Chapter 23
Five minutes before class ended, we were instructed to print two copies of our rough drafts and give one to the professor. The second was to be self-edited before the start of our next class. When we were done, we could leave. My fingers furiously finished the last paragraph, worrying more about completing the assignment than forming coherent thoughts, then hit print twice.
To my left, the machine hummed and whirred, announcing its intention to vomit up my work. I made my way over just as the angel pushed his chair back, turning to the same printer. Of course, since he was closer, he reached it before me, lifting the page from the tray to scan the first few lines.
I smiled politely and waited a pace away from him, knowing the story in his hands said a little too much. Thankfully it was only based on reality, not a play by play of what I knew. It was still enough to incriminate me.
"Nice." He smiled and shoved his hand toward me. "Gabe, by the way."
"Sienna." I couldn't figure out a polite way to refuse, so clasped his hand quickly.
His fingers closed on mine. "Any way I could convince you to join me for lunch?" He smiled charmingly, but it didn't reach those cold green eyes.
I tried to pull my hand free as I shook my head. "Sorry, I already made plans."
The smile faded, but he still didn't let go of my hand. Just as I started to panic, I heard the printer whir again and steps approached from behind me. Gabe looked over my shoulder and stared.
"Excuse me," Luke said, reaching over our clasped hands, forcing Gabe to release me.
"What made you decide to transfer to school here, Luke?" Gabe asked, his voice dripping with malice.
Luke smiled at him sweetly. "Friend of mine is testing a theory. How've ya been?"
I looked between them, hoping I was acting normally but afraid it was too late. "You two know each other?"
"Gabe's my cousin," Luke said. "Distant relative."
"Oh."
He went on before Gabe could speak. "Yeah, haven't seen him for ages. We need to catch up."
"Gotcha." I smiled up at Gabe innocently. "I need to turn this in."
Walking to the front of the class, I could feel the tension between them. I hoped Gabe hadn't gotten far enough on that page to realize what I knew and, for the first time, I wondered why I was chancing it. Maybe I should just quit my classes. Maybe I could convince Nick to teach me all the aethersmithing stuff so I could protect myself. I mean, I wanted a degree, but was it really worth the cost of my life? I'd promised I wouldn't touch them, but that freak had figured out how to put me between a rock and a hard place a little too easily. If I didn't take his hand, he'd make a scene. If I did, I was risking my life.
It seemed there were no longer any good answers, and I was smart enough to know when I'd been outplayed.
I'd just turned in my paper on her desk when the professor stood and announced, "Ok, time's up. Turn in what you have."
Around the room, the printers spooled up and students began moving around. Some grabbed their things and left, others milled, hoping to make their work print faster. Gabe and Luke still spoke softly at the back of the class, braced as if ready to throw down. I retrieved my backpack and was heading over to Luke when someone bumped me in their rush to get their printout. I stumbled one single step.
Luke and Gabe raised their heads in unison. Vigilance covered Luke's face but Gabe's was angry – and I was too close! The angel's eyes lit up, and he struck, reaching out for my arm like a snake. As soon as our skin touched, he pulled, and I felt the wave. Desperate, I threw my free hand out to Luke like a lifeline. He grabbed it just as the veil washed over me and the colors changed. The room shifted to shades of blacks and greys. The students became neon colored ghosts, ignorant of our presence.
"Let go," Gabe demanded, yanking me toward him.
"Don't let him drop you!" Luke screamed at me.
I tried to hang onto Luke, but the pull was too hard, the angel too strong. I felt my hand slipping free, so snapped my head around to look at my new enemy. Instinctively, I clung to him, my fingers wrapped in a white robe that had appeared with our entrance into the corridor.
Crushing my arm in his, Gabe wrenched me back, and I felt the world drop away from my feet. A pain at the back of my head hung like a weight attached to my hair. I didn't scream, but this trip seemed to last forever. Winds buffeted us as the world sped around in a blur, but my eyes stayed locked on the angel holding me.
His skin had turned perfectly smooth and metallic. The green of his eyes had changed to an eerily sick flame and brassy hair billowed around his head in the winds. He reminded me of some kind of comic supervillain, and the massive wings at his back did nothing to ruin the image. Neither did him swiping at the weight on my hair until I couldn't feel it anymore.
And then we stopped.
Saffron skies and fuchsia grasses told me we weren't on Earth anymore. The air was crisp and warm, but I could breathe it. With my feet firmly on the ground, I pulled, slipping my arm from the angel's grasp. This time, he let me go with a laugh.
"You don't seem overly shocked, girl."
"Don't fucking touch me again," I warned him.
