Jegudiel (Deadly Virtues 2)

He left the room, and Noa watched him go. He was only wearing sweats; slashes and knife marks littered his torso from where he had fought the Brethren. When the door shut behind him, Noa looked back to her sisters. To Beth.

“Beth …” Noa whispered. She couldn’t find the right words to express how sorry she was for what had happened.

Beth’s arms were folded over her waist, as if the gesture was all that was keeping her from falling apart. When Beth’s deep chocolate eyes fell on Noa, they were filled with tears. “Don’t do that to me ever again,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Noa felt devastated. She’d let her youngest sister down. “I’m sorry,” she said. The simple words were not enough, but they were all she could find. Noa hissed as she shifted her body, but she held out her hand for Beth. Beth stared at Noa’s hand. For a moment, Noa didn’t think Beth would forgive her. But then Beth stepped forward and clutched Noa’s hand so tightly, Noa wondered if her little sister would ever let go. “I’m sorry,” Noa said again. She thought of Beth’s face as Noa had locked her out of the church.

“I thought …” Beth said, voice weakened and strained with sadness. “I thought we’d lost you to them.”

“You came,” Noa said to Beth, to all her sisters. “You saved me.”

The silence that fell was thick with Noa’s gratitude. Then Dinah said, “He was a wreck.” Noa stopped breathing. Dinah sat on the edge of the bed and pushed Noa’s hair back from her face. “When Beth came back with the ledger but without you, he broke.”

Noa’s heart beat faster, guilt flushing through her veins. Dinah shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The way he cut the Brethren down in masses to get to you.” Dinah gently squeezed Noa’s fingers. “He loves you. Anyone can see it.”

“I love him too,” Noa said. “More than I ever thought possible.”

“Hence sacrificing yourself to the Witch Finders for the ledger we hope has information about his sister,” Candace said dryly, then smirked at Noa.

“Priscilla?” Jo asked.

Naomi brought a glass of water to Noa’s mouth, placing a straw between her lips. Noa took several swallows, smiling at Naomi in thanks. She faced Jo. “Said she was inside the Brethren.” Noa sighed. “And that we need to take them down from outside, and she’ll bring them down from inside.”

Jo let out a long exhale. “If anyone could infiltrate the Brethren undetected, it’d be Priscilla.”

Sleep threatened to drag Noa back down. Yet she didn’t want to stop looking at her sisters. Dinah squeezed her hand again. “Sleep, girl. You’re home. You’re safe, and we’re not going anywhere.”

Noa exhaled in relief and closed her eyes, no more fear in her heart.

* * *

When Noa next opened her eyes, she couldn’t see her sisters around her. But she found Diel lying back beside her on the bed. Their bed. The sun was rising, basking the bedroom in a soft, golden glow. “Pretty monster,” Noa whispered, and Diel breathed deeply, as if those words were a break of sunlight through whatever winter storm was rolling in his heart.

He shifted closer, gently wrapping an arm around her waist. He put his head on the pillow beside her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I think … I think I could kiss you forever.”

Noa’s heart beat so quickly that she thought it might burst from her chest. Even more so when Diel whispered, “You almost died to give me a chance at finding my sister.” Noa tensed, not knowing if Diel was pissed at her or not. His blue eyes were downcast, but when they lifted, Noa could see all the turbulent emotions displayed in their sapphire depths. “You almost died to give me back my sister …” This time the inflection of his voice was different—laced with wonder, with awe … with a deep gratitude that made her stomach flip.

“Diel …” Both sadness and deep, deep love threatened to overwhelm her.

He came even closer, ever careful of her wounds. Diel looked at her the way an artist looked at a masterpiece painting. He threaded his hand into Noa’s hair, cupping the side of her head. He searched her face, then kissed every part of it that was free from lacerations or bruises. “I don’t …” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know how to say thank you.”

Noa almost fell apart, seeing such a formidable man so vulnerable, so very different from the tortured monster he had been when they had met. “You don’t need to,” she said, pressing her forehead to his. She breathed him in, just breathed in his scent, letting it soothe her battered soul. “Have you looked for her name yet?” Noa asked, referring to the ledger.