As they pulled away, Surcy looked up at him, and Mark fell in love all over again. She was their world. Beautiful inside and out. Her long dark hair, usually in waves down her back, lay matted around her. Her eyes, normally a stunning hazel, looked weak and bloodshot. Her skin was so white from the cold, it was eerie. But whatever she’d been through, she was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
Our everything.
Mark held her against him, sharing his own body heat. The three demons were always hot, but they blazed the heater, trying desperately to warm her shivering body. Nothing else was more important than her happiness.
And now that we have her back, we’ll do whatever we have to in order to make her happy once more.
After a time, she spoke softly. “Can you tell me—who are you?” And the vacancy of her gaze twisted his heart.
“Mark.”
“Mark.” She said his name, as if tasting it. “Can you tell me… was I once an angel?”
He nodded at her very slowly.
“What happened to me?”
You fell in love with three demons. “I don’t know.”
“Was it a punishment?”
In all likelihood, yes. “I don’t know.”
Tears stung her eyes. “Do you know who I am?”
“Yes.”
Her gaze held his. “Can you tell me my name?”
This, I think she can handle. “Surcy. Your name is Surcy.”
And I’ve dedicated my life to you.
The pendant that was tucked carefully into his shirt seemed to warm, as if reminding him of his other dedication.
As if I could ever forget that the future of the world rests in my hands.
He held Surcy tighter. That was the thing about knowing he would die for their cause, it made moments like these even more important.
5
Daniel couldn’t believe that Surcy didn’t remember them. Caine had done this to her, the cruel bastard! This was her punishment for loving them.
At least Caine spared her life and didn’t keep her from them forever. But what should they do now?
It had taken them so long to earn her love. To convince an angel that they shouldn't have been turned into demons. First, she fought for them because it was the right thing to do. Then, she helped them, because she couldn’t bear to see them continue the way they were.
And at last, somehow, they had convinced her to love them.
Which I don’t think I can do again.
He understood how women fell in love with Mark. Even during their first lives, the time before their deaths, he’d heard stories of the many women who loved Mark. But he and Tristan were not so lucky.
His brother, Tristan, for all the years he’d lived, had never fallen in love with a woman until Surcy. It wasn’t that his heart was made of stone; it was simply that his focus had been protecting those that needed him, not on what would make him happy.
But for me? I’m just a straight-up asshole.
Okay, so maybe that was a bit harsh. But he was definitely hard to love. At least according to every woman who gave up on him over the years. Who told him he was incapable of love.
They said he chased danger. That the fire within him was too wicked to control. That he would go down in flames one day for his reckless ways.
And they were right.
Yet, with Surcy? I fell in love with her as unexpectedly as she fell in love with me. I found her innocence frustrating, her constant moral compass annoying, and her belief that she could save the world? Completely ignorant. But God how I loved her.
And eventually, not only did he love her, but the way he saw the world changed. She taught him there was something beautiful about innocence, something admirable about a strong moral compass. When she had saved their world? He realized he’d been a coward for not trying to do the same.
As he gripped the steering wheel and turned onto the freeway, he couldn’t help but look back at her again. The incredible creature, who gave up her safety, and turned her back on her own kind for them, was gone.
We’ve lost her forever.
6
Tristan would kill those angel bastards for this. He would tear them from the heavens and shred their wings for what they have done to her. When she left to face Caine, she was so certain he would treat her fairly. That he would forgive her for loving us.
They begged her to run away with them. To hide.
Unfortunately, at the core of her being, Surcy believed Caine would want to hear her out. She had stubbornly refused to let it go. Her eyes had twinkled with certainty, her chin raised in confidence. All would be well, she had said.
That was a year ago, and until tonight, they hadn't seen her since.
Every day since then, they paid witches to search for her. They bribed vampires and shifters to prowl every dark corner of the world. And they never stopped looking.
Never.
Daniel's history with the witch Summer had finally paid off. She came to them, swearing that she had finally felt Surcy’s presence in a field outside of town. They’d come there, not knowing what they would find. Yet, they’d hoped for a miracle.
When Tristan saw her, he thought all was right with their world once more, that the other part of their souls had been returned to them.
Until he saw that her wings were gone. Being an angel was the most important thing to Surcy. She saw it as her calling, and with her three demons by her side, she spread peace, protecting those who needed it the most.
What will happen now? Without her wings, would everything go back to the way it was? What if she turns away from us?
His stomach twisted. If I were a betting man, I’d put it all on the thing that makes the most sense. Before the week is out, Surcy will leave us.
7
Surcy let her
