Chaol
The Rink was more crowded than ever. Ira immediately flung himself into Wolf’s arms, and Lexi did the same with Xyra, helping her over to sit in one of the metal folding chairs around the meeting area.
The others all collapsed, either in chairs or to the floor, flopping down wherever was convenient.
Sheathed swords were discarded. Luke sprawled out like a starfish in the middle of the floor with a groan, and Malachi followed him down, leaning over him with a fond look.
Talon followed Alex to a chair and hovered beside him as he sat.
Isaac paced, turning sharply back and forth until Shadrach snagged his wrist and pulled him into an embrace that slowly melted the angry tension from his body.
Storm sat on the sofa and pulled Nathan into his lap.
Valac was wrapped around Julian, tendrils of shadow skating up and down Julian’s arms and legs as though searching for injury, and Nicolas leaned heavily on Ashmedai, whose clawed fingers stroked the pulse point on his neck.
“Don’t care.”
Beyond the closed door was a windowless room with six clean white cots, three on either side of the room.
A metal cabinet sat in the far left corner of the room.
Each cot had a rolling metal tray beside it.
The laminate wood floor looked shiny and new, and the walls were painted a unremarkable cream.
“I told you, I don’t care,” he said, coming closer and wheeling a metal tray over so he could set the supplies on it.
Daniel studied him, eyes narrowing. “What is it? Your face did something weird. Is it the cut? I’m telling you, it barely hurts now.”
Chaol inwardly balked. “No, it’s not that. I mean, it’s partly that. I don’t like seeing you get hurt.”
The room was strangely quiet around them. No one out in the main room was talking, too exhausted from the fight to recount for the others what had happened yet. It gave the air between them a hushed feeling.
“Then what?”
Chaol sighed, ripping open an alcohol wipe and cleaning up the black blood that had trickled down to Daniel’s elbow. “No one’s ever called me that before.” His voice sounded so goddamn loud, he wanted to cringe.
“What, baby?”
Chaol met his eyes shyly. “Yeah.”
“I’ve called you that before.”
Chaol huffed. “I know. But before you, no one’s ever…
I know it’s a common term of endearment here on Earth.
Hell, I’ve heard some of the guys here calling each other that.
But… yeah. You’re the only one who’s ever called me that.
” He didn’t know why he was embarrassed, but he couldn’t meet Daniel’s eyes when he added, “I like it.”
When he chanced a glance at Daniel’s face, he could’ve sworn the burning glow in Daniel’s eyes flared brighter at that.
“I’m glad,” Daniel whispered. “I don’t want anyone else calling you that, ever. You’re mine.”
“I am,” Chaol agreed. “I don’t want anyone else calling me that.” Tossing the wipe aside, he opened a packet of gauze and put it over the wound with some medical tape. It was better than nothing, and he felt better now that he couldn’t see the wound.
“I’ll call you baby.” Daniel widened his legs and pulled Chaol between them. “I’ll call you baby every day.”
Chaol draped his arms around Daniel’s neck. “I’d like that,” he murmured between their lips. “Call me baby. Call me baby when you’re inside me. Call me baby when I smell like you. Call me baby when we’re falling asleep together and every morning when we wake up.”
“For eternity,” Daniel swore.
Chaol shivered in Daniel’s arms. Everything about Daniel was made for him. His possessiveness, his hunger for Chaol. He wasn’t alone anymore, and he’d burn the world down for Daniel, if that was what he wanted. Although, these days Daniel was the one more likely to do any burning.
“I love it. I love everything you do.”
“Everything?” Daniel’s voice was low, rumbling with invitation, and Chaol was helpless to resist.
Chaol kissed him softly. “Yes,” he whispered. “Everything. All of it. I was yours from the moment we met.”
“Hell yes you were.” Daniel crushed their mouths together, mashing their lips between their teeth. It was painful and sloppy and so, so good.
