Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

DECLAN

The room protested, but Aziel didn't flinch. His eyes were locked on me.

"Azzy, if you do this, you won't survive. He is looking for any excuse to end you. I can't protect you from this," the old woman pleaded.

"I deserve it, for dragging innocents into my life for my own selfish reasons." He looked like he was fighting to keep his expression neutral, the corners of his mouth fighting against a frown. "I'm sorry, Declan. Dante getting information was one thing. Getting information had never hurt innocents before. I shouldn't have gotten involved. It was my fault it escalated." He shifted his gaze to the demon by the door. "Watch over him until the ward is up. They'll come for him if he's alone."

And then he was gone. The old woman cried out in protest, and I felt the panic in the room. They wanted to chase him. But because he asked them to protect me, they wouldn't move until it was safe.

My head was a mess of contradictions, arguments about staying away from him versus not letting him die to protect me. This whole situation was fucked. There were too many unanswered questions, and he ran before I could get things straight. The smart part of me said to let him go and whatever happens, happens. But then I thought about the way he gave in to me, the relief I wasn't sure he even knew he was projecting when he finally let go. He trusted me to take care of him, and the more I knew about his life, the more insane that sounded. Why would he trust me if there wasn't something there?

Sucking in a breath between my teeth, I shook my head. "Fuck. Where the fuck did he go? We aren't done talking."

The old woman was crying, leaning against the demon who had been guarding the door. He looked worried, stroking the woman's hair, and when I spoke, he didn't look up to answer me.

"It doesn't matter. He won't change his mind."

Like hell he won't. I wasn't sure I even wanted him to yet, but if there was one person who could sway him, it was me. I gritted my teeth, turning to Felix.

"Do you know where he went?"

He shook his head. "No, but why?"

"Because I'm not going to let him kill himself. There's gotta be another fucking option. Just someone tell me where the fuck he'd go. And get Ollie out of here. I don't want him somewhere unsafe while I chase this idiot down."

They all looked shocked, but when I raised my eyebrows, no one could tell me where he went. No one but the old woman. She sniffled a few times, closing her eyes. I could see her eyes moving behind her eyelids, like she was looking at something, and when she opened them again, she let out a long breath.

"He's gone to the Other Realm. He's saying goodbye to his mother."

Another wave of shock. Seriously, this group was not giving me the best impression on being part of Aziel's circle. It was like they didn't even know him.

"His mother… is alive?" Hendrix asked. He hadn't moved from the back door, but he watched with a wide-eyed expression from his spot.

The old woman shook her head. "I'm not sure you can consider her alive in her condition. Callum, bring him to the Other Realm. There's a small house tucked into the mountain. You know the path. You and Aziel played there when you were little. Aziel is there, but he won't stay for long. Find him before he goes. If he leaves, you won't have a chance of finding him before it's too late."

Callum pushed to his feet, coming to stand beside me. "Are you sure about this?"

"No. But I'm going anyway. Do I have to do something or–"

Yeah, he didn't wait for me to finish. My stomach dipped and my limbs tingled, but it took less than a second before we were somewhere outside of the city. There was a guard booth and metal poles along a path for a line to form in front of two massive rocks. There wasn't anyone in line yet, but the guard frowned at us when Callum came rushing over.

"We've got an emergency."

"Last name?"

"Malatesta."

"Nature of emergency?"

"His mate is in danger."

He dipped his chin, stepping back. If that was their version of border patrol, it was seriously lacking. Callum didn't hesitate, dragging me towards the rocks and pushing me between them with a hand on my shoulder. We stepped out on the other side to a world I'd only heard about. It was dark, like the middle of the night, and there were two moons in the sky. I didn't have a chance to look around more than that because Callum teleported us again to a path at the bottom of a dark mountain. Alarm bells rang in my head about taking the path, since the trees blocked what little light there was and you couldn't see past them, but Callum nudged me forward.

"I'd fly us, but the trees are thick and we won't be able to land without injury." He drew in a deep breath and his horns lit on fire, a lot like Aziel's did at the park the day I met him. It gave off enough light to see our feet, and with his hand on my shoulder, we took the path through the forest.

"Aren't you afraid of lighting trees on fire?"

It was a stupid question, but I couldn't see shit, and it was unnerving. I needed a distraction.

"No. The flames don't touch anything I don't want them to. It's more of a warning to others. If you see a demon with their horns on fire, steer clear. They're not to be trifled with."

"Yeah, no shit. "

Callum didn't have the same trepidation that I did. His footsteps were steady, and he never looked down. It was like the dark didn't affect him.

"Can you see in the dark?"

He glanced down at me. "Better than a human can. We were born in this realm. Our eyes were made for the darkness."

True. I let it go, watching my feet so I didn't trip over anything. The path seemed mostly clear, but there were roots every once in a while from the trees to contend with.

"You're handling this pretty well, considering."

I made a face, stumbling slightly over a dip before Callum righted me again. "If you call screaming at him to fuck off and punching him in the face, handling it well."

"You found out your family was in danger. I would've been angry too. But I know Az. He doesn't hurt humans. He wouldn't have gotten anywhere near you without Athena's guidance. She helped raise him. She is one of the few people he trusts in this world. I can't say he even trusts our friend group as much as her."

Drawing in a deep breath, I let it out slowly. "How does she know? That I'm his mate or whatever. We barely know each other."

"As much as humans like to say it's instantaneous, it really isn't. I was attracted to my mate. I wanted to spend more time with him, but I didn't know what he was to me until I was faced with the idea of losing him. Az is probably at the same stage you are. Attraction, protectiveness, maybe affection. The only reason Athena can see more is because she's an oracle. She must have divined it in a vision. She tries not to when it comes to things like mates. It puts too much pressure on a couple if they think they have to end up together. But I think she was desperate. We're all worried for him, but only she can see what the future holds." He paused for a second before continuing. "I don't consider her power to be a gift. I'd hate to know things that could save people and not be able to do anything about it."

When he first mentioned it, it sounded cool to be able to see the future. But he had a point. She saw what would happen if Aziel didn't stick with me. I heard the terror in her voice. It would be awful knowing someone was taking the wrong path but being unable to change it.

The trail opened up to a little cottage. Lights spilled from the inside onto the front lawn. It was too dark to get a lot of details, especially with the moonlight blocked by the trees, but the rock path seemed to glow as guidance and when we got close enough, a light flicked on beside the door.

Someone poked their head out, frowning at us. She studied us for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping back. Callum urged me forward with his hand on my shoulder, ducking inside the little cottage.

There wasn't much to it. It was mostly one big room, the kitchen in one corner on the left, and a little sitting area in front of a roaring fire. And on the right, Aziel kneeled beside a bed occupied by a wisp of a woman. She was asleep, her breathing steady, and Aziel held her hand as he murmured quietly to her.

When I got closer, I could see more of the woman's face. It took me a minute to realize she was a demon. Her face was sunken, she took up almost no space on the bed, and where her horns should be were only jagged stumps.

"What happened to her?"

Aziel sighed, his eyes locked on the woman. "She tried to leave. Her and my father. They didn't agree with my uncle's vision and wanted no part of it. They dropped me and my sister off with Athena and promised they'd come back for us when it was safe. But they were caught before they got away. They made my dad watch as they tortured his mate. And then they killed him."