Chapter 43
Will
Watching from the back of the dragon, Will could do nothing. He was too far to assist or make a difference to the events unfolding around Rion. He tried to make a mind link, but both Rion and Tobias had shut him out.
After the shockwave, once the threat of attack was no longer present, he left the dragon, using his own wing power to fly to the spot where Lyla and Kyriel lay.
Before he could get there, Kitty extracted Rion from the scene.
It was probably for the best. The male was a mess and in no condition to retain the facade of Oriax.
Will confirmed Kyriel’s death, and moved on to Lyla. Her soul had not left her body, but her existence felt so fragile. Did he have enough in reserve to heal her?
“What can I do to help?”
Glancing up, he saw that Westergaard had arrived, and knelt down beside them.
“She’s not gone yet. I’d like to heal her, but it’s pretty bad. I’m not sure I have enough left in me. We’re going to have to look for another angel, but with so many injured, I don’t know if anyone can be spared to assist.”
“What if I do that thing Martelli did at the palace?”
Will’s eyes filled with hope. “That might work… if I can heal her enough first.”
Westergaard returned her bent wing to its natural angle, and positioned himself behind her. With one strong arm wrapped around her torso, and a hand stroking the hair back from her face, he spoke softly in Norwegian, a language both Will and Lyla understood.
“Hold on my lady. We are here to help. You have fought courageously, and we are so grateful for this. Hold on, and come back to us. Your children need you; your friends need you. I need you.”
Will’s brows raised in unison at the last comment, but he said nothing. He continued weaving the miracle, pouring every ounce of energy into the maneuver.
“Take the cold I can provide,” Westergaard said. “Restore yourself, Lyla. Come back to us.”
After Westergaard had repeated his offer several times, Will noticed the temperature drop a couple of degrees. Westergaard’s head tilted back as if he was soaking up the warmth of a brilliant summer’s day. Perhaps, that’s exactly how it felt.
“Oh yes, fucking yes,” he murmured, as if Will wasn’t sitting right there.
A soft, barely audible moan escaped Lyla’s lips. Their combined effort was working. He didn’t dare stop now, knowing how close to the wire it had been to start with.
“I’m… going to pass out soon.” Will could feel delirium seeping into his body. “If you could make sure nobody ends me while I’m down, that would be great.”
Westergaard gave a hearty laugh. “You’re safe with me, angel.”
He came to slowly, struggling to comprehend the surroundings. Initially, the previous few hours had been forced to the back of his mind. Michael was beside him on one knee, performing a miracle.
“You…” Will mumbled incoherently. “Why is it you?”
“Because, my brother, I owe you the greatest of apologies.”
The sound of Michael’s deep resonating voice brought everything back to the front of his consciousness.
“You should be resting, you dumbass…” Will let loose a hysterical laugh.
“Well, it would seem I am doing better than you.” With a wry smile, Michael continued the healing.
Suddenly remembering Lyla and Westergaard, Will tried to sit up.
“I would prefer it so, if you didn’t squirm like an idle toddler.”
As the words left Michael’s lips, Will’s gaze finally settled on Westergaard and Lyla.
She was still nestled in his embrace, but gazing up at him as he spoke softly to her.
Will couldn’t hear the conversation, but a connection had formed between the pair, evident in every small movement they made. How unexpected…
“Zadkiel…”
“That isn’t my name anymore,” he replied absently, still glued to the couple nearby.
Michael cleared his throat awkwardly. “Will…”
Will snapped back to the present and gave Michael his full attention. “Sorry. What is it?”
“Thank you for saving my life.”
“It’s part of the job description. We’re good.”
“After the way we all treated you…”
“Let it go, Mikey. We’re good.”
Dumbfounded by the remark, Michael simply stared at him.
“Right.” Will got to his feet, thus shattering the miracle. “What’s the status of things? Where is everyone?”
“Oriax has claimed his new title. The Unholy lords have returned to the lower realms to discuss it. Since this is the first time leadership has changed in any of the immortal realms, we will need to keep a close eye on things. It does appear he intends to honor the pact made with you and the Trinity.”
“Sweet.”
“Zad – ahem – Will. If you are well, we must return to your friends. Much has changed.”
Michael had always been a serious male, but this tone seemed off, even for him. A foreboding sensation snaked its way into the pit of Will’s stomach. What did he mean by that statement? We’ve lost someone else in this fucking war. Someone important. Please don’t let it be Tobias or Rion.
Kitty
She sat in the chair beside Rion’s bed with Will and Vixen’s child asleep in her arms. The servants were passed out in various parts of the Penthouse, all except this tiny babe.
It was the only proof that Tobias still lived, wherever he was.
Will had not returned from the battlefield either.
The only person she had to help shoulder the burden of this catastrophe, was her brother, who lay in a catatonic state.
Tears poured down both cheeks as she failed to closet her emotions. It’s too much. It’s all too much. Deep down she’d known the cost of this war would be greater than anything they could comprehend.
All angels held great compassion and would be devastated at the death of a charge, or death of an innocent they felt responsible for. It was different with Kitty. Her empathic abilities amplified these things a thousand-fold.
She didn’t just have the passing of two servants on her conscience; she held the empty void where two friends had once been. She’d also lost her birth mother before reconciliation could occur.
Despite her claims that it was over, a small part of her knew in time that hardness may have eased enough to try again. Now it would never come to pass. Additionally, Rion also seemed incapable of dealing with the loss of both mothers.
She didn’t have a complete picture of what had happened.
Between the loss of Christo and her failure to save Vixen, there were many gaps in the timeline.
Rion was the only one who could currently provide those answers, but he wasn’t talking.
