Her voice hit my ears as she took a seat next to me, and the fact that she wasn’t screeching at me to get off her property was a good thing.
I was hoping.
“I went to go see Ramiel,” she said, and my heart skipped a beat at her referring to Bodhi as Ramiel now.“We had quite the chat.”
“I bet,” I replied quietly.
“I have something to tell you, Lazarus,” she announced, and I felt her voice deep in my chest whenever she called me by my full name.
“What?”
“I have a patient named Luther Daxton, and I’m going to assume that you aren’t familiar with the origins of his name,” she began, making my lips twitch because I knew that she did.“Well, let me enlighten you since it pertains to the mess that we’ve found ourselves in.”
“Please do.”
“Luther is derived from the German version of Ludher, which means famous warrior, or can also be translated to renowned army.Its influence is strength, bravery, and leadership,” she went on.“Daxton is derived from an English form of mixed origins, but it means warrior who conquers, and it links to someone who can see a future battle ahead.”
“Lovely,” I deadpanned.
As we both stared out into the street, the darkness already set in, the streetlights barely making a dent, she said, “Last week, he told me that God had spoken to him, something that he claimed regularly.However, this time, he said that God told him that I was going to need soldiers soon, and that he needed to be ready to fight alongside me in the near future.He said that I wasn’t going to need help because I was never going to need help, but that I did need soldiers standing with me.”
“Christ,” I whispered as I shook my head in utter disbelief.
“When I tried to question him more, he said that I already knew what was coming and what needed to be done, which...well, you know that I don’t.Anyway, he also mentioned how I needed to connect first before anything else could be done, and when I asked him about that, he claimed that I already knew again.”
“I’m hearing you, and I believe you, Lissa,” I told her.“But...but this shit is wild, and it’s hard to breathe with the possibility that this may be real.”
“I’m not arguing,” she agreed.“Anyway, he also said that if I’m protected, then everything else will be fine.He said that God told him that only those who are not afraid to die can be victorious.”
I finally looked over at her.“What are you saying?”
When her hazel gaze met mine, she said, “Ramiel said that your role in all of this is to protect me, even at the cost of your own life.”
Christ, she really didn’t know.
“I’ve already assumed as much,” I told her carefully, wondering how she could doubt for even a second that I wouldn’t die for her.Even if I wasn’t in love with her, what kind of man would I be if I didn’t protect any woman from danger?“In fact, I thought that was a given.”
After a few seconds of silence, she asked, “Can we go inside and talk?I’m feeling very exposed out here, which sounds goddamn stupid.”
“It doesn’t,” I assured her as I immediately began to stand up.“Knowing angels and demons have been watching our every move is rather unnerving.Never mind that they’ve also been invading our dreams.”
Reaching down, Elisabeth took my hand in hers, letting me help her up, and then I followed like a good puppy when she turned to enter her house.Once we were inside, she automatically locked the door behind her, and then her manners promptly took over.
“Would you like anything to drink?”
While I wanted to scope out her house, I shook my head as I turned to face her.“No, thank you.”
Elisabeth leaned back against the door, then asked, “How did you know where I lived, Lazarus?”
I eyed her as I told her the truth.“When you wouldn’t answer my calls or return my texts, I got desperate.So, one night, I waited for you in the parking lot of St.Dymphna’s, then followed you home, then sat in my car for two hours, trying to figure out a sensible way to approach you.When I couldn’t come up with one, I left.”
Her brows rose in surprise.“Wow.”
My hands slid inside my pockets to keep from grabbing her.“Yeah, wow.”
“And why didn’t you ever stop by before now?”she asked curiously.
“Because I was afraid that you’d call the cops and ruin my career,” I answered honestly.
