Eternally Yours (22 page)

“Uh, hey Alexia,” he interrupts my escape and I stop for a second.

“Yeeeaah?” I ask he
sitantly.

“Is Gabe in there? I need to talk to him more about this prophecy thing.”

“Oh, yeah, he’s getting
dressed;
you can probably go on in.” I keep walking coming closer and closer to the door, just hoping against all hope that Kaia doesn’t pop out of now
where and stop me. Or demand answers.

Finally, I reach the beloved door and it won’t open. What. The. Hell. Seriously? This is not happening to me!

“Hey Wraith, I was going to run out for just a minute but the door won’t open, the lock seems to be working but the door just seems like part of the wall. Do you know what’s wrong?”

“Yeah,” he yells back in reply, just loud enough to reach me from halfway through the condo. “They locked everyone’s door from the outside since it’s the last day to become bonded. They don’t want anyone leaving tonight either, due to the Hell Horde.”

“Oh. Okay. Thanks,” I reply. Well, there goes that plan. I walk back towards the kitchen and it’s empty now. I can hear Wraith and Gabe discussing something in our room, probably the prophecy. Still no sign of Kaia, but she is obviously in here somewhere, I’m guessing she is asleep in their room or something. I head out to the balcony to think and enjoy the view from my luxury prison. A prisoner in my own
condo. I
would be shocked if things were different, but I can’t say that I am.

I walk to the edge and enjoy the feel the wind on my face, caressing my hair and blowing it. It’s so pretty all the way up here. I look below and I would be able to make out someone, just barely, if they were down there. But Wraith is correct, no one is out. Everyone is locked in. A burst of anger runs through my body at the thought of Shadow locked in with Lillith and my ruined, last chance idea, to convince him to escape with me. The little burst of anger causes my back to tingle and then I realize it’s my wings. They haven’t been acting up lately with my emotions and I almost forgot about them with everything that’s been going on.

Hmm. It’s pretty hard to lock an
angel
in when they have a balcony. It would be risky to try it alone, but I could fly down if I were crazy enough. Or if I were good enough. Or, if I had a good enough reason to try it.

I bite my lip and think about my reason to risk it. The pros and the cons. I’m getting antsy just thinking about it. My wings haven’t been released in a while and thinking about it makes them ache and tingle
a
nd now it’s almost impossible to keep them inside me.

I shut my eyes to focus on releasing them when something locks around my ankle. I suck in big breath and open my mouth to scream right as I look down to see what has a hold of me.

I meet a pair of dark, coal-colored eyes. Familiar eyes. Shadow’s other arm is the only thing
holding
him on the ledge of my balcony, and I don’t miss the bulging muscles and veins, and sexy tattoos slithering from his wrist to his shoulder. In the words of Kaia, he is total eye candy.

Somehow, by some miracle, I am able to shut my mouth and cut off my scream. My heart doesn’t slow down though.

He lets go of my ankle and smirks, then he holds his finger to his yummy lips, commanding me to be quiet.

Of course, I wasn’t planning on making a
sound;
I definitely don’t want anyone catching us together out here.

I want to be like, “what are you doing here?” but it just doesn’t make me sound very happy to see him. So instead I whisper a pretty lame, “Hi.”

He easily lifts himself up onto the leg, swings a leg over and stands up. He gives his muscular arms a shake and I wonder how long he was hanging on the ledge.

“Hi,
Bayla
,” his deep voice rumbles. I have missed his soothing voice and sweet endearments. “We need to talk.”

“Yes, we do,” I agree. “I was actually on my way to see you a few minutes ago, but then I found out I was locked inside. So I ended up out here.”

He just
nods. Sometimes
he doesn’t talk very much.

“So, how did you get out? Weren’t you locked in too?” I ask.

“One thing about
me
is that I don’t let myself be locked up, ever.” He seems to cower at the thought.

“But, how do you manage that?” I ask.

He tilts his head to the side, thinking, “It’s like life or death to me,
Angel
. I can’t be locked up. Once, but never, ever again.”

“What happened to you, Shadow?” I whisper. I am referring to his past, about what’s tortured
him;
I can see it in his eyes. He knows what I’m asking about too.

He grabs my hand and leads me to the corner of the porch, pressing my back into the wall. Now he’s facing me, and we’re close. He checks around to make sure we’re as out of view as we can be. “Later. I promise I will tell you anything you want to know, later,” he says huskily. “But for now, I came all the way here to tell you something, and I want to say it before I decide not to.” He swallows nervously.

I encourage him. “What is it? You can tell me anything, Shadow.”

He glances down and grabs my hand gently, then opens his palm examining it. He is still looking down when he starts to speak. “I feel something between us. I don’t know what it is. Maybe I’m crazy. Hell, I don’t know, I have never been very good at reading anyone’s emotions, especially mine.” He takes a breath, still avoiding my gaze and rubbing my palm with his fingers. “I just can’t stand the distance, I can’t stand being without you, thinking about you, I just,” he struggles for some word he doesn’t know to explain some feeling he doesn’t understand, “I just know that I feel something here,” he lifts our hands and places them over his heart and I can feel it beating
strong
and fast. Wow, he has a strong heart and I melt just a little feeling it, also he must be nervous because it’s beating almost as fast as mine.

“It does that when I’m with you,” he explains, referring to the speed. “And when you’re not around it throbs painfully, slowly.”

“Shadow, I don’t know what to say.” My lashes flutter a few times to keep the tears at bay.

His expression flashes to pain quickly but he covers it expertly fast. Only someone with experience hiding their pain and emotions would be able to do that. But I saw it.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he whispers. “I just wanted you to know.”

