22. Micah

22

Micah

I f slicing my mate's throat was the hardest thing I'd ever done, letting him collapse to the ground was the second.

I couldn't be seen to help him. In fact, if I was going to pull this off, I couldn't be seen to be affected at all.

I'd suspected that Nox's hearing wasn't as sensitive as mine the day the crane had collapsed, but it had been confirmed by the fact that he hadn't heard the approaching archs. Either that, or he'd been so distracted by his ridiculous self-sacrifice plan that he hadn't realised how close danger truly was.

Now I just had to make sure he didn't wake up before I got us somewhere safe. My stomach rolled, but I knew I had to do this. He'd recover too fast otherwise.

Comforting myself with the fact he wouldn't feel any pain, I quickly broke Nox's neck. My dagger sliced over him again and again, opening places where his main arteries flowed.

The sand was crimson with his blood now. I swallowed back vomit, trying desperately not to look at the damage I'd done.

He's not in pain. He's only temporarily dead. You're doing this to save him. He's going to wake up completely healed.

I had to make sure the approaching angels believed he was truly dead. That I'd executed him. The only way to do that was to drain his powers so low they were almost undetectable. He'd been running on reserves when I'd first arrived, so fortunately I didn't need to do more than drain his blood and snap his neck.

With injuries now littering his beautiful body, Nox's powers were struggling to know which area to heal first. I cast out my power to test whether my theory was correct. I sighed in relief when I felt the barely there pulse of power, buried deep within him.

It wouldn't disappear entirely unless one of these archs used their powers on him, but they'd have to execute me first. Heaven wanted me to show how loyal I was? That was fine by me. The loyalty I was about to demonstrate would cascade through the ranks. A lesson about what happened when we were pushed past our limits. When we were asked to choose between obeying orders and following our hearts.

Nox had sent them a message, now it was my turn to do the same. I'd use every skill they'd taught me, every power they'd blessed me with in order to save the man I loved.

They'd shaped my body into a fearsome weapon, but Nox had shaped my heart. He'd reminded me of who I was beyond being the leader of the Seraphim.

And that man was one who'd happily lay down his life to protect his demon.

I stepped over Nox's inert body, shaping my features into a mask of indifference. Three angels were approaching. No, I strained my ears. Four. There was another a few miles out and flying fast.

As the first three drew closer, my eyes narrowed. Juniper. Lyle, the leader of the unit, was taking point. Flanking him on either side were his second, Atlas, and another angel that I didn't recognise.

I didn't let my face betray anything other than mild surprise as they landed on the sand before me. "I wasn't expecting company."

Lyle's condescending smile got my back up. He was a handsome man—or rather, he would have been if he weren't constantly looking down his nose at people. "The higher-ups thought you might need some assistance."

Bollocks did they. "And they decided to send Juniper instead of my own unit? How interesting."

"It is, isn't it." Lyle's smile widened. "Word is that the Seraphim aren't the unit they once were, what with Dimitri falling and all. It's made other units sit up and take notice, wondering if maybe there's a chance for a change in the hierarchy."

I knew exactly what change Lyle was hoping for. He'd made no secret in the past of how he believed his unit should be ranked alongside or above the Seraphim.

What was interesting was how the angels on either side responded. They exchanged a confused look, shuffling on their feet as though they were uncomfortable with what their leader was implying.

Looked like the rest of Juniper might not share the lofty ambitions Lyle seemed to be harbouring. I filed that away for later.

"Funny how rumours spread," I said mildly. "They're dangerous things too. They can lead to all sorts of misunderstandings. The kinds that start rivalries that lead to wars."

I may as well have drawn a literal line in the sand and invited Lyle to leap over it. He stayed put, doubt on his face for the first time. My attitude was confusing him. He'd probably been expecting to show up to find me broken.

But I wasn't broken. Not yet. Not while Nox still clung to his immortality.

"I'm happy to put this rumour to rest though," I continued pleasantly. "The Seraphim are stronger than ever. In part due to Noah joining our ranks. I don't know what you did to make him leave, but I owe you thanks. He's quite the soldier."

