Page 20 of Unbroken

“I know what you’re thinking, Rook,” Bishop says as he stands beside me. “I want to be who she needs me to be. I wasn’t there in her past, but I am here now and for her future. But don’t think for an instant that I’ve forgotten who I am. I will burn this world down around us if anything happens to my daughter, and I won’t lose an ounce of sleep over the lives lost. I still live and breathe chaos, but she makes me want to be more. I can be both.”

“I am but your humble servant, my Lord. I wouldn’t dream of presuming you are anything other than your magnificent self.” I smirk, trying not to smile as I catch the frown on his face from my sarcastic words. Lyrik snorts on the other side of him and Bishop’s frown deepens.

“I can kill you both. Remember that,” he whispers, crossing his arms over his chest. I know he means it and I wouldn’t dare push my luck, but I want to laugh as he huffs indignantly beside me.

Micah steps out of Ty’s arms, slowly walking up the steps, and damn, there’s my silly heart fluttering away in my chest at the sight of my Mate. She turns and the sight of her takes my breath away. It never gets old as I look at the gift that I’ve been given. I don’t deserve her, but she is mine. Ours. I quickly glance at the Incubus, and he is just as enamored as he wears a goofy grin on his face. In fact, all eyes are on her as she shifts from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable. But in true Micah fashion she cracks her neck from side to side and stands taller, rolling her shoulders back, with her hands loose at her sides.

“A lot has happened to us all these past few weeks. I spent most of them unconscious.” She shrugs, her lips turn up in a quick smile as she glosses over the fact that we thought she was dead. “Well, I didn’t die, even though for a minute there, I could have sworn I was in Purgatory. But I wasn’t far off in my assumption. Apparently, I was lingering in an in-between created by the big man himself.” She runs her hands down her face and clasps her hands in front of her. “Long story short, God paid me a visit and I’ve been given a task. Well, more duty than task, but you get what I’m saying.” She rocks on the balls of her feet as everyone just stares back at her. I can only imagine what their faces look like. Not going to lie, that little reveal is surprising considering how quiet things have been from up above for the past thousand years. Or has it been longer? I for one thought God had already washed their hands with the lot of us. Bishop stays quiet beside me, face pinched with concern.

“Like God, God?” Sam asks, his hand raised as if he is sitting in a classroom awaiting instruction.

“What other God is there, Wolf?” Rodyn chimes in before Micah can respond. Esme tugs on Sam’s arm but I can see that the Wolf wants to have it out for some reason. Well, this could get interesting. Like I said before, lots of tension in this room.

“Look, I’m trying to be sure. What if it wasn’t God? She could have been halluci—"

Bishop curses under his breath ignoring Sam, who huffed indignantly at being cut off, he asks, “What was asked of you specifically, Micah?” His eyes narrowed as he cuts off the brewing argument only moments from exploding in the room. The way the triplets are eyeing Sam, he needs to be silent. They’ll eat him alive.

“Oh, you know, total superhero movie kind of inspirational speech. Only you can save the world, restore the balance to the force, you’re the chosen one type of stuff. With great power comes great responsibility, talk about pressure, right. Well, I really wasn’t given a choice. How can you tell God no? I’m no one’s savior. Yet here I am standing before all of you attempting to make a life-altering decision to run headfirst into battle once more. Save the Light Guardians, free them from Michael’s hold. If I free them, then I can free the Archangels who no longer want to follow their wayward general. No man or woman left behind. . .that includes our mother.” She turns her head and locks eyes with Marcus, and he blows out a breath. Considering everything that happened between her and Verity, I can understand why she would want to leave her to her fate.

“You can’t be serious, Micah, you almost died! Wait, you did die. You can’t possibly think you can take the fight to Michael, Archangel Michael. It’s suicide,” Sam replies frantically as he looks to Esme, then Ty, Trys, Rodyn, and Marcus. No one rushes to agree with him, so he continues. “I lost most of my pack when they barged into HellNight Academy. I am not going to risk my Mate in a fight we can’t win.”

“Sam!” Esme shouts with exasperation. “You don’t get to make that decision for me. You need to leave the possessiveness at the door, this is bigger than us. I would never abandon Micah, I’m her Tether.”

“You might not have a choice,” Sam retorts, making Esme recoil from him, her eyes shifting from Micah to him, then she takes a step away from him. I watch Micah as she watches them, and Esme practically folds in on herself. Whatever this is about, Esme isn’t ready to fess up about it and Micah appears to understand as she turns her eyes to the rest of us in the room.