“No, I don’t know what to say because there aren’t words.” I laugh, happily. “There aren’t words I can think of to explain what I feel right now. I was coming to you to tell you the same thing, I just didn’t know how to say it or what to tell you. I even hear your voice in my head, Shadow. I think about you all the time. Hell, I even have dreams from your point of view...” I finish, thinking how crazy that last part sounds even to
me
.

He frowns. “You have dreams from my point of view?”

“Yeah, crazy, I know. I can’t control it though.”

“What’s one of these dreams? Tell me about one of them,” he demands. He has turned pretty serious about these dreams for some reason.

“Okay, um. Well. In one I was drinking blood, and then trying to cut my wings off...”

His eyes widen and his mouth falls, he looks totally shocked.

My face does the same. “What?”

“Those are real. Those are me. You’re dreaming my actual life events.”

“That stuff really happened to you?” I ask,
appalled
.

He just nods his head. I open my mouth to ask a question but it dies on my lips when he kisses me, smashing me into the wall in the best way.

“Later baby, I’ll tell you anything you want to know later.”

“When later?” I ask between kisses.

“Come away with me.”

I don’t even have to think about it. “Okay.” Because I was going to beg him to come away with me.

“What about Lillith?”

“What about Gabriel?”

I smile. He smiles.

“Okay then,” I say.

“When? And How?” I ask.

“I haven’t had time to get anything together yet. We won’t need much but we can’t leave empty handed. We’ll need a few things for sure, especially a weapon with the Hell Horde being out there.”

“Okay...” I ask, leaving it open for
interpretation
.

He looks at the moon. “Let me run get some essentials and then we will meet at first light.”

“What? We aren’t leaving tonight?!”

“It’s not safe. The Hell Horde is out at night and we know they are just outside the walls. They would kill me and take you. And then you would wish you were dead.”

I gulp.

Meet me at the wall, behind the Guard’s training arena. It’s the most secluded at first light and no one will be near there.”

“Okay,” I whisper, eyes wide.

Wraith and Gabe’s voice appears to come close and closer as it grows louder. Shadow looks to the doors and the light coming under the balcony doors is disrupted by a series of shadows and we know they are headed this way.

“I better go,” he kisses me one last time.

I grab his neck and my lo
w
er lip wobbles despite my best efforts.

“What? What is it,
Bayla
?”

A tear runs down each of my cheeks. “Tonight, we have to complete the bond tonight. Shadow, it’s been all I can do to put him off lately. There’s no way he’s it’s not going to happen tonight!”

His eyes flash red and his nostrils flare as his lips press tightly into a line. The door heavy door creaks once as its hinges work to open it and Shadow jumps off. I struggle not to squeal and rush to the edge to check on him.

Gabe’s head peaks around the door looking to scan the balcony on all sides for me. He steps onto the balcony and squints into the shadows where I am.

“Alexia?”

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing out here? No one knew where you were.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I’m just spending some alone time, thinking, and enjoying the beautiful view.”

He seems to weigh this. I don’t want him to join me and I sense that he is about to.

“I’ll be in soon, just give me a few more minutes okay?”

He nods with a tight expression. “Alright, when you come in I want to talk about our argument, okay?”

“I do too,” I reply.

With that he goes back in and shuts the door. I rush to the edge and squint into darkness looking for Shadow’s fingers on the ledge. I don’t see anything after a few minutes of panicked looking. I stand
back up and turn to run the
other side of the balcony and check, but I turn and he is there. Then his arms are around me again. I know his smell, and I know his feel. I know his body and the way he is so rigid and uncomfortable with affection, but I also know how he craves it.

He usually doesn’t tremble though and right now I can tell he’s all kinds of messed up about something. I lean back to look up at him.

“Wait for me.”

“What are you talking about, Shadow? Of course I’ll wait for you! I want to leave now, but you said--“

“No. I mean wait for me. Tonight. Don’t let him,” he breathes in through his nose and cringes, “...just don’t let him have you.”

“Oh.” That’s all I can say. I’m not even sure if the sound came out as much as my lips just formed an ‘o’.

“I don’t want to.” I try to reassure him. But I also don’t think I have anymore say in it. Plus, it will probably cause a big scene and a fuss if I don’t and I don’t want to draw any unwanted attention to me if I am to be leaving in the morning inconspicuously.

“Then don’t.” His eyes are red again and his emotions are barely controlled. He’s trembling and jerking and breathing hard. “Please. Wait for me. I will be your mate. You can only bond once, please don’t bond with him.”

“I know. I won’t bond with him.” I whisper it. I really hope that I can evade Gabe’s advances just one more night, but I’m already worried about it.

“What about you?” I whisper. I have to know if he’s been with Lillith. It’s killing me to always wonder what he is doing with her.

He smirks. “Jealous?” He asks.

Are you freaking kidding me? Did I play that card with him? No! He must be able to tell that I am not too happy about this because he tucks some hair behind my ear and reassures me.

“
Bayla
, you know I haven’t bonded to her. You’re all I think about. There’s no room for anyone else in my head, or in my bed,” he smiles at his joke. I roll my eyes.

“There’s the
angel
I know,” he winks and kisses me on the forehead.

“So we wait on each other, don’t forget,
Angel
.”

“I won’t,” I respond weakly.

He hesitates and holds my gaze for a second longer, before turning and
disappearing
into the darkness. A second later I find myself staring into the night wondering how he releases his wings while he’s falling. I smile to myself. My man has some serious skills.