29. Sam
29
Sam
I ’m dreaming.
I must be.
This isn’t real.
There wasn’t gym equipment embedded in the wall.
Light wasn’t firing from Benji’s hands.
That wasn’t Noah’s broken body lying over a bench.
And Zeke.
Zeke…
No.
Zeke wasn’t…
He couldn’t be.
He couldn’t have left me.
He wouldn’t.
‘ No one can survive having their neck snapped. This is your fault for following him. If you hadn’t, he wouldn’t have died. ’
“No, no, no.” I dropped to my knees, my hands over my ears. “It’s not real. Not real. Not real. ”
It was a nightmare. It had to be. Zeke couldn’t be dead. If I kept my eyes closed, I’d wake up. If I didn’t look at his crumpled body, it wouldn’t be true.
My stomach flipped as I fought the urge to vomit. No. No. He can’t have left me.
“Sam.” Hands tugged at my arms. “I’m so fucking sorry, he’ll be okay though.”
I could barely hear the words over the screaming alarm. Was this why it was going off? Because there were serial killers living in the house?
My eyes flew open. Lilac eyes, inches from mine.
I scrambled to my feet in terror. “Stay away from me.”
The twin, I wasn’t sure which, held up his palms. I saw the bloodstains there and flinched. Was he the one who’d killed Zeke?
Zeke.
My Zeke.
Nothing else mattered as I started to run. Not the murderer in front of me. The other body. The screeching alarm. The people yelling at me.
I just had to get to Zeke.
I dropped to my knees as I reached him, a sob breaking from my throat.
“Please,” I begged, frantically searching out a pulse. “Please, Zeke. Don’t leave me. You can’t.”
There was no pulse.
Just the unnatural angle of his neck.
And his open, unfocused eyes.
“Please.” My voice cracked as I traced the beautiful lines of his face. “Please, wake up. Please, Zeke.”
But there was nothing.
Cradling his head, I collapsed on his body. Over and over, I murmured the same plea. “Please, give him back. Please. Let him wake up.”
I don’t know who I was begging. Everyone. Anyone. Anyone who would listen. I’d never been religious until this moment.
Now though, I’d worship whichever deity would give me this, I didn’t give a fuck what price they asked of me.
I’d pay it to get Zeke back. For this all to be a nightmare. For me to wake up in his arms. For him to kiss my tears away and reassure me it wasn’t real. That he wasn’t going anywhere.
Dimly, I was aware that people were trying to speak to me. Trying desperately to get my attention. I ignored them all.
I didn’t care about them. I didn’t care about anything other than Zeke.
The first person to show me love. True, unconditional love.
Because that was what it was.
And it had been taken from me.
“Sam.” That voice pierced the fog, making me freeze. It wasn’t Zeke’s, but Noah’s.
Noah, who had definitely been dead a few minutes ago.
“Sam, he’s going to be okay,” Noah said firmly. “He’s going to wake up. If you let one of us realign his neck, his healing will work faster.”
I lifted my head, trying to see through the tears. “Noah?”
Sure enough, the purple haired man stood by Zeke’s feet, alive. Covered in blood, but apparently unharmed.
And over each of his shoulders peeked a feathered white wing.
The room tilted sideways.
“It’s okay, Sam. I know this is too much for you to take in, but Ezekiel will be back with us in a few minutes.” Benji, that was Benji.
I turned in the direction of his voice. He, too, was sporting a pair of massive wings. His face was set in grim lines as he studied me. “We’re angels, Sam. We can’t die. At least, not like this.”
“This can’t be happening,” I murmured, my lips starting to tingle. “It’s official. I’ve lost my mind.”
“Can I set Ez’s neck?” Benji said quietly. “I won’t touch him unless you say it’s okay, but he’ll heal faster if I do it.”
I nodded vaguely, retreating so Benji could get into position. I didn’t know what was happening, or if any of it was real.
But if they were right? If Zeke was about to wake up?
