Absolute Surrender (16 page)

***

Aethan headed downstairs after settling Echo in his bed. For once she hadn’t argued with him and gave in to sleep at the demands of her healing body. He’d left Bob on guard duty, the cat curling into a protective cocoon around her head.

Scanning, he found Michael in the study. A blast of heat hit him when he pushed open the door to the small room. Flames sputtered in the fireplace, casting a soft glow on the black leather recliners facing the hearth.

Michael sat behind a sleek mahogany desk adjacent to the fireplace.

“A moment,” he said, not looking up from whatever he was doing on the computer. But his hand reached for the open can of coke beside him. He sucked back on the soda like a life-sustaining liquid, draining it dry, then tossed it into the wastepaper basket.

This had to be the smallest room in the entire castle, yet, Michael chose to have his meetings here. The Archangel’s idiosyncrasies never failed to astound him.

Aethan crossed over to the french doors and opened them, inhaling the biting air. Night had settled over the estate. The pale, cool moonlight cast ominous shadows over the trellised walkway. He missed the dissonance of nocturnal insects that fall had scared away. Everything was too damn quiet.

He pulled away from the doors and dropped into the chair opposite Michael.

“What’s going on?” Michael asked moments later.

Aethan lifted his eyes from the crackling flames and met the Archangel’s intense stare.

“You look like you lost a bet with a bulldozer.”

A damn understatement! The Fates were probably laughing their asses off, giving him a mate who was mortal—one he couldn’t even claim. And Michael would already know about this. Aethan jerked up from the chair, unable to sit still.

“What are you going to do?” Michael pushed.

“Nothing. As soon as this crap’s over, she goes back to her life.”

A heavy silence fell over them, charged with dark emotions. The crackle from the fireplace resonated in the room. Gods. Aethan scrubbed a hand over his face. His nerves were on the verge of snapping. “What the hell am I supposed to do? You know why I can’t be with her.”

Michael’s shattered blues stared right into him. “When it comes to mates, no one can interfere, you know this.”

To claim one’s chosen mate was a journey traveled alone. And Michael had no intention of getting involved. Not that Aethan expected the Archangel to know a way out of his mess.

He changed the subject. “Did you find out anything else about the prophecy?”

Michael had other ideas. “Yes. The others will be here soon. We’ll get that out of the way then. What happened to her?”

Aethan didn’t want to talk about Echo. But no matter how he felt, he had a duty to perform and gave his report, pacing the small room. “Her name’s Echo Carter. I came across a demon with a
demonii
horde forcing her through a portal.”

The pen Michael had been flipping through his fingers stilled. The next second the wall sconces blazed brighter, highlighting the bookshelf behind him. “You stumbled upon
demoniis
forcing a mortal through a portal—how did this happen?”

He shot a hard look at the Archangel. Like he wanted to reveal the dagger’s capabilities. Better to keep that little detail to himself for now. And only then did he recall that Michael didn’t possess an obsidian dagger. His was plain old pewter.

Of course. Michael was of the divine, warrior angels. They didn’t have mates.

“In the old Delancey subway,” Aethan said instead. “It’s a known hunting ground. I cleaned house, but Echo got hurt.” His tone flat, he told Michael what he’d witnessed and about the wound the demon left on her. “That’s why I brought her here. It’s the only place she’ll be safe until this mess is dealt with and the demon after her is dead.”

Michael rose and came around to lean against the side of the mahogany desk. Good thing the furniture in this place was made to take their weight. “This demon, did you get a look at him?”

“No.” Aethan stopped pacing, his back to the french doors. “There were too many of them. The portal slammed shut the moment I appeared. But she said the demon called himself Lazaar.”

Michael frowned. “Not familiar with the name. I’ll check it out. Does she fit into the parameters of whom we search for?”

“No. Her psychic abilities are slight. There’s nothing of
pyre and rime
in her powers, I checked. She sees auras. It’s how she recognizes demons and
demoniis
and how I first came across her.”

He filled Michael in about the incident at the cathedral. “I arrived just as the
demonii
disintegrated, and she attacked me like I was one of them in a move so efficient. Calculated. Someone’s trained her to kill in that way...” Aethan narrowed his eyes. It had to be that idiot guardian, but if he hadn’t, then Echo could have died—
shit
! He guessed he should be thankful.

Heavy footfalls sounded in the corridor, ending their conversation. Blaéz strolled in and took the leather recliner close to the desk. Týr followed a few minutes later. Ignoring Aethan, he sprawled into the other one adjacent to Blaéz.

Right, he’d still had the mess with Týr to deal with, too.

The male plucked out an M&M’s package from his leather jacket and poured several into his palm. He made his selection, tossed the red, candy-covered, chocolate pebbles into his mouth, then dumped the rest back into the bag. Before he could shove the sweets back into his pocket, Blaéz reached out and nabbed it then tipped the entire contents into his mouth.

“And that’s how you eat candy.” Crunching on the sweets, he balled up the empty package and shot it into the crackling flames.

Týr merely stared at Blaéz but a ghost of a smile flickered in his dark gaze.

“Right.” Michael straightened. His Drillers hitting the marbled floor, he walked to the window then turned to them. “I’ve spoken with Gaia. She decrees when the female is found, one of us will be chosen as her protector. It’s imperative.”

