Of Alliance and Rebellion (7 page)

Her head ached. All of the reasons she should not have touched her Temptation—those internal warnings she could not focus on in the heat of the moment—were now pounding through her skull. A few moments more, even one kind word, and—Anahita could not fool herself—she would have Fallen. Just like that: centuries of faithful work erased with the passionate swipe of a hand.

There were only two ways an angel could Fall: taking of the Tree of Eternal Life, and succumbing to one’s Temptation, which could happen in more than one way. Temptations were not always human—Lucifer’s Temptation had been pride—but they usually took the form of a human. If angels created life with their Temptations, they Fell at the moment of conception. Nephilim—the offspring of a human and angel—were dangerously powerful and not to be created. One of the other ways angels could succumb to their Temptations was making a conscious decision to Fall
for
them in order to be with them for the rest of their lives. It was the only way an angel could be with their Temptation for anything more than a short length of time: the average lifespan of a human. By Falling, the angel joined life spans with the Temptation’s; the angel lived for a shorter amount of time than she would have, but the Temptation existed much longer, which was why some of the earlier humans had lived for hundreds of years.

But Falling came with too many risks for many angels to even consider the benefits of lifelong love. For one, when an angel Fell, they lost some, or even all, of the gifts given to them by the Most High. Jayden had lost his ability to turn invisible when he Fell for his Temptation, Grace, and he had been lucky that invisibility was all he’d lost. For another, Falling turned an angel mortal. Oh, angels would still live in perfect health until something external—like an attack—killed them, or until their Temptation succumbed to mortality. But once word got out that an angel had Fallen, they seemed to have a target upon their backs. Angels were among the most hated beings in the universe, and their enemies pursued them in their weakened Fallen state mercilessly. Not many angels would consider the risk to the human they loved worth the cost, since their lifespans were linked and the human died with the angel. Anahita knew it must already weigh on Jayden’s mind with his own human. Yes, the Fallen could potentially live millennia with their Temptations, but Anahita knew of no Fallen who had managed to do so.

If Anahita were Fallen, she knew she would not last long. She was a Warrior, yes, and a trained one, but she had no actual war experience. Minutes ago, she’d been willing to give it all up for the man who had looked at her with disgust and spoken cruelly to her while his passion had yet to dry and was being absorbed into the fabric of her robe.

Anahita closed her eyes against the view of her Temptation. Even looking upon the body that had been pressed to hers brought on fresh self-loathing.

And still, Anahita could not leave him. She’d tried. That was why she was pressed against this wall outside the bars. She’d laid eyes upon her Temptation; she’d touched her Temptation. She was as much a prisoner of his presence as he was a prisoner of this cell.

Anahita winced at a faint pressure in her temples. The angels rarely felt pain, so it caught her attention. And—Anahita frowned—this pressure felt just like the pressure she always felt when her brother, Jayden, read her mind. Jayden’s gift never hurt the humans when he used it, but the angels were sensitive to each other’s powers. Jayden would have to be here—within a certain distance of her—to read her mind.

With a sudden rush of something that felt akin to shame, Anahita hoped that Jayden had not witnessed her first intimate act and the bruising rejection that had followed on its heels. Anahita covered her eyes with one hand and took in a shuddering breath. She would not be able to stand it if Jayden had seen.

She heard a telltale ruffling of feathers, and with a silent sigh of resignation, Anahita raised her head. Jayden, indeed, was here.

He walked over and stood next to her, leaning against the wall. How he’d gotten here, Anahita did not know. He would have had to walk through the compound in full sight to get here.

She felt the gentle pressure on her temples that meant Jayden was again reading her mind, and then he snarled. “I will
kill
him,” he whispered. “Your emotional pain is breath-stealing.”

Excellent. So, Jayden hadn’t witnessed her shame firsthand, but he now knew of it nonetheless because she could not control her thoughts. Again, mental images of how Max had looked at her stole through her mind, and the bones of Jayden’s fist cracked as he repeated, “I will
kill him
.”

