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Chapter 22
RAVEN
Angelic Vengeance
“TAMIA, I DON’T know what to tell you. I haven’t seen Lucian in days. What’s so important you need him now?” I tighten my jaw and stare out the front window, wishing I wasn’t so jealous that my cousin called me to ask about Lucian. “I hope you don’t think he’s available.”
“Fuck, Raven. It’s not like that. He’s...not my type. Not with how much he’s asked about you. I just—can you tell him I called? It’s important. I found the name of the guy he was looking for.”
“The guy? What guy?” I ask, tapping my fingers to my knees. “What did he involve you in?”
“Seriously, stop. You can’t demand to know everything about my life when you shut me out of yours for years.” Ouch. Her words cut me deeply, but a part of me knows it’s true and it’s still true. Still, it doesn’t hurt any less.
“I’m sorry, Tamia,” I say, lowering my voice. “I wish things could be different.”
“Me too, cousin. I miss you. I miss how things were. I just—maybe we can have lunch next week. Just the two of us?” Tamia’s line crackles with static, her words coming in and out with her question. Then she swears, not giving me a chance to respond before adding, “I have to call you back. Let’s plan something, For real.”
“I’d li—” I sigh and drop my phone on the couch as she disconnects without hearing my response.
I nearly forgot Elias was beside me until he drapes his arm over my shoulders and pulls me into his side. I rest my head against him, trying to be careful how much weight I put on him. He won’t admit it to me, but he’s having a bad day already. The fact that one of Dante’s venom bites glows on his bicep this early proves as much.
“I think taking some time to hang out with Tamia might be exactly what you need, darlin’,” he says, gliding his hand down my arm until I twine my fingers with his. “You don’t have to babysit me twenty-four seven. I swear on my cock that I won’t die without you, and that thing is important to me.”
I giggle at his words, knowing it’s what he was trying to do, but I can’t feel it deep in my soul. He’s right. I am babysitting him, remaining glued to his side. I will not risk everything we’ve worked toward, but especially Elias’s chance to claim his power and throne in Hell. If I have to ignore Tamia a few weeks longer, I will.
“Tamia’s fine. She only called because of something with Lucian. She wouldn’t even tell me what. It’s better this way, anyhow.” I shift and meet his gaze, forcing my mouth to smile.
“But is it? I know the importance of a companion that doesn’t want to fuck your brains out every second.” He chuckles at his own words until he coughs, the wheeze and crackle noise coming from his throat sounding worse than even last night when he was coughing in his sleep.
I thump my palm against his back, hoping to break up or fix even a bit what’s irritating him. “I will reconnect with her...just not until everything is in place. I won’t jeopardize my cousin. I’m already pissed off that Lucian dragged her into this in the first place.”
“Just remember, pretty soul. She chose to stay. And Elias is right. With everything a bit out of control, it might even be better to keep her close. Lucian and basically everyone in the damn universe is unpredictable.” Dante strolls from the kitchen in only a pair of boxer-briefs just because Elias would complain otherwise if he were naked. “He was also right about giving him some space. The bastard will be fine for a few hours. Let him have his privacy to hack up his lung, fart, take a damn shit, and just groan and complain like he wants instead of acting fine for you.”
I can’t help pouting.
“He’s wrong about all of that,” Elias says, flicking Dante in his muscular thigh before accepting one of the plates of pasta he carries. “Except maybe the shitting. Hard to compete with fuckers that don’t use the bathroom and can just empty their bowels in Hell or what the fuck ever.”
I grimace and whack him, unable to stop myself from laughing. It’s not like I haven’t thought about it. I’m barely ever alone and learned really quick that I was the only one using the toilet when Dante mentioned I was lucky they were too lazy to remodel the bathroom without one. “You asked Micah about it, didn’t you?”
Elias chuckles. “What else would we talk about besides you, sex, and his ideas of the meaning of mortal lives?”
“We should really create better boundaries.” I flick my gaze up to Dante, who winks at me, clearly amused. He knows as well as I do that after our ass train, boundaries are non-existent. I mean, I was too out of it to want to do anything with his venom bite. My mind has officially blocked out his helping me with what he insisted was important aftercare.
“Good luck with that one,” Elias says, bumping his shoulder to mine.
Dante extends his arms out, wiggling his fingers. “No luck is needed. You’ll both realize how special it is to have a boundary-less bond for eternity.” I give in and let him pull me to my feet. “Now go enjoy a good shit, shower, and nap. Watch some porn and get some ideas of how you want to celebrate your descent.”
I try not to react to Dante’s words. Descent means death of Elias as a mortal. Planning his demise is just as morbid as it sounds, and the idea stabs me in the heart, knowing it must be by my hands.
I bend over and kiss Elias, hugging him a moment longer. “Call me for anything. I mean it. I’ll make sure Dante brings me back ASAP.”
“I love you, darlin’. Don’t go misbehaving and being naughty. They like that too much.” He grins with his words and slumps back on the couch.
I watch in silence as Dante offers another venom bite, which Elias accepts without complaint. Kase materializes in the room and holds out a jacket and pair of heels for me to wear with my short, cotton dress. By the time I’m ready, Elias already dozes off on the couch and Micah joins him, shifting him on his side.
“He’s going to be fine, angel-girl. Taking you out will be good for both of you. You’re depressed as fuck just sitting around and waiting to kill him. It’s fucking twisted that you have to, and I want to distract you until it’s actually time, okay?” Kase links his fingers through mine and guides me to the door with Dante behind us.
I think about his comment for a moment, knowing he is right. I need to stop thinking about this as killing my soulmate and more as helping him rise in his rightful place and finally breaking our cycle.
