“Embrace us, Azrael. You’ll never be alone again.”
Tobias held his arms out to me, a smile spreading across his angelic features that melted my insides.
I took a step forward.
“Azrael! Don’t listen!”
Somewhere above, a braided cord of verdant and cerulean light burst into existence, swinging down like a lure would attract a fish.
“Come here, Azrael,” Tobias said, the smile still present but the tone of his voice shifting. “They are trying to keep us apart.”
The cord dropped lower, almost within reach.
“Bastien? Cirian?”
“They’re lying to you, Az! Don’t listen!”
“I only want us to be together,” Tobias pleaded. “If you go back to them, you’ll always feel left out.” He snapped his fingers, and an image of Cirian clinging to Bastien in the hallways of the Cradle emerged from the shadows. “Neither of them would go to such lengths for you. That emptiness in your chest will only grow and grow.”
The cord lowered again, dangling just above my head, the warmth of its light falling on my face. Tobias let out a snarl, shielding his eyes from the beams of radiance. Where the light touched his flesh, it peeled back, revealing ashen bone and sinew beneath.
Cirian’s voice filled the space above, the glow of the light swelling along with it.
“We’re not leaving without you, Azrael.”
Tobias watched with disdain as I reached up, grasping the cord and wrapping it quickly around my wrist before giving a tug.
Without another word, I was yanked upward and toward a blinding light.
Arms wrapped around me, holding me upright as the warmth of body heat pressed against my shivering flesh.
“We’ve got you,” Bastien’s dulcet voice rumbled. “Keep breathing, the unpleasantness will pass in a bit.”
A wave of tremors wracked through me as if on cue, my limbs quaking and my teeth nearly chattering out of my skull. The warmth that surrounded me didn’t falter, offering what soothing it could in that moment. After a few more breaths, I could relax enough to open my eyes, finding Bastien and Cirian wrapped around me on either side, their arm interlocked.
“What happened?” I asked through chattering teeth. “Where is it?”
“That Umbral arsehole tried to possess you, like he’d done to Bast,” Cirian answered, resting his chin on my shoulder. “It’s tucked its tail and run.”
“I didn’t realize that it could change hosts so quickly,” Bastien joined in.
“Hosts?” I questioned.
“That’s right. I was able to glean a few details while it inhabited my mind. It requires attachment to a living creature.It can’t survive for long outside of the Ether without drawing on the magic of another.”
My breath quickened, my pulse hammering against my ribs. In my head, a chaotic storm churned, filled with flashes of copper curls, the stench of wine, and fireside conversations. I needed some time before things would make sense.
“Here,” Cirian said gently, hooking a finger under my chin and lifting my gaze to meet his. Eyes of darkest night stared back at me, holding me in its power. “Focus on me right now. Match my breathing, yes?”
I nodded, focusing on the redhead as he inhaled deeply, the sides of his sharp nose flaring. I followed suit best I could, drawing in as deep as my panicked lungs would allow me. We both held our breath for what felt like ages, then released it all at once, Cirian holding my attention the entire way. We breathed like that three more times, and after the fourth breath, he gave me a nod, a small smile curling the edge of his mouth.
“Good lad, that’s better.”
Their combined warmth had soothed me enough that my limbs no longer shook, though neither of them moved to signal that they were looking to break the contact. I was in no rush to do the same. It was odd, being held by Bastien and Cirian. Physical affection was nothing new to me—the Urchins were never shy about our love for one another—yet somehow this felt different. It felt… sacred. Like we were performing some ritual from ages past that refastened our bonds.
“Thank you,” I told them, taking the time to look them both in the eye. “I don’t know if I would have been able to walk away on my own.”
“Don’t mention it,” Cirian replied, his grin spreading. “Though, if anyone were strong enough to pull out of that thing's spell, I’d put money down on you.”
