Page 44 of Absolved In Death

“When I defeat you,you’ll wish for death. You’ll pray for an ending to your eternal suffering, but that end will never come. Death is too easy a punishment for a want-to-be usurper. For a foolish girl who followed her father’s ego. But I can’t say the same about your men.”

White hot angerrose inside me, but no words left my lips. How dare he threaten my men. How dare he even speak of them.

I’m doingthis for them, my own voice rang through my psyche.

What did that mean?What was I doing for them?

Red threwa bolt of magic at me. When it hit my chest, the entire scene faded out, leaving me in darkness again. The voice from earlier echoed through my mind again, as ominous and mysterious as before.

The time is coming,Diana.

I heard a crack,and pain shot through my abdomen as I hit a hard floor. All the air left me gasping, barely able to breathe. Intrusive thoughts drowned me, pushing me into the tide of mymounting anxiety. Darkness surrounded me, and I wasn’t sure if I was alive or dead.

Is Red coming after me?Did any of that actually happen?! Why was I alone in battle?

“Honey, wake up,”a smooth voice ordered me as large hands gently shook me. Turning my head, I opened my eyes and saw the feet of my empty bed in front of me. Five faces rushed my field of vision, talking over each other in complete chaos.

“Diana, are you okay?”Azazel passed his hands up and down my limbs, then lifted my shirt. “She has a healing wound, most likely from a blunt force magical strike. Why is there blood on her feet?”

One of themhelped me sit up, and my mouth dropped at the bright red blood staining my bare feet… With shaking hands, I lifted my shirt and saw the wound he referred to. It was almost healed, but why was it there to begin with?

“Who’s blood is that?What the fuck is going on?” Desmond growled as he checked out what was now just a burn mark.

“How didyou kick me out of your psyche? One moment, I was there and the next, I was literally thrown out,” Bash explained to all of us.

“She was in bed,and then she was gone. Maybe you were forced out when she traveled?”

“Why didyou go somewhere without me? You promised me you’d only time hop with me,” Ares asked, hurt lacing his question. “Why are you so cold?”

“Guys,put a sweatshirt on her, then lay her in bed. I called a healer. Her fathers are on their way,” Zaz’s concerned voice stated as they carried me to bed.

I was barelyin bed for a minute before Michael, Lucifer, Mom, and Quelier barged into the room.

“What happened?”Michael sat on the edge of the bed, immediately putting his hand to my forehead. He seemed to look better, if not a little tired. His color came back to his face, and his eyes were their usual ice blue again. “You’re pale and your skin is freezing…”

Lucifer stoodby the edge with Mom, holding her tightly as she sniffled. Quelier and Bash whispered to each other near the door, and my PA’s eyebrows met his hairline. Something wasn’t right.

“I…I’mnot sure exactly what happened.” I was unsure of how to describe the situation. “I thought it was a nightmare—at least it started as one—but then it felt as if I was stepping into the future?”

I continuedto explain what happened with as much detail as I could. They all listened intently, and there was a momentary pause as they all took the information in.

“So you saidyou felt your body physically moving to the battlefield?” Quelier asked. Even at this ungodly hour, he was dressed professionally in slacks and a button up shirt, with a pair of horn rimmed glasses.

“Yes…”

“Which would explainwhy you suddenly disappeared,” Mal continued. “I felt you kicking and mumbling something, then I woke up and you vanished before my eyes.

“The only timeI’ve ever seen you disappear like that is when you time travel,” Ares jumped in. “Remember, in New York? You just wentpooffrom the bathtub and left us all.” The concern in his voice was mirrored on everyone’s face.

“So you traveled forward in time,”Desmond said in a foreboding tone.

“Obviously not on purpose,”Lucifer jumped in.

“The disembodied voicesounded an awful lot like a prophecy or a vision,” Azazel jumped in before Desmond could respond. “You didn’t come back with an injury, but sometimes visions can be so strong, they can leave physical imprints. You’ve been channeling other people’s powers, and it’s very possible you channeled mine.”

The cryptic expressionon his face left me with more questions than answers. I had the feeling he knew more than he was letting on.

“With Judas and Bain,I touched their hands to channel their powers.”

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