Reaver gripped Revenant’s hand and squeezed. “We won.”
“Awesome.”
Blaspheme straightened, afraid of hurting the ribs that only moments before had looked like a jigsaw puzzle. “You died. That’s not awesome.”
“But we imprisoned Satan for a thousand years,” Revenant said, his voice as torn up as his body had been.
Shade, his right arm wrapped in bandages, snorted. “Seriously. What did you guys do?”
Reaver frowned down at Revenant. “How did you know they’d be gone for that long? Prophecy?”
Everyone who had gathered outside the room filtered in, and suddenly the tiny space was packed with Horsemen, Seminus demons, and a couple of mates.
“The Pruosi tome.” Revenant swallowed. Winced as if his throat was sore. Blas had a feeling he’d be feeling the aches and pains of this battle for a while. “It’s kind of a recipe book. I combined a recipe for a brig and an abyss, and both have a shelf life of a thousand years.”
“So wait,” Eidolon said, wearing bandages that matched Shade’s. “You’re serious. You’re saying you locked Satan in a magical brig and tossed him into an abyss? Satan. For a thousand years?”
“And we locked him up with Raphael, Gethel, and Lucifer.”
Wraith, lounging against the doorjamb, whistled. “Dude, he’s gonna be pissed when he gets out.”
“We’ll worry about that in nine hundred and ninety-nine years,” Revenant said. He took Blaspheme’s hand and tugged her down onto the bed. “You didn’t perform your ceremony.”
“The blood went toward a better use,” she said. “And you’ll be happy to know that Thanatos willingly gave it to you. And more.” She smiled over at the pregnant Horseman. “And Limos gave you her tears.”
From near the doorway, Thanatos dipped his head in a slow, respectful nod. Limos rolled her eyes.
“What ceremony?” Wraith asked, and Eidolon used that opportunity to usher everyone out to give them some privacy.
When everyone was gone and Blaspheme was alone with Revenant, she allowed herself to relax. The tautness in his body melted away as well, and for a moment, they lay there in silence, reveling in the relief that the nightmare was over.
“I wish you’d told me what you had planned,” she finally said.
“You only would have worried more.”
“That’s not your call to make,” she said sternly. “Next time, you tell me. Got it?”
He chuckled. “The next time I imprison Satan inside a mystical box?”
“You know what I mean,” she ground out.
His arms closed even more tightly around her. “I know.”
Another comfortable silence wrapped around them, and she almost wished they could remain like this, with no immediate worries, no dealing with anything except recovering from wounds, physical and mental. But at some point they needed to discuss the future, and Blaspheme had spent too much time facing uncertainty to want to delay the talk they had to have.
“So,” she said softly. “What now?”
His hand sifted through her hair as she snuggled against his chest. “That depends, I guess.”
Her stomach clenched. “On what?”
“On if you can get past what I did to your father.”
She pushed up onto her elbow so she could look at him while she spoke. “My mother told me everything. You were right. He was a bastard. And even if he wasn’t, you weren’t… you. Your past doesn’t matter to me, Revenant.”
He grinned. “That settles it, then.”
“Settles what?”
“We’re getting mated.”
She nearly swallowed her tongue. “Ah… what?”
“You don’t have to say yes right away.” His expression turned serious. “But never doubt what I feel for you. I lost everything the day my mother died, including my soul. And when no one else saw the good in me, not even my brother, you did. You brought me back to life in more ways than one, Blaspheme, and I never want to be without that lifeline again.” His hand came up to cup her cheek. “I love you, and whether you say yes or no, that will never change.”
Tears stung her eyes. “I love you, too,” she said, her voice breaking with the force of her emotion. “You let me in when no one else could. Yes, I’ll mate you. I’ll so mate you.”
Sliding his hand around the nape of her neck, he drew her down for a kiss so full of promise that the tears let loose. “I want you. Here. Now.”
Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw the evidence of that pushing the sheet into a tent. “As your doctor, I would be remiss if I didn’t say you should rest and avoid sex.”
His eyes shot wide in horror. “For how long?”
With a sly smile, she burrowed her hand under the sheet. “Until I say otherwise.” Her palm found him, thick and hard. “For now, I promise you’re in good hands.”
He groaned. “Who am I to go against doctor’s orders?”
Smart male. And as his doctor, she was prepared to give him a lot of orders.
Thirty-Three
An hour after being released from the hospital, Revenant strolled along a deserted tropical beach, face raised to the heavens as he watched seabirds sail across the blue sky. He’d sent out a mental summons to Metatron, and while he hoped the archangel would show up, he’d learned to temper his hopes.
