Page 85 of Grave Revelations (Prophecies of Angels and Demons #3)

Chapter 84

Simon

Simon wedged his shoulder against the massive boulder blocking his exit. He’d been to the in-between thousands of times, tens of thousands, and never once had he been trapped.

When he’d awoken beside the river, it hadn’t shocked him. When Rebecca killed Elizabeth, he should have died—for real this time. But in over one hundred years, dying had never meant the end for him. Why would it be any different this time?

Would he come back, though? Would he wake to find himself in the body he’d left on that battlefield, and if so, what condition would it be in? What new hell would await him?

There was one difference. He’d arrived at night this time. Was that the reason it was dark? He had always assumed the in-between, Sheol as the angels called it, was a gray, lifeless place, never changing. As he’d trekked over dull, cracked dirt to his cave, he stumbled a few times in the pitch dark, surprised to find his night vision didn’t work here.

When he’d reached the cave and stepped inside, calling for Sophia or any of the others, a large scraping sound resounded off the walls. He’d raced to the entrance, moving at human speed, only to find it sealed shut .

In absolute darkness, he had run his nails along the seam of the wall, trying to find purchase. After an eternity, he gave up and pressed against the massive rock, shoving with all his mortal human strength.

A trail of vines snaked along the rock, and radiant light seeped around the edges.

“Hello? Hello! Can anyone hear me?”

Dust and debris rained from the ceiling, and the boulder barring his way began rolling aside. He stepped out into the blinding light, shielding his eyes.

Something barreled into his chest, and he stumbled back as arms came around him, squeezing him in their iron grip. On instinct, he fought to free himself, preparing to run.

Then, her smell hit him: apples and chocolate, just like the taste of her blood. And although it wasn’t how she normally smelled, there was a truth to it he couldn’t deny.

“Rebecca,” he breathed, wrapping his arms around her.

“You’re alive,” she whispered against his ear.

He gazed over her shoulder at a thick carpet of green and a brilliant blue sky with light, fluffy clouds swimming lazily overhead. “I’m not sure about that.”

She pressed him back, scrutinizing every inch of him.

He looked at her, truly looked at her, and understood what he’d felt when he first arrived. He thought it might be his true death; now, though, he knew what it was.

“Rebecca.” A cold stone settled in his stomach, and he tore himself from her grasp. “What did you do?”

Her face crinkled in confusion, but he couldn’t be sure it was genuine. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

“What do you mean?” she finally asked.

He paced away from her but turned back, running a hand through his hair. “You died. You killed yourself, and when you did, the compulsion to keep you safe fell away. Your true death freed me from it.”

Rebecca’s voice shook as she asked again, “What do you mean? ”

Simon searched her face for a lie. “Zophiel forced me to keep you safe no matter what it cost me. I didn’t remember it until now. The memory was buried somehow. Some angel trick. Are you telling me you didn’t know?”

“Simon, you’re wrong. I didn’t know Jophiel until Allie’s life.” She sounded uncertain, even to his newly dulled senses, but the color drained from her face, and she looked as though she might faint.

Although the compulsion to keep her safe was no longer there, Simon wanted to go to her, to console her. A memory of all the times he’d used compulsion on her flashed in his mind, and his gut twisted.

Rebecca backed up as if she were about to run. When she took another step back, he lunged forward, grabbing her hand. “Wait.”

Her eyes glistened as she looked between their clasped hands and his face.

He wanted to comfort and tell her it was okay, but it wasn’t. Would he have spent his afterlife looking after each of her incarnations, helping her remember who she was, if not for this spell? Would he have sacrificed himself on Grace Island if he hadn’t been bound to?

He released her, running a hand over his face. “I just need some time.”

Rebecca had said nothing, hadn’t moved.

Sophia appeared, grabbing him and squeezing him in a fierce hug. “Adelfós. Thank you for stopping me. Thank you for keeping me from harming Rebecca when I wasn’t able to control myself.”

Simon let her hug him, gaze falling on Rebecca as she wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the cave wall. An explosion of vines raced up the stone behind her, cradling her as if to offer some comfort. She was dead, and although it had been by her own hand, she was struggling with it.

Sophia released him, stepping away as she glanced between them. “I’ll give you a moment.”

She wandered away, venturing out of the cave toward an expansive horizon that had never been visible before.

Simon came to stand beside Rebecca, leaning into the vine-covered wall. “What happened? After… Elizabeth.”

Wetness pooled at the edge of Rebecca’s lashes. She squeezed her arms more tightly, a tear rolling down her cheek as she pushed off the wall and moved away from him. “He’s gone. Truly gone.”

“Who… Gabriel?”

She nodded, her eyes glazing over, and Simon inhaled sharply. He had just learned a devastating truth; his entire world tilted on its axis, and all she cared about was him ?

She loosened her grip on her arms, wiped her cheek, and stepped out of the cave. “We’re looking for the rest of the coven. Help us if you want.”

A bolt of fury shot through him. Rebecca hadn’t acknowledged his words. Yet somehow, his chest still constricted, knowing she was in pain. He wanted to claw his damned heart from his ribcage and smash it on the ground. This woman had altered his fate completely, and he didn’t want to feel anything for her. When had Zophiel done it? Was it after he died, or had she done it while he was still human, setting him on this path long before he’d ever known the horrors of the Graves Estate?

“That’s all you have to say? Not ‘I’m sorry.’ Not ‘I apologize for ruining your life?’” The words were out before he could stop himself, and he winced at their sharpness, realizing at that moment that even his words had been somehow bound back then. Now, he could say exactly what he felt. It was freeing and terrifying.

Rebecca stumbled away as if he’d struck her.

He saw it then. Her gaze was unfocused, and even as she took in his narrowed eyes and the set of his jaw, she couldn’t process his words. Rebecca was in shock. Simon knew that feeling well. Coming to terms with your end was no easy thing.

He stepped closer, and she backed up. She shuddered, looking lost and afraid, and all at once, his anger banked.

He was hurt and betrayed, but he loved her. That part, at least, had been real. He held out a hand.

“Come on, let’s find them.”