22 ANGEL’S ADVOCATE #2
“I …” Well, yes, she did.
A tense silence fell. Their gazes were locked, his golden eyes seeming to drill holes right through her. Belial and Mist listened in silence, but at this point, she’d all but forgotten they existed.
“You’ll be free,” she whispered.
“If you don’t have the book, you still need my help getting it.”
“No. This is my mess, and it’s my responsibility to clean it up. I never should have involved you. It was selfish, and I won’t do it again.”
“If you think I’m letting you go back to Hell by yourself, you’re delusional.”
“Raum …” Her throat constricted, and suddenly, she longed to tell him everything.
They stared at each other from only feet apart, though it felt like an ocean was between them. But for the first time … she thought they might be able to cross it. She thought they might be able to make it if they met each other halfway.
“Why didn’t you get the book, Sunshine?”
She shook her head. “Agree to break the contract.”
“Why did you care about leaving me behind?” His eyes glinted. He wasn’t backing down.
“Agree to break the—”
“I’m a demon. I belong in Hell because all demons are evil, right?”
“No! No, they’re not, and you already know I feel that way, so I don’t understand why you’re forcing me to say it right now.
There was no way for me to get the book and free you.
I had to make a choice, so I made it, and I don’t regret it.
I care about you more than I care about the stupid book.
I don’t even want to find it anymore. I’d rather just stay here with you. ”
She closed her mouth with a snap, a little shocked by her own confession. Yes, she’d known she valued Raum’s safety above the book, but she wouldn’t have gone so far as to say she didn’t want to find it at all.
Wasn’t her reascension her top priority? Wasn’t that her ultimate goal? I don’t know what I want anymore.
Raum looked surprised too. They stared at each other for a moment in silence. There was so much she suddenly wanted to communicate, but none of it seemed to translate easily into words.
“Please, Raum,” she whispered into the heavy silence. “Agree to break the contract so I can prove to your brothers that I’m not coercing you.”
He stared at her.
“Please?”
His eyes softened and blew out a breath. “Fine. I agree. It’s done.”
The binding fell away, the magic needing nothing more than verbal consent—free from manipulation and duress, just as they’d agreed.
“Swear the vow now,” Belial interjected in a low voice. The threat was clear.
Nodding, she lifted the knife to her palm and prepared to draw the blade across her flesh. But Raum caught her wrist suddenly, forcing her hands apart. “Don’t even think about it.”
He yanked the knife from her grip and tossed it. The blade sank into the drywall across the room with a thunk.
She blinked. “How else can I prove to your family that I won’t harm them?”
“I don’t give a fuck. You will not bind yourself with a permanent, unbreakable vow.”
“She will if she wants to live.” Belial’s voice was ominous.
“Are you willing to swear the same vow in reverse?” Raum challenged him. “To swear you won’t lift a finger against her, no matter what happens, for the rest of eternity?”
Bel’s jaw shifted. His glare was murderous.
“That’s what I thought.” Raum gripped Sunshine’s arm. “We’re leaving.”
“Like fuck you are.”
“Until you’re willing to offer her the same protection she’s offering you, she’s not swearing shit.”
Sunshine protested, “Raum—”
“Here is the key to the manacle.”
To her vast surprise, Mist stepped forward and held out a small metal key.
“Mishetsu,” Bel rumbled in warning.
Raum took it quickly, and Sunshine held up her arm for him to unlock the cuff. She wasn’t going to argue against that—every second her powers were bound was excruciating. She didn’t dare look at Belial, but she could feel the fury pouring off him.
She offered a smile to Mist. “Thank you.”
“Don’t make me regret it.”
“I won’t.”
“She’s not going anywhere.” Belial’s voice was a menacing boom. Despite the threat, however, he made no move to stop her.
The cuff fell away from her arm, and Sunshine took it from Raum, key still in the lock, and set it down at her feet. She kicked it across the floor toward Belial, who still hadn’t moved. She didn’t dare go any closer to him.
“Use this if I ever pose a real threat to your family. Mist has already proven he can trap me.”
Maybe Raum was right. Maybe an unbreakable vow wasn’t the answer. Maybe … they could learn to trust each other.
She straightened again and looked at Mist. “I know how to remove your brands. I only withheld the information before because I didn’t understand why Daniel wanted it. But I understand now, and you deserve to be free.”
Mist’s eyes widened.
“Any magical brand or binding can be removed by a consecrated blade, but that blade must be wielded by a full angel. A Grigori cannot do it. The skin must be cut from the body, removing all traces of the branding. When it regrows, the brand will be gone. It will be painful, but it will work.”
Mist seemed frozen with shock.
“I’m willing to do this for you once things are more … stable.” Her gaze flicked to Belial.
“Now, we’re leaving,” Raum said again, this time more firmly. He picked up his hoodie from where he’d dropped it on the floor and then held out a hand to her.
Figuring she’d pushed her luck enough, she took it and flashed them away.
They landed on the rooftop where she’d left Luna, and Sunshine called for her. As if sensing the danger had passed, Luna came running from her hiding place between two air-conditioning units. Raum scooped her up with one arm, and Sunshine flashed all three of them to her apartment.
The silence of the empty flat felt oppressive.
She released Raum and stepped back. He bent and let Luna go and then tossed his hoodie onto the sofa across the room. Luna’s tail wagged nervously as she glanced between them like she couldn’t understand where all the tension came from.
“You never had the book,” Raum said.
Sunshine shook her head.
“Can you really remove Mist’s brands?”
She nodded.
Silence reigned some more. Bored with the drama, Luna trotted away to explore.
“You’re hurt,” Sunshine said.
He shrugged.
“Let me heal you.”
“I’m fine.”
“It’s easy for me.” She took a step forward. “Let me.”
“Isn’t that against the rules? To heal a demon?”
“Yes.”
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move so she took that as a cue.
As she stepped closer to him, her heart sped up.
Would he ever stop affecting her like this?
It didn’t help that he was so much bigger than her in this form.
He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and she longed to know what his scaled chest would feel like beneath her palm.
She held a hand over the stab wound in his side and sent waves of healing energy into it until the skin stitched back together. When she finished, she glanced up and found his eyes on her. His wings flared briefly, and her heart skipped a beat.
Say something! she wanted to shout at him. She had just revealed her feelings in front of his brother, and he hadn’t responded. The way he’d defended her to Belial and protected her from making an unbreakable vow warmed her heart, but it was hardly a confession.
For thousands of years—longer than she could remember—she had solved everything by herself. She’d never leaned on anyone. She’d never willingly surrendered control. She’d never closed her eyes and fallen, trusting someone would be there to catch her.
What would it even feel like? To plummet into the unknown with complete faith that another would break her fall and protect her from harm?
A pang of longing struck her so hard she lost her breath.
But she couldn’t ask for it, not when it was something that had to be freely given. And Raum still hadn’t spoken a word.