as distant, as devoid of emotion.
Yet above them, the sky swirled a dark red that bathed Manhattan in a macabre light.
“It is a power that is cold and dark and deep.”
“Like the ocean where the Legion sleep.”
“Yes.” He shot a bolt of light into the bloodstorm clouds. The sky erupted with gold, drowning Manhattan in brilliance for a long moment. “A small exertion given the power inside me—and the display may cause Lijuan to hesitate.”
Since he was still glowing like a lightbulb, she saw his point. “Energy’s already started to turn into wildfire.” It was the only way his body could’ve fought the poison.
Raphael nodded. “But even were I glutted with wildfire, I fear it would not be enough.” His face was lines of pure beauty, an archangel at the apex of his power. “She has risen again and again after feeding.”
“What the Legion showed us . . .” Her mind struggled to grasp the concept; she could suddenly appreciate the difficulty the Legion’d had in describing the phenomenon.
“It was a moment of blinding clarity,” Raphael said, “but now it slips in and out of my grasp like a half-remembered dream.”
Elena tilted back her head and took a deep breath of the cold air, on the theory that not thinking about it would bring the concept to the surface. “I feel so powerful.” Her skin continued to break open but nothing hurt; she felt better than she had in her whole life. “I think I’m drunk.”
“Would you like to send a fireball to the sky?” She heard the smile in his tone.
Dropping her gaze from the sky to him, this creature of power and beauty, she grinned past the anguish. “You’re still a little bit mortal.”
“I have pieces of your heart inside me, hbeebti. I will always be a little bit mortal.” He looked again at the bloody sky. “Blood is not evil. Blood runs in our veins. Blood is life.”
“They gave theirs so we could fight for ours.” She couldn’t look toward where the Primary had stood, the pain too raw and fresh.
“The Legion were warriors, Elena-mine, and they laid down their existence for their aeclari. We will honor that.”
Elena flexed her hands, focusing on the energy that lit up her veins and not on the loss that would hurt for a long time to come. “We better go see Dmitri, see if he knows anything more about that boom we heard.”
They stepped off the balcony together. As they did, she wondered how they looked against the night sky. Shirtless and beautiful, Raphael was glowing almost too bright to look at, and she was painted with rivers of liquid gold. I hope someone snaps a photo, she thought to Raphael. We are never going to look this badass again.
He laughed and he was her Raphael, even if there was a heavier darkness to him now, the darkness of an ancient power that had found home in his veins. This, she thought, was permanent.
He would carry the imprint of their Legion through eternity.
67
Dmitri took one look at the two of them and found a pair of sunglasses from somewhere. Elena had to laugh. The vampire had a sense of humor at times that very closely resembled hers. Not that they’d ever be friends. It was an unspoken law of nature.
Her laughter fled with Raphael’s next word. “Titus?”
“No news.” Taking off the sunglasses, Dmitri put them on a computer table. “Whatever he and Charisemnon did, it succeeded in blowing out all communications from those territories to the outside world. No one from another territory’s flown there and back yet to pass on the information.”
Dark eyes hard, Dmitri added, “Our own communications are sketchy at best. I think Lijuan or her people did a bit of deliberate damage at some point.”
“Have we lost our eyes on that side?”
“Vivek’s still got a few. It’s about what you’d expect. She’s getting ready to feed again, though we can’t see the flesh mountain—those bugs were crunched.” Dmitri brought up a feed on a nearby screen. “I sent Vivek to sleep after Michaela left with Elijah. He’s not meant to be awake and in the chair for such long stretches yet.”
Tell your friend to stop acting so human. It’s annoying.
I would not dare get in the middle of your and Dmitri’s special relationship, hbeebti. Light words, but he made sure his wing continued to touch hers, the glow coming off their bodies a silent testament to the sacrifice of seven hundred and seventy-seven exceptional beings.
Dmitri