“Shit.” Eidolon hit the intercom on the wall and called for a stretcher, and in moments, nurses and another doctor had arrived to wheel Reaver into the emergency department. Doctor Shakvhan went with him, leaving Gem with Tayla, E, and Shade.
Shade was pacing the length of the room, fists clenching reflexively. “Someone want to explain what the hell just happened? Anyone else feel that weird vibe right before Reaver turned into Seizure Boy?”
“I did. Freaked me out. I can still feel it.” Tayla rubbed her arms, as if she were suddenly cold, and Eidolon tucked her protectively against his chest.
Pain and a sense of longing bubbled up through an old wound. Gem was happy her sister had found love, but she couldn’t snip the thread of jealousy that had woven its way into her heart after Kynan had left her ten months ago—just when they’d finally found their way to each other.
“Me too.” Gem cleared her throat of the bitterness that lingered in her voice. It wasn’t Tayla’s fault Gem had lost the love of her life. “Something is stirring in the underworld.”
“I don’t like it,” Eidolon murmured. “This could be bad.”
“Or,” Shade said, crossing his arms over his broad chest, “it could be nothing.”
“Right,” Eidolon said wryly. “Because Reaver often collapses into seizures and speaks in tongues.”
Tayla broke away from Eidolon. “Reaver said something I think could be important. For Wraith.”
E and Shade went taut, and Gem tugged on one of her black-and-pink braids. “The Marked Sentinel thing?” When Tayla didn’t answer, Gem put a hand on her sister’s arm. “Tay?”
Tayla nodded. “There are stories—rumors, really—in the Aegis… about humans charmed by angels. No one knows why, or if it’s even true, but the stories say that these humans are invincible. Immortal.”
“How does that help Wraith?” Shade asked.
Tayla hesitated until Shade cleared his throat. She shot him an annoyed glare before speaking. “According to legend, Marked Sentinels can give up their charm to someone else.” She shuffled her feet, clearly uncomfortable sharing intimate Aegis secrets even with her own brother-in-law. “If we can find this Serena Kelley, Wraith might have a shot at survival. All he has to do is take her virginity.”
Three
It took less than a day for Gem and Tayla to track down Serena Kelley, but their discovery came at a high cost. They’d had to consult a Darquethoth shaman, who had, after casting a seek spell, taken a strong interest in the human. Too strong. Eidolon had a feeling that the shaman would gladly reveal the charmed human’s location to the highest bidder.
Wraith needed to get to Serena immediately, because not only was his life at stake, but so was the entire hospital’s future.
But before Eidolon unloaded all the details on his brother, he was going to have a little chat with Reaver, who had recovered from his ordeal and was about to be released.
E entered Reaver’s hospital room, where the dripping wet angel had just stepped out of the shower.
“We need to talk about Serena Kelley.”
Eidolon swore Reaver’s hands shook before he clenched them into fists at his sides. “Who?”
“The charmed human you told us about yesterday. We think she may be the cure for Wraith—”
In the span of a heartbeat, Reaver’s fist was wrapped in Eidolon’s scrub shirt and he’d been yanked into the fallen angel’s face. “Keep Wraith away from her.” Reaver’s voice was a low, dangerous growl, but the writing on the walls—a ward against violence—hadn’t begun to pulse, so he didn’t intend harm.
Shade entered the room, black brows raised at Reaver’s nudity. “Am I interrupting a private moment?”
Eidolon met Reaver’s heated gaze with a glacial one of his own. “I suggest you release me,” he said coolly. “Now.”
Reaver uttered a curse and stepped off. “Eidolon, you can’t let this happen.”
“Wraith will die.”
“I’m sorry for that,” Reaver said, pulling on a pair of scrub pants, “but he got himself into this mess. Serena is innocent.”
“He’s not going to hurt her. He’s going to have sex with her. And you know he can’t rape her if she’s protected by the charm, so she’ll be going into it willingly.” Eidolon was bluffing, performing a little exploratory surgery with the fallen angel. What information Tayla had gotten from The Aegis about charmed humans was mostly speculation, but so far, it seemed as though her information was dead on.
Reaver jammed both hands through his golden hair, kept them there as though he was trying to hold his head on. “Why her? Why not one of the other half-dozen charmed humans?”
“There are only six of them?” When Reaver didn’t answer, Eidolon shrugged. “You gave us her name. Gem and Tay consulted a shaman who performed a locator spell. She lit up like a cheap beer sign.”