I didn’t care. They could tell me they were shapeshifters who pranked tourists by pretending to be the Loch Ness Monster, and I wouldn’t give a fuck.
Angels. That was what Benji had said. I could wrap my head around that later.
Right now, I just wanted Zeke back.
Benji’s hands moved fast. There was another loud crack that sent my stomach lurching once more.
Zeke’s stomach concaved as his chest expanded.
One giant inhale.
Then his eyes flew open.
His lips formed one word.
A name.
My name.
“Sam?”
Somehow, by some absurd twist of nature, Zeke had come back from death.
And I was his first thought.
He sat up, his eyes finding me immediately. They widened, like the full implication of what I’d witnessed was just hitting him.
“Zeke.” The word was a sob. A plea.
I threw myself at him, and he opened his arms just in time to catch me.
“I’m so sorry,” he breathed, burying his head against my neck as I sobbed. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
I don’t know how long I clung to him. The way I was sitting on him should’ve been awkward and ungainly, but it wasn’t.
“You were dead,” I said between sobs. “You were dead .”
“I know, baby.” His hand stroked up and down my back, soothing me, reassuring me. “But I’m okay, I promise. I just wish you hadn’t found out like this.”
Found out like this. This was what Zeke had been hinting at. The reason why his father had trained him from a young age. The cagey looks when I’d mentioned them all being professors.
These men weren’t professors.
They weren’t human.
They were angels .
My OCD, kept quiet by the adrenaline and fear of the past few minutes, was now returning in full force.
‘ You’ve lost your mind, Sam. None of this is actually happening. ’
The tingling returned to my lips.
‘ Angels don’t exist. ’
Now it was in my hands too.
‘ You’re going to be committed. ’
Why was there a band around my chest? Why was it getting tighter?
‘ That’s where you’ll spend the rest of your days. No more work. No more Zeke. They probably won’t even let you have Lego in there. ’
“Sam?” Zeke’s voice sounded like it was coming from the end of a very long tunnel. “Baby, are you okay?”
I slid off his lap. Floor. I need the floor.
Cool tile met my face, but it wasn’t enough to ground me. I gasped, but it was no use. My lungs wouldn’t fill.
‘ You’re dying. That’s why you’ve hallucinated this whole thing. ’
Yes. Hallucinations while you were dying were common. I’d read that somewhere.
Heated conversation was happening above me, but I couldn’t focus on it. Zeke’s hand was clenched on the floor, close to mine, but not touching.
I need him. Zeke. I need you.
It took so much effort to move my numb limbs, but I inched my hand forwards. My knuckles grazed his and I whimpered.
His fingers immediately wrapped around mine, and then he was lying beside me, just like Benji had in the kitchen. Was he telling him what to do? Talking him through how to help me through a panic attack?
‘ Well it won’t help; it’s not a panic attack. It’s definitely a heart attack. ’
Zeke put my hand on his chest, saying something quietly. I couldn’t hear him over the rushing in my ears.
He kept his eyes fixed on mine as he inhaled, long and deep. He held it for a second before releasing it slowly. My brows furrowed. I was sure there was something he wanted me to do, but what?
His other hand came up to rest on my chest, tapping lightly. Then, he repeated his elongated breathing.
Breathe.
On autopilot, I mimicked the pattern he was doing. In. Hold. Out.
The tingling began to subside.
“That’s it, baby.” The tunnel seemed shorter now, Zeke’s voice more audible. “Again.”
Another voice spoke from just behind me. “Sam, if you can hear me, tell me something you can see.”
Benji. I swallowed, trying to force some saliva into my mouth. “Zeke.”
The word was raspy, barely there, but Benji seemed to hear it. “Good. Now something you can hear.”
Taking a steadying breath, I forced myself to listen beyond my racing heart. “The alarm.”
“Shit,” Noah said. “Forgot that was still going.”
There was a rush of footsteps and the piercing noise fell silent.
“Everyone will be on their way back now.” That was one of the twins.
“We’re gonna be in so much fucking trouble.”
The twins.
One of whom hurt Zeke.
