Page 58

Chapter 53

Aaliyah

E irik's hands slid deftly through my hair, picking apart the knots and binds with gentle moves. I was boneless in front of him, humming softly as he continued to dote.

He'd insisted on it, eyes shining so brightly I couldn't have told him no. He wanted to take care of me, nursing the bruises he'd left and washing away the dirt and sex, all while singing that delightfully deep song for me.

We were back in the main living space the Eternium had deemed ours, lying across blankets on top of the couch. The others were close by, Prince seated next to us on the floor, rubbing out some of the tension in my hand with well-placed strokes. Fallon perched on a chair, watching with soft eyes as Eirik continued his after care. Adrian had slipped out just a few moments ago, after making sure I was fed.

"What time is it?" I asked, and Fallon moved until he was close enough to touch me.

I leaned into his hand, my eyes closing as his fingers traced a soft path down my face and over the mark Eirik had left on my neck. It was healed now, no longer even aching. It was odd, how freely Fallon touched me now. His hand found my hair, his fingers threading through the strands Eirik had smoothed out. His lips pressed against my forehead, then my temple, loving caresses that were so gentle I melted.

"Late," he whispered back. "You okay?"

I smiled at his worry as I stretched up.

It was hard lugging myself out of Eirik's arms, and I struggled not to laugh as he grunted and tried to pull me closer, scowling the entire time. It seemed so natural to be sprawled between them.

I could imagine warm Sunday mornings like this, the scent of freshly cooked breakfast blending seamlessly with the sound of laughter. My emotions were still reeling, my body worn out from the run, but there was nowhere I'd rather be. They made it worth it, made it easy to nod my head.

The auction, even Ascension, had led me to them. Every moment in my life, as shitty as it had been, had led me here. It was a trauma I'd always hold with me, my past a broken thing that still hurt. Like shards of glass that sank too deep.

But one day at a time, one word, one comforting embrace … It'd begun to hurt less. While I'd never truly remove it, I knew I wasn't alone.

I had them. My family. My loves.

"Thank you for being my home," I whispered, and Fallon's breath caught.

Eirik's arm tightened around my midsection, his nose brushing against the mark he'd left on my neck.

"You brought the home, Aaliyah. You tied us back together, molded us into something new, something stronger than before. I can't wait to live this life with you. I won't allow anything less," Fallon said back, trying to hide the crack in his voice as he looked away.

He covered his smile with his hand as he ran his fingers over his jaw. One moment looking so at ease … until the air cracked.

It wasn't a sound, not really, as electricity danced over my skin. The hair on my arms rose, static ringing in my ears. I reached up, grabbing the necklace Osiris had made to replace the one I'd lost to Sebek's violence. It was warm, almost to the point of being too hot, and it only calmed when I touched it.

"Do you feel that?" I asked, my nose scrunching as a slightly acidic scent filled the air. Something about it, the way the power crackled, didn't set me on edge like it should have.

"Stay down," Fallon grunted, standing in an instant, shielding me with his body as the room started to warp.

Eirik followed suit, rolling us so he was on top, covering me as the magic flexed, harder now. The walls groaned, seeming to wobble. Prince was the next to his feet, butting into Fallon's shoulder as he took up the space to his left.

Even Red took up arms, his presence brushing mine in a familiar violent cadence. His energy was explosive, his emotions all over the place.

Fear, excitement, and rage.

"What's going on?" Prince asked, brushing his eyes with the backs of his hands, looking around, confused.

Another crackle, then I felt it, like a brush against my own soul. The marks on my wrist warmed, the twisting black marks pulsing, and the feeling of safety that washed over me had me standing.

I stepped around Fallon. "Wait."

He grunted, his hands landing on my shoulders as figures began to take shape. The scent of metal filled the air, bitter and sharp, and I tilted my head, overjoyed when a familiar face came into view. "Osiris?"

He materialized seconds later, grunting under the weight of the body that he held up as another crashed onto the floor beside him. His clothing was battered, singe marks tracing his skin as ash fell from his hair when he shook his head. His body was bruised and bloody, much like his face, as he tipped his head up to look at us, his black hair brushed back, stark blue eyes searching the room.

As soon as he saw me, he dropped the person he was holding, the body hitting the ground with a thud, much like the first. The man didn't make a sound.

Then Osiris was on me.

I'd always treaded carefully with him, worried I'd bring up bad memories by moving too fast. Now, more than ever, I felt the need to hold myself back. My own memories were all too savage, a warning of how terrible the past could be … but he didn't stop in front of me, didn't extend a hesitant hand.

He pulled me into his arms, breathing me in like I was the oxygen he needed to survive, and I did the same. He hissed when my hands found his face, the spark of contact like a drug, his body bowing when I searched him to see the damage.

