For the second time that night, time stood still as they stared at their fallen brother.
“Obsidian,” Penelope cried softly, her hand sliding into his. “Come back to me. Oh, God. Please come back to me.”
The healers seemed both confused and eager to do something to help, but they were now being held back by Stygian, as though the male knew something the rest of them didn’t. Perhaps he did, because a few painfully long minutes later, Obsidian’s chest lurched as though someone had shocked him with a defibrillator. There was a rustle of sound, like wings, but it faded quickly.
Obsidian groaned, then turned his head, his eyes opening on Penelope’s face.
“Ayreme,” he rasped, his trembling hand lifting to cup her face.
Penelope bowed her head, rested it against his forehead, and sobbed.
Grateful they were okay, Eclipse turned away from the sight and wrapped Orianna in his arms, holding her tightly. He took a moment to swipe his hands over her, assuring himself she was in one piece. Orianna’s arms curled around him, holding on to him as she softly cried.
He hated to hear her anguish, but at the same time, it was the most precious sound in the world.
Because it meant she was still with him.
Chapter Fifty-One
Three days later…
Chaos.
That was the only way Kaj knew to describe the aftermath from the demons’ attack on the mansion.
It lasted for three solid days before they began to see a sense of normalcy return.
First had come tending to the wounded.
Aside from the shock of having an archangel take over his body, Obsidian had been mostly unharmed. A few scratches, couple of bruises. Nothing major. Rest had been the prescribed treatment, and true to form, Obsidian had ignored the healers’ suggestions, claiming to have far too much to deal with.
The rest of the warriors had been unharmed, though drained from their efforts, too. Same as their oldest brother, they had refused to stay down. Most of their soldiers had required no treatment, their wounds healing before the dust had even settled, but there had been twoladeares—Magnar and Mordecai—who’d required some time in the infirmary. Both had been watched for the first twenty-four hours but were now back to their regular routine.
The worst of the injuries had been to two of theheurosp, who had been dutifully working at the front of the mansion when the explosion occurred. Both had sustained minor burns and serious abrasions, but by the grace of God, they hadn’t been directly in the blast zone. One of the two, a younger female Kaj had never met, was still in the infirmary, undergoing treatment for the burns, while she sported a cast on her broken wrist.
Kaj still wasn’t sure how they hadn’t lost anyone during the ambush. After Mirakel had demanded he stay put, Kaj had gone in search of his daughter and Acadia. The instant he’d seen with his own eyes that both females were unharmed, he and Acadia had moved Penelope to safety. At that point, he had shucked Mirakel’s orders and joined the fray. While the angels had held that big fucking bastard off, Kaj had gotten in a good hand-to-hand session with three demons.
The instant Obsidian/Michael lodged that blade in Eevuhl, the rest had turned to ash, drifting off into the breeze. Neat little trick, that one. And thank fuck for it. It hadn’t taken long to realize those little fuckers had been doubling upon their arrival. It’d been touch-and-go for a bit, and Kaj had feared they would be overtaken by the damn things but then … they were gone.
Poof!Vanished.
And though Kaj would survive, he’d suffered a fan-fucking-tastic knife wound to his left thigh. He’d managed to sneak it by the healers, because the last fucking thing he wanted was to have someone getting all handsy. Problem was, it should’ve healed by now, but it continued to fester, and he was beginning to get concerned.
Of course, he knew what the problem was. He’d yet to feed, and it didn’t help that his female was acting as a sieve for all the males in the mansion. Every single time she offered her vein, the pain grew more intense, as though pieces of his soul were being chipped away and that damn wound was relaying the information to his brain.
As much as he wanted to put it off, Kaj knew he couldn’t. Feeding was inevitable, and if he wished to get back to one hundred percent, he had to give in. Problem was, he knew Acadia was in no position to provide for him, and because of the way things stood between them, he couldn’t muster the courage to ask.
Which meant he was forced to take the vein of another.
He’d considered taking from a male but found the few they had were currently being put to work helping to rebuild the mansion.
Now, as he sat in his private chambers in the Lair, he waited for who would come for him. He’d asked Mirakel to find someone, anyone. Just not Acadia.
A soft knock sounded on his door, and Kaj urged them in with an abrupt bark. His stomach churned from the need for blood but more so from the ache of knowing his female would not be the one providing for him. He only hoped he could keep the blood down, otherwise it would be a wasted fucking effort.
“Sit,” he commanded the female who stepped into the space.
Though she was beautiful in her own right, the female was the opposite of Acadia. Where his female had fine ivory skin, this one’s was a soft, creamy brown. Where Acadia had long, dark locks, this female’s hair was short and tight to her head. Because he knew their eye color was the same, he refused to look directly at this female as he joined her. In an effort to show her he wasn’t a threat, Kaj had her sit in the chair positioned by the fireplace while he went to his knees before her.