Lyle's condescending smile was replaced with a snarl as the other two angels exchanged another significant look. "Don't get too comfortable with him being there. He'll come running back to me as soon as he realises there's no better life waiting for him."

Fuck. Lyle was the angel Noah had got entangled with?

The poor bloke. If I somehow made it through this alive and still in charge of the unit, I was taking him to a gay bar the first chance I got. There was certainly a better life for him out there, and I was going to help him find it if it was the last thing I did.

The fourth angel was almost here now, but I wasn't worried. He was close enough for my powers to recognise his imprint. If nothing else, his arrival might distract the Juniper angels long enough for Nox and me to make our escape…especially knowing what I did now.

The other angels either hadn't heard him or didn't see the approaching angel as a threat, which made sense given who it was. I guessed it wasn't only my loyalty being tested today .

"As you can see," I said, waving my hand carelessly at Nox's body, "no assistance is needed. I've already dealt with the issue."

Lyle tried to peer around me but I sidestepped quickly. "Is there a problem, Lyle? I can assure you, he's quite dead."

He bared his teeth again. "Then you won't mind me checking, will you?"

I stepped closer to him, stretching to my full height and letting my power surround me. "Are you questioning a superior, Lyle?"

Lyle sneered. "You're no superior of mine, Micah. I'm a leader in my own right."

"A leader in a unit that ranks below my own," I reminded him. I rarely ever pulled rank, usually cringing when I was forced to. I wasn't cringing now. I'd do whatever I could to guarantee Nox's safety. "The demon is dead. I'm going to take his body to Heaven as proof."

"Excellent. Then you won't mind us accompanying you."

I didn't move an inch. "What are you implying, Lyle? That I can't be trusted to carry out orders? Or that I for some reason need your protection? If it's the former, I have no issue reminding you who's actually in charge here. And if it's the latter?" I let my powers pulse brighter around me. "I shouldn't need to remind you that I don't need anyone to protect me."

That was laughable really, considering that what had got us into this situation in the first place had been Nox protecting me. That was different though—I hadn't fought Emilio because I'd thought I deserved those punishments.

I'd have no issue fighting and overpowering these angels. I was the leader of the Seraphim for a reason, and if necessary, I could easily remind them why .

"Umm, Lyle?" The angel I didn't know stepped forwards, his eyes darting between us uncertainly. He was as tall as Rami, his dark hair falling in waves to his shoulders. "Maybe we should go. I'm not sure why we were sent here in the first place."

"Rowan's right," Atlas said. "Micah clearly has this under control. I say we just leave him to it."

Lyle rounded on them both, his power wreathing his hands. "Micah might be pulling rank on me, but I'll also remind you that I outrank the two of you. Fall in fucking line before I make you."

My brows shot up as the two angels immediately ducked their heads. I couldn't believe Lyle was speaking to members of his unit like that. Even when I'd had to reprimand the Seraphim, I never would've addressed them like that.

Suddenly I had a list of questions for Noah, starting with what the fuck is happening over at Juniper?

The approaching angel suddenly arrived, landing gracefully a few metres away. His eyes were flashing as he stormed over to us. I stepped back, letting Noah shove between myself and Lyle.

"Showing your true colours to someone outside of Juniper? How novel of you, Lyle. I thought you saved that vile side of yourself for us."

If I'd thought Lyle was angry before, it was nothing compared to the fury now rolling off him. "Really, Noah? You're going to stand against your unit?"

"My former unit," Noah retorted. My eyes widened slightly at the cutting hatred rolling through his voice. The easygoing angel I'd come to know at the compound was nowhere to be seen. "I'm a member of the Seraphim now. "

"Oh forgive me, there I was thinking that the hundreds of years you've spent at my side meant something to you."

Noah's response was chilly. "It does. It means to me exactly what it means to you. It means what you told me I meant to you that last night after you fucked me before kicking me out into the cold. Absolutely fucking nothing ."

Shock rippled across Rowan's face, while Atlas looked almost…proud. Like he'd been waiting a long time for Noah to stand up for himself.