“What do you mean, one of us must be her protector?” Aethan asked. He didn’t like the sound of that. Hell, he had enough shit to deal with. Echo was a magnet for trouble of the worse kind.

“It would be overwhelming for a mortal, who has no idea we exist and isn’t aware of the powerful bloodline she carries to come to terms with all this. She will need someone she can trust to ease her into the path her life will take and guide her to her destiny.

“More important,
she
will choose her protector. The rest of us will guard her until this is over. If I have to call the others in, it will be done.”

“Same crap, nothing new,” Týr muttered and pushed to his feet.

“No, it isn’t.” Michael’s eyes became slits of sapphire ice. “She is more. The female we search for will be the only one who can enter any realm at will. She’ll have the ability to heal fractures in the psychic veils and strengthen them, keeping out entities, which must not be allowed to pass through. She will be
The One
. The long awaited Healer of the Veils.”

Michael drew closer, his expression somber. “If the demons get hold of her, this realm will be the first to fall. Should that occur, it would be a disaster of cataclysmic proportion. We must find her fast.”

CHAPTER 12

The sound of clashing metal reverberated around the white cliffs. Echo strained forward but the man holding her hand wouldn’t let her go.

“I want to see.”

He shook his head. But the branches parted out of the way and there she saw the men, fighting with deadly swords. Lightning flashed from them, bouncing of the cliff walls and sizzling around her. She pulled back in fear.

“
It’s all right,
”
a soothing voice said.
“
You can handle us, little one. Remember that.
”

She glanced up and met the darkest eyes she’d ever seen. Then the man’s face dissipated...like fog.

Echo came awake to the scent of rainstorms teasing her nose. She rubbed the scar on her forehead and a sense of déjà vu settled over her. She had the strangest feeling she dreamt of that man before. He seemed familiar, but try as she might, she couldn’t remember anything.

Sighing, she looked around her and found herself on an ocean-sized bed, undeniably warm. The source of that beautiful heat came from a huge fireplace at the far end of the enormous bedroom. Above the mantel, antique swords graced the dark wall, and she recalled where she was.

Aethan’s home.

She’d slept in a real castle. Even the inside walls were of gray stone. French doors opened to a balcony. The outer wall flowed to the spacious circular sitting room on the far side, with deep brown leather loungers and a flat-screen TV. It had to be the most amazing...suite? Rooms? She had no idea what to call it, but it was gorgeous. But despite its extravagance, the huge bank of windows drew her attention. Heavy indigo curtains cascaded from the ceiling, flanking either end.

Echo eased out of the bed and pushed to her feet. She swayed and landed back on the mattress.

Darn! She hadn’t realized how weak she was. Slowly, she rose again and made her way steadily across the room to the windows. The late afternoon sun cast a pinky-orange glow across the sky. The terrace, edged with rambling vines and potted plants, led out to lush gardens. She could see miles of parkland leading to the edges of a forest. Leaning her head against the cool pane, she braced her hands on them to support her shaky limbs and let tranquility seep into her.

“What are you doing out of bed?”

Aethan’s annoyed voice shattered the serenity. Before she could turn around, warm calloused hands swept her off her feet. Breathless, she flung her arms around his neck as he carried her back.

“I just got out of bed and you’re putting me back in it,” she protested as he laid her down and drew the covers over her. He didn’t respond, just stacked more pillows behind her.

It was the first time she’d seen him without his coat or dressed all in black. He wore dark jeans and a gray T-shirt with that three-button opening. The long sleeves were pushed up to reveal strong forearms while the rest just hugged a muscular body that rippled with every movement he made. His stunning hair flowed free down his back.

Her hands itched to touch him, to stroke his face. Instead, she closed her eyes and inhaled his scent of warm man and wild storms.

“Now, stay here. If you want anything, ring for Hedori or call me.”

Her eyes snapped open. Just because she was compliant on the drive here didn’t mean he could continue to tell her what to do. The fault lay with the potion. It made her soft, loopy and annoyingly agreeable.

“I’m not staying in bed. Nothing hurts anymore.”

He straightened, crossed his thick arms over his chest, his expression grim.

“Two nights ago, I saw a horde of
demoniis
three times your weight
trample you. And moments ago I found you using the damn window as a prop—my decision stands.”

He just had to point that out. She slumped against her pillows in resignation, exasperated at his dogged determination to make her an invalid.

Echo glared at the vaulted ceilings and considered her options, unable to stay in bed when she was awake.

“Crap!” She shoved the covers aside in panic. “I didn’t call work. Jim’s gonna be furious with me.”

“What do you plan on doing?” He blocked her escape. “Walk back to the city?”

“Aethan,” she began in what she hoped was a reasonable tone. She didn’t feel up to fighting him right now. “I can’t be away from work. I have clients who rely on me.”

Gray eyes pinned hers, beautiful, intense, and about as welcoming as ice. “I saved your stubborn hide from being taken to a person’s worst nightmare, so forgive me if I don’t give a damn about anything else.”

At his cold fury, Echo drew back. “But I feel better.”

“Do you?” A nerve ticked in his jaw. “Very well, show me. A minute of any workout.”

She scowled, knowing he was right. She’d fall flat on her face, then he’d keep her chained to the bed even longer.