I turned to face my mate, to find Jhonas and Diadre crowding to her, all three of them looking at me expectantly.
“It doesn’t stop him from simply picking her up again—”
“Safe in the shadow!” Yilan hissed.
“What?”
“It’s the philosophy of shadow walking,” Diadre told me hurriedly. “You’re safe in the shadows. No one else can see, but divine power lights your way through!”
“If she can get down, then maybe she’ll be brave enough to resist him—we have to try, Melek!”
“Do it,” I said, “but tell as many of the others as you can on the way. We don’t want anyone panicking, thinking we’re under attack and start hurting our allies!”
Yilan nodded, then turned to Diadre and Jhonas. The nearby Shadekin, clearly drawn by Yilan’s silent call, were filtering through the crowd to congregate behind them. Within moments, they were nodding and slipping out among the crowd, one by one.
I turned back to Gall, who continued to bellow up to Istral on my right.
“…do you remember what Papa said, Izzy? Do you remember what I told you when I was good?”
Istral nodded, but then gave a little shriek, because Lucifer hissed and let her slip through his arm an inch. Her long gown was pulled up high around her ribs, baring her legs to the watchers below. I growled, furious at Lucifer for embarrassing her in this way.
“Enough!” he snarled, and the entire hall went silent, his word echoing in the dark clouds around the rafters. “This is not a child’s game. You have abandoned your family, Gall. So, I will make a new one. I have already begun. She carries my offspring. This is your final chance to rejoin me. If you do, I’ll keep both of you safe and with me. If you don’t, she will live long enough to bear my babe, then she’ll die—following you to the grave.”
Gall gave a stifled sob, but he raised his hands like a child asking to be lifted. I realized he wanted to catch her.
“Izzy. Izzy, don’t be afraid—remember?Resist.You told me, and you were right! I didn’t listen, and I should have. But you were right! I did it, Izzy. I did it! That’s why so many people died. I’m sorry about that, but it’s true. You can tell him to leave you alone, and he has to.”
“You did it?” Her voice was high and thin, like a scared child.
Gall nodded. “I did. And it hurt. A lot. But then I was okay, and I’m here.”
“His eyes are green, Izzy!” I called to her.
Gall’s voice was choked. “You have to do it too. He can’t keep you if you say no, Izzy.”
“But I’ll fall!”
“I’ll catch you.”
“We’ll all catch you, Lady Istral!” Jhonas called, and a dozen other soldiers moved towards the center of the room—cleverly drawing attention away from a rush of Shadekin moving towards sconces and torches and any other source of light in the room.
My chest thrummed as the other men rushed to the center of the room—Gall and I with them—all waiting below, arms outstretched.
“God, you’re pathetic,” Lucifer said, shaking his head and sneering in contempt. “Do you really believe—”
“Do it, Izzy!” Gall cried.
“I’m scared!”
“We’re all scared. You can fall, and be scared down here with me. He can’t take you if you say no. Tell him to leave you alone.”
“Listen you little fucker—” Lucifer hissed.
Gall didn’t stop. I watched on, awed, as my son—my simple, brilliant son—coached his mate to understand the transformation of his heart when he had finally taken a stand and resisted that Fallen fuck.
I listened, with tears in my eyes as he admitted the pain, and the shame, and all the ways his huge heart had been hurt, all the promises Lucifer had offered him, and all the ways he’d hoped the future would change.
“…but it just got harder. Remember? Remember you said it hurt more?” Gall said desperately, his voice hoarse with tears. “You were right, Izzy. I’m sorry I brought you here. I was wrong. Please… please come be with me.”