Behind me, I felt Nox's power start to quietly hum. Fuck. The wrath Noah was feeling coupled with Lyle's envy must have been refuelling Nox's stores faster than I'd anticipated. My heart rate ticked up; I needed to get him out of here, and fast. They'd notice his powers long before he reincarnated, and while I knew I could subdue the other angels, even without Noah at my side, I didn't want to drag this out any longer than necessary. I couldn't risk reinforcements arriving before I had a chance to get us to safety.

"Spouting lies again, Noah?" Lyle taunted. "Always playing the victim. The whole unit knows I'd never touch you."

"Oh, I've been lying alright." Noah went toe to toe with his former leader. "But those lies were ones you forced me to tell. Ones you used to poison my relationship with the others in Juniper. Well no more. I'm done being your dirty little secret, Lyle. I'm done lying for you."

Lyle flinched but didn't stop Noah from continuing. "And I'm done fighting for you. Micah is my leader now. I'm loyal to him, not you. You didn't deserve my loyalty in the first place, and you're sure as shit never getting it again. Now, Micah has informed you of what's going to happen, and if you want to question his authority, you'll have to go through me first. "

Noah stepped back, spreading his wings wide and blocking my view of them. I knew immediately what he was doing—giving me time to get away. I had no idea what he knew about the situation or me and Nox, or if he was just backing me up out of loyalty. Or maybe even just as a middle finger up to Lyle.

Whatever the reason was, I wasn't about to squander this opportunity.

Gathering Nox into my arms as carefully as I could, I shot into the sky. Droplets of his blood flew from his still healing cuts, spattering over my face. I didn't slow to wipe them off, just focused on getting him as far away as possible. I didn't bother with teleporting, knowing I needed to get further away than it could take me. Besides, it'd be a drain on my powers.

I'd need to be able to access all of them if we had any hope of surviving this.

Below me, Lyle tried to follow, but was stopped by Noah lunging at him. He tackled his former lover to the ground, fists and powers flying.

Lyle roared at Rowan and Atlas to come after us. I kept my eyes on them as I flew higher, but they didn't move.

It appeared it wasn't just Noah's loyalty that Lyle had lost today.

Still, I didn't stop watching until they were nothing more than specks in the distance. I didn't stop flying hard until I'd put hundreds of miles between us.

Even then, I barely eased my pace. The whole time I flew, I watched Nox's wounds knit together. I felt his powers gradually grow as his body healed.

As I watched, I plotted. I wasn't stupid—I knew everything Nox had said was right. They'd come after us. We'd have to fight. I might have to lose the Seraphim or my immortality.

He was right about all of that, but there was one crucial thing he was wrong about and that was his belief that I could somehow be happy in a world he didn't exist in. I sort of understood his logic, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

I mean, just who did Nox think he was? He didn't get to just decide shit for both of us, especially without discussing it with me first. He might have thought I deserved better than a demon, but that wasn't his decision to make. It was mine . And if he thought he was going to sacrifice himself because of some noble bullshit idea, then he was in for a shock.

Nox wasn't leaving this world without me at his side, and I was going to make damn sure about that.

I waited until we were over the dense canopy of trees to do it. I'd flown us to the most remote corner of the Amazon rainforest, planning on hiding in its depths for as long as it took us to formulate a viable plan.

I had the first step already. I was going to mark him. It was a gift bestowed on angels and, as they were descended from us, demons. We were able to mark our future mates, allowing all supes to know they belonged to a powerful being. More than that, if someone was marked, they'd inherit some of their mate's healing and strength, even before a bond was in place.

I didn't feel a shred of guilt about doing this without Nox's permission. Not after the bullshit he'd pulled over the past twenty-four hours. Besides, it'd help him heal faster and would give him an edge in battle that might just help us survive this thing .

It wasn't a full mating bond, but it would be enough to offer him some protection. And, if he was executed, my immortality would be lost at the same time.

My power rushed from me as I pressed my lips to his cold ones, forever marking him as mine.