The terror slammed into me again as the vice around my chest retightened.
No, no, no.
I hadn’t realised I was saying that out loud until Zeke kissed my forehead. “It’s okay. You’re safe. We all are.”
Were we, though? They were still here…What if they…
“Get out,” Zeke hissed suddenly, rage filling every word. “Right the fuck now. I’ll deal with you both later.”
There was the sound of footsteps and then Zeke cupped my face. “They’re gone.”
It took a few more minutes of both Zeke and Benji grounding me before I was able to speak again. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
Zeke smoothed my hair out of my eyes. “I know, this is a lot to take in.”
“But you were…dead.” It was so hard to say the word. “How? How is this possible?”
“Because we’re angels,” Zeke said calmly, his gaze holding me steady. “We’re not human, Sam. None of us can be killed. At least, not that easily.”
‘ You’re hallucinating. This isn’t real. Pinch your hand. You’ll wake up then. ’
I did just that, hissing at the zap of pain that went through my skin. Nope, that hadn’t worked. I tried again.
I went to do it a third time, but Zeke sat up with a frown. Grabbing my hand, he stopped me. “Sam, why are you doing that?”
I tried to pull my hand from his grip but he was holding me too firmly. Sighing in exasperation, I tried to explain. “Because I need to wake up.”
“But you are awake.”
“Obviously not,” I said, sitting up slowly. This might not have been real, but given how shaky I was feeling, it was best not to push it. “I’m either sleeping or hallucinating. It’s the only way to explain it.”
Zeke looked at Benji helplessly. He was also sat on the floor, his hands steepled under his chin as he studied me shrewdly.
“None of this makes sense,” I said, not sure why I was bothering when my brain was convinced this wasn’t happening. But hey, I couldn’t argue with myself on the best of days. “You can’t be angels, they don’t exist.”
There was a long pause before Noah spoke. “How do you explain mine and Benji’s wings then?”
I eyed the white feathers suspiciously. “Well, I always did have an overactive imagination.”
Zeke took my hand and pulled it into his lap. “This isn’t a hallucination or a dream, Sam. This is real. This is my reality.”
‘ It’s not. ’
But how is Zeke alive?
‘ He’s lying to you. ’
I’m just glad he’s not really dead.
‘ It’s an elaborate trick. ’
Zeke wouldn’t do that to me.
‘ Or a prank. ’
Why would they do that?
‘ If you recognise it as real, they’ll have you committed. ’
But why?
‘ Because none of them actually like you. It’s the best way for them to get you out of their lives for good. ’
Tears filled my eyes as logic warred with emotion. “This is too much. I don’t…I can’t…”
Zeke swallowed. “I’m sorry you found out like this, truly I am. But this is who I really am. You might not believe it now, but with time…”
I pulled my hand back from his so I could tap my fingers together. “No. It’s all a trick. A cruel prank.”
Pain flashed through Zeke’s eyes. “Sam, we would never?—”
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake.” Benji’s voice cut Zeke off, and all our heads swivelled to face him. “There’s a much simpler way to do this.”
Holding my gaze, Benji spoke clearly. As he did so, the air around him went funny. The words echoed in my ears, each one settling into my consciousness as an undeniable truth.
“Angels exist, Sam. You are not in any danger, and neither is Zeke. Everything you saw here today really happened. You are not in any danger. Angels are real, and Zeke is your fated mate. ”
I sat, stunned. Even my mind was silent. I had no way to deny what Benji had said. What was more, I didn’t want to. Somehow, I knew what he’d told me was true. That angels were real. That the men in the room with me weren’t human. That Zeke was…Zeke was…
In a daze, I turned to Zeke. His skin was paler than I’d ever seen it before, even his lips white as he stared at Benji in horror. “What have you done?”
There was a strange feeling in my ears. There was a quiet hum that hadn’t been there earlier. My brain felt cloudy. Wrong. Every second that ticked past, the sensation increased. But I forced out the question.
“What does Benji mean about me being your fated mate?”