Gwen

“Where the bloody hell are you?” Helena isn’t amused by my vanishing act. Her brow is furrowed, an unsightly wrinkle forming in the middle of her forehead. I should’ve declined the video call, but I miss my sisters and wanted to see them.

“I’m with Brooks. He took us to a safe place.”

“Brooks? Who the fuck is Brooks?”

I roll my shoulders and fight the memory of his lips on mine yesterday. My vision says we’re supposed to be together, but my body says it wants Lance. “He’s the owner of the pub.”

“No, he isn’t!” Izzy shouts from somewhere unseen. “Moira is the owner of that pub.”

“Not since she died,” I say.

“She died? Oh, no. That’s terrible.” Izzy’s voice is filled with emotion.

“Brooks is her son. He took over.” I know I’m leaving out a very important detail, but I have to tell them about the coven first. “Listen, that’s not what we need to be talking about. I’ve met a coven. They helped me try to unblock my visions.”

“A coven? Are you kidding me? What if they’re part of the whole mess? What if they’re the ones who took the moonstone to begin with?” Helena is incredulous.

“I’ve already had three visions since before I met them. I think it’s worth a shot.”

Helena’s eyes widen. “You have? What were they about?”

“Oh, nothing. Just the end of the world and some such nonsense.”

“Gwen,” she scolds. “It’s never nonsense.”

I fight the hurt in my chest when I think of the vast differences between my visions. “One was of Lancelot dying in my arms, the world ending around us, me telling him I loved him. The other was all of us happy, the world saved, me married…to Brooks.”

“Well…that’s different.”

“I know. I’ve never seen myself happy with any man. But the things I feel for Lance…anything with Brooks pales in comparison.”

She takes a bite of a biscuit and a sip of tea. “I’m going to say something you won’t like.”

“Go on.”

“Lance is your lost love. He ruined you, stole your heart, left you a disgraced adulteress.”

“Do you have a point?” I really don’t want to rehash all this.

“Don’t you think it stands to reason that you’d always have feelings for him? Intense ones.”

I nod. “Perhaps.”

“And don’t you think that it makes sense for you to be projecting all those feelings because you’re linked to each other? I mean, for fuck’s sake, Gwen, he was supposed to be your curse breaker. Lancelot isn’t evil. He was goodness personified. If anyone was going to break your curse, it should’ve been him. Instead, you loved each other but couldn’t ever say the words.”

“So? What do you think I should do about it?”

She cocks an eyebrow. “Fuck, marry, kill.”

I choke. “What?”

“Fuck Lancelot. Marry Brooks. Kill whoever stole our magic.”

“Like it’s that easy.”

She shrugs. “It is. You can’t live your life based on your visions. You’ve seen for yourself, sometimes exactly what you’ve seen happens, but it doesn’t end with the result we’ve interpreted.”

I hum as I ponder her words, but don’t speak.

“The thing about Lance is you already know how hot it is. I mean…it must’ve been if you’re still fantasizing about him.”

My cheeks burn. “It was as passionate as all the stories say. I couldn’t stay away from him. I wanted him all the time.”

“Then get it. Take what you want. You can cut him loose after. If the two of you aren’t meant for a life together, it won’t be hard to break it off later.”

“It’s tempting. Are you sure you’re really part angel now? You’re playing Devil’s advocate very well.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “God only knows why the archangels gave me grace.”

“There’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

Her eyes go wide. “Oh, sweet Jesus, you’re not knocked up, are you?”

“No! I haven’t even had sex.”

“Yet,” she interjects.

“Yet.” I twirl my hair between my fingers. “It’s about Brooks.”

“What about him?”

“He’s a Nephilim.”

Her gaze drops to her belly and back to me. “But I thought there were only a few.”

“I think Gabriel has been holding out on us. It seems there’s an army of them. They’re trying to atone for their fathers’ sins.”

“Well, shit. Angels and witches and shifters…oh, my.”

“I think we all better prepare for things to get a lot worse before they get better.”

She nods and sighs. “Can’t we ever just have a normal Sunday?”

“Unlikely. The coven is going to help me locate the moonstone. I think with their power and Brooks’ grace, we might be able to tap into it.”

“I hope so. I’m tired of being mostly normal.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You’re filled with angelic grace. Izzy is a shifter now. I’m the only normal one here.”

“And yet you’ve got two gorgeous men wanting to fuck you. Who’s the real winner here?”

“How do you know Brooks is gorgeous?”

“Come on, he’s an angel. They’re always gorgeous assholes.”

I laugh. “True.”

“Oh, you could just go full on ménage. Two men at your disposal.”

“Shut it.”

I hang up before she can say anything else, but the thought of having both men at once won’t leave my head. That’s not part of the plan. The plan is to stay away from them. Get my magic back. End the fucking apocalypse.

But still, I scroll through Tumblr with a few naughty search words and the possibilities work their way into my mind.

A soft knock on my door has me nearly tossing my phone across the room. “Come in,” I call.

My door opens and Brooks stands in the doorway, a grin on his face. “You look like the cat who ate the cream.”

“Nothing. I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Okay, then. I just popped round to let you know I’ve been called away. Shouldn’t be gone longer than a day, but there’s some shifter business I need to help with.”

“Shifter? I thought you were a Nephilim.”

“Our army isn’t exclusive to the angel blooded. We’ve got shifters, witches, and even a few rogue demons helping our cause.”

“Oh.” The word comes out with a combination of surprise and intrigue. I’d thought in my many lifetimes I’d seen all of the supernatural world, but apparently, there’s a whole army I’ve never heard of. I can’t help but wonder where their loyalties truly lie. Armies have leaders and Gabriel never mentioned this to us. “Will it be dangerous?”

