Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN

Willow

Kára frightens me, despite being all the way in Newfoundland. She's preternaturally still, so utterly focused, and lethal in every way.

"Understand these are only rumors," she says. Her fingers twine with Ewan's. Do they tremble a little? Shit. That's not good. "My sire…he would talk while he worked on me and my sisters. The rumors of the Blade started hundreds of years ago. He thought them folly at the start, but after a few months, he changed his mind. Obtaining the weapon was all he spoke of.

"There have been many powerful covens in history. But none so powerful as the first." She turns her gaze to Gabriel. "You were present at the beginning, angel. You should understand."

My celestial protector inclines his head. "Present, yes. But I regret to say I concerned myself little with the goings on in this realm beyond my duties."

"Your duties?" I ask.

He straightens his shoulders. "I am the bringer of justice, the revealer of truth, and the interpreter of the Almighty's plan."

"Huh?"

Gabriel's amber eyes narrow. "Excuse me?"

His confusion is almost adorable. "Oh, come on. That's the world's worst canned answer ever. Right up there with ‘Your call is important to us' and ‘Turn it off and back on again.' What do you actually do ?"

Kàra clears her throat. "We do not have time for distractions. May I continue? If the Blade is in play, I need to contact my sisters. No one is safe while its magic is in the world. You of all people, Whisper Keeper, should know this."

Her rebuke stings, and a low growl rumbles in Gabriel's chest.

"She's right." I rest my hand on his arm. "I won't be able to resist the Blade's pull much longer. We can talk about this later. But we will talk about it."

I hope.

"We do not know what first brought magic to this world," the vampire says. "And all beings fear what they cannot understand. I believe this is why the first coven created the Blade. They feared their magic would die with them. They sought to preserve it. Their intentions could even be called noble, I suppose."

My stomach twists in on itself. The Blade's song grows louder. My whisper hovers in the corner of the conference room. She presses her hands to her heart, and a tear glistens on her cheek. She feels it too.

The urge to move is so strong, my muscles tense. I dig my fingers into the arms of the chair to keep myself grounded. Kàra is still talking. Shit. I lost all focus.

"…power has been passed down through so many generations, it long ago became impossible to trace. Many have tried. Witches—even women without magic who were suspected to be related to the first Whisper Keeper—have been imprisoned and tortured, only to be killed when they could not call upon the Blade's power. You did not know this magic was in your line?"

"I was abandoned as an infant," I say softly. "My parents adopted me when I was a month old."

"Interesting," Kàra says. "Though with the advances in medicine and the sciences, perhaps your lineage could be traced? It might help you narrow down the Blade's location."

"Won't it be with whoever last tried to take its power?" Zoe leans back in her chair, lines of strain tightening around her eyes.

"Perhaps. But artifacts of power tend to find their way…home." The vampire shrugs one shoulder. "And those with ill intentions often get their comeuppance…in the end."

Gabriel runs a hand through his dark locks. "The last entry in the grimoire was from 1879. If this power is passed down from generation to generation, why has there not been another until now?"

"This world has many protectors, angel. You, of all beings, should know this," Kàra says. "My sire went up against several of the Blade's guardians in his time. It is hidden behind powerful magic, and only the Whisper Keeper can find it. This organization you say is after it—and Willow—will hunt her until her last breath. But those of us sworn to keep this realm safe will do what we can to stop them."

Hours later, I'm so exhausted, I can barely keep my tears from spilling over. My skin crawls with the need to run.

"You cannot be serious!" Gabriel leaps to his feet and stalks over to Sinclair. "We are not putting Willow in that kind of danger!"

"Do you have a better idea?" Sin keeps his tone level, but his eyes glow with power. "If you merely appear with her at the Blade's location, we will have nothing on these bastards."

"I gave you their address," I say softly. "You couldn't?—?"

Zoe shakes her head. "Sin sent the ghouls to check it out. It's empty. Completely. They found a few faint traces of magic, but that's it."

Despair steals the last of my control. A single sob catches in my throat. "It's hopeless, then."

Gabriel and Sinclair face off. Zoe attempts to get between them, but they're almost chest-to-chest in some sort of epic celestial pissing contest. The idea would be comical if it weren't my life—and the fate of the entire world—hanging in the balance.

I don't know who throws the first punch. Or who slams whom into the wall so hard, a crack appears in the plaster. All I can do is drop my face into my hands and cry.

