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Pushing up, I stand tall and aim my fiery sword at his chest. He won’t die but he will suffer.
“Micah? Hey, man.” Elias’s voice cuts through the fury pounding in my skull. “Put the sword down. This isn’t what Raven would want. Don’t resort to his level. It’s not worth it.”
I whip my head in Elias’s direction. “You out of everyone should want Lucian to face punishment for his actions. He stole so much time from the remainder of your mortal life.”
Elias steps closer, keeping his hands up in surrender. His eyes flick from me to Lucian, and he remains expressionless under the weight of Lucian’s glower. Reaching up, Elias rests his hand on my elbow, his height as a mortal short in comparison to my devil form. I close my eyes for a second under his touch, the gesture reminding me of our lives together as angels and how strong our companionship used to be.
“My mortal life isn’t important. I’m breaking the cycle I’ve put Raven and me in, and when I do, the only thing that’s going to matter is the rest of eternity. Just let the fuckhead go and be his miserable self. He creates his own torture fine on his own.” Elias grins with his words. “Let us reap the benefits. Enjoy Raven in a way he can’t. She’s probably waiting inside. Let’s not waste another moment on this asshole.”
He’s right.
Releasing a breath, I move off Lucian and kick him in the side, sending him rolling a dozen times with the force of my strength. I shift back into my human form and let Elias grab my elbow and pull me toward the door, not waiting to see what Lucian does. Either he finally gets my point or decides to wait until he gets a chance to sneak-attack me—whatever it is, he doesn’t retaliate.
I close the front door and stand with Elias in the foyer. Silence greets us, which means Kase didn’t immediately take Raven to his room.
“Thanks, Elias,” I murmur, needing for him to know that his interference didn’t piss me off. “You’re absolutely right about Lucian. I just—I cannot grasp why he is the way he is.”
Elias presses his lips together, a frown turning him broodingly handsome—more devil than angel and far from mortal. His expression reminds me of the last moments before he vanished from my existence without a word.
“I can’t remember the extent of it, but I believe he acts as he does because the fuckhead holds a massive grudge that I didn’t jump from grace and instead fell. I think I might have tried to make a deal or something to protect Grace, and I failed to follow through.” He shrugs. Tipping his head up, he stares at the glittering chandelier. “Or maybe it’s all in my fucking head and he’s a dickwad. Who knows? I hope that once I shed mortality and end the cycle, things will come back to me more clearly. I hate only getting tiny glimpses. But whatever. There’s no point in regretting anything...except abandoning you the way I had. That was fucked up, and I’m sorry.”
His apology touches me deeply in a way I never thought it would. I can’t control the sudden blooming emotions unlike anything I’ve felt in a while, and I grab him and pull him to me, hugging him. He groans and laughs, patting my back as if he’s unused to this sort of affection. I start to lean away, but then cool fingers clasp my biceps. Raven releases a light giggle, sandwiching Elias between us. Her eyes shine with unshed tears, but she’s not sad. Her soul shines brighter than I’ve seen it in weeks. I want to bathe in the beauty of her light from what she finds and loves in this moment.
“You guys are so cute. I just want to cuddle the hell out of you.” Raven laughs again and snuggles her face into the crook of Elias’s neck. “Get used to it, Elias. These devils have a squishy side that will swallow you up and you’ll suffocate happily in their affection. I know I do.”
“You love this too much,” Elias mumbles, trying to turn around to face her.
She doesn’t allow him, tightening her embrace. “You bet I do. It makes me want to show you.”
Rocking her hips, she playfully humps him, making him bellow a laugh. If his exertion of his lungs didn’t cause a coughing fit, she might never show him mercy. I loosen my hold on him, letting him bow forward. She shifts on her feet, smoothing her hand over his back. A frown flashes across her face for a moment, but she pulls herself together, hiding it from Elias as he regains control and straightens up.
“Always fucking ruining shit,” he mutters under his breath.
“Never,” Raven says softly. “I don’t want you to blame yourself for things out of your control now.”
“She’s right.” I smile and touch Raven’s cheek. “It won’t be like this forever.”
I regret saying the words, because Raven’s bottom lip trembles at the thought. I can’t imagine what it’s like being in her position. She must be the one to claim Elias’s life to make him descend. It’s their tether that will push him down.
“Maybe we can go upstairs and get this over with, darlin’? Make me a wicked devil now and put me out of this misery.” Elias’s face hardens with his words. He’s steeling himself against his own fear of death. “We’ll make it a party or some shit.”
Raven doesn’t respond to his comment, her beautiful eyes darkening with her thoughts. It would be the most practical thing to do, especially after everything, and all of us know it. If she took his mortal life this instant and sent him to Hell, we could move forward with our plan. I nearly agree with Elias about it.
But then a tear slips onto Raven’s cheek and crushes all thoughts of reason. Murdering an evil bastard or killing out of self-preservation is one thing. Taking the life of her soulmate? She’s not ready. The idea hurts her on a soul-deep level that burns through my middle. She’s tough—Raven is stronger than she thinks—but it’s the softer side of her that I want to protect. I never want her to let that side go, and not only because it’s the side I’ve fallen madly in love with beyond comprehension. It’s the part of her that will make her an excellent queen in Hell and the force of Purgatory.
She will help return balance to the world and give souls a chance to grow instead of getting lost in their personal Hell forever.
I drape my arm over Elias’s shoulder. “Come on now. I think you’re only saying that because you want to make love to this beautiful woman.”
Elias chuckles, his painful expression smoothing out. “You’re not wrong there.” Shifting on his feet, Elias swings Raven’s arm, smiling. “I’d love to pick up where we were interrupted and do things our way.”
Raven’s face heats with her blush, though she doesn’t rush to give into him. “How about you let me make you something to eat first? Maybe cuddle and catch up on some TV?”
Elias nods his head. “That sounds even better. I’ve missed you more than you know.”
“Then go meet me upstairs. I’ll be up in a few minutes.” She turns to me. “Mind giving me a hand?”
My heart falters at her words, the weight of her gaze digging deeply into me. I now realize why she wasn’t quick to jump into anything with Elias. She wants to talk to me.