His side was ripped apart, the slice of a dull blade, his abdomen quivering when I reached out to it.

His kiss came as a surprise, stopping my worried hands in their tracks, his soft lips chasing mine in a dance that left me breathless. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, letting my tongue slide across one of his descended fangs, flooding our mouths with my blood.

Faster than he could have protested it.

He groaned into me, his hands tightening on my hips, a full body shiver tossing his head back as a drop slid down his chin, over his jaw and down the front of his neck. I traced his side again, humming, when I watched the festering wound begin to seal.

" Lux mea ," he whispered, panting. He set his forehead on mine, keeping me in his arms, not yet letting me down. "I've missed you."

"Osiris," I said, brushing away tears as they clouded my eyes. I kissed him again, the taste of my blood in his mouth making me shiver. "You're back."

"Good to see you in one piece, brother," Prince said, walking up to Osiris and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. He did a once-over, as well, checking for the same things I had.

The wound was gone by the time he saw it, my fingertips now pressed against smooth skin. Prince didn't linger, his hand going to my head, weaving the strands of my hair into his grip before leaning in to press a chaste kiss to my lips.

I gasped when he pulled back, his tongue tracing a red line over his. He winked when he was done, chuckling when I blushed.

"Oh, isn't this darling?" a rasping voice whispered as the first man that had hit the ground stood on shaking legs. "Osiris found a lover ? Never thought I'd see the day."

He was massive, with towering wings that touched the roof as he dragged his bloodied sword up, laying it across his shoulders. One of the wings was mangled, golden blood sliding down it, hitting the floor like acid, sizzling against the wood. Malice leaked from him, slamming into me.

He snarled, the ruins on his skin glowing white hot, even his eyes flushing of color.

"Cael," Osiris whispered, stepping in front of us and acting as a wall.

The man rolled his eyes, almost mocking, as he looked between us.

"Thanks for the out, Rex interfectorem ," he said with a mocking smile as though indulging in a joke. The blood on his blade matched that which covered Osiris, the red staining the floor where it dripped from the edge. Rage was quick to find a place in my chest, but I didn't get a chance to even speak as Cael turned away. "Be seeing you around, I'm sure."

Then he limped out of the room, not looking back. Even with that, I couldn't shake the lingering fear that came with him, almost like my body was scared to get too close. No one moved to stop him, and it was only when the door closed that I was finally able to breathe. The voice in my head savaged me, pushed me to go after him for what he'd done to Osiris, even with the Eternium stamping down on the urge.

Make him pay.

"Well, I'll be the first to address the elephant in the room. Or should I say, the body in the room? Who the fuck was that, and do you want to explain the mostly dead man on the ground?" Prince asked.

Osiris looked at said body, and I peeked around him to do the same.

He hadn't moved, whoever he was, since Osiris had dropped him. I wiggled out of his arms, looking at what I assumed at first was a corpse.

The man was rail thin, bone poking through skin in several places, mostly along his wrists and ankles. His hair was matted, wrapping around him almost like a garment, his face completely covered in it. It was only when he breathed that I realized he was still alive.

"Cael was the first Angel Eternal. He'd been trapped in the Pits after I'd helped Adathan win his Challenge several Eterniums back. It was bad luck that he happened to find me. Nothing to be done about it now," he said, before turning his eyes to the body on the floor. He hesitated before sighing. "I believe this man is tied to Darius."

The man didn't stir, and the more I looked at him, the more my stomach dropped.

"Is he what you went down there for?" Fallon asked, rolling his shoulders as he glanced back at the door.

"Yes," Osiris added. "Though I was expecting an idol. A charm. Not?—"

He paused, and Eirik was quick to follow up. "A man?"

"Right," Osiris finished. "He's a tie, a bridge of sorts. Darius trapped him in the Pits after he took over as Mythic Eternal. He can't lose a fight so long as the idol stays whole."

The man grunted, groaning low in his chest as he tried to rotate. He didn't have the strength to, or the strength to cry out as I heard a pop. Like the breaking of a bone or a dislocated joint.

"You're sure?" Eirik added, and Osiris dipped his head, the solemn way he watched the man telling enough.

"Kri'Valta told me before he died," Osiris said, his eyes clouding as if remembering the moment. He hadn't spoken of it much, barely at all, but something about it still clung to him now. "He was many things, but I don't believe him to be a liar."

How long had he spent down there? Locked away, unable to get out for years. It made me sick. Torture, pain. It was nothing new. I'd seen it myself, in the others that had lingered at Ascension.

This man knew torture, too. The sight of him, with crude scars circling his wrists. The thin frailness of his body so clearly led by starvation.

"So, we're fucked," Eirik chimed in, snapping his teeth.

