Chapter Seventeen
Eden
I had the most wonderful, deep sleep, and woke wrapped in Alex’s arms. He was already up, his eyes smiling at me.
“Did you put the sleeper on me?” I asked.
He shook his head. “You slept soundly all on your own.”
I smiled, inside and out. “It was you,” I breathed. “You make me feel safe.”
“And you make me whole.” He squeezed me and kissed the top of my head. “Are you sure about going today?”
I nodded. I was terrified, but felt that deep down in my bones, I needed to go with them.
“Alaine left a package for you, next to the door,” he pointed.
“What is it?” I asked sitting up and stretching.
“Vestimentum Angelorum. A sexy, super suit,” he said, wiggling his brow.
“A what?” I slid off the bed and grabbed the bag, and set it on the bed. I pulled out a belt with places for weapons. Next, were black boots, combat style and in my size. The last thing I pulled out was a black leather jumpsuit.
“Yep,” he said, popping the p. “That suit is supposed to be woven with angels’ wings, and really strong. I guess you could liken it to a mortal’s bullet-proof vest, only stronger.”
“Really?” I breathed, running my fingers over the fabric. They tingled, almost as if they were reacting to the suit.
“Try it on,” he said, propping pillows behind his back, his muscular chest bare. “Model for me.” He smiled, folding his arms behind his head.
“I will,” I purred, dropping the items back in the bag, sashaying to the bathroom.
“Don’t tempt me, Delilah,” he growled. “Or I’ll have you model for me in the buff.”
I turned back to him with a feline smile. “That can be arranged.” I tugged the robe off my shoulders and let it drop to the floor, revealing my naked body. Throwing him a kiss, I snapped the door shut.
“You wicked woman,” he called after me.
I laughed, emptying out the bag and placing the items on the counter. To my surprise, there were socks and even new, black undergarments. Alaine was very thorough.
Undergarments on, I held the leather jumper in my hands. It looked small, and would reveal every curve of my body. Shrugging, I unzipped the front and slid one leg in at a time, and then the arms. The length was perfect, ending right at my wrists and ankles. When I slid up the zipper, I felt a tingling through my body. The suit felt light, like it was another layer of skin.
I bent and stretched and there was no resistance. Then, I tapped on the chest and hurt the tip of my finger. The entire bodice was hard as steel to the touch, but I didn’t feel anything hard. From the inside, it felt soft and pliable, molding to my body.
“You need help?” Alex called.
“I’m almost done.”
I put on the socks and the boots, then attached the belt around my waist. I brushed my hair and put it back in a ponytail. If we had to battle, I didn’t want my hair to be a distraction.
I did a spin, only seeing the top half of my body in the mirror, and good God, I looked like some kickass girl from one of my dystopian novels.
My heart raced as I turned the knob. When I swung the door open and walked out, Alex’s jaw almost slammed into the floor.
He shook his head, his eyes roaming over every part of my body, approving of what he saw. “If you don’t kill them with the twister, they will drop dead from your beauty.”
His words made my face heat and my heart thunder.
He sat on the side of the bed and called me over. When I reached him he took my hands, and pulled me between his legs. His fingers fiddled with the zipper. “If we had time, I’d unzip this and strip you down. But Kade texted and said they’re meeting downstairs in twenty minutes.”
I leaned down and kissed him deeply.
“Great, I have just enough time to take a very cold shower,” he murmured against my lips. He kissed me thoroughly again before hopping off the bed and heading into the bathroom, his eyes lingering on me until he shut the door.
***
Downstairs, I didn’t feel so self-conscious. Both Emma and Alaine were wearing suits just like mine. The guys were all dressed in black. Black pants, shirts, boots . . . with weapons strapped to their backs and sides. No shields or breastplates.
“Don’t you guys have anything to protect your chest against their weapons?” I asked.
Dom stepped forward, and slapped his hands together. “I will demonstrate.”
“Oh God,” Emma sighed.
Dom turned to her. “Emma, love. I’ve told you not to call me God.” He turned to Kade. “Watch your woman. She might fall for me after my demonstration.”
“Watch yourself, bro,” Kade said, folding his hands across his chest. “Because my foot might fall into your ass.”
Dom rolled with laughter, then turned to me and winked. He spread his muscular arms wide, then, gorgeous white wings appeared from his back. I didn’t think I would ever get used to seeing their wings. They were majestic and magical. But because they weren’t allowed to use them in the mortal world, they were rarely called. The exception being when we flew to train, but we were invisible most of the time.
Dom gave his demonstration, showing his agility and how he could use his wings to protect him. I had to admit it was pretty impressive. When he was done, he bowed, and his wings disappeared.
I clapped, making Alex moan and Kade roll his eyes. But Alaine, Emma, and even Mateo joined me.
Mateo was dressed similar to the guys, but he had a vest covering his chest. “Is that made with angel’s wings too?” I asked.
“No, his is just a bullet proof vest,” Alaine said. “If I’d have known, I would have had one made. But I will have one made for him, eventually.”
Mateo pounded his chest with his fist, the solid thumps made his lips turn up into a wide smile. The vest looked large and bulky on his thin frame.
“Looking good, my man,” Dom said, tousling his hair.
“Hey!” Mateo bellowed. “It took me fifteen minutes to get it to look right.”
Dom shrugged. “And it took me two seconds to dishevel it. It actually looks better.”
“It does?” Mateo ran over to the mirror on the wall, shrugging in approval.
“All right,” Alaine said. “We need to get serious and we need to focus. Our friend’s life depends on us. The Underworld is a death zone for angels and Nephilim. We need to be vigilant, and watch each other’s backs.”
We all came together in a circle, holding hands, standing in agreement.
“This is it,” Alaine said. She looked at Emma, then Mateo, then at me. “Trust your instincts. Your gifts are a part of you, but they don’t control you. Each of you were given your gift because you are strong enough to wield it.” She then looked to Samuel.
“Stay together. Stay focused. Stay strong. And no one gets left behind,” Samuel said. “Let’s do this.”
Everyone gave their own little cheer.
“How are we getting there?” Mateo asked.
“We have a rental SUV concealed somewhere just off the main road,” Samuel said. “We will fly, invisible, to the vehicle, and drive it the rest of the way. We won’t stand out in a rental vehicle, especially one that’s storm blue. Most vehicles on the Alaskan highway are rentals or RV’s. We should be good.”
There were so many different emotions in the room and I wasn’t exactly sure what I was feeling. A mixture of fear and trepidation. When I was at Brindle Hall, I was just a mortal who needed a Guardian to survive. Now, I had become an immortal and would be fighting alongside the Guardians.
As I followed the group toward the door, Alex grabbed hold of my arm, halting me. When I turned back to him, he stepped forward and hugged me.
There was no need for spoken words because I felt his love wrap around me, seeping straight through my bones. It was Alex’s love, the love of my mate and the bond between us that started to replace the anxiety and fear with strength and hope. It was that same love that whispered to my soul, telling me that I wasn’t alone. That my mate, my love, would be with me until the very end . . . to whatever end.
I hugged Alex back, my heart felt as if it were going to explode. Happy tears ran down my cheeks, so thankful to have him in my life.
“I need to find me a Nephilim.” Dom sighed, heading out the door.
“You found Mateo,” Kade said, nudging him in the rib.
“Not a dude. I want a beautiful Nephilim girl, like Emma and Eden or even Alaine. They have it all.”
“You’re right. They do,” Kade replied, and they disappeared out the door.
Alex lifted my hand and kissed the back of it before leading me out.