Page 73 of Seraph's Tears
She frowned. “I thought I was dying.”
I pulled my wings back, and rain splashed on our faces and her body. She glanced at the dead man nearby and shuddered.
“Is Absalom dead?”
I didn’t know who Absalom was, but I nodded.
She clutched at my shoulders. “Gabriel, I need to apologize. I kept secr?—”
Standing and gathering her in my arms, I frowned. “Hush. We can discuss this later.” I crouched and shot into the air, a touch wobbly from her weight and the missing feathers from one wing.
I blinked the water from my eyes and set my jaw, heading home.
“Gabriel, how am I alive?”
“We…mated,” I told her, somewhat reluctantly. I’d never heard of a mating bond happening while one of the seraphim was unconscious or dying. I’d thought both had to participate. But technically, we needed to mix ayim, and she didn’t have that, either. What would she think?
Eve sucked in a breath, but didn’t say anything.
“The ayim in our body is what gives us our healing abilities.” I focused on the faint gray blur of Mirkwold ahead. My hands were slick with her blood. I wouldn’t trust that she was healed until I stripped her and examined her body myself. The fear from watching her fall to her death would never, ever leave me.
“I didn’t even consider it would work. You have no ayim to mix with mine.” My wings beat the air, bringing us ever closer to home.
“Just like you never considered I could be your mate,” Eve said slowly.
My heart skipped a beat, hearing that word come from her sweet mouth. What did she think about that? I was too worried to ask. Me, the warrior of Aerie who led an elite force, was terrified of what this woman might say.
“If your ayim from your blood and tears mixed with me, then…what does that mean, exactly?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “The only other species I know we’ve ever mixed with are the Gar, and that was thousands of years ago.” We reached the steep roofline of the manor. I tucked my wings and landed in the stone courtyard. My feet left bloody footprints behind to be washed away in the rain.
“I’m well, Gabriel,” Eve murmured as I strode into Mirkwold. “You can set me down. The pain’s mostly gone now.”
I ignored her, turning the corner toward the grand stairs. All I wanted in all the worlds was her, safe and sound, wrapped in my wings by a roaring fire. We turned into the Great Hall to reach the next corridor.
Castiel stood in the Great Hall, his wings flexing as he saw me. “Captain!”
My steps faltered.
His eyes flicked to the human woman in my arms. “You found her.” Relief was evident in his voice.
The last time he’d shown such a connection with her it had made my feathers ruffle and jealousy grip my heart, even though I’d known it was ridiculous. But now, with Eve’s heart beating in time to mine, it didn’t bother me at all. We were bonded now. Forever.
Shadows rippled behind Castiel, and the blond woman we’d seen in the village stepped into my line of sight. Her face, beautiful to humans I assumed, was all harsh lines. Her clothing looked rumpled, as if she’d run—or been flown—all the way there. Her eyes widened as she saw Eve draped across my arms.
“Lilith?” Eve tensed.
I turned my back and hurried her away. “We’ll deal with her later,” I said. “Right now I’m focused on you.”
I kicked the door to my room open, then set her on the edge of the bed. My hands came away bloody, and her dress was drenched in rain and blood. But she had regained some pink to her cheeks, and her lips no longer looked gray. She stared at me, eyes solemn.
My wings shook off what little water had slipped between the feathers as I put trembling hands to her buttons. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was her face as she fell, the scream ripping from her open mouth. I shuddered.
Eve silently put her hand on mine. “I can do it,” she whispered.
I looked in her eyes, searching for confirmation that she was well, that she could do this. I sighed and nodded, letting my hands fall away.
She undressed carefully, slowly.
