Intuition: The Premonition Series (60 page)

“You don’t like it,” Buns says dejectedly as she reads my expression. “I think you look lovely. I have never seen a more beautiful Seraph,” she says, sounding breathless.

I force a small smile. “It’s very pretty. Thank you for bringing it,” I say quickly to reassure her. I remind myself that none of this matters. What really matters is what I’m about to do. The thought of it is making me panic a little because I know how selfish I’m being in accepting Reed’s offer, but now that it’s out there, I want it. I want it more than I should. I want him to be bound to me for eternity because I will always want him… need him… love him. He is perfect and I can’t give him up. But I also can’t give up Russell; he will always be my best friend… always. What is that going to do to Reed?

Buns must be reading the panic on my face because she grasps me by my shoulders and makes me look at her when she says, “You have to do this, Evie. This is the only way we can save you and we can’t go on without you. We can’t just leave you here to fend for yourself—they might try to use you as bait for the Gancanagh. Zephyr overheard the council discussing it. If they let the Gancanagh capture you, Brennus might be lulled into enough complacency that he wouldn’t expect their attack, making him an easier target. They think that what you saw was only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. They have uncovered some things in a short amount of time that leads them to believe that Brennus has an army of Gancanagh at his disposal,” she informs me.

“Then I can’t do this! I can’t put you up against an army like that,” I say, turning white.
They’ll be crushed.

Buns shakes her head and says, “We can amass our own army now. We don’t have to keep you a secret anymore. Reed and Zee can be in charge and they have many associates who will be thrilled to be involved. Don’t even think about staying here, Evie. These angels don’t have your best interests in mind.”

“Maybe they won’t kill me, you know, maybe I can turn them to my will,” I say, throwing out ideas that do not include putting everyone I love at risk again.

“Evie, don’t hand yourself over to them. Zee found out that Gunnar was Pagan’s lover. He wants to hurt you… bad. He has ordered several of his personal guard to hunt for Fallen and to capture them alive. He wants to bring them back here and put you all in a room together to see how they react to you,” she says bluntly, and the fear that goes through me is enough to make my hands shake.

“Oh,” I reply, beginning to see the big picture. One way or another, Gunnar will avenge Pagan.

“I’m sorry I told you that. I just need you to see why you have to do this. You have no choice,” she says, placing her hand on my cheek and gazing into my eyes.

I nod. She’s right. If I want to live I have to do this. There is nowhere I can run. I need protection and the only protection I want is Reed’s protection and by some amazing feat of chance, he is offering it to me freely. He will use everything at his disposal to protect me from Dominion and the Gancanagh.

Buns nods back at me, looking extremely relieved when she asks, “Are you ready to do this now?” I nod again, because I’m not sure I can say anything, yet. I have so many levels of fear regarding what I’m about to do, ranging from the fear of inadequacy to the terror that this action may lead to Reed’s end. But that is fear. I have to control my fear, because if I don’t, I’ll be lost, since there is nothing but uncertainty about my life now and for the foreseeable future.

Buns opens the door and walks out first, going to Zephyr’s side as he stands back near the balcony. I step out and see Reed standing with the other angel in the room. Reed doesn’t say anything, at first, when I come to stand by his side. He just stares at me like I’m prey and he is going to pounce on me at any moment until the angel next to him clears his throat and gets his attention.

“Genevieve,” Reed says formally, “this is Phaedrus. He is here to witness our binding oath and bestow upon us God’s blessing. He is a Virtue angel.”

I smile at Phaedrus who has a different look to him than all of the other angels I have met thus far. He doesn’t have the long, sleek, powerful wings of Seraphim, Archangels, or Powers, nor does he have wings like any of the Reapers I have seen, which are more like insects and butterflies. Phaedrus has wings with feathers that look like they have a more downy texture, like the wings of an owl that almost look furry in comparison to mine. The color is also amazing because the primary feathers are a cream color with dark brown spots and the secondary feathers are a mix of caramel and copper that form almost a mantel over the crest of the wings. His hair has the same caramel-color tones in it as his wings do, but the most startling thing about him are his eyes. His sclera and iris are both black. They are wicked looking, and staring at his eyes, I feel a little unnerved by them.

