Page 136 of Wings of Lies
His shoulders seemed to relax at my words. “No one else can see them, Lucille,” he sighed. “They appeared nearly twenty years ago during my training. The searing pain was so abrupt and intense that I thought someone had attacked me from behind, but there was no one there.
“The infirmary found nothing wrong and assured me I was fine. It wasn’t until I returned to my chambers that I saw what no one else could.
“I searched through old texts and discreetly questioned others but found no answers. Frustrated, I gave up searching, even as the sensation prickled sporadically over the years. Then, on Earth, during a mission for”—he tensed, hesitating before spitting out—“Lilith, the tingling erupted, bringing me to my knees. I could no longer ignore it. Desperate, I confronted the Drunes, threatened their forest, and demanded they tell me the origin of the tattoo. They did.
“When I returned to Earth, intense tingles scorched down my back as I entered a rainy forest. The sensation stopped when I found you surrounded by melting frost and mud.”
As he placed his arms back into his sleeves, before he let his shirt fall, I noticed raised scars hidden within the wings tattooed on his back.
No, not scars, Hell Runes. Hundreds of them.
With my free hand, I winced as I reached to touch one, relieved to find them devoid of ominous power. They were all inactive.
“I saw that,” he said, turning around and glaring.
He positioned himself beside me and returned my hand to his face, where the rune flickered with light. I covered the vile glow as Aspen placed a hand on my ribs. I gasped at his touch, and he immediately removed it.
“I should’ve made him suffer,” Aspen muttered, casting a sidelong glare at the redhead. I sensed the tumult of his rage, worry, and guilt through our bond.
Pulling him away from the gory scene, I smiled weakly. “Decapitation is close enough. Explain the tattoo.”
He frowned, his lips tightening, but eventually gave a reluctant nod. “When I was with you in the forest on Earth, there was a moment I didn’t understand. One where I had a quick flashback of a face I didn’t remember.”
From the despair in his tone, I could guess who.
“Nalini?”
“Yes. And when you gave me your necklace, I don’t think you realized, but it glowed black. The moment I touched it, the amulet unlocked more of the memory I had been forced to forget. Somehow, it countered the rune’s power.”
But I used all my mom’s power up unless it absorbed mine when I erupted.
“When I left you, I had more questions than answers. I couldn’t return to the Drunes, so I went to a witch, and she gave me some answers and a word.”
“Guardian,” I guessed.
He nodded, playing with a piece of my hair, lost in the past. “Your amulet gave me the memory of Nalini’s murder. But every time I thought of who did it—” He hissed, and the rune burned my thumb. I gritted my teeth, refusing to let go. “It’d burn through the power, making me forget until the amulet no longer worked. After that, I decided I needed to see you again.”
“How’d you find me?”
“Through the tattoo.A force written in ink shall emerge.Our bond began when I received this tattoo. That’s the only part of the sentences I’ve figured out. We’re tethered together through my ink. I can track it to you at any time. Except for when you almost escaped, and I found you next to that Soulhound.” Seeing my puzzled expression, he elaborated. “They’re ancient creatures related to Hellhounds, though less dangerous since they’re usually bound to an angel that keeps them in line. I thought they were extinct, but after almost losing you to Hellhounds, I didn’t care what creature it was. I lost it. So, I fought it until I scared it off.”
I sighed, relieved he didn’t kill the Soulhound. It seemed sweet until Aspen showed up.
He bowed his head to mine, his voice thick with emotion. “God, Lucille. A month after our fight, I felt the tether between us shrink, like you were moving further away. I thought nothing of it until Idecided to search for you and couldn’t find you. I couldn’t fucking find you.”
My eyes stung with the intensity of his voice and the pain I could sense.
“Something blocked the ability, and then our tether faded as if you were slipping away from me. The panic I felt didn’t go unnoticed. And then she sensed you come through the portal just as the tether reestablished.” He shook his head, rubbing it against my forehead as if trying to erase the memory. “She knew she found her next power source to drain and knew my behavior was connected somehow.
“That night, she carved the rune on me as she had done for years, but this time with more commands. When Brock and I portaled to The Divide and saw you...” He pulled back, locking his glowing gaze with mine, gripping my face. “When I saw you, stick-thin and all bruised, I nearly leveled everyone in the clearing.
“But I’m under orders not to kill those loyal to her, and I didn’t want to hurt you or the Nephilim. Except, when I discovered Marcus was a turncoat, I happily killed her soldiers and almost Marcus, but he jumped back through the Earth portal. In my rage, Iaccidentallyobliterated the portal to the Tenebrous Kingdom’s boundary line.”
“To buy more time until you had to hand me over,” I stated, putting the puzzle together.
Sadness doused the blue glow in his eyes, and he nodded. “I was so enraged—with you, myself, our situation, the fact that you couldn’t remember anything, and her fucking commands. I couldn’t fully protect you, yet I had to ensure you stayed alive. I couldn’t intervene with Brock, but I had to prevent him from accidentally killing you. I couldn’t remove your cuffs or allow you to escape. The only place I could take you was the Tenebrous Kingdom, so Idestroyed the fastest way there. I couldn’t show any sign that you meant anything to me, not with Brock monitoring my every move. Yet, every time I played that role, it hurt you, and I just wanted someone to stab me in the heart and get it over with.
“I wanted to resent you for stepping through the portal, so I took it out on you, but deep down, I resented myself for failing to protect you. Then your presence stirred up memories that the rune repressed.”
