer, and closer to where she’d stopped still.

Then a tiny point of light rose right in front of her, and she could make out the thinnest of glass orbs surrounding it. She reached out, almost touching it. A tiny flicker of mist trapped in the orb, each no bigger than a Christmas tree ornament.

“A soul,” she whispered, awestruck.

Then another rose near her, then ten more… and then she finally understood.

“Sea of Lights…” she said to herself, looking out at all the lights bobbing and swaying. Truly, the orbs clung together, moving as one. It did look like the waves in the ocean.

The name couldn’t have been more poetically just.

The orbs rippled and slid toward her, several brushing against her arms and stomach. There was a soft sound, cracking.

She drew backward with a yelp, realizing that the barest touch had shattered a few of the orbs. White mist fluttered up toward the dark sky, the sight of the souls escaping raising gooseflesh on her whole body.

I cannot believe how fragile the human soul is
, she thought.

Frozen in place, she felt a brush against her back. Turning slowly, she saw that the orbs had begun to crowd in behind her. Crushing against each other, fracturing, releasing the souls trapped inside.

Panic started to tighten her chest. She was damaging them just by being in the Sea with them. Worse, they were all just the same, each soul reduced to nothing but a bit of mist.

How will I find my mother without crushing all the rest?
she wondered.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she struggled to think. She pictured her mother’s face, the same bright red hair and freckles as Aurora’s own. What would her mother tell her to do?

Free them all, as many as you can
.

It came to her like a flash, but she knew it was right. Just drawing her sword, she shattered a hundred or more. She braced herself, then executed a spin, slashing her sword in a perfect circle around her body.

The sound was like a thousand distant chimes. She heard a faint hiss as the souls rose. More orbs crushed in, pulled to her presence. Almost like they were sanctioning what she was about to do, in a strange way.

After a deep breath, Aurora started to move. Turning, slashing, shattering orbs every which way. She began to sweat, hands trembling as she worked. It was at once so frightening and yet so freeing.

It satisfied her on a soul-deep level, in a way that embarrassed and excited her.

She swung and swung, grunting with the effort of it. Swung until her arms grew tired, until her back ached. Even then, she pushed on. The sea dwindled, bit by bit.

There were only a few thousand. And then half that… and half again.

When she cleared all but the last few, something caught her eye. A glimmer of copper-tinged mist, floating in the center of a small group of orbs.

She paused, lowering her sword.

It can’t be…
she thought.

Then again, nothing about the moment was feasible. She’d snuck into Heaven by hitching a lift with a gorgeous Fallen angel, and now she was destroying captive souls in a secret place that wasn’t supposed to exist.

Sheathing her sword, she reached out to the last few orbs as they drifted toward her. Ever so gently, she broke all the orbs around the copper-colored one, until it was the very last left.

She took a breath, mustering every ounce of bravery in her heart. Then she reached out, stroking the orb with her fingertips.

It warmed under her touch for the barest moment before it shattered, releasing the coppery mist into the air. The mist swirled around her fingertips, then rose into the air.

“Goodbye,” she whispered, her heart wrenching as the mist dissipated.

Brushing away a tear that slipped down her cheek, Aurora looked around. The Sea of Lights was empty, every single soul set free.

I did it
, she thought.
I really did it.

And then,
there’s nothing left for me to do here.

She felt… empty, depleted. She swayed on her feet for a moment, feeling the gravity of it all at once. Being
finished
, it was… unthinkable.

Ezra’s face flitted into her mind.

She might be done here, but she was still needed.

Turning, she drew her sword and started to
run
.

E
zra was pinned
. Armeros in front of him, the two remaining angels behind him. Blood dripped from a deep cut on his left bicep, more flowed from a shallow cut on his ribs.

He breathed deeply, steadying himself as he faced down Armeros.

“Give up,” Armeros said, baring his teeth. His blond hair was disheveled, a spot of blood spreading near his left shoulder. He was wild-eyed and panting, grinning now that he’d cornered Ezra.