“I didn’t ask you to do anything. In fact, I didn’t ask anyone to sacrifice themselves for this. If I have to do this alone, I will.” Micah steps down the steps one at a time, her words strong and full of conviction and I know she means it.

“Not a chance in the Underworld I would ever let you walk into danger alone, baby girl,” I reply, stamping down the self-sacrificing bullshit before it starts.

“I agree with the Shade here, I mean Rook, meus amor. Too much is at stake, you are too important to everyone in this room. You will never be alone again.” I glance past a still stoically quiet Bishop to Lyrik, happy to see we are on the same page.

“Mi, we do this together,” Marcus says, crossing his arms over his chest, legs parted, all soldier ready for war.

“Kitten, you don’t have to ask. I will die for you. Fight any fight for you,” Ty says as Trys cuts across the room and kneels at Micah’s feet.

“Trys, what are you doing? Get up!” she shrieks as he grabs her hands but doesn’t move to stand.

“Sunshine, marry me. I am literally death on legs. I will kill for you, rain down pain on our enemies because without you I am nothing. You are it for me. So I see no need to wait for the right time, because I have a feeling our lives will always be hanging in the balance. Marry me, hell, marry us.” He indicates his brothers behind him, and I can’t help but be amused by Trys’s actions. This is not the time or the place, but this is Trys. There is never a right time for his type of crazy.

Micah groans. “Trys. I can’t even ask if you’re serious because I know you mean it.” She slips one of her hands from his death grip and strokes his face. She looks up and meets my eyes, then her gaze shifts to Lyrik’s. I can feel her love through our bond, bright and beautiful, just like her. Do I care if she says yes? No, she is already mine and I am sure Lyrik feels the same way. Technically, none of us are going anywhere, but her Tethers have a choice; once they complete their bonds and tie their magic to hers, they aren’t bound to her. They have a choice to remain by her side or live completely different lives. At least, that’s what I think the few texts about Soul Tethers state. Esme completed her bond with Micah and I can see her heart strayed elsewhere, if that big ass mating mark on her neck has anything to say about it.

“Trys. . .I—“

A large black envelope whizzes through the air, followed hastily by a hulking Asher as he barrels through the room like a raging storm, interrupting Micah’s reply. The entire room seems to take a collective breath as the envelope whips around the room. Asher barely misses colliding with Marcus as he jumps to catch the envelope only for it to evade capture. The envelope has a mind of its own as it abruptly stops in front of Bishop, then glides gently into his waiting hand. Asher stops short, chest heaving, and I wonder how long he's chased this letter through the palace.

“That will be all, Asher,” Bishop says as he looks down at the envelope, studying the script on the front. Asher’s big body bows low, then he lumbers out of the room, his huge, black iridescent wings dragging on the floor behind him.

“It seems Lucifer is right on time. These are the invites for tonight’s ceremony. He expects us all to attend,” Bishops says as the envelope spits out tiny gold envelopes into the air, then they separate like some choreographed dance, shooting through the air, aiming for each one of us in the room. I reach up and snag mine; it didn’t have far to go. Lyrik grunts beside Bishop, lips pursed in annoyance as he reads his invite out loud:

“Well, this is going to be interesting. Why is he making a spectacle of this? They just need his blood,” Lyrik says as he places the gold card inside his jacket pocket.

“A show of power, you don’t even need to guess. He wants the Underworld to see them. A flex of his muscle and a fuck you to all the other Lords of Hell. His rule and his place in the Underworld secure. This is Lucifer, there is a reason for everything he does,” I reply as Bishop hums nonsensically beside me. I focus on him for a moment, but before I can question his silence, he speaks.

“I will meet you all back here later tonight.” He excuses himself, walking away without a backward glance at Micah. She watches him go, her face unreadable but I know she is wondering what his departure is about. I am wondering the same thing. Knowing Bishop, he will talk when he’s ready, but I also know his daughter, she won’t wait for long before she demands answers from him. I don’t think he realizes how alike they truly are.

“Fuck, finally, let’s get this over with so we can get back and make a plan,” Marcus says as he stuffs the gold invitation in his back pocket and goes to leave the room.

“Heirs to what exactly?” Rodyn mutters as he follows behind Marcus. He stops and turns, staring at Micah like a long-lost puppy, then leaves the room with his tail tucked between his legs. Jeez, the boy has it bad.

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