"Enough!" Zoe shouts. I lift my gaze to find her standing on top of the conference table holding the Devil's axe. "You're both angels, for fuck's sake. Get yourselves under control. We have work to do."

"Zoe. Give me the weapon," Sinclair says, worry lending a rough edge to his voice. "It could…damage you."

Her gaze pings from her mate to the axe and back again. "I have a celestial's soul, remember? Besides, it's not even heavy." She returns it to the table and lets Sin help her down and into his arms. "Are we sure Lucifer didn't play the Underworld's worst prank on Gabriel?"

My whisper appears out of nowhere, panic in her translucent eyes. Before I can get to my feet, the room starts to spin. Whatever Gabriel says fades into nothingness. With dizzying speed, she carries me—us—through the building and into the last rays of sun streaking from the horizon.

"Stop! This…something's wrong!"

Either she can't hear me or she doesn't care. I don't know which is worse. Oh, God. We're heading for the cathedral.

"No, no, no!"

What if AURA is watching? They've never been able to see my whisper before, but…she's so much stronger now.

The antechamber is dark, but inside the vault, the blue flames banish the shadows to the corners of the room. My whisper splays her fingers over the grimoire, staring intently at the pages like she's expecting something to happen.

"Why are we here?"

She shakes her head, and her hands sink into the book, all the way down to the altar. This is new. I can feel the cool stone.

"You need more power. I don't know how to help you. The WCU is gone."

With a roar, the blue flames glow so bright, I can't see a thing. The air swirls around us. Gently at first, then faster and faster until my cheeks sting. How is this possible? It's like I'm here. Not just her.

Tears prick at my eyes. I have to close them to slits before the book comes back into focus. Those are my hands. Solid and shaking.

I turn the page, pressing my fingers to the edges of the parchment so the wind doesn't blow the entire grimoire to bits. The ink flows, each letter coming faster than the last.

Refuse the call and your life ends here.

Stop the search and your soul will sheer.

Threads from the past can bind or break.

The future is only what you make.

When all is lost will come a choice.

Love…

I can feel the grimoire resisting. It doesn't want to finish the last line. But why?

"Tell me the rest!" I beg. Ink wells up, drowning the words until the entire page is pitch black.

Pain—as sharp as an ice pick—drives into my skull. I grab my head in both hands. My scream echoes off the walls.

I only stop when my lungs have nothing left to give. The flames are dying. Every second is darker than the last. My chest tightens. It's hard to breathe. I'm dizzy.

My knees hit the rough stone. I'm too weak to get up. I could die here. No one would ever find me.

Maybe it's better this way.

The magic of the Blade would die with me. AURA would never get their hands on it. On me.

From somewhere far away, I hear Gabriel calling my name. He's desperate.

"Please, Willow. Open your eyes for me. You cannot leave this world. Not yet."

I want to live. I want to see him again. My whisper's panic is a physical weight. "Let…me…go," I beg. "Or we both die."

My consciousness snaps back to my body in a single heartbeat. The bottom drops out of my stomach. I roll onto my side and retch. I'm so cold. I can't feel my hands. Or…anything at all.

Gabriel

In Sinclair's guest suite, I cradle Willow against my chest. She has not stirred in over an hour. I can still sense her, thank fuck. She is not in the void. If they had found a way to send her there again, I do not know what I would have done.

Or, perhaps I do. I would have hunted them. Mercilessly.

Her eyelids flutter. I drag my thumb along her cheek, watching for any signs of distress.

"Come back to me, deliciae. "

She blinks up at me, her blue eyes unfocused. "Gabriel? Where…are we?"

"I brought you to Sinclair's. His penthouse is protected by more wards than the Bureau could ever hope for. He and Zoe are still coordinating with Lieutenant Eve."

Willow snuggles closer with a sigh. I ache to know why she passed out. But in this moment, her comfort with me—her trust—is all that matters.

"Do you believe in fate?" she asks, her voice heavy and thick with exhaustion.

"As in the Almighty's preordained plan for every soul throughout all of creation?"

"Yeah. That." She peers up at me, slightly more alert now as she waits for my answer.

"Complete and utter bullshit."

Her shoulders jerk, and her brows shoot up. "What?"

Chuckling, I press my lips to her forehead. "Humans have always had free will. The Almighty's plans fell apart the moment Adam invited that snake into the Garden of Eden. Why do you ask?"

