A Crown Of Fire And Wrath (The Shadow Walkers Saga #5) - Sloane Murphy Page 0,19
faster here, so the guys won’t kick my ass for not just coming back instantly. They’re not exactly my biggest fans right now.”
“Do I even want to know?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“Probably not,” he laughs. “Come on, let’s get going, the sooner we do, the sooner I can get you home.”
I sigh at the word. Home. I never thought of it before, but home isn’t a place. Not exactly. It’s where they are, all of them. I try not to focus on that niggling inside of me that tells me it’s not going to be as simple as I want it to be now that I have my memories back. I love them, each of them, with every piece of myself, the problem is, that there are now so many versions of myself inside my head, different versions of how I loved them in the past. I’m not the person they fell in love with anymore, well I mean, I am, but I’m also irrevocably changed.
I worry my lip as I stuff the thought back down. That’s a problem for future me. Though I have a feeling it’s going to be something I need to resolve sooner rather than later.
“Where are we going?” I ask Levi as he takes my hand and leads me from the council chamber. He picks me up as if I’m nothing and spreads his wings, before soaring into the skies.
“You’ll see,” he teases and I can’t help but roll my eyes. I’ve had enough surprises for a lifetime, and I’m not exactly a fan of them, but I indulge him, because it’s so very rare he’s this carefree. Especially here in Avalon. I like to think that part of that is because of me, but I’m also aware I’ve caused him more than a little pain.
The mark on my arm is proof of that. The bond between us from my last life before this one as a Hunter. The one where I loved him, and another. Where I saved him, or thought I did, without even knowing him. He bound us together, granting me his protection. The angel runes on my arm a manifestation of everything he blessed me with when I awoke last as a Hunter. The protection, the ability to remember more than I should have, so that I could remember him. It’s almost as if that mark lead to everything that’s happened, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Not when it led me to all of them, and gave us the ability to build the life we’re working towards. I’m also a little convinced the mark was part of the reason my magic was available in this last life as a Hunter, it was why I was able to become an angel once more.
But that’s a conversation for another time. Another place.
It takes me a moment to pull myself from my internal monologue to realize where he’s brought me.
“My old house,” I gasp as we land, on the very outskirts of Avalon, the best place for an outcast like to me live in peace. I’d almost forgotten about this place. I might have all of my memories back, but there is a lot to sift through.
“I kept it sealed after… but I came here after each life of yours, and added pieces of you, just hoping that one day, I might get to show you this place again. But it was also a place I could come between your lives and remember that you weren’t completely gone.” My heart aches at his words. My emotions are running a gauntlet inside of me at the minute, but I extinguish the majority of it so as not to be overwhelmed, and kiss his cheek before he places my feet on the ground.
“Levi… I don’t know what to say. Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough.”
“You never have to thank me, Angel. I told you, everything I do, I do for you, for us. Let’s go in, there’s something I think you’re going to want back.” He pushes the wooden door open, the musty smell hits me first, it’s obviously been a while since he was here last.
He turns the light on and opens up the windows while I debate whether or not going inside is a good idea. I already have enough inside of me that I’m bottling up right now, and I’m not sure how much more I can take before I break. I know it’s coming, I just don’t really want