But light. Light was better at winning.
Finally, a cry broke free from his lips as the water evaporated around him, his blue eyes opened.
“He is free?” Stephanie’s voice sounded in my head.
“He is has been given a second chance to get his soul back, since Marcus’s was taken from him by another greedy Demon… it seems that he has been given a trial. If he proves faithful, he will be restored. There are always second chances.”
“But what if he’s a horrible human? What if”—
“That is not our decision to make. As Dark Ones, we do not pass judgment. We simply create the opportunity for judgment to be passed. Sariel will watch him. It is out of our hands now.”
Marcus crumpled to the ground.
John was still out.
“I can’t handle your power much longer.”
Stephanie nodded.
“I will collapse from exhaustion after this. Have Ethan and Mason carry me to the car. Our link is still very active. Wait until the warmth is gone.”
“Warmth?” Stephanie repeated and then laughed. “You’re right. I feel… so warm! Why do I feel warm”?
“Linked. Dark Ones linked creates a firestorm of darkness.”
“Why don’t we do this all the time?”
“Because two Dark Ones cannot co-exist in this state very long without one killing the other. And because once we use the light—our darkness also links—it could easily overtake us both if we stay this way.”
She recoiled.
“Thought you’d feel that way. Thank you for allowing me use of your powers.”
I pulled my hand away and succumbed to the darkness that I knew my human body would not be able to process or handle.
And as my eyes closed, all I saw was black.
Stephanie
CASSIUS HAD BEEN OUT for two hours. Ethan and Mason were hardly gentle with his human body as they carried him up the stairs, banging his head against the wall at least twice before finally managing to get him into my bed.
He seemed so foreign there.
So beautiful.
Dark and light mixed in one. Swirls of blue spread throughout his wrist and pushed against his fingertips as little icicles attached themselves to my bedspread. The Angel blood was leaving him.
I kind of hated it.
As a Dark One, I knew what to expect from him, complete indifference or on rare occasions pity, where he’d let me spend time in his arms for a brief second, only to push me away hours later in shame.
I swallowed my pride and moved to stand by the bed. He’d said not to touch him… but the temptation was too strong.
Ethan, Mason, and Alex were too busy going all medieval on John’s ass, stuffing him in a dungeon I didn’t even know existed until Alex skipped toward the kitchen pantry, pressed a button and gleefully clapped his hands chanting. “Dungeon, Dungeon, Dungeon.”
Clearly my brother needed a hobby if this was the highlight of his week, which he repeated over and over again while he carried the body downstairs, and then again as he attached the metal chains.
I’d nearly puked when I saw a rat.