He took a step closer. "Or what?" His face was cruel and terrifying. Quickly, I staggered backward, not wanting his hands anywhere near me, but he seemed amused. "Oh, don't be scared. I just brought you to Heaven."
"Oh, shit," I breathed, daring to look around. "Oh, no. No. This can't be real."
Angelis, as Nick called it, was the home of the angels, hence their name. I also remembered Nick saying the veils here were locked to demons. I took another step back, my mind spinning. That meant I was alone here, unable to cross the veils on my own, with no way for anyone to rescue me.
"What do you want?" I asked Gabe.
"I want to know what your little friends are doing. Oh, we've seen you with all three of them, and after reading your story, it's clear we've been going about this the wrong way."
"And if I don't?"
He jerked his hand to the right, one finger extended. "Then you're useless."
I looked. A clump of blue trees sheltered something that looked like a pile of firewood, except it wasn't. The breath caught in my lungs and my heart faltered when my brain finally understood what it was I was seeing. Bodies. Stacks upon stacks of bodies, discarded like refuse. Not all of them were human.
"Those are people!"
"No, that's fuel, you stupid girl. First, they give us power, then they feed the plants. Start talking – or I'll let the trees eat you."
I stopped retreating and lifted my chin. "Try it, you narcissistic fuck."
He snarled and reached for me, but I was reaching back. This Muse wouldn't go down easily. Before his hands could touch me, I slapped my fingers around his wrist and pulled. I pulled with every fiber in my body, hoping I could drain every last tendril of smoke from between his cells. Swirls of brassy fog writhed around my fingers, and the angel shoved, desperate to break free, but I wasn't done. I pulled with everything I had.
Aether flowed into me and twined around my hands, spiraling up my arms. Like warm and weightless powder, the essence of the angel was tangible but had no mass. The feeling wasn't like anything else I'd experienced before. I had no idea what I was doing, but I refused to stop pulling.
"You shouldn't be able to do that," he gasped.
Gabe staggered, weakening before my eyes. I wanted to run, but I didn't dare let go. Not when I was winning. They couldn't die, but Nick said there were still demons devoid of aether, stuck in a coma. I only hoped angels would react the same way, so I kept pulling as hard as I could.
"Sienna!" The voice came from above, sounding both panicked and overjoyed. I looked up and saw the most brilliantly gold man with unrealistically white wings, plummeting quickly. "Run!" he yelled. It sounded like Luke.
I shoved at the angel, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to get up. His aether clung to my hands, but I ran. A part of my mind knew how precious the smoke was so I tried to gather it while fear pumped my feet faster. Somehow, I managed to do both, the aether moving with me, seeping into my skin. I caught nearly all of it when a mass hit me from behind, hard, knocking the breath from my lungs. My feet went flying. Literally. The ground was moving away, but I was too shocked to do more than watch.
"I got you," Luke breathed in my ear, his gold arms tight around my torso. "Please don't puke."
He turned in mid-air, pointing me toward the sky, and we fell, the world around me blurring as we crossed the veils. I closed my eyes and relaxed, knowing he was taking me back home. Nothing else mattered. He must have been the weight on my hair. That's how he'd found me. Luke had wings, and he'd promised to protect me. He'd saved me, and we were flying. Everything would be ok now.
"Thank you, Luke. Oh, thank you."
He chuckled and held me a bit tighter. "I guess this means you like at least one angel, huh?"
"Forever and ever," I promised him.
The snap of his wings signaled our arrival. We were still more than twenty feet in the air, far enough that I didn't want him to drop me, but not high enough for the fall to be fatal. The flapping of his wings felt like a raft on rough water, the two of us bobbing in the corridor while he oriented himself. With a strong push, we tilted. My back was pressed against his chest, the ground sprawling ever closer before it blurred quickly, clearing after only a breath to show the lawn of their home.
"Go straight inside," Luke said. The wind from his wings swirled my hair around his face as we descended. "Don't knock, don't stop, just get inside."
"Got it."
As soon as our feet touched the ground, he tugged me into reality and I obeyed. The first step back on Earth was a staggering one while my mind tried to compensate, then I jogged up the stairs and pushed open the door. When I turned to close it, I realized I was alone. Luke was gone.
"Nick?" I called out, pushing the door until it clicked, aware I felt funny.
Footsteps from the second floor made me hopeful, but it was Sam, not Nick who peered over the banister. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I just got yanked to Angelis. Luke followed and brought me back."
"Oh, shit." Sam ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time as he hurried to my side. "You ok, Sienna?"
"I..." I held up my hands, a trace of brassy mist still clinging to my fingers. "I told Gabe to let go."