I try to cover my reaction to his eyes by saying, “Thank you for coming, Phaedrus.”

“No, thank you,” he says, looking me over slowly. “I thought that I had seen everything at least once, but I can see that God continues to be mysterious.” He makes a circle around me, taking in all of my attributes. “You are remarkable,” he says, like he is stunned and a bit in awe of me, which is such a different reaction from what I usually get that I instantly like him. “Do you see how God blesses me when I least expect it?” he asks with a grin that lights up the planes of his face. He has perfect human features other than his eyes and wings, but I wonder how he blends in with humans because of them.

I can’t help the smile that creeps to the corners of my mouth or the blush in my cheeks at his words. I look up at Reed to see him watching me with a smug smile, like a kid who is getting everything he wants for his birthday. “Are you ready?” he asks me.

“Yes,” I reply, trying to figure out what is going to happen next.

Phaedrus, approaching us, places one of his hands on each of our heads and speaks in Angel. It feels right to close my eyes while listening to him. His voice is musical, with deep rhythms of sound, but with a humming sort of undertone that I have never heard before now. The vibrations of his voice are permeating through my mind, eliciting a primal sense of peace.

The music Phaedrus makes ends abruptly as he withdraws his hands from our heads, and then Reed gently turns me to look at him. He speaks to me in Angel and it is the most perfect sound from the most perfect voice. I glance over at Zephyr when I hear him grunt in approval to whatever Reed is saying to me. Buns, however, rolls her eyes a little at Reed’s words and I make a mental note to ask her later what that is all about.

My focus drifts back to Reed, and when he finishes Phaedrus asks me, “Do you think you can repeat after me?”

“I’ll try,” I reply with skepticism. I listen hard as he makes sounds that have no meaning to me. I stumble through them, trying really hard to mimic the cadence he utters, but my version lacks the beauty of his tone. When I finish, I glance over at Zee to see him biting his lower lip, trying really hard not to laugh over my butchering of their language.

“Do you know what you just said?” Phaedrus asks, and I shake my head. He glances at Reed and says, “Let’s also do her vow in her language so that we make sure that it is accepted and is binding.”

Phaedrus looks at me again and says kindly, “Can you repeat after me again?”

“Yes,” I reply, because this version should be much easier for me to accomplish.

“I ask God to bind my life to your life so that my mind will be one with your mind,” I repeat the words Phaedrus says while I gaze at Reed and hold his hand. “My heart may be one with your heart,” I recite it with a small smile on my face, “and my body may be one with your body,” I blush a little when I say this part, seeing desire register in Reed’s eyes. “From this moment through eternity, so let it be,” I repeat Phaedrus, intoning the vow word-for-word. I can’t contain the grin that breaks on my face when I finish. It’s really a beautiful vow and I’m a little surprised because there is usually a catch to these angel things that I least expect until it’s in my face.

No sooner do I have that thought then Zephyr steps up, handing Phaedrus a jeweled dagger. With a perplexed glance at Zephyr, I turn back to Phaedrus who speaks in Angel again as he holds out the dagger so that it resembles a cross. Pausing after a few moments, he then turns to Reed. Then, Phaedrus uses the blade of the knife as he chants something in Angel, scoring a small, downward slice in Reed’s skin just over his heart. Phaedrus, turning to me next, holds the dagger above my heart and I know it is my turn to get cut.

I hold as still as possible as Phaedrus pulls the material of my tunic dress aside a little to expose my heart. I try really hard not to flinch when he cuts a downward slice in my skin over my heart. He turns away from me as I bleed to return to Reed. Using the same blade, Phaedrus cuts another slice into Reed, this one horizontal, and it bisected the other slice to form a cross, mixing my blood on the blade with Reed’s blood from his wound. When he finishes with Reed, he turns again to me, making a similar slice, mixing Reed’s blood with mine. Phaedrus gives the blade back to Zephyr, before putting his hands on our heads, chanting musically.