He smiles and steps closer. “Worried about me?”

“Concerned, yes. In case you forgot, we’ve got a group of demons after us.”

“True, but we also have a coven in the house. They’ve already begun putting up wards.”

That makes me feel better, but jealousy colors the comfort as well. I should be the one warding the house. But I can’t. I’m useless.

Brooks’ fingers brush my cheek, wiping away a tear I hadn’t realized I’d spilled. “Hey, there. Don’t cry. I won’t be gone long and Anya says they’ve nearly got the spell ready that should lead us to your magic.”

He leans in and presses his lips to my forehead. It’s soft and tender and exactly what I need right now. The words Helena spoke flash in my mind. Fuck. Marry. Kill.

Could I tie myself to this man? I’m not sure.

Lancelot

“Your aura is all out of sorts, Lancelot,” Anya says from where she’s draped herself over the couch.

I stiffen. “What?”

“It is. You need to balance your heart and clean this mess.” She stands and walks toward me, her eyes focused on something just a hair to the side of me. Raising her hand, she plucks at the air. “I can help you…if you want.”

I shake my head. I know exactly how to balance my heart. Everything stems from Gwen. She is the reason I’m broken. “No, thank you. I can take care of this myself.”

The witch offers me a sad smile and nods. “All right. But mark my words, Knight. If you don’t fix that soon, you’ll be sorry. Unbalance leads down a dangerous path when you wield power like Excalibur.”

“I understand.” On reflex, my hand goes to the hilt of my sword. I have to see Gwen, to bring her back to me. Every passing day has me feeling farther from her, physically as well as emotionally. She’s leaving me bit by bit for Brooks but only because I’m letting her.

I make my way up the stairs and to her room, my heart in my throat as I ready myself for a conversation I know will be filled with challenges. But we need to talk this through, set our hearts to rights, and move forward the only way we should—as one.

My blood runs cold at the sight of Brooks leaving her room. His smile is filled with self-satisfaction and I wonder exactly what they’d been doing behind closed doors. No. My Gwen wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t give herself to him. Would she?

“Ah, Lance, just the man I wanted to see.” The man leans against the wall and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m leaving on an assignment and Gwen is…unhappy about it. I know the two of you have your issues, but I also know your duty is to her. She can’t be alone while the coven and I are gone.”

What is wrong with this man? Of course, I’ll keep her safe. Gwen is more than my duty. She’s the love of my life. “No harm will come to her under my watch. I assure you.”

He claps me on the shoulder and walks away, his energy only annoying me further. What does he have to be so happy about? Did Gwen make him some sort of promise? Has she chosen him?

I stand at her door, my hand on the knob and my heart pounding. Flashes of what I might find behind this bit of wood have me near panic. If she’s flustered, her lips swollen from his kisses, or, God help me, in a state of undress, I may not survive. Taking a deep breath, I knock twice before letting myself inside.

She stands at the window, long hair tumbling down her back, regal, beautiful, sad. “Gwen?” I ask.

“Leave me alone, Lance.” There are tears in her voice. Her words thick with despair. Is this for him? Because he’s leaving?

I should go. I should leave her here with Brooks. She might not know it, but we aren’t connected any longer and I could cut ties with her, move on, find another way to stop the coming end of the world, if only to save my heart. But I can’t. Gwen has been a part of me since the first moment I laid eyes on her. She has always been mine. She always will be.

“Gwen, please. What is it?”

Turning, she levels her gaze on me and the pain in her eyes cuts through me like a freshly sharpened blade. “Why am I here? I have nothing to offer. I can’t protect us, I can’t do anything useful. I’m right back where I was before. Powerless. A maiden locked in a tower, watching everyone else go off to fight.”

Relief floods me at her statement. This isn’t about Brooks leaving…well, not in the way I assumed. I make my way across her room and pull her against me without giving her the chance to protest. “You are anything but powerless, my lady. You’ll see. We will return your magic and together, we’ll put an end to this threat so we can start our lives.” I don’t tell her I plan for my life to be spent loving her. For that, the only thing to do is show her.

She nestles against my chest, her soft breaths hitching slightly, but she doesn’t release me. I hold her close, desperate to take in her scent, to hold on to this feeling of her in my arms.

“Gwen, I—”

“Don’t say anything. Just hold me. I feel better when you’re here.”

I tighten my arms around her and say a silent prayer that this is the right path for both of us.

After a few minutes, she moves away, her hand on her forehead, face pale. “What’s wrong?” My tone is strained as she sits on the bed and groans. She looks ill.

“You’re going to leave me. I’ve only just found you. You’ll leave…but you’ll be alive.” Her voice is haunted and slightly far away, eyes clouded and unseeing.

“No. I’ll never leave.”

Then she blinks and her brow furrows. “Oh, that bloody hurt.”

“Was it a vision?”

She nods, wincing. “Best not to make me move for a while.” Then she closes her eyes and lies back, one arm draped across her forehead. “It’s safe to say the spell worked. That was a doozy.”

“They’ve not hurt you before. Not that I noticed.”

“They usually hurt me. I thought it was a blessing that I’d been having visions with no pain.”

I climb onto the bed with her and gingerly pull her into my arms. With strong fingers, I press against the base of her spine, massaging away the tension stored in her back, then move up until I reach her nape.

“All right?” I ask.

She moans and sighs. “Where did you learn that?”

I chuckle and whisper, “I have my secrets.”

“Don’t we all?”