Chapter Twenty-Five
The next day—maybe—who knew how time worked in Atlantis?
Liss was a big believer that dressing well could influence the day. Slouch around in hoodies and yoga pants? Don’t expect anything exciting or fun to happen. Pull yourself together in a tight dress with rockin’ shoes and sparkly jewelry? You were guaranteed to feel like a million bucks. And that confidence, happiness, brought good things your way.
Until today.
She wore the most beautiful dress of her entire life. It was gauzy. Full of different-sized panels of pink and red fabric that draped as if it were couture and stitched onto her body. The scalloped edges of each panel were stitched with gold thread and diamond dust (no, really—she’d asked!) and sparkled almost as much as the halo of diamonds encircling her black diamond engagement ring.
Strands of liquid silver were woven throughout her hair. A collar of rubies encircled her throat.
Despite all that? She was having a crappy day.
She’d been cooped up in the unknown bedroom with a handleless door since regaining consciousness. When she woke up, it was to no pain. Not even the twinge in her ankle that had bugged her since the attack by Clay.
There was a stone pool—like a hot spring—carved into the floor. So she indulged in a soak in its soothing heat. Stared out the glass wall that looked over a crystal and stone city, crisscrossed with rainbow bridges. Snow-capped mountains stood sentinel at the horizon. And she almost pounced on the angels who came in with the snazzy clothes.
They were not fonts of information. All they’d say was that everyone was fine and she’d be reunited with Zavier soon.
Uh, she was newly engaged! Liss needed to be with him now . Needed to stroke around the feathers she’d seen so blackened. Needed to run her hands all over him to check for injuries. Needed to look into his eyes and be sure that encountering Aamon again hadn’t spiraled him back to a very dark place.
And she needed to know what the heck had happened with their attempt to prevent the coup.
However…Liss didn’t think it was wise to argue with angels. Angels who’d originally been sent to watch over humanity. Angels who’d apparently healed her—and could probably smite her with a blink.
So she waited.
And fumed.
And pinched herself four different times to be sure she wasn’t just dreaming about being in Atlantis.
When the door next opened, it was Zavier’s familiar glower on the other side. She laughed in relief as she rushed into his arms. “Only you would be grumpy at being in Atlantis.”
“They wouldn’t let me see you. I was ready to claw my way through stone walls to get to you.”
An angel, at least eight feet tall, stood behind him. “We had to make sure that we’d healed you properly. Sufficiently. We have not used our powers on humans in quite some time.”
“I’m only half human,” Zavier growled as he released her.
“And I don’t even know how much I am anymore.” Liss giggled at the absurdity of the conversation. “But I feel great. So thank you.” There was a bit of her brain that realized the angels had been watching them this whole time. Nobody had come in to take her pulse, or feel her forehead, or check the scarless spots where she’d been wounded. That bit of her didn’t like it one bit, knowing that she’d been watched.
It seemed…ungrateful to bring it up now, though. But if she was bothered? Zavier must be crawling out of his skin. She ran a soothing hand down his chest, just in case. That’s when it hit her. “You’re wearing a toga .”
“They wouldn’t give me back the wetsuit. This was my only choice.” If he’d been a seven-year-old boy yanking at his first necktie, he couldn’t have looked more uncomfortable. Even though the shimmering black folds of the toga hung regally on him.
“I like it. Hey, is a toga like a kilt? Are you going commando under there?”
That teased out his devastatingly sensual smile. “All will be revealed in time.”
“ Nephilim , will you carry her and follow me?” The angel didn’t wait for a response—bossy!—but flew up into the airy core of the structure. Each level was open to the center, with no walls. Made sense for a community of winged beings.
They flew up toward the sunlight until they arrived at a circular room that capped the core. It was ringed with what sure looked like crystal thrones. A fountain sprang from the middle of the floor. Whatever the Atlantis version was of cherry blossoms snaked along the arched stone outlines of doors.
Standing in front of the fountain were Maisy, Rhys, Evangeline, and Gideon.
“You’re all okay!” Liss exclaimed as Zavier gently set her down. All six of them clumped together into a group hug with back slapping and relieved laughter. It almost didn’t feel real.
And yet it was perfect.
“Thought we were meeting back at the WatchTower for steaks?” Zavier said in his usual sarcastic tone. It led to another round of laughter.
Were they giddy? Slap-happy? Oh, definitely. Liss figured that might last for several days. How did you just get over saving the world?
Rhys harrumphed. “Haven’t made it back there yet. One minute we were fighting for our lives. The next, hordes of angels picked up the baton. And we were, ah, brought here before the battle even ended.”
Maybe Liss was still a bit in shock. Because it was only then she realized that her friends were dressed up just like she and Zavier. Rhys in a silver toga, Gideon in a white one. Maisy wore a fluffier version of her dress in green. Evangeline’s was more drapey, in an ombre pink and white. “You got the healing treatment, too?”
