Chapter 4
Uriel heard chatter and mentally swam through the dark of his addled mind, unable to move and drained of every ounce of strength he struggled to breathe.
He opened his eyes to pitch black darkness.
The room around him small, air thin and stale, the touch of old rot lingering as if it had been removed, but not cleaned properly.
He couldn’t see anything, and his heart pounded at the isolation.
Where was he? What about Silas and Mason? What about Wade?
Noise trickled through the thick walls to him with a muffled cadence.
One of the voices stirred a longing in his gut that made him yank at the chains.
They rattled, but didn’t give. He hurt, sharp and excruciating from the back of his left thigh.
Dizziness brought a swirl of lights behind his eyelids.
An argument paused outside Uriel’s prison. The familiar voice raised and angry, though Uriel couldn’t understand the words. A second later a metal door screeched as it was torn away and light slammed through the tiny space, too bright. He shut his eyes, tears welling up from the burn.
Someone touched his face, gentle and careful. Was it Wade? The seraph had been very clinical about his touch. Uriel blinked through light spots and tears, and sucked in a deep breath as the musty stink of the room whispered away with a breeze and added a touch of orchids after a heavy rain.
“Uriel? Love?” The familiar voice again.
Spots blocked out the face of the one touching him, but it wasn’t Wade. Tears streamed down his cheeks, part physical pain and part grief.
“We expect you to leave,” a cold voice said from the doorway. “Take all your kind with you.”
The doctor.
Uriel snarled and tried to launch himself at the man. The chains rattled, but held firm. He wanted to howl and rage and tear the man limb from limb. He tried to pour a wave of magic into something to rip him apart, but found his well of power empty.
“Shh,” the one touching him whispered, kissing Uriel’s tears away. “I’ve got you. Let me get you home and healed up.”
The spots floated to the side of his vision as they shrank and Uriel stared into a pretty face that triggered a terrible migraine instantly. “Raphael?” Uriel whispered, a thousand memories surging into place at once. He feared his head would implode as the pressure increased.
The chains snapped away, slinking free from his limbs like a reluctant snake.
Raphael ran his fingers over Uriel’s face in a gentle caress.
“Rest. Heal. I’ll get you home.” The pain trickled away with the warm glow of his touch and Uriel sank into the heat, his heart battered, broken, and lost. He released the onslaught of overwhelming memories, deciding to pursue organizing them later, when he didn’t feel like someone had driven a spear through his head.