Anahita couldn’t prevent the mental plea that shot through her entire being:
No!
She could feel the tension radiating from Jayden, and she knew she didn’t have much time to convince him of anything before he acted on her behalf and slaughtered Max before her eyes. She grasped at the first viable excuse she could think of.
Killing him is
my
mission. Brother, you know how much I have to prove. It must be me
. When Jayden relaxed, Anahita sighed. She gathered her thoughts.
Why are you here
?

She could feel Jayden’s hesitation. Finally, he whispered, “We are here to rescue these men. To take them home.”

Anahita frowned.
We?

“The American soldiers I was tasked with killing.” Jayden’s feathers ruffled again. “They want their friends back.”

Anahita squeezed her fists. Earlier this year, Jayden had allowed his Compulsion to set in his mission to kill the immortals in America who had tasted of the Tree of Eternal Life. Instead of killing them, Jayden had embraced them as his pseudo family after encountering his Temptation in their midst.

It was the reason Anahita had been given the mission of killing the immortals in the cell before her now: Jayden had failed, Falling rather than killing those he loved. And of course Jayden’s immortals would want these men back. They had been separated almost nine years ago and had thought each other dead. If one group knew of the other’s existence, their desire to reunite would be overwhelming. Humans formed lasting ties that defied Anahita’s comprehension.

Anahita glanced at Jayden with this fresh reminder of her purpose. Did he have his sword here with him, hidden beneath one of his wings?

Probably
. He always had the sword with him. Could she be fortunate enough to have both her targets and the weapon needed to dispatch them in the same location?

An idea sprouted like a sunflower in summer, and Anahita calmed her adrenaline before Jayden could detect it.
Jayden, I’ll help you … rescue the humans
.

She could tell that he’d felt her hesitation on the word
rescue
, but she could also feel interest pouring off of him as well. Jayden feeling emotion. Anahita almost couldn’t believe it. He had always been so stalwart, and now even she, weak as her perceptions were, could sense his emotions.

“I’m listening,” he whispered.

Anahita had to tread lightly. She knew how much he loved his immortals. She could only hope that that love did not extend to the three before her.
I will teleport them through the walls to you and your men. That will prevent you from having to fight your way out, thus preserving human life
. Though, the type of human who would imprison others in squalor might not be worth preserving.

Jayden grunted softly, an indication that she should continue. He knew there was a catch.
In exchange, I would ask the use of your sword in my mission
.

Jayden tsked. “Allow you to rescue them only so you can kill them?” he whispered.

Well, when he put it that way … Anahita squeezed her eyes shut. She
needed
that sword. She needed to complete this mission. She needed Max. She needed to kill him.
I will … delay the Compulsion as long as I can. That will give your humans some much-needed reunion time. And if you’re near them, you know you can defeat me in a fight and prevent me from acting. You risk nothing by loaning me the sword
. It was true. Jayden had been one of her instructors. He knew all of her moves because he had taught them to her. But since he knew all of her moves, she knew all of his as well. She hid that thought before he could discern it and hoped he would not think of it on his own.

There was tense silence before Jayden whispered again. “You will not attempt to harm my immortals?”

He sounded so proprietary when he spoke of them. She looked at Max before flicking her eyes away just as quickly. She could only hope she would not be the same with her own immortals.
You have my word. I will attempt to carry out my mission to kill these three immortals. It will be enough to show the brethren that I can be trusted. I will then allow another angel to be assigned the rest of the task
.

Anahita struggled with both relief that she would not have to kill more humans and regret that she would not be given the chance to prove herself further. But she loved Jayden enough to promise not to cause him pain in this area. She only hoped that he bore enough love for her to agree to this deal. Love among angels, though an emotion, had been allowed and even encouraged in the heavens. It was the only pure emotion in existence.

“I agree to your terms,” Jayden whispered.

