he’d sat there, a few hours probably, his eyes closed, just letting his senses curl around her, letting her presence soothe him.
It was nearing mealtime; Grace would be here soon to check on Luna. The thud of boots, not Grace’s, reached him a moment later. Someone sat beside him.
“She okay?”
Silas.
Gunner didn’t open his eyes, kept his focus on his female. “I’m not sure. She’s blocking herself, but not totally? I’m not sure what I’m feeling, I just know she’s in there.”
“She’ll get through this,” Silas said.
“You know this? Or are you just spouting shit you think I want to hear?”
There were several beats of silence. “I may have had a lot of my powers stripped and been thrown out of Heaven, but I’m not completely useless.”
“That’s not an answer,” Gunner muttered.
The angel shifted, getting comfortable. “I can’t see the future the way I once could, but I get this feeling, if that makes sense?”
Gunner huffed. “Not even a little bit.”
The angel chuckled low. “When I think about Luna, the feeling is…good.”
“These feelings, is that how you knew she had something to tell us in the control room yesterday?”
“Yeah, something like that. It’s a feeling, but it’s more visceral than that. The heart of her, Gunner, it’s so bright and warm. She’s full of goodness, but yesterday she was afraid, sick with guilt. A dark shadow hangs over her. She can’t see the truth through it, and right now she doesn’t know who she is, she’s never been given the chance to know.”
Gunner’s gut gripped tight. “You got all that from a feeling, huh?”
“Well, that and a bit of keen observation.”
Gunner opened his eyes and looked at the angel. “You wanna tell me what I can do to reach her?”
“Before I lost my powers I would have known, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you. Now, I have no fucking idea, but this feels…right.” His silver eyes met Gunner’s, the corners crinkling. “How’s that?”
Gunner huffed out a laugh. “Fucking useless.”
Silas laughed with him. “So nothing’s changed, then.”
“Nope. You’re still as confusing as fuck.”
Grace walked out of the elevator, a tray of food and a drink in her hands. Gunner got to his feet, Silas with him.
“Let me take it in,” Gunner said to her.
Grace screwed up her nose.
“I’ve waited out here for hours. I’ve fucking left her alone like she wanted, I just need to see her for myself.”
“Fine. It’s not like I can stop you.” Grace knocked on the door. “Luna? You wanna open up? I wasn’t sure if you need to do the whole food thing, but I’ve got some here for you just in case.”
Nothing.
Grace tapped on her door again. “Luna?”
A low moan, so soft, but it still reached them.
Gunner was against the door in a second. “Luna, answer me,” he yelled.
Again, nothing.
He gripped the door handle and twisted it viciously, busting the lock. Then he put his shoulder to the door, smashing the deadlock, and rushed in.
Luna was lying on the floor, shaking and pale. Her cheeks were sunken in as if she’d been starved for days not hours. Gunner dropped down beside her. “What’s wrong? What’s happening to you?”
Her eyes were glazed, and her little fangs extended. “I need him,” she whispered, then sobbed. “I need his blood. I need it.”
Gunner scooped her up off the floor. “Jesus, why didn’t you come find me? Why did you let it get so bad? I’ll give you all you need, love. Whenever you need it.”
She shook her head, her body arching as a wail of pain tore from her. “I need him. I need Sir.”
Everyone in the room stilled. Gunner’s arms unconsciously tightened around her struggling body, holding her tighter to him, afraid she was going to get away from him, that he’d lose her again.
“I’ll feed you, Luna. Let me feed you.”
She shook her head again, bloody tears starting to leak from her eyes. “No, not you. I need him.” Another sob left her. “Let me go. Just let me the hell go.”
Gunner’s heart might as well have been torn from his chest and thrown on the fucking floor.
Silas stepped closer, his silver gaze moving over her thrashing body and looking into her pale violet eyes, almost as pale as the day Gunner had found her starved in that fucking basement.
“It’s as if she’s going through withdrawals, like a human addicted to drugs.”
Gunner growled. “How the hell is that possible? She hadn’t fed for a month when we found her. What is she addicted to?”