“Armeros, I don’t want to cull you,” Ezra said, trying for a last moment of sanity.

“No one can destroy me, I’m immortal,” Armeros crowed, glowing with manic glee.

“I’ve killed six of your men,” Ezra said, glancing behind him. “It’s the only reason your jackals aren’t on me now.”

“They’re under orders to let me finish you,” Armeros said, advancing half a step. “Get down on your knees, Fallen.”

“Never,” Ezra growled.

The two angels behind him raised their swords, making it impossible for Ezra to move back. Still, he would not submit to Armeros.

Armeros lunged suddenly, and Ezra sidestepped just enough to avoid him. One of the angels stuck out the tip of his sword near Ezra’s foot, and he stumbled trying to avoid it. When he straightened, righting himself, Armeros had a sword inches from his throat.

“I’ve waited for this moment for so long,” Armeros spat. “To cleanse Heaven and earth of Destroyer scum—”

A blur of gold slashed through the air. A dagger, burying itself in Armeros’s shoulder. Off to the right, Ezra saw Aurora advancing, the matching dagger in one hand and her sword in the other.

His fantasy of the avenging goddess, come to life.

“Agh!” Armeros cried out, clawing the dagger free and flinging it aside.

Ezra took advantage of the distraction to turn his back to Aurora. Armeros lunged again, but this time he was the one to stumble.

Ezra looked at Aurora, then at the two angels. “You’d better run if you want to live.”

After a moment’s hesitation, both angels released their wings and rose, shooting straight up into the sky. Aurora reached Ezra’s side just as Armeros gained his feet.

She raised her sword, ready to do battle.

“You have a woman to fight your battles for you now, eh Ezra?” he asked. “If you think I will let this go, you are mistaken. I will hunt you both to the end of the earth if I must.”

Aurora released a bone-chilling snarl and launched herself at Armeros, but the angel was too quick. He jumped back, released his wings, and took flight. One of his wings seemed weak, and he was trailing blood, but he rose nonetheless.

“Don’t just stand there!” Aurora said, giving him a wild look. “Let’s go after him!”

Ezra winced, shaking his head. “I can’t do that. I can either chase him or take us home, but I can’t do both.”

She moved to pick up the dagger she’d thrown, tucking it and its twin back in the sheaths hidden under her jacket.

“You’re hurt?” she asked, her brow creasing. Sheathing her sword, she moved closer, flinching at the sight of the blood on his shirt.

“It’s not that bad. We have to leave, though. Heaven will know we’re here by now… there will be more angels with swords any moment now.”

“Right,” she said, shaking her head. “Yes. You’re not in any condition to fight.”

Ezra gave her a tight smile, holding out a hand.

“Care for a ride?” he asked, trying to downplay his pain.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist. Ezra released his wings, vanished his sword, and cupped her ass to lift her up.

Aurora made a startled noise, making Ezra chuckle despite the circumstances. When he closed his eyes and let them drop through the clouds, he could
feel
Aurora holding in her scream.

“Almost there…” he said.

They plummeted down through the viscous layer between Heaven and earth, then hit the mortal plane. Ezra spread his wings to halt their freefall, and Aurora gripped him hard. Pain lanced through his shoulder wound, but he gritted his teeth and pushed it out of his mind.

“Hard part’s over,” he promised Aurora. “Now, we just glide.”

Spreading his wings, he did just that. Took them down in huge, lazy circles. Down, down, down… the air went from thin to normal, and in a matter of minutes Ezra was touching down in the yard outside the safe house.

Mere Marie was nowhere to be seen, but the three Alpha Guardians were waiting.

“You’re hurt,” the big Scottish bear shifter said, nodding at Ezra’s shoulder.

Ezra took a moment to set Aurora down, then shrugged his uninjured shoulder.

“It’ll be healed in an hour,” he said.

Rhys nodded. “Perks of the job, I guess.”

“I should head inside,” he said.

“We’ll be here patrolling for a few more hours if you need us,” Rhys said.

