“Oh?” I said, my curiosity piqued.
He nodded. “Angels of Death do not need a portal to cross through the Veil or teleport to specific locations. Guess what you are now, little brother.”
“Oooh fuck, yes!” I shouted, making the two of them laugh.
Chapter 17
Eleni
No words could describe how blown away and overwhelmed I felt. From the moment Paulus and then Kali told me that I would need to be made whole again, I had known that I would undergo some significant changes, if only because of the darkness that had been released in me. But I never expected that they would turn out to be obvious and permanent alterations to my appearance.
I kept staring at my reflection in the mirror, unsure how to feel about it. My demon DNA couldn’t be denied. I only thanked the gods that the modifications weren’t hideous. Above all, I was beyond grateful that they didn’t bother Lyall in the least. He still loved me. His eyes couldn’t lie.
His now purple eyes, like his mother’s…
I still couldn’t get over the fact that she was the Weaver. Who would have thought that I would one day enter a family of gods, demigods, and Ancients? My father-in-law was Lord Azrael himself! And Asheron? His father was none other than Alderan,the most powerful bone demon of the Seventh Circle of Hell and son of Astaroth. Who else was I now related to?
It would take me a while to adjust to all the ways in which my life had been flipped upside down. But the prospect didn’t terrify me the way one might have expected it to. With Lyall by my side, everything felt possible.
Even now, as he stood a short distance behind me, admiring me through the mirror, the look in his eyes melted me from the inside out. Since he teleported us back home from the temple—being giddy like a toddler overhyped on sugar at his new power—he constantly stole glances at me as if to reassure himself that I was really well and whole. And every time he laid eyes on me, a shadow of his light wings would peek behind him, testifying to his happiness at merely being in my presence.
What did I ever do to deserve such a blessing?
I turned around to face him, and he closed the distance between us, drawing me into his arms. I doubted he would ever lose his need for physical contact, and I was grateful for it. As much as I used to hate clingy, or touchy-feely males, I could never get enough of my man. And now that he had embraced his divine light, being held by him almost felt like being snuggled by the gods themselves.
He brushed his lips on the smattering of scales on my forehead, rubbed his nose against mine, then gently kissed me. I melted against him, feeling home, feeling safe.
“We have to go thank your Lycan friends,” I said softly.
He nodded. “We will in the morning. For now, I want you to rest. You faced a major ordeal not only today, but also over the course of the past couple of weeks,” he said in a gentle but firm tone.
“I feel fine,” I argued.
“Maybe, but I almost lost you,” he countered stubbornly.
“Right, but you didn’t,” I said in a conversational tone.
“But I still almost did. I would feel better if you spent at least one night resting to make sure that everything is truly okay. What difference would a few more hours make before we see them?” he asked in a slightly pleading tone.
I pursed my lips before nodding in concession. Had our roles been reversed, I likely would have shackled him then trapped him in countless magic circles and wards to keep him safe until I was no longer freaked out by the near tragedy. I understood all too well how much his protective instincts had to be working overtime right now.
“Very well, we’ll wait until morning. But make sure we go. I truly owe them,” I said.
Lyall smiled, his relief and gratitude almost palpable. “I promise. Anyway, we must go back since Ulric—their young pack leader—told me that they found something that might be of interest to us.”
“Something like what?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s probably not urgent. At least he didn’t give me that impression.”
“Maybe it was,” I said with a frown. “Maybe they just didn’t emphasize it because healing me was more urgent.”
He creased his brow as he reflected on my words. “That’s possible. I could go check with them while you rest.”
“No! Stay with me!” I instantly exclaimed, my arms tightening around him.
Neither fear nor an unhealthy possessiveness prompted that visceral reaction. It was something else. His light appeased and grounded me. Azrael’s words replayed in my head about us balancing each other. In that instant, I realized that he was right. I needed a bit of time to adjust to my new self. The darkness had not vanished. It simply no longer tried to overwhelm me. But I felt like a toddler taking its first steps and being unsteady on its feet.
“Whatever you need, my mate,” Lyall replied, although I could hear his relief at not having to part from me either.
