Jason nodded. "He'd have been distracted, unlikely to choose that time to orchestrate the theft."
That was what Raphael had concluded. "See if you can pin down Anoushka's and Dahariel's movements."
"Sire."
"Jason," Raphael said as the other angel turned to leave, "you can't rescue the boy, but I can buy out the remainder of his contract." Dahariel wouldn't say no to an archangel, especially not if he was the angel behind thesekhem -linked violence.
"Dahariel will only find another victim." Jason's eyes were bleak.
"But it won't be this boy."
As Jason left after a small nod, Raphael wondered if the scars on the angel's soul would ever heal. Most would have gone mad after a few years of Jason's "childhood." But the black-winged angel had endured. And when the time came, he'd given his loyalty to Raphael, harnessing his intelligence in service to an archangel.
If saving this boy would give him a measure of peace, then Raphael would deal with Dahariel. And if the angel proved to be the one who'd hurt Sam, then Raphael would take even greater pleasure in tearing him apart one small piece at a time, keeping him alive so that he'd feel every burn, every break, every brutal slice.
Because while angels might be predators, it was the archangels who sat at the top of the food chain.
Chapter 28
"Have you come to play at last?" A smile tinged red. "You're late."
"Run," a broken word. "Run, Ellie."
The monster laughed. "She won't run." A satisfied smile as he lowered his mouth to Ari's throat. "She likes it, you see."
Something wrapped around her body, an invisible hand that touched her in her most private place. She went to scream. But her mouth didn't open, her throat didn't vibrate . .
. because her body did like it. Horrified, she began to claw at her skin, trying to rip it off in a futile attempt to stop the insidious, terrifying pleasure. Warmth bloomed between her legs and her young mind couldn't take it. Whimpering, she scratched harder. Blossoms of blood appeared under her nails as welts rose on her arms.
The caress - the scent - stopped. "What a pity you're too young for that. We would've had such fun." He wiped off a drop of blood from his mouth, held out his finger. "Taste.
You'll like it. You'll like everything."
Reaching home as night fell, Raphael saw Elena standing on the cliff edge below his stronghold, her eyes on the tiny lights that dotted the caves lining the gorge. The wind raised her unbound hair off her face as she turned back to the view after watching him land behind her, the white-gold silver under the moonlight.
"Did Galen tell you what Lijuan sent me?" she asked as he came to stand beside her.
"Of course." He'd heard Galen's report of her reaction, but now found himself watching her face. The line of her profile was clean, her lips the only hint of softness - his warrior, he thought, reaching out to brush a single strand of hair teasing her cheek.
Her lashes came down as she blew out a breath. "I understand the stakes. Part of me is violently glad you did what you did."
"Then?"
"Part of me wishes I'd never learned anything of this world."
He spread his wings, protecting her from the wind that had shifted direction, keeping his silence as she stared down at the river that crashed so far below.
"It was inevitable, wasn't it?" she said at last. "From the instant I was hunter-born, it was inevitable I'd know of blood and death."
"There are some for whom it's not inevitable." His wing brushed hers. "But for you, yes."
The moonlight caught the shine of her cheek and he realized his hunter was crying.
"Elena." Enfolding her in his wings, he tugged her into his embrace, his hand on her hair.
What would bring her to tears? "Did your father do something to hurt you?" If Raphael could have killed the man without destroying Elena, he would have long ago.
She shook her head. "He came for me." It was a raw whisper. "Slater Patalis was drawn to my family because of me."
"You can't know that."
"Iknow . I remembered." Her eyes were rain-coated diamonds when she looked up. "
'Pretty hunter,' " she said in an eerie singsong tune. " 'Pretty, pretty hunter. I've come to play with you.' " Giving a little scream, she fell to her knees.
He fell with her, enclosing her in the warmth of his wings as he pulled her stiff body into his embrace. "Are the memories coming to you outside of sleep?"
"I was reading one of Jessamy's texts, waiting for you to come home and my eyes closed for a second. It's like the memories are just waiting for a chance now." Her body jerked against him as she sobbed. "All this time I've hated my father because Itold him the monster was coming and he wouldn't listen, when it's me Slater came for. Me! I drew him to our family."
"A child is not to be blamed for the actions of evil." Raphael wasn't used to feeling helpless, but there was nothing he could do as Elena's heart broke in front of him.
Crushing her closer, he murmured wordless reassurances in her ear, fighting the urge to wipe her memories clean, to give her the peace she needed so desperately.
It was one of the hardest battles he'd ever fought. "You are not to blame," he repeated, his body glowing with an anger that had nowhere to go.
Elena didn't say a word, just cried so hard that her entire body shook. Pressing his lips to her temple, he rocked her as the stars got piercingly bright, as the lights went out in the ledges below, as the wind grew freezing with a touch of snow. He held her until her tears were long gone and the moon kissed her wings like a lover long denied. Then he rose with her to the sky.
Fly with me, Elena.
Her wings unfurled, though her voice remained silent.
Keeping an eye on her, he took her on a wild, exhilarating ride through mountain ridges and passes, the air cutting across their cheeks. She followed with grim determination, finding ways around obstacles when she couldn't move fast enough to slip in through the small gaps Raphael utilized. It took concentration, which was exactly what he'd counted on.
By the time they landed, she was swaying on her feet. He all but carried her inside and put her to bed, nudging her into a dreamless sleep with a small mental push. She'd be angry with him for it, but she needed her rest. Because their time was nearly up.
Lijuan's ball was in a week.
Chapter 29
Elena lay in bed as Raphael dressed the next morning, watching him pull on one of the specially designed shirts that flowed around his wings. She felt tender, bruised. He'd held her all night, she thought. He'd kept the nightmares at bay. For him, she'd find the strength to fight a guilt that threatened to choke her.