Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“No,” Jamie said. “This is too much. The deal Rue made with Shem didn’t involve her having to be close to him. He doesn’t own her.”
Yet.
The word was left hanging.
Sarq’s jaw ticked. “This isn’t something Shem wants either, but it is necessary.”
“Why?” Javier demanded.
Sarq’s brows came down, his jaw tensing. “Do not fight us on this. You will not win.”
But the guys looked like they’d happily fight to keep me with them. I couldn’t let them get hurt, because in a fight between us and them, they’d win every time.
I stood quickly with a sigh and a smile. “It’s fine. I’m okay with it.” I kept my tone light and airy as if sleeping with a monster was no big deal.
Jamie grabbed my hand.
I squeezed his fingers. “It’s fine, honestly.”
“Let her go,” Bastian said to Jamie.
“What the fuck?” Jamie shot him a sharp look. “You’re okay with this?”
“No,” Bastian said. “But if Rue’s okay, then I trust her judgment.” He looked to Sarq. “And I trust that Shem won’t hurt her.”
“He won’t,” Sarq said.
“Good.” Bastian stood to face Sarq, and even though Sarq was almost a head taller than Bastian, in that moment Bastian’s presence seemed to swell.
“Have no doubt that if he lays a finger on her, if he tries to take what isn’t given to him freely, we will fight you.
We may not win, but we’ll sure as hell leave a mark. ”
Sarq’s lips cracked in a toothy smile. “I like you.”
Bastian gave him a small smile. “Let’s keep it that way, eh?”
Sarq inclined his head, then ushered me to follow him.
I didn’t look back at Jamie. I didn’t want to see the hurt on his face, or the doubt. But I gave Bastian a nod of thanks before trailing after Sarq’s huge frame.
His wings were tucked tight against his back, so I was able to make out the cut of muscle across his shoulders, the powerful lats and trapezius muscles.
His waist was thick and corded too. My attention dropped to his ass, rounded and firm in the black pants he was wearing. I tore my gaze away quickly.
Fucking hell, what was wrong with me? Perv much?
Sarq led me through a door into what must have been an office back in the day. There was still a desk, but it was shoved into a corner now.
Shem lay on his side on a makeshift bed of blankets and sleeping bags. His wings were tucked in, and the tips jutted up above his head, making it look like he had horns.
His eyes were closed but his nostrils flared when I entered the room. “Close the door behind you, Sarq,” he said.
Sarq stepped back, giving me a stern look before stepping out of the room and closing the door.
I stood staring at Shem’s epic form. How was it that he looked even bigger lying down than he did standing up?
He huffed. “Are you going to stand there staring at me all night?”
“No. I’m too tired for that.” And I was. My body ached, my feet hurt, and my head was fuzzy with the need for sleep. I wanted to block out the world for a few hours and forget my loss and pending doom.
“Come here,” Shem said, his tone gruff but soft. “Lie down with me.” There was no demand, no challenge, just a resignation and weariness that echoed my own.
I didn’t know why he needed this and in that moment I didn’t care. I lowered myself onto his makeshift bed and settled on my side, facing him.
He didn’t open his eyes, which gave me the perfect opportunity to study his face close up.
His hair was a silken chestnut brown woven with golden highlights, long enough to run fingers through.
His angular features, almost harsh and cruel when animated, were softened when he was relaxed like this.
And those thick, dark lashes would make any female envious.
They fanned across his cheeks, casting shadows against his cheekbones.
His nose was straight, but his nostrils were flared, and his brows were thick and straight.
Was it weird to think that like this, calm, not snarling and showcasing his lethal fangs, he looked almost…
handsome? I lingered on his mouth. A mouth that could look wicked but at that moment looked… inviting?
Dammit. I tore my gaze up and away and ended up snared by his. “Fuck.”
He arched a brow. “Is that an invitation?”
Heat burned my cheeks. “No.” I swallowed against the sudden dryness of my mouth. “What’s wrong with you?”
“What makes you think anything is wrong?”
I arched a skeptical brow. “Seriously?”
He made a soft chuffing sound. “I’m tired. Healing the child drained me.”
“How did you do it? Heal him, I mean?”
“It isn’t something I can explain.”
“Try.”
“No.” His arm fell over my waist, and I stiffened. “I need you closer.”
I resisted, but even weakened he was stronger than me, hauling me against him and trapping me there so I was pressed to his torso, my soft parts to his hard ones.
“Stop it. I don’t like this.” I wriggled then froze as I felt him swell against me.
“Stay still,” he said coolly. “Close your eyes and sleep. I’m in no condition to do the things swimming through your mind right now.”
“What? I wasn’t… Piss off.”
He grunted and closed his eyes again. His breathing evened out but didn’t deepen enough for him to be asleep. Still, we remained like that for long minutes. He didn’t try to touch me any more than he already was, and his arousal dissipated, so I relaxed.
“How come you haven’t stripped this place? It’s filled with stuff.”
He was silent for so long that I thought maybe I’d misjudged. Maybe he was asleep.
When he spoke, I flinched and his grip on me tightened. “There are many other warehouses in the deadlands,” he said. “We’ve used the goods in those when needed by our colony.”
Colony? “There are more of you?”
“Yes.” He fell silent again.
“Why don’t you talk to me? Just tell me what you are and why you want me.”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t.”
He opened his eyes and fixed them on me in a deep, penetrating look that made me feel as if he was looking into my soul. “Can’t.”
I exhaled sharply. “Something’s stopping you?”
He pressed his lips together. “I won’t hurt you if you comply. I mean you no harm, but I cannot let you go either. Do you understand?”
I was beginning to, because once again he hadn’t answered my question directly but he kinda had. “Can you tell me what’s stopping you?”