"Keep those to yourself," he said before scooping me into his arms. "We need to get you lying down. How much did you take?"
"I don't know. How do you measure it?"
He carried me upstairs, and for some reason, I didn't really care. My eyes were locked on the last trace of aether, trying to draw it inside myself. I didn't know why, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
"Was he standing when you let go?" Sam asked.
"He kinda fell down. I think still crawling, but barely."
Sam nodded. "That's a lot, kid. You took more than half of him."
"So what do I do now?" I waggled my fingers and Sam leaned his head away.
He turned his back to a door, pushing it open, and carried me to a large bed covered in a luxurious red comforter. "Nothing. A nap would be great. You're not supposed to try that for your first time."
"Try what?" I asked as he laid me in the middle of the bed. "Oh, that's soft."
Smiling, he shifted a pillow to be more comfortable under my head then sat beside me. "You're not supposed to absorb that much aether, sweetheart. It's pure life, and a little intoxicating."
"So I'm drunk on life?" I couldn't quite get the last bit inside.
"You're about to be." He looked up at the sound of the front door slamming. "Just close your eyes, ok?"
Feet tromped up the stairs, sounding rushed.
"Can I give this to a demon?" I asked.
Sam nodded, gently brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "Sure. If that's what you want to do with it."
"Ok." My head felt a lot lighter than it should. "I don't want to lose the last little bit then. Maybe we can wake one up."
The feet paused. "Oh, dove," Nick said softly. "Luke found me. Are you ok?"
"She tried to drain Gabe," Sam warned him. "And she's feeling it."
I grinned. "Sam said we can give this to a demon."
Large, warm hands closed on mine and I watched the last traces of brass mist sink into the pores of his skin. "You couldn't even absorb it all, but it clung to you?" Nick asked in awe.
"From Angelis," Sam added. "Luke flew her back."
"And she still had aether clinging to her?"
Sam nodded slowly. "And was standing, Nick."
"Fuck."
Sam rested a hand on Nick's shoulder. "She's filled to the brim. You're going to need to pull some of that off her."
Nick's fingers tensed on mine. "Uh," he stammered.
"Or I can," Sam taunted. "She's human. You know what will happen if you don't. Promise, it won't be any kind of inconvenience for me."
"What?" I asked, barely able to keep my eyes focused.
Sam chuckled and patted my shoulder, then stood. With one last look, he left, pulling the door closed behind him. Nick's fingers traced the back of my hand, but he said nothing for a moment. When he finally spoke, it was almost clinical.
"The body is like a balloon when it comes to aether. If you take in too much, too fast, you can rupture. If that happens, it's a bitch to find the leak and fix it, and while we look, your life seeps away." He swallowed and nodded. "Since you're human, it could kill you."
"Can I just give you some?"
I saw the smile before he turned away. "Yeah." He cleared his throat. "You should know that donating aether can get intense, little dove."
I giggled. "Which is why Sam didn't want to."
"Oh, he wants to," Nick mumbled under his breath.
"But he doesn't want to mess with his buddy's girl, huh?"
"Something like that," Nick agreed, tugging at his shirt.
He pulled it over his head, and I smiled. "I will never get used to that," I breathed.
"They're just warding symbols," Nick said.
"I meant the muscles."
He paused, glancing down. "Um, flying takes good core strength."
Unable to tear my eyes away, I bit my lip. "Can I touch?"
He laughed and leaned closer, bracing one arm above my far shoulder, the other grabbing my wrist. "It's required." Gently, he rested my palm on the intricate circle branded across his left pectoral.
Pressing my skin against his, Nick's fingers locked my hand in place. He closed his eyes and whispered words in a strange language, the letters crisp and discordant on his tongue. The sound was hypnotic, the feel of his chest so hot and sensual. He stopped chanting and something flared against my palm, hot enough to burn but without the pain. When I tried to pull back, he held my hand tight.
"Relax," Nick whispered, leaning a bit closer.
My eyes went to my hand. "What did you do?"
"I just gave you the key to my soul. You're the only one who can reach the aether inside me now." His index finger tapped the back of my hand. "So try to push some of that excess out?"
I took a deep breath and tried, imagining the process of pulling it but in reverse. Nothing happened. Closing my eyes, I tried again, but still absolutely nothing. I felt Nick shift and lean closer, so scrunched my eyes tightly and pushed with everything I had.
"I said relax," he whispered again, then his lips met mine.