“Awesome.”
Blaspheme straightened, afraid of hurting the ribs that only moments before had looked like a jigsaw puzzle. “You died. That’s not awesome.”
“But we imprisoned Satan for a thousand years,” Revenant said, his voice as torn up as his body had been.
Shade, his right arm wrapped in bandages, snorted. “Seriously. What did you guys do?”
Reaver frowned down at Revenant. “How did you know they’d be gone for that long? Prophecy?”
Everyone who had gathered outside the room filtered in, and suddenly the tiny space was packed with Horsemen, Seminus demons, and a couple of mates.
“The Pruosi tome.” Revenant swallowed. Winced as if his throat was sore. Blas had a feeling he’d be feeling the aches and pains of this battle for a while. “It’s kind of a recipe book. I combined a recipe for a brig and an abyss, and both have a shelf life of a thousand years.”
“So wait,” Eidolon said, wearing bandages that matched Shade’s. “You’re serious. You’re saying you locked Satan in a magical brig and tossed him into an abyss? Satan. For a thousand years?”
“And we locked him up with Raphael, Gethel, and Lucifer.”
Wraith, lounging against the doorjamb, whistled. “Dude, he’s gonna be pissed when he gets out.”
“We’ll worry about that in nine hundred and ninety-nine years,” Revenant said. He took Blaspheme’s hand and tugged her down onto the bed. “You didn’t perform your ceremony.”
“The blood went toward a better use,” she said. “And you’ll be happy to know that Thanatos willingly gave it to you. And more.” She smiled over at the pregnant Horseman. “And Limos gave you her tears.”
From near the doorway, Thanatos dipped his head in a slow, respectful nod. Limos rolled her eyes.
“What ceremony?” Wraith asked, and Eidolon used that opportunity to usher everyone out to give them some privacy.
When everyone was gone and Blaspheme was alone with Revenant, she allowed herself to relax. The tautness in his body melted away as well, and for a moment, they lay there in silence, reveling in the relief that the nightmare was over.
“I wish you’d told me what you had planned,” she finally said.
“You only would have worried more.”
“That’s not your call to make,” she said sternly. “Next time, you tell me. Got it?”
He chuckled. “The next time I imprison Satan inside a mystical box?”
“You know what I mean,” she ground out.
His arms closed even more tightly around her. “I know.”
Another comfortable silence wrapped around them, and she almost wished they could remain like this, with no immediate worries, no dealing with anything except recovering from wounds, physical and mental. But at some point they needed to discuss the future, and Blaspheme had spent too much time facing uncertainty to want to delay the talk they had to have.
“So,” she said softly. “What now?”
His hand sifted through her hair as she snuggled against his chest. “That depends, I guess.”
Her stomach clenched. “On what?”
“On if you can get past what I did to your father.”
She pushed up onto her elbow so she could look at him while she spoke. “My mother told me everything. You were right. He was a bastard. And even if he wasn’t, you weren’t… you. Your past doesn’t matter to me, Revenant.”
He grinned. “That settles it, then.”
“Settles what?”
“We’re getting mated.”
She nearly swallowed her tongue. “Ah… what?”
“You don’t have to say yes right away.” His expression turned serious. “But never doubt what I feel for you. I lost everything the day my mother died, including my soul. And when no one else saw the good in me, not even my brother, you did. You brought me back to life in more ways than one, Blaspheme, and I never want to be without that lifeline again.” His hand came up to cup her cheek. “I love you, and whether you say yes or no, that will never change.”
Tears stung her eyes. “I love you, too,” she said, her voice breaking with the force of her emotion. “You let me in when no one else could. Yes, I’ll mate you. I’ll so mate you.”
Sliding his hand around the nape of her neck, he drew her down for a kiss so full of promise that the tears let loose. “I want you. Here. Now.”
Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw the evidence of that pushing the sheet into a tent. “As your doctor, I would be remiss if I didn’t say you should rest and avoid sex.”
His eyes shot wide in horror. “For how long?”
With a sly smile, she burrowed her hand under the sheet. “Until I say otherwise.” Her palm found him, thick and hard. “For now, I promise you’re in good hands.”
He groaned. “Who am I to go against doctor’s orders?”
Smart male. And as his doctor, she was prepared to give him a lot of orders.
Thirty-Three
An hour after being released from the hospital, Revenant strolled along a deserted tropical beach, face raised to the heavens as he watched seabirds sail across the blue sky. He’d sent out a mental summons to Metatron, and while he hoped the archangel would show up, he’d learned to temper his hopes.