After thanking the Guardians, Ezra followed Aurora into the safe house. The shower called to him, almost more than his bed.

“You look exhausted,” Aurora said, biting her lip. She shed her weapons, leaving them in the living room.

“I’ll admit it, I’m tired,” he said.

“Come on,” she said, holding out her hand to him.

Ezra took it, hoping he didn’t look as surprised as he felt. Sure, they’d been through a lot today, but… this was a complete turnaround from yesterday’s brooding silence.

No matter how old I get, I will never understand the feminine mind, he thought.

Aurora towed him into the back hallway, then into his bedroom.

“Sit,” she ordered, pointing at his bed.

Ezra sat, faintly amused. “Yes, my liege.”

She didn’t even glare at him, which made Ezra wonder just what was going through that pretty head of hers. She went into the bathroom and reappeared with a large white box.

“First aid,” she said, opening it on the bed.

Ezra sat and watched her as she sorted through the contents, pulling out some things and setting them aside. He didn’t mind waiting; it gave him an excuse to study her. Aside from a few wisps of hair that had escaped her braid, falling to frame her face, she looked utterly unaffected by the whole battle.

Aurora turned to him, caught him staring. She flushed a little.

“I… I have to take your shirt off, okay?” she said.

Ezra couldn’t repress a smile. He took off his jacket, then lifted his arms and let Aurora strip his shirt off. He winced as he moved his shoulder, but it didn’t take anything away from the moment.

Aurora was right here, in front of him. Touching him. Close enough that he could easily pull her down into his lap, kiss her long and hard.

He didn’t move, though. Instead he watched her as she clucked over the wounds on his shoulder and ribs, though he knew they’d already begun to heal on their own. She cleaned and bandaged both areas, leaving him with gauze-and-tape patches over both wounds.

“SatsifiedSatisfied?” he asked when she finished, gathering up the bandage wrappers and the first aid kit.

She smirked at him, but he couldn’t quite guess what that meant. She went to the bathroom to put everything away, hips swaying as she went.

Or maybe she wasn’t doing anything differently at all, and Ezra was just staring at her ass. Either way, she was incredible.

“I’m going to clean myself up,” she called from the bathroom. “Back in a few.”

She shut the door, leaving him a few minutes to change. He shed his clothing, changing into a fresh pair of pajama bottoms, then sprawled out on the bed.

He could hear the shower running, and his mind wandered.

First, to thoughts of what Aurora would look like in the shower. His cock hardened as he imagined her stripping, imagining water sluicing down her every curve. Aurora throwing her head back, letting her long red hair flow as the water washed away the remnants of battle.

Lovely as the thoughts were, they only made him frustrated. Shoving sex from his mind, he returned to the earlier events of the day.

Specifically, he thought about his trial of truth. About what it showed him, that he’d devoted his entire life to the service of Heaven and Hell.

Loyal soldier. Outcast. Lone wolf.

He’d accepted his fate without much of a fight, until the moment he defected from Hell. Since that moment, he was… different.

He questioned. He’d seen the worst sides of Heaven and Hell since then, and those experiences had broadened his view of the world tenfold. No longer was he a work horse, trudging forward, blinders on his eyes to keep him focused.

He was still in service to Le Medcin, of that there was no doubt. But now he realized that while honor and duty and obedience had given him a sense of purpose, made him feel accomplished… those things never really made him happy.

Have I ever been happy? Really, deeply happy? he wondered.

Immediately he thought of Aurora, of the moment at the Faerie pond. Talking about their lives, their goals and dreams. Teasing smiles, moving closer and closer together.

And the taste of her… he’d wanted her so badly. Hell, he still wanted her so much, it ripped him up inside.

Only now, the guilt he felt over his desire for the woman he was duty-bound to protect…

His sense of honor and duty weren’t gone. That part of him would always exist, representing the angel in him.

But the guilt had vanished, faded away against the light of a new future dawning before him. If he let himself get close to Aurora, she could give him things he’d never had before. Trust, pleasure, shared honesty.