He sought me out, walking behind me as he looked down at the body, too.

"We need to find a way to kill him and be done with it," Fallon finished, looking Osiris in the eye. There was a cruel detachment to his words, and he didn't even bother looking at the man he spoke about.

I froze.

"There has to be some way to, even past the Eternium rules. I'm sure Mags knows something," Prince added with a hum. "They owe me after leaving me to die like that. It'd be the least they could do."

He moved, intention clear, and none of the others went to stop him. They spoke about it so casually, so ruthlessly. The death of a man who didn't have any say in the matter, who didn't deserve it. At least not based on what we'd seen so far.

I'd seen enough innocent death, faced it, done it. My stomach twisted to the point of pain at the thought of watching it again.

"No!" I protested, moving to stand in front of the prone man, acting as a wall while the others looked on in shock. "He doesn't deserve to die, not because a madman decided to lock him up."

Darius ripped away his freedoms, trapped him where he'd never see the light of day again. I didn't move, even when Fallon scowled, and Eirik crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm with Fallon. His death would serve us far better than his life," Eirik chimed in, the vicious swirl of his beast behind his eyes just adding fuel to his fire.

I reached for my neck, the mark he'd put there, stepping back until my heels touched skin.

There was an obstinate determination in their eyes, one that spoke of years of experience. I could see their reasoning, the cruel efficiency that it would bring. It was the easier path, and part of me understood that.

Death was easy, death was final, but this man had been through so much it showed in the scars on his wrists, the crazy I could feel still clinging to me after so many years trapped in my own personal hell.

"No, it's not right," I said, standing my ground. I took a deep breath, unwilling to budge. My legs shook, old habits dying hard as my throat closed around the words.

Never make noise.

"Ali—" Fallon started, his expression faltering.

This man had been tortured, locked away, and left to die … like I had.

"I can't let you kill him, Fallon," I said, hoping he could see why I held on so tightly.

I'd been here once, strapped down and made to feel like less of a person and more like an object to be used. I saw myself in this man . I'd give on many things, but this was a hill I was ready to die on.

Ready to fight on.

"Our lives might depend on it, Ali! Don't be stubborn just because your heart bleeds for him," Fallon said, his face twisting into a rage that betrayed the ice in his voice. "For all we know, he could be worse than Darius!"

Still, I didn't back down, even at his snarling. There wasn't a hint of fear in me from him, and even now I knew that. It was what gave me the strength to take a step toward him until we were nose to nose. "You're ruling him out because the easier path is to deal with him. You're calling him a monster because it's easier to kill a monster! What if he isn't one?"

"Both of you need to calm down. Tension isn't the answer right now," Prince grunted, pushing between us.

His hands were steady weights as he urged us both back. He looked between us, grimacing before his head was tipping back with a groan. He glanced at the man that writhed again.

"Then we vote!" Fallon bit out, looking at Osiris, whose face twisted. My heart dropped, my chest suddenly aching as Prince's eyes hit the floor. Then Eirik's.

I covered the pain that bloomed with my palm, trembling as I shook my head. Osiris was quiet for a second before he sighed.

"Darius's cruel games should not damn him … but I will not deny your right to a vote, Fallon," Osiris said, never looking away from me, putting the weight of the decision on his shoulders as he accepted it for what it was.

Osiris's eyes welled with apology, and it was like the ground gave out from under my feet. I turned my head to face the wall, suddenly sick at the thought of looking at them. Thoughts of my own memories sent a shiver down my spine, a reminder of the cold steel table that I still saw when I closed my eyes … but it also gave me an idea.

Memories were tied to the Void, like the souls that wandered endlessly searching for it. I was intimately aware of them, how they worked and what they could do. Even now, I could see my own, compartmentalized as if I'd placed them myself.

Because I had. I saw that silver room, felt the bits of myself that I had put back together. One memory at a time.

"What if I can bring him back?" I said, snapping to look at them again, shifting from foot to foot. The others grew quiet, watching me with confused expressions. "Azer spoke to me about it, when I was trying to find a solution for Prince. I saw it after Mags brought back our memories. I might be able to tap into his soul, piece him back together. Then he can help. What if he knows more about Darius, about whatever is tying them together? He doesn't have to die."

I fought my way through the sentence. A sickening feeling of inadequacy flooded me, and the silly notion that I could help quickly fizzled. I blushed, my cheeks heating in embarrassment when no one spoke for a moment.

"It's too dangerous," Fallon added, looking as resolute as I felt.