I relaxed. His mouth was as soft as velvet, warm and inviting, but tender. I reached up to his neck with my free hand, locking my fingers in his long hair to pull him closer as my tongue caressed his full lower lip. Nick moaned, his mouth parting, and his tongue met mine. His hand pressed even tighter on the wrist caught between us. Except for that, he only touched me with his mouth, but I refused to let him go, feeling connected to him in a way I didn't think possible.
Where we touched, my skin flared to life, feeling like something deep inside was thawing. I wanted to melt into him, to never leave him, to bind him to me forever. Nothing had ever felt like Nick's touch, and somehow, I knew that nothing ever would. What started as a gentle kiss quickly turned insistent, his mouth devouring mine while my head slowly cleared. I sucked in a breath and leaned closer, but he retreated, keeping the distance between us, teasing me with his perfect body.
"Sia," he whispered, releasing my hand. "Look at me."
My lids felt heavy with desire, but I forced them open. Black eyes, like pools of eternity, were waiting. He smiled gently and slid his fingers across my cheek, the moment over but not forgotten.
"How do you feel?" His voice sounded deliciously rough.
I chuckled once and glanced at the closed door. "You sure you want me to answer that?"
He nodded slowly. "I am."
"Horny?"
"Mm," he murmured. "So better."
"And whose room are we in?"
"A spare." He leaned closer and kissed me again, this time less passionately. "But I have to go, little dove. I can't hold this much aether for long, and you did want it to refill a demon."
I groaned and pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes. "I was thinking..." I sighed. "Never mind."
Chuckling, he pulled one hand from my face, dragging it to his lips to kiss the inside of my wrist. "You need to rest, Sia, and that would not be resting." He let me go and leaned back, smiling like a pleased cat before standing. "You shouldn't be able to hold that much aether yet, let alone pull it. What you just did is impossible."
"I'm getting used to impossible."
"Good. Stay here. I'll be back in an hour."
"Where are you going?"
He opened the door. "To wake up Beelzebub." Then he was gone, vanishing as he stepped through the doorway.
"Damned demons," I complained.
Pushing myself up in bed, I was well aware that the door was still open. With an annoyed grunt, I thumped both hands into the soft mattress then swung my legs over the edge. For a moment, I sat there trying to regain my composure.
A tap sounded on the doorframe. "Still alive?" Sam asked.
"Seems like it," I muttered, not even trying to hide my frustration.
He chuckled and tilted his head downstairs. "I brewed coffee, and I'm sure we have something to eat. Just you and I for a bit."
A wash of nervousness hit me, but I decided to ignore it, gesturing for him to lead the way. "You know y'all have fucked up my entire life plan, right?"
Halfway down the stairs, he paused. "Yeah. We do. The thing is, Muses are not common. Muses like you? Unheard of." He shoved his forelock back and nodded to himself. "Sia, you just took enough aether from an angel to make Nick struggle to hold it, and you're still not down to normal. You shouldn't be able to walk, let alone anything else."
"So why am I?"
He shrugged and continued down the stairs, leading me into the kitchen. "Too much caffeine?" He pulled down a pair of cups, filling them both. "Did Nick really say he's going to wake Beelzebub?"
"Yeah, why?"
He glanced at me quickly then focused his attention on pouring the cream into the cups, not around them. "Because a few thousand years ago, Gabriel drained him dry. Completely devoid of aether. Instead of having demons harvest what we could and trickle it into him, we focused on healing up more of us that were just a bit under the level for consciousness."
"Us?"
Sam nodded. "Michael got me a few decades before the whole Jesus thing."
"Shit, I'm sorry."
He waved that away. "It's not a biggie, just disorienting to wake up and things are so different. Luke and Nick got the aether, though, filling up on some war and rushing over before it dissipated."
"But Beelzebub has been out for a while?"
"Yeah. It'll take a bit for him to get his bearings, but if we have him on our side again? Yeah, those feathered fuckers will be running scared." He stirred the coffee and handed me one.
I sipped at it gratefully. "So, what's the deal about transferring aether?"
He turned and leaned back against the counter, smiling before he sucked at his cup. "Like that, did ya?"
I blushed. Clearly, he could tell I was a little sexually flustered. "Stop dicking around and explain it?"
He raised an eyebrow and took another drink, taunting me. "Ok," he said finally. "Incubus, you know that one?"
"Yeah. Fake, right?"
He made a noise and tilted his hand. "Yes and no. When a human willingly releases aether, it's a little um," he grinned, "seductive. We'd sneak in at night, drain half of them, and leave them thinking it was a really good dream."
"But..."
Sam tilted his head and shrugged. "Humans can regenerate, so it's not a big deal. But tell me you didn't feel a little turned on?"
"Fuck off."
He winked. "Exactly. So, you play Battlefield?"