Maisy flapped her elbow. “Oh yeah. This thing was dislocated before. Rhys had a crushed foot from where a…what was that thing?”
“A chort . Czech hooved demon. Stomped right on me.”
Gideon winced. “Oh, those fuckers. Sorry.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are all fine,” a deep voice intoned. It came from a male angel holding a glowing staff. “I am Jophiel. I welcome you to Atlantis.”
Oh, right. The place that looked like a fancy council chamber had filled in with an angel in every throne while they’d caught up.
Liss squeezed Zavier’s hand even tighter. “What’s the protocol with angels?” she whispered.
“Are you kidding? We’ve always believed they despised us. How would I know?”
“They’re treating you pretty well for something they despise,” Evangeline whispered back.
The angel with the staff tapped it against the floor and a ten-tone chord rang out. “We bear no grudges against Nephilim . That began after we were banished. Celestials were infected with hatred by Auriel and his co-conspirators. We have much to fix.”
“Is Auriel gone? And Astaroth?” Rhys asked.
“All the leaders of the attempted coup, both angelkind and demonic, were swiftly dispatched. Tartarus will remain the eternal prison of the Titans. And humanity will continue, as always, unaware of the war that was waged to keep them safe.”
A female angel sat next to him. A woman so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at her, and at the same time, felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket. A bracelet of crystals spiraled from her wrist to her shoulder. “I am Daksha. The eternal fight between Good and Evil, the teeter-totter of it all, will also continue. But it’s leaning a little more heavily to the side of Good , for now. Thanks to your efforts.”
Jophiel flared his wings. “We especially thank you for bringing us back. The Angels of Atlantis will always be in your debt.”
Robes rustled as all the angels stood. One by one, they bowed to Liss and her friends.
Okay, that was knee-shakingly amazing.
After a long minute where they stayed bent over, Rhys cleared his throat. “No, ah, debt at all. We did what we had to do. What we were born and trained to do.”
“A little more complex,” Gideon continued. “Convoluted. Potentially deadly. But still, just another mission.”
“We did our duty.” Then Zavier shook his head. Turned away from the angels. “I can’t play it cool, Liss. I can’t believe you risked death to stay with me out there. I…I always thought my duty as a warrior was all I was good for. You make me realize that I’m important as a person.”
“About time you got there,” she said with a sassy wink. While swallowing down the tears that were catching in her throat.
“Wow, you’ve got a head of concrete.” Rhys poked Zavier with his wing. “We’ve been trying to tell you that for eighty years.”
“You didn’t present a compelling enough argument,” he muttered, still keeping his eyes locked on Liss.
Gideon snorted. “You mean we’re not as pretty as Liss.”
“That’s a big part of it.” He flashed the smile that was coming more and more often. “I’ve never felt the kind of joy you give me.” He raised her hand to kiss right over her engagement ring.
Maisy nudged her with her elbow. “Zavier can’t be the only one who had an epiphany staring death in the face today. Please tell me that you finally accept that using your powers won’t turn you evil.”
Liss thought back to the terrifying moment when Typhon swayed, thanks to her singing. And the first moment she’d seen the color and form of Atlantis covering the ocean. She’d done that.
“Obviously. I’m not nearly as hardheaded as my fiancé. I can tell that I did darn good work today. For Good.”
Daksha walked toward them, hand outstretched. Her halo moved with her as if attached. It was beyond cool. “Your powers are still evolving, Liss. The Angels of Atlantis offer you a place to stay. You may train with us to learn how to balance the Nephilim and Nereid in you.”
“Here? On Atlantis?”
“Yes.” Jophiel smiled, but it had a bit of a threatening grimace around the edges. “We are here to stay now.”
“That’s an amazing offer. Thank you.” While Liss wouldn’t dare argue with an angel, she would stand her ground. “But I won’t do it without Zavier by my side. We’re meant to be together, you see.”
“Oh, we do see. We see that none of the Nephilim would have gotten to the point of bringing us back without the love you brought into their lives.” Daksha spread her arms and wings wide, lifted her head, and light speared straight up through the ceiling. “For Evil cannot stand against Unconditional Love.”
Guess they’d proven that. All of them. Zavier most of all, though, as he’d allowed love to erase what Evil had done to him. Beneath all that surly snark, Zavier was a deeply caring man who loved her.
And her demon pet. Which she might have to sneak past the angels.
They might make an odd trio on a magical island full of rainbow bridges, but they’d be together, so their new life would be perfect. As long as he agreed.
Whoops. Liss bit her lip. She didn’t want to be the kind of wife who made decisions unilaterally. At least, not most of the time.
She beamed at Zavier. “Will you stay with me? Here?”
“Anywhere,” he vowed. “Neither one of us will ever be alone again.”
“Well…now that we’ve survived, I’m going to need a solid day alone at the mall to buy your Christmas presents.”
“Acceptable.”
The love doesn’t end here…