“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said. The voice from the room.
“Who are you? What do you want with me?”
They broke through a layer of clouds, hiding them from view. “I’m hurt, truly. I thought my reputation preceded me.”
Galen, she realized. Aeron’s greatest enemy. He had found the Cloak of Invisibility; Aeron had said as much to Torin. That’s how he’d entered the fortress undetected. That’s how he’d snuck into Aeron’s bedroom.
That’s how he would ruin what was left of her life.
Torin didn’t have cameras in the bedrooms, but there were cameras outside them and those would have captured her jumping and flying. Anyone watching the feed would believe she’d simply been heading back to the heavens. Unless Legion told him what had really happened, Aeron would assume Olivia had lied to him. He would think she’d left him without saying goodbye.
Blood froze in her veins. She had to convince Galen to take her back. “I’m not sure what you hope to accomplish, but I assure you, you won’t get your wish. Aeron doesn’t care about me.” Not the way she dreamed, hoped. “He’s letting me go.”
“I highly doubt that, but you weren’t the reason I was in the fortress. You were simply a last resort.”
“And what did you hope to accomplish?”
His arms tightened around her. “Do you really think I’ll spill all my secrets?”
“Are you going to hurt me? Tell me that, at least.”
“And spoil the surprise?” He chuckled. “No. I’d rather show you.” His wings snapped closed, and they began to fall….
AERON CAME AWAKE with a jolt. One moment he’d been lost to the burning pain working its way through him, flaming his organs to ashes, and the next a cool rain had swept through him. A cool rain he’d instantly recognized. The River of Life. Olivia was here, and she had healed him once again.
Except, when he focused, he saw that it was Legion who loomed over him, and he fought a wave of disappointment.
“It worked.” She smiled, all pearly whites and happiness. “It really worked.”
Though he badly wanted to ask about his fallen angel, he couldn’t. Not without causing all kinds of problems. “The others?” His voice was rougher than usual, and not because of damage from the smoke inhalation. The water had healed him. But thoughts of Olivia always filled him with need.
“Who cares? You know,” Legion added, tracing a finger down the line of his breastbone. Her lashes dipped to half-mast, though he could still see her eyes. They weren’t glazed with desire. No, it was determination that swirled in their depths. “Now that you’re healed, we have some unfinished business to attend to.”
He grabbed her wrist and held her hand at bay. “The others, Legion? How are they?”
With a sigh, she waved away his concern. “They’re still sick. Okay? All right? But they’ll get better on their own. I’m sure of it.”
Not with those bullets spurting poison into their systems. “You’re telling me they haven’t been given the River of Life?” Perhaps that’s where Olivia was now, seeing to his friends’ well-being. How like her. Caring, helpful.
“No, they weren’t.” There was a growing rigidity to Legion’s features. “Now, about that unfinished business…”
Damn her. She was going to make him ask. “Does Olivia have the vial?”
Finally giving up her attempts at seduction, Legion looked away from him. At least she hadn’t erupted into a rage because he’d mentioned that—beautiful, perfect—name. “No,” she said. “Because we ran out. Sorry.”
Hardly. Last time he’d used it, there’d been enough to save an entire army. Aeron sat up and scrubbed a hand down his face. So. If Olivia didn’t have the water, that meant Legion did, since it had just been given to him and she was the only one here.
But why would Legion— The answer slid into place, and he scowled. Of course. She was saving the rest for him.
“Why don’t I change into something more comfortable,” she suggested.
Not done with the seduction, after all. He shuddered. “Give me the water, Legion, and stop trying to sleep with me. I know we have to, just not now.”
Wrath stirred inside his head, stretching and yawning.
“No, I—”
“Legion. I’m giving up my life to save yours. The least you can do is give me the water.”
Frowning, she crossed her arms over her ample chest. “You make it sound like I’m…I don’t know, ruining you.”
He cocked a brow, his silence answer enough, and her anger increased. Any life without Olivia would indeed be a ruined one. Legion’s your bratty kid. “Baby girl” no longer seemed appropriate. You can’t hate her. Fine. “Give me the water or I’ll finally give you the spanking you deserve.”
Now Wrath purred.
The demon liked the idea of punishing her? He never had before.
“Fine,” she grumbled, and tugged the vial from between her breasts. “They only get one drop each. No more.”
Because no more than a drop would be needed, he said, “I promise,” and grabbed the glowing blue vial, the glass so cold it seemed refrigerated. He pushed to a stand and gazed down at himself. He was still blood-soaked and soot-covered from head to foot. His jeans were ripped and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Good enough.
“Stay here.” With every step toward the door, his blood flowed faster and his strength intensified.
“If you’re going to look for the angel,” Legion called tightly, “you should know that she left.”
The purring faded.
Aeron stopped and turned. “Left? As in went to another room?”
“Nope. She left the fortress.”
No. No. She wouldn’t have done that. She’d promised to stay until he returned and they’d spoken.
Wrath remained deadly quiet.
“You don’t believe me, I see.” Legion sighed and flopped back against the mattress. “She jumped from the balcony and flew away. She didn’t even tell me to tell you goodbye. Which is rude, if you ask me, but I doubt you will,” she added with a grumble.
No!
His own protest echoed the demon’s. He pounded out of the room and down the hall. Legion must have followed him, because she was suddenly beside him, her hand resting in his, trying to drag him to a halt.
His steps never slowed. “Olivia!” he called.
Heaven!
“I told you. She left. She’s gone forever.”
He jerked free from her hold and his hand curled into fists. Olivia wasn’t a liar. Despite the fact that her voice no longer possessed that ring of truth, she wouldn’t have lied to him. It wasn’t in her nature. He knew that. He knew her. Something must have happened. What, he didn’t know, but he would find out.
“Olivia!”
Wrath whimpered.
We’ll find her. He stopped the first warrior he found—Strider—and tossed the vial of water into his hands, tossing instructions, too, but not slowing in his quest to find his angel.
“Aeron,” Legion said, a desperate quality to the word. “Please. You were going to lose her anyway. And you better give me back that bottle the moment you’re done, Strider, or I will ensure you never have children!”
Aeron stormed back into his room and weighed himself down with weapons. “Doesn’t matter if I’m losing her or not.” Olivia, the one woman he realized he would always chase after, pride and circumstances be damned, was out there. “She’s mine. Ours,” he added before Wrath could protest. “And we won’t rest until she’s returned.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
SLAP. Her lip split.
Punch. Air abandoned her lungs.
Crack. A hard fist slammed into her lower arm, shattering bone.
Olivia remained mute through it all, enduring, but she couldn’t help the tears that swam in her eyes. The torture had begun an hour ago. An eternity. Her wrists were tied to the arms of a small, wooden chair; she was bruised, bleeding and broken.