With a deep sigh, Nia pressed her face to his biceps, taking comfort in his warmth. She hoped tomorrow would be a better day and that his wounds would finally show signs of healing…
An unearthly quiet had Nia bolting upright in the darkened bedroom. Moonlight filtered through the windows of the turret room at the far side, casting a silvery glow over the couch there.
Lore remained in a deep sleep next to her, his slumber caused by the potion, as she now knew.
She rolled out of bed and padded across to one of the turret windows. Nothing moved in the garden, yet unease gripped her. She opened it, and the reverberations of swords clashing blasted her ears.
Oh, shit!She hastily fumbled the window shut, blocking out the noise.
Lore didn’t even stir, for which she was grateful.
A soft knock sounded. Sensing who it was, she hurried to answer.
Her sister stood there, face ashen, her bicolored eyes like dark holes.
“There’s fighting outside,” Nia rasped.
“I know. It’s the angels. Aethan, Dagan, and Týr are out there. They tried to talk to them, but they refused to listen. They said the time for talk was over, the decree has been issued, and then they just attacked. Come with me.”
“I can’t leave Lore. It’s him they’re after.”
“No one can enter the castle. It’s always tightly warded. Hedori added an extra layer of protection to this room earlier this evening. Lore will be safe. We won’t go far, just to a window overlooking the fight.”
“Give me a sec.” Nia dashed inside and changed back into her jeans and boots. As she slipped on her sweater, her promise to Lore, not to go outside without him, rang in her ears.
Well, she wasn’t going outside, but she had to find out what was happening.
She fastened her hair into a messy bun as she rushed out, then quietly shut the door behind her before hurrying off with Echo.
“Why can’t they leave him the hell alone?” Frustration sent a flood of anger through her as they sprinted down a side stairwell. “He fell from grace as their laws demanded, and yet they tried to kill him afterward. Now this!”
Echo grabbed her hand and took off along the first-floor corridor. “I know. It’s never easy when mating with immortals of their caliber. Aethan said it could be because they asked Lore to eliminate you. Instead, he fell for you. It probably pissed them off that their most powerful would dare do this, basically giving the middle finger to their sacred law by taking up with aweakhuman, exactly like the Watchers had.”
“The assholes! I hope the Guardians kill them all!”
“I second that.”
Echo stopped at the corridor’s dead end, facing the windows on one side. “This floor is normally empty unless we have visitors, but that’s rare.”
Nia barely heard her, her gaze on the fight outside. Wings of various colors flashed beneath the moonlight, swords glinted, and powers blitzed in the night air in waves of sparks.
She found Aethan easily, his hair glinting like blue steel. Týr’s pale locks glimmered like the moon itself. Everyone moved too fast to make out anything more. “How long has this been going on?”
“A while,” Echo muttered, her voice tight, and Nia could sense her anxiety. Heck, she would be, too, if Lore was out there.
“Usually, it’s over by now. But the thrones are formidable, being angels of war. They tried to breach the castle, too, but withthe wards in place and Kira’s added ability to shield things, it didn’t work. Now they’re determined to kill our mates?—”
“To get to Lore,” she whispered.Christ!“Where’s Ely and the other Guardians? I don’t see them.”
“They’re on standby and still on patrol. No!” Echo yelled, and Nia froze as a sword ran through Dagan’s belly. With a snarl, he lunged for the angel. He grabbed the jerk by his hair. Moonlight briefly glinted on his extended fangs before they sank into the throne’s neck and tore it out. Blood gushed like a geyser.
“What is he?” Nia gasped, jaw unhinging.
“A vampire. He’ll heal.”
With a shaky hand pressed to her heart, Nia tried to calm down. She didn’t want Lore to awaken, sensing her agitation.
“We wanted to help fight, but Michael refuses to let us—no!” Echo cried.