She chews on her lower lip for a moment. I would kiss all that worry away if I did not think I would lose my whole heart to her in an instant. Gently, I ease her up so her back is against the headboard, then take her hands.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me." I have never been so desperate to know another's thoughts before. Or to share my own. In my travels amongst humans the past two weeks, I talked to many of them. But I offered up nothing of myself. For Willow, I would lay my soul bare.

"My whisper took me back to the cathedral," she says, her gaze pinned to our joined hands. "There was another page in the grimoire." A single tear tumbles down her cheek.

"‘Refuse the call and your life ends here. Stop the search and your soul will sheer. Threads from the past can bind or break. The future is only what you make. When all is lost will come a choice.' There was at least one more line, but my whisper kicked me out of her head before I could read it."

"Witches," I mutter. "Always speaking in circles and rhymes. It has been this way since time began."

"I have to find the Blade. If I don't, the magic will kill me." She's crying now, tiny sniffles and hiccups, each one another cut to my battered heart. "But the rest of it… I don't want to die."

"Willow, look at me." I nudge her chin up and use my thumbs to wipe away her tears. "If there is a way for you to take back your life, we will find it. Sinclair and Zoe have a plan. You said the Blade is somewhere to the east. There is a train to Chicago that leaves in the morning. We will take it, but we will not be alone. Maddox and Killian are on their way with Kàra and Ewan. Kàra's sister, Mist is coming from New Orleans. Kunchin will be with us as well."

"They'll come after me," she whispers.

"Let them come." I straighten my shoulders, anger prickling over my skin. "We will end them and destroy the Blade. There is no weapon in this realm more powerful than Lucifer's axe. This plan will work. I believe so with all that I am."

She holds my gaze, searching for something. Deceit? Uncertainty? Determination? Whatever it is, she must find it because she nods, and her shoulders relax slightly.

"What time do we leave?"

"The train departs at 7:00 a.m. If you cannot wait that long, we will make the first part of the trip by car."

She blows out a slow breath. "I think I'll be okay." As if her body agrees, her stomach growls loudly.

"You need to eat. I have Sinclair's credit card. What can I get for you?"

A hint of light returns to her eyes, though sadness quickly chases it away. "Pizza from Papa Balducci's. Pepperoni, sausage, and extra cheese."

For a moment, I struggle to understand her emotions. Equal parts joy and pain. Excitement and sorrow.

The truth hits me so hard, I cannot breathe. This is her favorite food in the city. And she's certain that after tonight, she will never taste it again.

The evening passes too quickly. I order three extra large pizzas. Sin and Zoe join us not long after they arrive, Killian and Maddox a few hours later.

Willow peppers Killian with questions about magic until she's so tired, she can barely keep her eyes open. I pluck her from the couch, ignoring her slurred protests, and carry her to the guest suite.

I pull back the blankets, but she wriggles out of my arms. "I have to brush my teeth and change out of these clothes."

"I…will say good night, then. I asked Sinclair to leave a blanket and pillow for me on the couch."

She stops me before I reach the door. "Gabriel? Stay with me. I don't want to be alone."

I want nothing more than to hold her in my arms all night. But the closer I get to her, the more of my heart I lose. It doesn't matter. Not truly. I would gladly surrender it all to keep her safe.

Quickly, I shed my pants and dress shirt, slide under the duvet, then wonder if I am doing the right thing. Should I sleep in my clothes? Or ask Sinclair for a pair of pajamas? Fuck. The last thing I want to do is knock on the demon's bedroom door wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs.

Before I can make a decision, Willow emerges from the bathroom. Fuck. She's wearing nothing but a t-shirt that barely reaches her thighs. Her cheeks turn bright red as she hurries across the room and practically dives under the covers.

I turn off the light. Willow snuggles closer and settles her hand over my chest. "Is this all right?" I ask.

"It would be better if you were holding me," she says softly.

Anything she wants, I will give her. Especially when she's touching me. Wrapping my arm around her, I press a kiss to her hair. "It has been a very long time since I have shared a bed with anyone."

Willow yawns, the sound so utterly content, I expect her to fall asleep within seconds. But before I can drift off myself, she jerks up with a little gasp.

"Wait. Earlier, when you were talking about the Garden of Eden, you said Adam started the whole thing? Did he really?"

I chuckle. "Yes. Yes, he did."