Anahita squelched the relief that poured through her.
This is good
, she projected with as much nonchalance as she could muster.
I can deliver them to you one at a time. Where shall I take them
?

“You have been to the front gates of the prison?” Jayden asked.

Anahita could teleport anywhere in the world, whether she’d been there or not, but knowing an exact location was always helpful.
I have
.
But will there not be guards to witness us
?

“There will not,” Jayden whispered. “There are few here. I have rarely seen such a lackadaisical operation. I avoided them easily, and I am not what one would call stealthy these days.”

Anahita was unable to organize her thoughts quickly enough to reply before Jayden continued with, “The crew is waiting at the front gate in two vehicles.” He straightened and made to move away, the slightest hint of impatience to get started spiraling off him.

She nodded quickly.
I will see you there momentarily
.

Jayden walked away, peeking around the corner to check for humans before disappearing from sight. With a deep breath, she focused on the three men before her and prepared to make herself visible again.

Max had had the irrational feeling that someone was staring at him since the angel disappeared from his life half an hour ago.

Great
. She was gone and he was
still
going crazy.

Oliver was out, Luke had not glanced at him once since decking the fire out of him, and the angel was gone. There was no one left in the cell to stare at him, and yet, that tingling feeling at the base of the back of his neck would not go away. That same feeling had served him well on the field of battle many times, and he’d learned to never ignore it, but right now, he was tempted to start. He didn’t want to be any crazier than he guessed he already was due to nine years of imprisonment.

While Luke hadn’t been looking at Max, Max had been looking at him. Max had never seen Luke lose his temper like that, and certainly not at Max himself. It made him antsy to do something. Something like apologize for his actions. Which was crazy and something Max never did. But as he sneaked another look underneath his hair at Luke, he saw the other man roll his shoulders, just as Max himself had been doing to alleviate the damned tingle on the back of his neck.

“You feel it, too,” Max said softly, hoping whatever was staring at them would not hear.

Luke stiffened where he sat on the cot guarding Oliver’s body, and for a moment, Max thought he was still so angry that he wouldn’t answer. But then, Luke nodded imperceptibly.

The sound of a pebble being kicked across the floor echoed through the cell like a shot, and Luke sprang to his feet and cocked his fists at the same time that Max spun around and prepared to launch himself at their attacker.

He drew up short and heard Luke do the same right behind him. It was his angel. She was back.

Feelings Max did not know he’d been feeling since she’d left so suddenly—despair, loneliness, longing—vanished in the most astounding rush of relief Max had ever felt. “You’re back.”

It was said in the same deep, rough tone of voice that Max always used, but the next thing he knew, Luke was pushing him out of the way and placing himself in front of the angel. Luke assumed a defensive position, sinking into a slight crouch and holding his hands fisted out in front of him. He pinned Max with eyes that were now dark with censure. “Don’t come near her,” Luke commanded.

For several precious seconds, Max was stunned into silence. But then, just as quickly, the reality of what Luke had just done rushed in. He was defending the angel against
him
. She was his! “The fuck do you think you’re doing?” Max said slowly, hoping to delay the inevitable attack on his friend if he didn’t move out from his position between Max and his woman.

Before Luke could answer, the angel placed her hand on Luke’s shoulder. The other man jumped at the contact and turned his head to the left to look up at her. The angel smiled. At Luke. She fucking smiled at Luke.

With a rumbling in his chest, Max took two steps forward without realizing it. Just when he was preparing to snatch Luke by the fabric of his shirt, the angel flicked her eyes from Luke’s and looked straight into Max’s. Her cool blue eyes sparked a hot fire in his chest. He froze to catch his breath, but it evaded him while he again got the impression that the angel was both
good
and
evil
. The shock of her eyes and her duality distracted him before he remembered to shake his hair more securely across his scar.

She did not seem to notice the effect she had on him or the raised flesh that slashed across his face. “Max.” She paused and glanced at Luke again. “And Luke. I am here to liberate you.”