The cut on my heart is burning in an unusual way while it’s slowly healing. It doesn’t feel like any cut I have ever had before because of its odd, tingling sensation. Analyzing the cuts, they are not very deep, but my skin doesn’t look normal. I want to examine it further and compare it to Reed’s, but Phaedrus is still speaking so I have to wait.

When Phaedrus finishes, he pulls his hand from my head. I lift my eyes to see that they are all staring at me with an air of expectation. Confused as to what I am to do now, my eyes shift to Reed’s for direction, but he has such a euphoric expression on his face that it captivates me. In a reverent way, Reed’s hand rises to my heart. Buns is by our side in an instant, handing Reed a small towel. As he wipes away our blood from my skin, Reed reveals something that I never expected. Where the cut used to be, there is now an almost tattoo-like marking that resembles the coloring and characteristics of Reed’s wings. It’s no larger than a quarter in diameter, but as I look close, it has all of the same color variations and traits that Reed’s wings possess.

My eyes fly to the cut above Reed’s heart, seeing his is different, too. I take the towel from his hand and wipe our blood away from his chest to find the perfectly branded image of my crimson wings over his heart.

“Your vow has been accepted by God. May you honor each other and treat this like the blessing that it is,” Phaedrus says, but I almost don’t hear him because I’m so amazed by what just happened that it’s difficult to think of anything else.

Reed turns to Phaedrus and thanks him for his help with the binding ceremony. I thank him, too, making him smile again at me as if I am some amazing creature that he can’t believe exists.

Then, I catch Reed staring at me with a smug smile on his face. “This makes us one?” I ask as my fingers trace the shape of my wings on his chest.

“Yes,” he says, watching me.

With a smile that shows I have gotten more out of this bargain than him, I lean nearer to Reed. I press my lips against the mark on his chest, kissing him, and then I pull back and gaze into his eyes. “Good,” I whisper. “Now, where should we go on our honeymoon?” I ask, because I want nothing other than to be with him for the rest of eternity. Everyone laughs over what I just said, but I’m not joking. Reed picks me up off my feet without effort and returns my kiss with one that proclaims, hands down, that he is the winner in this agreement.

Clearing his throat, Zephyr says, “Reed, we have to meet with the council now. Buns will stay with Evie until we can arrange to leave. It’s important we secure her release.” Zee walks to the balcony doors, closing them while engaging the lock that might as well not be on the door at all, since any angel can push the door open with ease.

Reed’s eyebrows pull together in concern. “Evie, I want you to stay in this room. I don’t want you to leave this room. I will come back to get you. Do you understand?” Reed asks. I gauge his expression and I see that he doesn’t want to leave me, but he doesn’t want to take me with him either. He also doesn’t trust me; he is afraid that I will do something unexpected—like leave him again.

“I’ll try this once to be orthodox and listen to orders,” I promise, hoping to alleviate some of his worry.

“I mean it,” he breathes against my ear, gathering me close to him.

“What if the room catches on fire?” I ask, snuggling into his embrace, wanting to see just how adamant he is about me staying here.

“Find a way to put it out, but don’t leave the room,” he replies.

“Reed,” Zephyr says with exasperation. Reed squeezes me tighter, and then he reluctantly lets me go. Zephyr walks with Phaedrus to the door of my room. They are taking Phaedrus with them to validate that the binding has taken place. Reed follows them slowly and when he gets to the door, he turns, looking at me like he wants to memorize my every contour. Our eyes meet, and then he turns and leaves the room, closing the door softly behind him. It’s now up to Reed to negotiate for our lives.

CHAPTER 18

Earth and Sky

For the next few hours, Buns and I both pace every inch of my room while we wait for Reed and Zephyr to return from negotiating my release with the war council. “Why did you roll your eyes, Buns?” I ask her suddenly, as the thought pops into my mind while I go over every detail of the binding ceremony in my head. It seems a safe enough subject to pursue in my quest to make small talk and alleviate some of the anxiety that sitting and waiting has wrought on us both.