I gasp, coming back to myself with an intensity that leaves me nauseous and light-headed. The memories continue to play out like a video reel in my head.
But all I can focus on is Caius.
He still stands in the center of the room, but the professors lie at his feet, unconscious. In his hand is the apple from before, only it has decayed and weathered, as if it has been months instead of minutes. The fruit is turning a hideous shade of brown, completely dried into a shriveled husk.
The ropes around my ankles and wrists have somehow deteriorated, leaving behind nothing but flaky ash.
“Caius!” I jump to my feet and run towards the first man I ever loved. Thousands of years ago, before time itself had started. My vision is hazy as I race forward, arms outstretched. Only instead of hard muscles, my hand connects with nothing but mist that fizzles when I touch it.
Caius stares at me for a long moment, expression unreadable, before he dematerializes. A sob catches in my throat as I spin in a wide circle.
Does he hate me?
Did he leave me?
Does he remember me?
Before the self-doubt can fester, Dominic’s body begins to move, emitting a low groan. I take an automatic step back, hands raised to fend him off, when Dominic flashes a familiar, lopsided smile.
Caius’s smile.
“Hadley, it’s me.” His voice is Dominic’s—a smoky baritone—but the expression on his face? The love that emanates from his eyes? That’s Caius. “You…remember?” The question is almost hesitant, as if he can’t bear to hear my answer. At my jerky head nod, he breaches the remaining distance between us and places his forehead against my own.
“Caius,” I whimper, fisting my hands in the fabric of Dominic’s dark dress shirt. “I remember you. I remember it all. Paradise, Eve, Lilith, Lucifer… I remember.” Before I can even get those last two words out, his lips are on mine, devouring me whole. It should feel weird kissing a professor, but it doesn’t. Not really. These aren’t Dominic’s lips. Only Caius is capable of kissing me so tenderly and reverently, as if I hold the answers to the universe in my mouth. He holds me like fine glass, his large, rough hands at odds with how gently he uses them.
“I don’t know if I can forgive you for the things you’ve done,” I whisper tearfully, wrenching my lips away from his. My body immediately cries out at the loss of connection, but I will my expression to remain blank. Though I remember how much I loved this man, that still doesn’t erase what he’s done in the present. Even true love can wither away with time like a rose that has been cut at the stem, causing it to perish before your very eyes.
“I’ll spend eternity making it up to you,” he vows, rubbing his nose against my own. “My body—my real body—is still trapped in the underbelly of Hell. If we can find a way to free it, I’ll be able to release all of the essences I stole. They’ll be able to go back inside of the souls they belong to.”
I’m already shaking my head vehemently. “Braxton told me about the monsters in Hell. The monsters you created using the essences of souls. Why, Caius? Why did you have to do that?”
His eyes widen in horror, and he staggers back a step, one of his hands clutching his chest. “I swear to you I have nothing to do with that, but I may know who created them.”
“And you expect me to believe you?” I ask with another choked laugh. “You’ve lied to me. Used me. Hurt me. Why should I believe a word you say?”
His expression smooths over, becoming utterly impassive. It could've been hewn from granite. “You’re right. You shouldn’t believe me or forgive me. Actually, you should hate me. Heaven only knows I hate myself for what I’ve done to you. But if I’m right, if I’m telling the truth, then you’re in danger.”
Danger?
“What the hell are you talking about?” I query, taking a step forward until the tips of my toes touch his dress shoes. Caius runs a hand through his—Dominic’s—shaggy black hair.
“It means she’s here,” he whispers. “It means she’s guarding my body, hoping I’ll never escape.”
Understanding dawns on me like a flash of lightning in a pitch-black sky.
“Lilith,” I say in realization. My mind flickers back to the girl who had once been my friend…my best friend. Before she betrayed me and convinced Caius to feed me the Fruit of Good and Evil in a fit of envy. “Do you think she’s here? At the school?”
Caius turns agonized eyes onto me and nods once. “I think she is. And if she’s here, she’ll go after you again. She’ll go after your quad. She won’t hesitate to kill you to get what she wants.”
I remember the vision—the beautiful man Caius killed. Lucifer, Lilith’s lover.
“And what does she want?” I ask demurely, despite already knowing the answer.
“Revenge.”
Chapter 27
Karston
I’m feeling much better now. Whatever medicine the nurse infused my body with must be filled with magic because I almost feel stronger than I did before. Thank fuck, because I have a bad feeling that I’m going to need my strength.
“Where the hell are they?” Brax growls, pacing my dorm, his black wings fluttering anxiously behind him. “I knew I should have taken Had. Can’t trust Preston to not screw up something as simple as walking her to her dorm to get extra fucking clothes.”
Auston’s halo ignites over his head. “I’m going after her.” The hulking Angel storms towards the door, yanking it open.
Those two kill me. Never a dull moment with a brooding Demon and an alpha Angel flapping their wings around to see whose are bigger.
“You can count me in.” My brothers turn back to watch me crawl from the bed. “Just give me a second to change.” Rushing over to my dresser, I grab a plain white t-shirt and worn jeans, slipping them on in a hurry. Auston’s wearing his token white racerback tank top, tattoos swirling down his arms, and gray sweatpants. Brax is still in the gear he wears in hell. Like Auston, he wears a racerback tank to allow his wings free rein, but his is black. Instead of sweats or jeans, he wears tactical pants covered with pockets, holding God knows what inside of them.
Auston gives me a nod and heads out my door. Worry begins to gnaw at me. Sure the DD’s dorms aren’t that far away, and the trip should have been uneventful, but Hadley and Preston promised us that they’d come straight back.
“Maybe they just ran into someone?” I say hopefully. “She does share a dorm with Saggy Aggie. Who knows what kinda shit she might have to sit through with her as a roommate.”
Braxton’s dark eyes bore into mine. “I think it’s something more than that. I have a bad feeling.”
“Me too,” I admit, deflating. “Something’s going on. I can feel it.”
Auston growls, picking up the pace. I’m surprised he’s not fucking flying down the halls at this point. His white wings flutter in agitation, feathers falling to the floor.
Anyone in our path jumps out of the way as we storm down the halls. I don’t know if we are just that formidable, or if there’s something about us that instills fear. Whatever it is, I’m happy for the clear path.