Tobias wasn’t dead, but he hadn’t returned, and she had no proof he was okay.
There was such a huge range of possibilities between alive and dead.
Tobias… I need you. Please be okay. Overcome with emotion, she cradled the baby just a little closer.
The infant’s eyes opened, a beautiful arctic blue, just like her father’s.
Too young to comprehend any of the chaos in play, yet with enough immortal blood to instinctively recognize distress.
The baby’s Holy aura glowed in the dim light of the bedroom, and expanded until it touched Kitty.
“Oh, little one, no!” She choked back a sob. “I am not your responsibility. You are supposed to be mine. Keep your precious energy, I will be okay.” More tears fell and her chest heaved as she failed to contain her grief.
“Are you hurt?”
Rion’s voice startled her. Kitty whirled around, reaching out with one hand to grasp his. He squeezed back. This was so like him. Broken enough to retreat inside himself in an attempt to heal, heroic enough to disregard that if he thought someone he cared about needed him.
We’re the same, she realized. What a pair we make.
“I’m not hurt,” she said quietly. “But everything is a fucking mess.”
“Language, little ears are listening,” he said.
“Seriously, Rion.” It was such an absurd thing to say that she burst out laughing. It soon evolved into more tears.
He squeezed her hand again. “I must ask for your forgiveness, though I fear I shall never deserve it.”
“What do you mean? You did it… we won.”
“I… I killed our mother.” His voice cracked mid-sentence.
“Kyriel? Yes, I know. I’m so sorry you have to bear that burden.”
“No…” His brow furrowed. “Well yes, but that is not who I meant.” With eyes averted, he choked on a breath. “I killed them both.”
“You killed Lyla?” She frowned. Another person whose whereabouts she didn’t know. Why would he do such a thing?
“I did not intend it. I would take it back if I could.”
“How?” her voice came out small and child-like.
“I prepared to kill father, and Kyriel appeared in my path out of nowhere, mid-strike. I could not take it back, there was no time, no warning. I… killed her.”
Kitty could not process the admission. She knew Kyriel had already Fallen prior to this moment. It was clear Rion was not to blame for the death, but she knew he’d hold himself responsible regardless.
Greater than this truth lurked another question Kitty didn’t know if she was ready to hear the answer for. Lyla. What had happened to Lyla?
“Lyla?” She asked hesitantly. “Where is she?”
“I did not mean to; I swear it on my life. I – I fed from her. I took too much… I…”
An ocean of tears would not be enough to expel this pain and sorrow from her body.
Clutching the child, Kitty leaned closer to embrace her brother.
However much this loss might threaten to break her, it would destroy Rion utterly and completely.
She could not comprehend the loss, but she knew he was on a tightrope between survival and demise.
She had to swallow her pain, or she might lose him too.
“I forgive you,” she whispered, her vision obscured by tears.
“You should not!”
“I said I forgive you, brother. It is my choice to make.”
Together they wept, the future a muddy uncertainty devoid of hope or purpose.
The combined pain they shared, an unsurmountable obstacle, could not be a tangible thing right now.
Not when they were responsible for this child.
Tobias’ lifeline. Will’s last connection to Vixen.
An innocent child, with wings that didn’t make a scrap of sense and the divinity to match.
Everything had blurred together and she lacked the strength to sift through it all.
“Coffee,” he said to break the silence. “I will make us coffee. It will not change anything, but will equip us to cope with this more effectively.
Of course he goes straight to coffee in a crisis. Oh Savior, I love this crazy brother of mine. I need to be grateful I haven’t lost him along with everyone else.
A fond smile took hold, and she allowed it, eager to focus on something positive amongst the pandemonium they’d just experienced. The heaviness still existed in side, but she pushed it as far down as possible, and followed him to the kitchen.
Just as he was bringing the two cups over to the kitchen counter to sit with her, Lyla appeared in the kitchen.
Rion set the cups down with enough force to slosh the beverages everywhere.
Kitty managed to turn in time to avoid the spill reaching the baby, but her eyes stayed on Lyla.
Relief at seeing her in one piece flooded in.
Both Kitty and Rion failed to contain their emotion, and both projected.
Lyla turned at once, emotion distorting her features. Rion tentatively approached her. While Kitty had also gotten to her feet, she hung back. He needed this moment to heal.
“Son of my choosing,” Lyla said with difficulty.
He wrapped both arms around her and hugged her as if he might never see her again. They both wept, clinging to one another as the unspoken grief they shared for Kyriel hung heavy in the air around them.
“I thought I had lost you too,” he said quietly.
“You did not, but it is a sacrifice I would have gladly made to ensure your survival.”
“My relief is greater than words can express.”
Lyla’s gaze shifted and fell upon Kitty. She cast her eyes down for a moment, taking in the infant, and then approached with care, gently wrapping an arm around Kitty’s shoulders.
“You are well. You are both well. My heart is now full.”
“Love you,” Kitty said awkwardly.
“And I, you.” Lyla’s voice hitched as she spoke.
She kissed Kitty on the top of the head and sighed.
“There is much I must do, and things I must discuss with Viggo and the vampires, but it was not my priority. I had to come here at the first available opportunity to see you both. You are everything to me. Do you hear?”
Rion joined them, wrapping an arm around each female, the baby safely cradled in between them all. “We both feel the same,” he said.
In the middle of it all, the baby began to cry.
“She is hungry,” Lyla observed. “Where is her mother?”
“She… didn’t make it,” Kitty said.
“Oh, I am sorry.”
“I should go out and get some formula,” Kitty observed. “Will you be okay until I get back?”
“Of course,” Rion said.
Lyla hugged them both. “I will go, too, but we will speak again soon.”