But they didn’t have time for more. They needed to be there with the others to talk to Menadel, and then they had to find somewhere else to live. Julian and Valac’s house was in ruins. The club and all of the penthouses were compromised. Things were more complicated than ever.
“Come on,” Daniel said with a sigh, guiding Chaol back so he could stand, threading their fingers together. “Let’s get this over with.”
Out in the main room, no one had moved, although Luke had at least sat up.
“So, what happened?” Ira asked, in between biting his thumbnail. “Is everyone okay?”
“We’re fine,” Wolf said, tugging Ira’s hand from his mouth. “Some of the halflings at the club didn’t make it. We’ve got a mess to deal with there.”
Talon looked at Menadel, who was watching them all with an air of curiosity.
“We need you to ward that building,” he said.
“We all live in the penthouses above the club right now. I don’t think Ramiel or the paladins know about that, but the fact that they know In Extremis’s location now is not good. ”
Menadel bowed her head, looking chastened.
“I will, of course. It should have crossed my mind to ward your homes before this happened. I was preoccupied with hunting him down. Ramiel has been busy. You are not the only demons in the city, and he has been laying waste to any he can get his hands on. I’ve been trying to track him down, but he’s moving too quickly.
By the time I lock onto his signature, he’s moved.
” She sighed. “He’s always been a keen strategist.”
“You don’t need to track him,” Daniel said. “He’s coming after us now. For better or worse, we’ll be your bait. All you have to do is wait for him to show up. He tore apart Julian and Valac’s house yesterday because some of us were there.”
Julian sagged at the reminder, looking crestfallen.
“He sensed you,” Menadel explained. “Yes. I should have known. I won’t make that mistake again, you have my word.”
“How do we stop him?” Shadrach asked poisonously.
“Does it take an angel to kill another angel? You said a demon wouldn’t be able to do it, so what’s the secret?
We can’t keep going on like this. Every time he attacks us, we’re at a disadvantage, because we can’t kill him.
All he has to do is wear us down. It’s just a matter of time until he kills one of us. ”
Menadel frowned lightly, her lips pursing. “No, an angel cannot kill an angel. Not in the sense that you’re talking about.”
She took a breath to say more, but Ira suddenly inhaled, snapping a hand out to grab Wolf’s arm. His gaze was fixed at a distant point on the wall.
Chaol frowned, glancing from face to face. The whole room waited with bated breath.
Daniel leaned over and whispered in his ear, “He’s having a vision.”
Oh, thank fuck. Maybe it was the one they needed.
When Ira blinked back to the present, he frowned, looking around the room.
“Well?” Talon asked.
“I don’t understand what it means. It wasn’t… It was different. It sounded like words. A few flashes of images. I usually see an actual scene from the future.”
“Okay, what did the words say?” Alex asked. “What images did you see?”
“The words… ‘He who was reborn in hellfire shall slay the angel Ramiel.’ And I saw a boy. There was fire all around him. I don’t know who he was.”
On Daniel’s other side, Draego shifted.
Chaol looked at Daniel. “Reborn in hellfire,” he repeated, arching one brow.
Daniel looked at him, uncomprehending at first. When it dawned on him, he shook his head, turning imploringly to Ira and Menadel. “What? No, it can’t be. You said demons can’t kill angels.”
“That is correct,” Menadel said. “Whoever this boy is, or was, he is the one who will kill Ramiel.”
“It could be anyone,” Talon said. “You said this was going to happen soon. How is a little boy going to kill Ramiel?”
“I don’t think he’s still a little boy,” Ira said thoughtfully. “I think that was the moment he was ‘reborn in hellfire.’ I don’t think that was recent. It didn’t… feel recent.” He frowned uncertainly.
“How do I leave a comment card for the prophecy-givers?” Talon drawled. “Their messages leave something to be desired.”
Menadel smiled patiently, though there was little humor behind it. “All I know is that I must mitigate the damage Ramiel is doing until such time as the prophecy unfolds how it’s supposed to.”
