Unfazed, Azrael smiled and slightly shifted to the side, as if daring Lyall to flat-out step in front of him. A powerful shiver coursed through me when Azrael gently caressed my cheek while looking at me in an almost paternal fashion. He dropped his hand before staring at Lyall with a serious expression.
“It’s time for you to embrace your true self if you want to save your mate.”
Lyall blinked, confused. “What do you mean?”
“Hecate cannot fix this. The ritual says that divine light is key to unlocking the doorway to the seat of one’s soul. Only the true beloved can hold that key,” Azrael said.
“A Fallen…” I whispered with sudden understanding. “Kali said she only knew of the ritual working for a Fallen Angel.”
“Are you saying that the ritual only works for angels?!” Lyall asked with a crestfallen expression, the devastation he felt echoing my own. “But Pharos said there’s still hope!”
To my shock, Azrael nodded. “Yes, there is.”
“And you would helpme?!” Lyall asked, his tone disbelieving. “Or rather, you would be willing to help her?”
He shook his head. “I cannot help your mate. The Covenant forbids it. I’m merely here to teach my son something he needs to know.”
Chapter 16
Lyall
Istared in complete shock, my mind struggling to accept what my ears heard.
“Your son?” I repeated, flabbergasted, when I finally regained the ability to speak.
He nodded and smiled with a tenderness that left me reeling.
“Yes, Lyall. You are my son. Your birth was planned and very much wanted,” he explained softly. “Your mother conceived you with love believing it was with me. I may not be your biological sire, but I am your spiritual father. I claimed you that very day and made sure that I would be an intrinsic part of you.”
“A part of me? How?” I asked, floored by his impossible statements.
Azrael didn’t respond right away. Instead, he placed his right palm on my chest. I gasped as the most amazing warmth exploded in my chest and spread throughout my body. My light wings shot out of my back, and for the first time, they actually felt heavy as if they were tangible. My knees buckled from the overwhelming sensation. Azrael caught me and helped mestraighten before taking a step back. I gaped at him, refusing to accept what this inferred.
“This was never Cliona’s divine light but mine,” Azrael said with a smile. “I gave a part of myself to you as soon as you got your heart’s first beat, long before your birth.”
“But… but I’m a monster!” I breathed out, completely blown away.
“No, Son. You are not,” he countered forcefully. “Had you been as evil as you think yourself to be, you would have rejected my angelic essence. It could not thrive inside such an individual. You were never a monster, Lyall. That was always just in your head.”
“So you… you don’t hate me?” I asked, hating the vulnerability in my voice.
He gave me a sad look as he shook his head. “Of course not, you silly boy. You were never at fault. Cliona told you as much many times over the years.”
“Yes, she did,” I conceded. “But why didn’tyou? Why now?”
“Because you weren’t ready,” he replied in a factual manner. “You needed to find inner peace first, to let go of some of that anger and self-hatred, and to finally allow my light in, like you did in the Sanctuary and while fighting the Djarins. Although I didn’t openly come to you, I was always there.”
I blinked, confused by that last statement. He gave me an amused smile.
“The day you fell down the chasm you recklessly chose for your first flight attempt, it wasn’t a lucky draft that suddenly lifted you up so that you could regain your bearings. It was me,” Azrael said smugly. “The time you nearly drowned in the river, it wasn’t a timely wave that pushed you to shore. Many times over the years, I intervened in the shadows to help keep you safe. You are mine, Lyall. Not a monster, not a mistake, and certainly not an abomination. You aremyson.”
I stared at him, eyes pricking and my throat too constricted to speak. He smiled, gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze, and then turned to look at Eleni who was witnessing the whole exchange with an air of pure awe.
“And that makes Eleni my daughter,” Azrael added while gently caressing her hair.
A powerful emotion flashed across her face before she took on an air of shame.
“There’s great darkness in me. And it’s growing,” she said guiltily.
