Illium nodded. “I came back early one day. I planned to sit outside Aodhan’s room until Remus said it was okay to go in again.” He broke their handclasp to spin away, a sound of raw rage erupting from his throat. “But the door was partially open,” he said without turning back. “Because it was, I went closer in case Remus had cleared visitors . . . and I heard someone whispering in there. It was Remus. He was telling Aodhan he was a broken doll and that broken dolls needed masters.”
Elena’s eyes grew hot with fury. “Bastard.”
“I didn’t need to hear anything else. It was obvious Remus was using his position to abuse Aodhan, break down anything that remained inside him so Remus could ‘own’ him.” Rage and tears vied for space in Illium’s voice. “Everyone wants to own Aodhan. He’s a beautiful jewel and the world can’t bear just to look at him and wonder at his beauty. They want to break him, cage him.”
“What did you do to Remus?”
“I threw him out of the room then proceeded to attempt to beat him to death,” Illium responded in a tone so cold it caused goose bumps over her skin. “I would’ve succeeded if Aodhan hadn’t spoken at last. It was so quiet, so soft, but I heard him. He said, Bluebell.” Illium blew out a harsh breath. “It was like a gunshot going off inside my head. I dropped the bag of broken bones that was Remus and rushed into Aodhan’s room—”
He cut off his words, as if the memory of that moment was too much to bear.
Shifting to stand beside him once more, Elena ran her hand gently over his wing, his feathers silky and warm under her palm. In profile, against the light of the greenhouse, he was a granite statue, his jaw clenched with agonizing force.
When he spoke, each word was a jagged chip of flint. “Remus was lying bleeding and broken outside when Raphael came. He didn’t ask me anything at that time, just threw Remus in a treatment room and alerted Keir that one of his people needed his assistance.”
“He knew you must’ve had good reason.”
“When I was finally calm enough to speak, after Aodhan fell into a natural sleep, I told him what I’d overheard.” He thrust a hand through his hair. “To this day, I don’t know what Raphael said to Keir, but Remus was banished from the Medica for the duration of his immortal life. If he’s ever injured, he must wait outside and hope someone comes to assist him.”
Elena thought back to her time in the Refuge, came up blank. “I’ve never heard of him.”
“He’s an outcast.” Harsh satisfaction ran through Illium’s voice. “People respect Keir no matter their political affiliation. That he banished Remus was enough for most to shun him; none of us ever spoke publicly about the reason he’d been banished.” Shoving back his hair again, his hand rough, he said, “We refused to give that bastard the satisfaction of having others look on Aodhan with pity. He survived hell, Ellie. He deserved nothing but accolades for his courage. Never pity.”
Elena connected the dots, hissed out a breath. “Shit. Aodhan’s obviously been speaking to him again.” She could see why both Illium and Raphael had reacted so badly to the idea. “You’re not worried that Remus was successful in brainwashing him, are you?”
An immediate shake of Illium’s head. “That day, when Aodhan first woke, he told me that Remus was nothing, a worm. Aodhan had blanked him out the same way he’d done the rest of the world until he heard me in a rage, beating Remus to death.”
Illium’s voice broke. “Aodhan was worried about me. He was shattered, his body and soul wounded to the breaking point, and he was worried about me. That’s what brought him back to us, his worry about me. And he kicks at me because I’m worried about him now?”
His hurt was so deep and so violent that Elena felt her own heart ache. “He’s waking up more and more,” she said, fighting her own angry response to the idea of Aodhan exposing himself to harm. “It’s been a long process for him.” The angel had been locked inside himself for an eternity before he decided to come to New York, spread his wings again. “He’s going to react badly to anyone questioning his ability to look after himself.”
Illium’s jaw worked. “So I’m not allowed to worry about my friend?” His wing sliding away as he turned to face her, he shook his head again. “Do you know what it did to me when we lost him? The nearly two years he was gone?”
Not saying another word, he spread his wings and took off in a harsh gust of wind that whipped Elena’s hair across her face. So fast and high that all she could do was watch him disappear into the stars.
8
Raphael, Bluebell is in the sky—I think we need to let him go. He was in no mood to listen to anyone right now.
I’ll warn Dmitri to keep a watch for him.
Returning to the house, Elena stepped inside the library to find Aodhan still in his seat. He didn’t appear to have eaten anything in the time she’d been gone, and when she walked in, his eyes went immediately to behind her. “Where is he?” he asked the instant he became aware Illium wasn’t about to appear.
Elena shrugged and pointed up.
Jaw going taut, Aodhan stared at his plate. “Is he all right?” The question sounded like it had been torn out of him.
Elena decided to be honest. “Angry and hurt in equal measures.”
Face flushing, Aodhan pushed back his own chair. “Sire, I will take my leave.”
“I will see you on the dawn, Aodhan. Thank you for the information on the Luminata.”
A quick nod later, Aodhan was gone in a cascade of light sparking off his feathers. So extraordinary, so beautiful.
Everyone wants to own Aodhan. He’s a beautiful jewel and the world can’t bear just to look at him and wonder at his beauty. They want to break him, cage him.
Taking her seat as Illium’s passionate words echoed through her mind, Elena threw back half a glass of wine before angling her body to face Raphael. “Illium told me about Remus.” She had to fight to keep her voice even. “I can see why you both reacted badly to the realization Aodhan must’ve been speaking to him. Why didn’t you kill the bastard at the time?”
Wings sweeping to the floor in a white gold fall, her archangel leaned back in his chair, his eyes difficult to read. “It would’ve raised too many questions about exactly what he’d done to deserve such a final punishment.”
Exposing what the asshole had tried to do to Aodhan.
“Aodhan was correct,” Raphael added after a long pause. “He is no longer who he once was, who we have so long been accustomed to thinking of him as. He did what was necessary in his capacity as the warrior who will accompany us to the Luminata’s inner sanctum.”