“So why can’t we just, like, shoot him with a rocket launcher?” Isaac asked.
“Besides the fact that we don’t have a rocket launcher?” Nathan pointed out.
Isaac scoffed. “Shadrach would get me one if I asked.”
“I would,” Shadrach agreed.
“He could simply disappear before the rocket made impact,” Menadel pointed out. “It wouldn’t work. It’s been foretold, and it will unfold how it’s meant to. The one who kills Ramiel will be human. We just have to wait for him to reveal himself.”
“And Ramiel just continues to kill people until then?” Alex asked, wrinkling his nose. “The more demons he kills, the stronger he gets, right? We can’t just let him run around the city using demons as personal power-ups.”
“That’s why I am here,” Menadel said. “To prevent that.”
“Then do a better job,” Talon snapped.
Menadel had the grace to look sheepish. “I will. You have my word. I thought chasing him was the best option, but he cloaks himself from me. You’re right; staying close by will be better.”
“We need somewhere to stay,” Julian said wearily. “Our house is…” He sighed.
“There are unused penthouses above the club,” Talon said, then gestured to Daniel and Chaol. “I was going to offer one to you guys anyway, so you didn’t have to keep living in their guest room. They’re unfurnished, but we can arrange for some deliveries.”
“That’d be nice,” Daniel said, and Chaol nodded his agreement.
“Will it be safe enough?” Chaol asked. “Now that the paladins and Ramiel know about the club?”
“They don’t know about the apartments,” Talon said. “We can have Menadel ward the building so Ramiel can’t access it. We can call our local mage to ward it against human intrusion like we did the Rink. And Menadel, I’ve got a safe house in Italy I’d like you to ward also. Just in case.”
She nodded in agreement.
“We might be able to use the beds from our house,” Julian said, frowning. “Most of the damage was on the front of the house. The bedrooms might be mostly intact.”
“We can check,” Valac said.
“I will go and ward the building now,” Menadel said. “I’ll let you know when I’m finished.”
Isaac huffed. “I don’t like this.” He folded his arms petulantly.
“Don’t like what, killer?” Shadrach asked.
“Waiting!” Isaac threw his hands in the air. “God! I was so close. I almost fucking had him!”
“Had who?” Nathan asked.
“Sloan!” he roared. “Fucking coward. He knew I had him cornered. That’s why he yelled for Ramiel to take them away. I can’t just sit by and twiddle my thumbs while we wait for whoever’s supposed to kill the angel. I want to take the fight to them.”
“Not yet,” Ira said calmly.
“Ira,” Isaac started.
“No, not yet,” Ira said, more firmly this time. “We still have someone on the inside.”
“What are we waiting for?” Isaac asked. “Just tell Cyrus to get the fuck out of there so we can tear it all down to studs.”
“He’s our inside man,” Ira said. “We wouldn’t have known about the attack tonight if it wasn’t for him. We would’ve been too late, and Xyra and who knows how many others would’ve died.”
Lexi made a noise under her breath, and Xyra nuzzled her, whispering in her ear.
“When we find the human who’s meant to kill Ramiel,” Ira said, “then we’ll make our move. But if we attack now without a way to kill him, we won’t win. We have to do this right.”
A noise of despair tripped from Isaac’s throat, and Shadrach pulled him into his arms.
“You’ll kill him,” Chaol heard Shadrach whisper in his ear, his voice full of dark promise. “We’ll take our time with him. We’ll make him pay.”
Chaol turned, partly to give them some privacy and partly to seek out Daniel’s touch.
He slid an arm around Daniel’s shoulders, tucking his face in the curve of Daniel’s neck and inhaling the scent of smoke and musk.
He just wanted to sink into him and never come out.
The minute they found somewhere horizontal, that was what he wanted.
He was tired of fighting, and it seemed the war wasn’t over yet.
But for now, they had each other, and that was all that mattered.