Shayne rolled his eyes. The angel was totally impossible, but he was an awesome warrior, as was Germael.
“Mephistopheles,” Arch called, his voice reverberating throughout the room. He spotted him hiding behind the other demons. “Tell me, have your balls finally dropped enough to fight? Or will you disappear like the girl you really are?” In an instant, Mephistopheles vanished.
Arch snorted. “After thousands of years, he still hasn’t grown a pair.” He quickly sheathed his sword and dropped down behind Shayne. His face grew grim as he looked Anna over. Finally, he said, “We need to get her out of here, now. Most of the creatures are dead. Germael can clean up this mess.”
Hearing the urgency in Arch’s voice, Ian and Shayne worked fast to finish off the creatures they were fighting. Before they had time to sheathe their swords, Arch moved them back to Shayne’s compound. Anna was lying on the floor, silent and still.
Arch’s eyes grew vacant as he said, “Put her on the couch.” He fell silent, and his body became very still, as if he was meditating or perhaps praying, in his thoughts.
Shayne did as Arch had ordered. Picking her up, he gently placed her on the couch and smoothed her hair back from her face. “I'm so sorry, Anna,” he whispered, hoarsely. It hadn't taken long for her to completely steal his heart, and without her, he felt no desire to continue on.
He started to stand back up when he realized her body was warm to the touch. Dropping to his knees, Shayne checked for a heartbeat. When he felt one, he looked back at Arch. “I can’t believe it,” he said, completely awed.
A tear slid down his cheek before he quickly wiped it away. “Will she be okay?” Shayne asked, watching her. Ian stood silent for once, waiting to see how the drama played out.
Arch suddenly inhaled, his body becoming animated. “She will,” he said, his voice tight. “That was the healing part. However, we still need to do this.” Shayne looked at Arch, puzzled.
“You want her immortal, don't you?” Arch asked. “If not, now's the time to say so.”
“Of course. I want her for as long as I can have her,” Shayne said, in an exasperated tone of voice. “An eternity wouldn’t be long enough.”
“Then you know what we have to do,” Arch replied.
Shayne's face twisted into a grimace. “Part of me feels that we should ask her first. But the other part of me, the selfish part, doesn't want to give her that option—the option to turn down an immortal life with me.”
“You don't have a choice,” Arch retorted. “Her heart is very unstable, and she doesn't have long to live. She could die again at any moment. We have to make her immortal now. You can work out the details of your romantic life later.”
Shayne sighed, and then he came to his feet. “Do what you need to do, Arch, to save her.”
Both Shayne and Ian had once been mortal. They knew the process. In order to give Anna immortality, Arch would have to share his blood with her—but only once. After a human had an angel's blood, they became immortal. Anna wouldn't become an angel, none of them could, but she would gain some enhanced abilities that she would have never had, as a mortal.
Arch moved to the empty spot next to Anna's head. He opened a spot on his inner forearm with his nail, and then he held it to Anna's lips. Anna wasn't fully conscious, but she was conscious enough to grimace when Arch's blood hit her tongue.
Shayne snorted and then said, “I hate to say it, Arch, considering your good deed here and all. But in case you didn't know it, an angel's blood tastes like shit.”
Ian made a retching sound next to him. Lucky for him, he didn't vomit. Otherwise, Shayne would have had to kick his ass.
“God, yes,” Ian added, with an expression of disgust on his face. “It's horrible. Even after all of these years, I still remember that putrid, foul taste.”
Arch looked at them with a smug grin, as he pulled his arm away from Anna. “That just applies to the others,” he retorted, an arrogant but amused expression on his face. “If you remember, both of you were turned by someone else. But as for me, my blood tastes amazing.”
“I call bullshit on that,” Shayne said, then burst out laughing with Ian joining in. Even though Arch was an angel, he still had an ego.
“All right, enough of that,” Arch snapped, turning serious. “It's going to be on you, Shayne, to teach her how to deal with her immortality, since she was turned to be a mate rather than one of you. With that, comes a huge responsibility. Appreciate what you have been given, and love and cherish her for as long as you both shall live.”
His piercing gaze switched to Ian for a long moment, and then he continued, “When an immortal finds their mate, two becomes one. Both of them will sacrifice something, but some sacrifices are unbearable to make. Make sure you know and appreciate the sacrifice she makes to be with you, because it will come at an enormous price. An eternity can feel like hell, when you miss the mark with your own mate.”
Ian stared back at Arch with an uncomfortable, even wary, expression in his eyes before looking away.
Shayne watched the exchange between the two. He didn't quite understand what had just transpired, but it didn't sound good. He wasn't sure if it was a warning, a premonition, or just some of Arch's wisdom being shared with Ian. The angels were odd like that.
Anna opened her eyes and gasped. Shayne quickly forgot about the exchange between Ian and Arch as he helped her up. At the moment, she was all that mattered.
HER EYES FOCUSED ON