Maybe even love.

He’d never know for sure unless he tried. Just a kiss, to make sure the spark was really there. Just a night together, to explore all that they might mean to each other… if they were both willing to try.

When the door opened again, he looked up to find Aurora in the doorway. Her long hair was still wet, and she wore a tank top and a pair of soft-looking cotton shorts.

Ezra’s lips curled up at the sight of her standing there, so uncertain.

“Come on, I won’t bite,” he said.

Aurora blushed but gave him a soft smile, walking over to sit beside him on the bed. Ezra could see how skittish she was, and knew it was his fault. Aurora was brave and strong, but his previous rejection had shaken her confidence.

He needed to get her talking, bring her back into her element.

“Can I ask about your trial of truth?” was all he could think of at the moment.

“Oh!” Aurora said, brightening. “It was interesting, actually.”

“Tell me.” He watched her as she moved, kneeling on the bed so that she could face him.

“I’m not sure what I was expecting, exactly… I thought maybe, because of the name, I would have to admit something?” she said. “I even considered that when I spent my day of reflection, trying to make sure I was being honest with myself.”

“I thought the same,” Ezra said.

“Well, my trial was more like watching a movie, but the movie was about my life. About my past, the decisions I’ve made and things that have happened to me.” She paused, thoughtful. “I guess the trial was sort of… trying to show me something?”

She glanced at him, looking for reassurance.

“I experienced that, too,” he said, keeping it simple. “What did yours show you?”

“Well, I haven’t really had a lot of time to think about it yet,” she said. “It showed me a lot of really wonderful moments in my life, and a lot of the painful things too. It was a lot to take in.”

“I understand,” he said, nodding.

“Do you know what yours meant?” she asked, her brow furrowing.

“I believe it was meant to show me that blind obedience is foolish, and that I should try to serve myself better.”

Aurora pursed her lips, then nodded. “I could see that.”

They were silent for a few beats. Aurora glanced down at her hands in her lap, looking as though she were struggling a bit.

“Ezra, I—” she started, raising her gaze to meet his again.

Ezra cut her off, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. If she was about to rebuff him, he needed to at least kiss her first.

The barest touch set off something inside him, and Aurora’s reaction said she felt the same. As he slanted his mouth over hers, she opened for him. She made a soft sound, half a sigh, her hands rising to rest on his shoulders.

He cupped her jaw, speared his fingers into the wildness of her damp hair. Tilting her head back, Ezra kissed her desperately. Poured every single ounce of the heart-pounding, possessive hunger he felt into the kiss, hoped like Hell she’d understand.

Aurora wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, moving forward to melt against him. Ezra was on fire, struggling not to rip off her clothes, take her hard and fast and brutally. She was so responsive, sighing and arching into his touch, her tongue meeting his boldly. When he ran his thumb along her collarbone, he could feel the flutter of her heartbeat, the silky softness of her skin driving him higher and higher.

Slowly, he became aware that they were coming to a divisive point. Adrenaline and emotions running high, they were both starving for one another, but Ezra knew he couldn’t be the one to make the first move.

He wanted her more than anything, but their first time together she would have come to him.

Ezra slowed the tempo before pulling back. Aurora’s looked up at him with passion-darkened eyes, making stopping all the more difficult.

“I want you,” he said, his voice low and rough. He cupped her face in his hand, his thumb tracing the fine line of her jaw.

“You have me,” she said, turning to kiss his palm. “Take me.”

He captured her hand in his, then slowly shook his head.

“Not tonight. I want you so badly, I don’t even have the words for it, but…” he hesitated.

“But?” she pressed.

“But I want you to be sure. And tonight, after everything that’s happened… you said it yourself, you haven’t even had time to process any of it. When I take you to bed, I want all of you. Unreserved, wild, and free.”

She watched him for a second, her throat working as she swallowed. “Ezra…”

“I don’t want anything less, Aurora. You’ve spent the last few years running, I don’t want to be one more thing you run from. We both deserve more than that.”