"As opposed to what? Killing him?" I asked, gripping my hands together to stop the shaking. I knew the moment Fallon saw it, his shoulders deflating as I kept my head high. "We don't know anything about the binding between him and Darius. For all we know, killing him might not sever it. We don't have the time to waste on trying to find a way to kill him . "

I looked, one more time, as the man suffered at our feet. For just a moment, I caught a glimpse of his eyes as they opened wide, a stark mix of blues and greens that choked me. He looked so afraid.

I turned back to Fallon, a man I loved, my head dipping. "I call a vote. The First Rights begin at midnight, Fallon. I can do this . "

If I could save him, like I wished someone would have saved me … that would be enough.

"I think it's worth a shot," Prince said with a softness I knew was reserved for me. He smiled, the way he always had, hiding his fears behind it as he nodded. I reached for my wrist, touching a scar that ran through the marks born from my ties to these men. Prince's expression dropped, catching the move. "I can see how much this means to you, Aaliyah. If you think you can do it, then you have my vote."

I could barely breathe, relief washing over me in a rush.

"And mine," Eirik grunted, moving to my side, always needing to touch. His nose brushed the silvery scar against my neck.

"This is ridiculous, please Ali. Not this." A hand cupped my cheek, lifting my head. Fallon's face was a mask, seemingly unfeeling as he ran his thumb over my cheek, wiping away the tears that fell. His eyes were still the most breathtaking I'd ever seen, so full of love, of life.

"Saving someone who needs saved is not ridiculous," I asked, hating the way Fallon's jaw clenched tightly. "He's just like me, Fallon. Trapped and scared. I can't just stand back and do nothing."

Not if I could help it.

Red fluttered around me, approval clear in his almost bouncing joy. He stopped by Prince, who swatted at the air with a twisted expression. Mirth clung to Red as he danced back to me.

"She has my vote as well," Osiris filled in, making it four.

I let out a breath and looked at the prone man. He was twisted up in his hair, his body contorted as he made another soft string of painful noises.

"What is your vote, Fallon?" Osiris asked, and Fallon's eyes slammed closed as he pulled away

Losing his touch burned, and when he opened his eyes again, there was a wall there, formed between him and I in a way that made my stomach ache.

"This is a mistake," he said, unwavering. He flexed his hands before running one through his hair. He took a second to fix his tie as he looked at the door. "You do what you need to do, but I won't accept this. I can't watch you die again, Ali."

He shuddered and moved to walk away.

"Fallon—" I started, cut off by his words as he slipped into the hall.

"You have your vote." The door closed behind him.

Silence descended on the room, and I shivered as a cold wave covered my shoulders, Red providing a comfort that Eirik matched with a soft purr.

"Let him go. He needs to get it out," Prince said, coming to my other side, looking down at the mass that went silent. "When he comes back, it will be with a clear head."

Some wretched part of my mind toyed with his words, and I continued to stare at the door.

If he comes back.

"That makes four," Osiris said, sighing as he glanced at his watch. "I'd normally wait for Adrian, but we don't have the time. What do you need from us, my dear?"

I shook my head, looking around as I tried to focus.

"Get him comfortable," I mumbled, crouching on the ground where the man lay. It wasn't necessarily a requirement, but I hated to see him so agonized on the floor.

Eirik did it himself, picking him up and moving him so he was less splattered to the ground. They even got him a blanket, as he began to shiver. I sat by his side, sinking thankfully onto a pillow that Prince snagged for me with a small smile.

"All right," I said, carefully lifting my hands. I flinched as I touched his warm skin, fighting the urge to pull away. Red fluttered around my head, poking at me in question. The shadows breathed, the Void sinking into my skin as I closed my eyes and reached out to it. "Red, I'm going to need a lot of help here."

He danced happily before wrapping around me like he did. He sank onto my shoulders, as if holding on tightly.

"Don't push yourself, Aaliyah. I couldn't give less shits about him. You come back to us safe, okay?" Prince said, his hands landing on my shoulders.

I shuddered, checking myself over like I used to do in my cell after every session with the doctors, cataloguing each ache and pain I felt. I was exhausted , my head pounding to the beat of my heart. The last time I'd been to the Void still clung to me, making my lungs hurt as I took a deep breath.

It takes, and it takes.

"Don't worry. I've got this." I pulled in another breath, forcing myself to hold it, feeling the pain for what it was, my focus solely on the man. His heart beat like a drum, quiet under the chill of his skin. I did as Azer had instructed, as I'd done with Prince and myself. I pressed my hands over his chest, searching for the warmth of a soul, and when I found the Void, I asked it to let me in. It was slow to do so, creaking open like a door. I wasn't sure if this would work, if it would even be the same as it had been for my own memories.

All I could do was see.

"I've never doubted you, Aaliyah, not once," Prince whispered, taking up the spot at my side. His arm wrapped around my shoulders, his weight soothing. "We'll be here when you get back."