swollen eyes. “Noa,” Diel breathed, devastation clear in his voice. His eyes roved down her broken and bloodied body, pierced and bruised over every single inch.
Noa smiled at the sight of him. Always so beautiful, especially post kill and drenched in Brethren blood. Mustering all the energy she could, she leaned on the elation she felt at seeing his beautiful face. “Hello, pretty monster.”
But exhaustion spilled from her along with blood, and her legs buckled. Diel rushed forward to take her in his arms before she hit the ground. The minute he held her, Noa felt a flicker of warmth in her broken body. “Baby,” Diel whispered, just as brokenly, and pushed the matted hair back from her face. “Baby,” he said again, a tincture of panic and relief in his raspy tone.
He laid her down on the floor, hovering above her, then he was wrenched to his feet. Noa watched, heart in her throat, as Diel was slammed against the cave wall. She wiped her eyes, straining to see what was happening, and saw the familiar sight of black leather pants and shirt and the Coven’s favored large leather hood. Her heart thrummed in recognition.
But then Diel launched himself at whoever was holding him, the two of them falling into attacking stances. “Pris …” Noa tried to clear her throat to speak louder. “Priscilla.” Noa wanted to cry in happiness when the hooded head turned to face her, and a pair of familiar obsidian eyes locked onto hers. But Diel charged at Priscilla and wrapped his hand around her sister’s throat. Priscilla did the same to him, the pair of them circling, each primed to tear the other apart.
Noa crawled forward, and Diel’s eyes moved from Noa’s sister to land on her. It was all the distraction Priscilla needed. She swiped Diel’s legs from underneath him and pinned him to the floor. She straddled his chest with her strong thighs and placed her knife at his throat.
“No,” Noa rasped, and her hushed protest stopped Priscilla from striking her blade straight into Diel’s heart. “No!” Noa said again. Diel froze at Noa’s anguish … as did Priscilla.
Noa crawled closer to Diel, gritting her teeth at the pain such minute movements caused. She wrapped her shaking hand in his. His eyes softened at the gesture. But he was confused; she could tell that by his furrowed brow. But Noa was focused on their entwined hands. She never thought she’d feel this again. She never thought she would see him again. Noa’s chest flooded with heat.
“This is him?” Priscilla nudged her head at Diel.
Noa squeezed Diel’s hand as tightly as she could. She wasn’t sure she could ever let go again. “Yes,” she whispered. “This is Diel.” Noa had told Priscilla all about the Fallen and Diel in her voicemails. About their cause … about how she had fallen so completely in love with this man and his monster.
Priscilla pushed her knife harder against Diel’s throat. Diel turned his head to look at Noa’s wayward sister without a hint of fear in his stare. A sliver of blood burst from the thin cut Priscilla’s knife had made. Noa’s heart kicked into a sprint. She loved her sister, but Priscilla was disturbed. She was unpredictable and would kill without feeling or remorse.
“You fuck with her or let her down,” Priscilla said tightly to Diel, pressing her blade down even harder on his scarred skin, “and I’ll gut you, slowly, then wear your skin as a fucking dress.” Priscilla smiled and laughed her demented laugh, then rolled off Diel in the direction of Noa. Priscilla wrapped her hand around the back of Noa’s head and kissed her forehead.
Then she jumped to her feet and went to run in the direction Auguste had gone, chasing his shadow downstream. “Wait!” Noa managed to say. She rubbed her throat. Priscilla stopped and turned. “Stay,” Noa begged. Diel moved closer to Noa and wrapped her tightly in his arms, as if reassuring himself that she was really alive.
Priscilla studied them with her head tilted to the side, as though she couldn’t understand why anyone would do that, why anyone would show affection to another … why anyone would fall in love. “We’ve found family,” Noa said. “People like us … like you.” She coughed at the strain of talking. “We are going to take the Brethren down. Come back to us. Your family … Join us. We can all do this together.”
Priscilla was quiet, eyes narrowed, then she