His gaze dropped to my mouth, lingered, then moved back up again. “No.” He adjusted his arm so that it lay along my spine, then slid his hand into the hair at my nape, sending a shiver through me. “Sleep now.”
I wanted to ask more questions, but my eyelids were heavy, and a pleasant vibration buzzed beneath my skin. Exhaustion had taken hold, it seemed. No point fighting. Best to simply…
I stood in a field of long-stemmed flowers that swayed in the breeze. The air was heavy with the scent of pollen, a sharp but sweet smell that made me want to sneeze. Except this was a dream. None of this was real.
It was a dreamscape, and the architect stood a couple of meters away with his back to me. Back straight, shoulders tense, straight hair gleaming like spun gold in the sun.
I took a step closer. “Michael?”
He turned to me with cool blue eyes filled with fire. “Thank the heavens you’re here. I’ve been waiting. Searching from above. Where are you, Rue?”
His concern lit warmth in my chest along with the need to reassure him. “I’m okay. I’m safe. We all are.”
His brows pinched in confusion. “Shemyaza has not harmed you?”
“No. He protected me. All of us.”
His mouth flattened in a thin line. “Of course he did.”
His switch in mood threw me for a moment. “Do you expect him to hurt me or not? And why?”
There was a brief flash of conflict in his eyes. “It’s obvious to me now that he has a purpose for you. But whatever it is, it cannot be good.”
His words rang hollow inside me. Like a lie. Like an untruth. My unease grew. “Why do you care so much what happens to me? Why do you want me?”
He blinked sharply. “I told you I would explain everything as soon as you are safe with me.”
The last time we’d spoken I’d been shaken, afraid, equilibrium off, but since then I’d had time to acclimatize to my new reality.
To Shem, Sarq, Tumiel, and Zaqiel. To the fact that they hadn’t hurt us.
To the knowledge that there was more to them than their beastly appearances, and even more that they couldn’t tell me because of an inexplicable block.
So when I stood before Michael now, it was with a new sense of clarity and a deep sense of suspicion.
“Rue?” He took a step closer. “You must trust me.”
I took a step back. “Because you’re a celestial? That makes you automatically trustworthy, does it?”
He shook his head. “What happened to you? You were not like this before.”
“I’ve had a moment to get my bearing, get my ass kicked, and lose one of my people, so excuse me if I’m not willing to just roll over and take your word for…anything.”
His dark brows pinched in a frown. “You don’t understand.”
“No. I don’t.” I crossed my arms. “You’ll have to explain it to me.
” Part of me acknowledged that I was speaking to a celestial.
A powerful being who could smite me with a flick of his wrist if he wanted.
But the other part didn’t give a shit. It was pissed off and tired of all the secrets and cryptic bollocks.
The fact that this was a dreamscape and I knew he couldn’t physically affect me helped a lot too.
“You want me to touch the sword and bring you to me, then you need to tell me why you want me and why Shem is a danger to me. Tell me what happens to the humans that you take to the golden city. Give me something.”
His eyes flashed with the cold fire of anger and his chest swelled. “We have done nothing but protect humanity. Our presence here is what saved you all and you dare to question our intentions?” His voice boomed and echoed around me.
If he thought he could scare me into submission, he was wrong.
I lifted my chin. “Yeah. I need to know.”
His jaw ticked, eyes narrowing as he considered me, as if seeing me for the first time.
“You want to know why Shem wants you? I’ll tell you.
Because you’re an anomaly. A mortal who can touch a celestial blade and not be burned to ash is a unique, fascinating phenomenon.
You’re special, Rue, and he will want to exploit that. ”
“And you? Why do you want me? What do you know?”
He blinked sharply and snapped his mouth closed, and it hit me that he didn’t know any more. He didn’t have a clue why I’d been able to wield the blade. He just didn’t want Shem to have me.
I let out a soft, incredulous breath. “You’re clueless about me, aren’t you?”
He lifted his chin so he could look down on me imperially. “We can protect you. Once you’re safe in the golden city, we will determine why you survived contact with my sword.”
I was a thing he wanted to fetch. To own. To puzzle out. A far cry from the shit he’d said to me the last time we’d spoken.
Tears of frustration stung my eyes. “So what was all that shit about bringing me home, huh? You made it seem like I belonged, like there was some epic revelation you couldn’t wait to share with me.”
He shook his head quickly, moving closer, sensing that he was losing me. “This is your home. With us. All humans will eventually find a home in the golden city. It is a new world.”
I backed away.
No, he’d made it sound personal the last time we’d spoken. “You know what, Michael? I have an issue with lies and I don’t like being manipulated.”
“But you are being manipulated. Shemyaza is manipulating you.”
“Shem’s an arrogant, prickly bastard, but he hasn’t lied to me.
Not once. Withheld information, yes. But outright lied?
No. He promised to protect my people and he’s been true to his word.
” A thought occurred to me. “But what about you? What are you doing about the new monsters? The razor beaks? What are you doing to protect the bases?”
His expression smoothed out. “We’re doing our best to protect the bases.”
“So then tell me which one is safe? We can go there.”
He stared at me for a long beat, his expression almost glazed.
“Michael? If you truly want to help, then tell me which bases are intact.”
He closed his eyes, then inhaled and exhaled through his nose. “I cannot hold our connection much longer. But ask Shem this: ask him who is responsible for the fall of mankind. Ask him that.”
The fucker was dodging my question again. “No, you need to—"
I woke with a soft gasp to find Shem staring at me, his piercing blue eyes hard and flat.
A shiver raced up my spine. “Shem?”
“What did he say to you?” Shem ground out. “What did Michael say?”