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I might not be as weak as a regular human, but without my reaper abilities, I could barely protect myself, let alone my mate. Learning to control my dragon scales would help me in a bind, but it would never be enough to save her life.
I would never be enough.
To make matters worse, she was royalty. A queen in a matriarchal society. Her family had ruled Mirognya for generations, and she was giving it up. She claimed she had no interest in the title or job, but the gods themselves were involved.
Was I holding her back from her true potential?
More importantly, how could I expect to protect a woman chosen by the gods?
Or was I always destined to lose her?
5
SUNDAY MORNING
Tony dropped his hands from Thane’s face and stepped back. Thane’s frozen limbs released a moment later, and he stumbled forward into the doorframe, knocking his forehead against it.
“Oh, thank the gods.” I threw my arms around his neck, breathing in his familiar scent.
His arms wound around my waist and held me tight as he took deep, shuddering breaths. His heart pounded against his chest and into mine, and terror mixed with sorrow swept through our soul link.
Whatever he’d faced had rocked him to the core.
“I thought I would lose you,” he whispered against my hair, his voice shaky. “Over and over.”
I leaned back just enough for our foreheads to touch and met his deep blue gaze. “Never. I’m way too stubborn for that.”
His cheek twitched, but a full smile didn’t form. He was still shaken, and I didn’t blame him—my nightmares had been intense and felt so real.
The building groaned and heaved as another wave of magic attempted to break the defensive barrier. Glass shattered somewhere down the hallway.
Our time was almost up.
“Tony, we need to get Adam free,” Thane said, snapping into his get-it-done mode I loved so much. He entered the conference room, and I followed him and Tony inside.
Like he’d done with Thane, Tony stood near Adam and placed his hands on either side of the angel’s head.
A few heart-pounding beats later, Adam’s chair clattered backward as the archangel stood. His expression was dark and stormy, and for the first time since we’d met, his rage felt like a brand on my soul.
I shuddered to imagine what horrors fueled an archangel’s worst nightmares.
A shimmering white light enveloped his body as he uttered a command in a language I didn’t recognize. A burst of energy surged through the archangel, and the light exploded outward from his body.
It sliced across the room, passing through each of us with a warm tingly sensation that made the fine hairs on my skin rise. The kinetic force continued outward and disappeared down the hall. Holy light in all its glory.
Pietr leaped to his feet, his hand going for his sword, while Imos’s scaled black skin rippled with an oncoming shift. A growl rumbled deep in his throat as he assessed the room. Shifting into his dragon form would be disastrous, which he also seemed to understand.
From outside the door, Lena shouted some colorful Yazyk phrases before dashing in, sword in hand. Her gaze landed on me, and she sagged against the wall in apparent relief.
As the nightmare spell’s last hold broke, more shouts and yells echoed down the hall.
Reapers and angels came running, and Adam barked out orders to lock down the DEA and prepare for a potential siege. His eyes unfocused, and a moment later, he shook his head, his jaw clenched tight with anger.
“The mages retreated through the portal,” he nearly shouted, banging his fist on the table. “They are too cowardly to face us at our full strength.”
I had never seen the archangel lose his cool like this before, and I also never wanted to be on the receiving end of his anger.
He heaved a sigh and turned to Tony, hand outstretched. “Thank you, old friend. You are as reliable as ever.”
