Chapter 37
Chapter thirty-seven
Delilah
The second Archer released my arm I spun away from him, but the gate had already snapped closed, leaving me with so many unanswered questions.
How could he?
That was the main one, but it had so many connotations. How could he drag me out of there when it seemed like Astaroth knew far more than he had let on?
Had I really freed all those tortured souls? I hoped I had, but the idea seemed impossible.
But the biggest question currently plaguing my mind?
How could Archer mark me the way he did, both with his sigil and his teeth?
None of those questions were voiced, however, because Vine beat me to it
“Boss?” He sounded completely unsure, and when I turned to look at him, his face was scrunched in confusion. “What just happened? Where’d you go? And why the Hell are you so, you know...horny?”
I startled, spinning to look at Archer to see what could have caused Vine to ask him that, but I realized it was because Archer was still in his demon form, and therefore had horns.
Seeming to have just come to the same conclusion, Archer straightened, his wings, tail, and horns disappearing as though they were never there, leaving behind the handsome, stern-faced man I had become so familiar with.
His clothes still hung off of him in torn rags, as did mine, and there was a hungry, haunted look in his eye that I couldn’t quite place.
“Archer?” Corson pressed when Archer didn’t seem inclined to answer any of Vine’s questions. “What happened? You were there one second, then gone the next.” He looked at me, concern in his gaze. “And where is Helena?”
Damn. I’d forgotten about her.
“She’s dead,” was all Archer said.
From beside us, Mal let out an indignant raven squawk where he perched on the ground next to Pandora, her tiny, spiny form wiggling back and forth on the grass before Shem’s headstone as she tried to catch my attention.
Seeing her there, my heart squeezed with joy, and I rushed over, scooping her up and cradling her to me while she chittered excitedly.
“You’re alright!” I breathed, feeling her tiny body vibrating in my hold. “I’m sorry I left you.”
“Left her?” Vine asked, scratching his head. “You were barely gone two seconds. She never even had a chance to miss you.”
“What?” I frowned. “We’ve been gone for hours.”
“No, you haven’t,” Corson insisted, Mal’s haunting caw echoing across the empty cemetery.
“Okay, but what if they have?” Vine’s question caused everyone to turn his way, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I thought he might have blushed.
“I mean, look at them,” he offered, gesturing to our ruined clothes.
“They look like they’ve gone ten rounds with the Behemoth.
You don’t get that fucked up in a few seconds. ”
“You don’t get bitten, either,” Corson said accusingly, eyeing the mark Archer left on my neck, and this time I blushed, ducking my head and raising my shoulders to hide the mark that was still pulsing with a low thrum in my veins.
I hadn’t even had a moment to process what had happened in the Void, so I certainly wasn’t prepared to discuss it with Archer’s evil henchmen.
I immediately regretted the uncharitable thought.
Corson, Vine, and Mal had been nothing but kind to me, even going as far as to defy their boss and all his growly orders to ensure that I was looked after during the craziness that had been the last two days of our lives.
They might be henchmen—they might even be demons—but I was seriously starting to wonder if either of those things made them evil
“Hours?” Corson tilted his head in confusion, considering. Suddenly, he gasped, his jaw clenching. “Son of a bitch. You were in the Void. That’s why it only appeared that you were gone for a few seconds.”
Archer only nodded, his gaze still on me.
The feel of it, his heated stare tracking my every move, sent a thrilling shiver down my spine. I shouldn’t like it. I knew that. Archer and I were opposites in every way, destined to be enemies from the very start.
But that didn’t stop my thoughts from drifting back to the way his hands felt on me, the thick ridge of his cock beneath me, or the strange, satisfying hum that seemed to have settled deep in my chest. An awareness of him that I wasn’t sure how to explain, but didn’t ever want to lose.
Needing a distraction, I looked around, realizing that Vine was correct and everyone and everything were nearly exactly as we’d left them.
The sun was hanging in the cool, gray sky, not having dipped even an inch compared to where it was when I’d fled the church.
Vine and Corson stood side by side, Mal watching over both of them with his keen black eyes.
Even Persephone was in the same place, cowering at the edge of the cemetery behind the others, her eyes wide with panic.
The only one missing was Storm-bringer, his body no longer suspended between Corson and Vine, his shadow-wrapped body having vanished.
“How the fuck did you end up there?” Vine asked, eyeing us in disbelief. “And how the fuck did you get out?”
“I’ll tell you everything, but not here. I’ve had enough of this town.”
Archer waved his arm, and once again a shadow gate opened beside him.
This time it showed a cozy-looking living room with plush furniture and tall windows that looked out on to a snowy mountain range.
Mal went first, leaping off the headstone he’d been perched on and darting through like a shot.
Corson wasn’t far behind him, one of his shortswords appearing out of a hole in the air as he stepped through.
I watched as he looked from side to side, checking for any threats, I assumed.
Once he was satisfied, he nodded, raising his arm in some signal that they all apparently understood.
“Go,” Archer barked, looking weary.
“What about you?” I didn’t mean for it to come out as needy as it did, but there was no stopping it. Something inside me panicked at the idea of being separated from Archer. I didn’t understand it, but then, there was a lot I wasn’t really understanding these days.
“I’m right behind you, witch,” he whispered, the word not holding the same malice it once had. Looking at him, I watched as his face softened, the harsh lines fading into tired shadows, and that little spark within me brightened, as though it was reaching for him, wanting to comfort him.
Panicked, I took a step back, unsure of what was happening inside me, but not wanting to let him out of my sight. Seeing my unease, Archer’s face hardened once more before he turned to Persephone.
“And you?” he questioned, his words harsh. “Are you joining us?”
Persephone’s eyes widened in her pale face. “No!” she blurted, then took a breath, schooling her features. “I mean, no, thank you. I—I can’t.”
Archer grunted his understanding, but it was Vine who moved toward her, sadness in his eyes.
“What will you do?”
“First thing is to get the Hell out of Boston,” she asserted, some of the color returning to her cheeks.
“I’ve had more than enough of being caught up in whatever train wreck is following her around.
” I snorted softly, impressed that even when she was clearly out of her depth, Persephone managed to throw one more dirty look my way. “I’ve got a life to live now, don’t I?”
“Will you be alright?” Vine continued, and I felt for him. He clearly cared for Percy, even if she seemed to have only ever had eyes for Archer. “Things are pretty fucked up right now. I want to make sure you’re gonna be safe.”
“Things are only fucked up for people in your world, Vine. And from now on, that world is no longer mine. I’m leaving everything to do with Guardians and demons and uppity little witches behind.
If I never see another supernatural being again in my life, it will be too soon.
” She cast a longing look at Archer, her sorrowful eyes saying everything she didn’t.
When he gave her nothing in return, she sighed and turned back to Vine.
“Take care of yourself,” she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek before she turned and headed for the gate.
As she reached it, she paused, her smile vicious as she looked at me one last time.
“Oh, and Delilah? You look like shit in my dress.”
And then she was gone.