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The sadness and terror bit through Krave as Kildare’s wings emerged, forming a warm band around all of them.

“We will surely not allow it,” his heavenly brother vowed.

“For you are our son,” he whispered, his wings growing firmer and hotter around them.

“Any weapon of darkness that dares come against the heart of the Kings—against you—will face our wrath in a war like no other.”

The boy’s breaths heaved and stuttered before he turned and wrapped his arms around Krave’s neck, flooding his winds with breathtaking power.

“I am not measuring the battles coming or the bloodshed, Father,” he whispered then quickly wrapped his arms around Kildare’s neck, now.

“I’m measuring the worth of what Mother and Father gave the whole world.

” He flung himself on Reuban then, weeping fully.

“And what I must do to ensure it will not be wasted.”

Divine power erupted between them at this confession—Krave’s wind, Kildare’s fire, Reuban’s authority and the powers of Kaos and Josie infused into their son.

Reuban’s breath released sharply as a light slowly filled the space between all of them.

“Raviel,” Kildare whispered.

Krave closed his eyes and the single card from the last hand appeared in his mind.

Agony shredded him as he stared at the face of the shorn woman that stood halfway between light and darkness. No longer the angel of mothers—but Josie. Their Lost Saint.

“The Bellatore’s sacrifices for all of motherhood was manifested in Josie’s choice,” Raviel’s voice whispered in their mind.

“In the face of great darkness and evil, our Lost Saint boldly demanded life. Mercy. And love. She made a mother’s choice.

And that choice gave birth to a new hope for humanity.

A child of Heaven and Earth. A vessel of wrath and mercy.

A flame bound by will and for the will of mankind. ”

Raviel’s light softened, moving around the boy. “He is not a sword of God. And he is not the full fury of Hell. He is the choice … made flesh . And his eternal name—is Kross.”

****

Reuban silently summoned Kildare and Krave outside the hut while riding the razor’s edge of a cognitive collapse.

Once alone, he plugged them in to what he was feeling with the child and judging by the jolt in their beings, he succeeded.

In the hut, their powers had buffered the potency of the boy’s agony—all perks from being fused by three Knight Kings, a Lost Saint and the Angel of Mothers—but they needed to understand it with the same intimacy that Reuban did.

“He’ll need clothes,” Reuban muttered after he was done saturating them, glancing back at the hut. “Adult clothes.”

Please may I lay with Mother before I finish growing?

A sharp breath escaped him as he closed his eyes, barely containing the pain of his heartbreaking request. The only thing connecting him to his very short childhood was his dead mother, and a dead father, whom he feared, while wanting with all his big heart to love.

“I don’t understand,” Krave said, pacing. “How is he supposed to survive what he carries?”

Good. He felt it.

“Raviel is coming tonight,” Kildare reminded, his wings blazing with the same crushing anguish.

“What did he mean about measuring his authority and powers?” Krave asked.

Reuban released a sharp breath with that question. “From what I could gather—because he’s got a galaxy thick shield—he intends on waking his Mother and Father.”

Krave and Kildare came to instant halts and Reuban nodded about it.

“Yes, you heard exactly right.”

“He can do that?” Krave’s whisper came like a prayer.

Reuban slowly widened his eyes at him. “Oh yes.”

Krave slowly dropped to his knees, covering his face, breaths heaving. “Fuck,” he gasped, hands sliding down to his lap.

“Without a shadow of a doubt,” Reuban added with firm nods.

“What do you know of his powers?” Kildare wondered. “I can barely see them.”

“I see pieces,” Reuban whispered, frustrated. “Enough to know he has a chilling amount.” He eyed both of them. “He needs us,” he stressed. “Do you both understand what I’m saying?”

“I understand the risks any being with great power and free will, poses,” Krave assured.

“His bonding powers are otherworldly,” Kildare said, still in awe.

“Which is exactly what terrifies me,” Reuban stressed. “His bond is his heart, and that is bigger than this entire fucking planet. That means everything and everybody he cares about—which will be everything and everybody—will be leverage used against him.”

“Raviel will tell us what he’ll need,” Kildare said, his wings out and twitching along the ground.

“Your woman is here,” Krave said, snapping Reuban out of his thoughts.

“Good, she can take me to town. We’ll get him clothes. I’ll call you when we’re returning—he should be fully grown by then. Stay right with him,” Reuban ordered, heading toward a panicked, empty-handed Larena. “And call me if anything happens,” he hurried over his shoulder.

“What is going on?” she demanded as he neared, sensing what was in his mind.

“We found the boy.”

She shot past him and Reuban drew a lungful of authority. “Larena. Come here.”

She jolted to a halt and gasped, head whipping left, eyes stabbing into him.

“I said… come here.”

Her jaw clenched as she physically fought to disobey, rebelliously testing his powers, daring to look for weaknesses.

Really.

He wrapped a mental fist around the Sinner’s Bond and yanked, turning his hostile prisoner into a projectile that slammed both of them to the ground.

“Fuck,” he groaned as she fought to move off him, grinding on his dick in the process. His cock thanked her with a full-on erection, which earned him her infuriated gasp.

“Tell me what’s going on,” she shot out. “I can tell something’s happened with you. Why are you groping me!”

“I’m… looking for a release on this fucking hold I have you in.”

“Well it’s not on my ass,” she guaranteed with much gasping.

He dug his fingers into the tight flesh, eyeing her. “Well, your ass is grinding on my dick and unless you want me to fuck you right here on the ground, you’ll let me figure out how to disconnect.”

“Disconnect what, is there a literal chain around me?”

God, she was killing him.

Reuban moved his hands to her face and pulled her mouth to his, kissing her.

The shock to their system created a crack but the dark lust shoved in it before he could use it to escape.

Five seconds of that unholy fire had her pinned under him with his tongue stabbing and his teeth biting into his soft angel.

The Sinner’s Bond demanded he punish his delectable prisoner with unspeakable pleasure, and he couldn't think of why he shouldn't.

“Reuban…stop!” she begged right in his mouth, punctuating the weak plea with a moan that brought his fingers clamping on her ass.

In a frantic final attempt, he swore to the law in his blood that he’d carry out her judgment while on their shopping spree and that appeased the lusty overlord immediately.

He managed to pull Larena to her feet, getting his hands slapped when he tried to dust her off.

“What is wrong with you?” she strained, her raging arousal refusing to stay hidden behind her righteous indignation.

He snatched her hand and tugged her with him. “I’ll tell you everything when we’re in the vehicle. Pull away again,” he half begged, “and I’ll stop and sketch your coming discipline right in your slick cunt with just one finger. Then I’ll make you thank me for the fucking love note.”