Page 116 of Soulmates
“I love you.” She hugged me again. “And I hate seeing you hurt, but I believe that you’ll get through this and that your life will be wonderful no matter how things turn out with Sam.”
“It doesn’t feel that way at the moment,” I admitted.
“Of course not. But you’ll see.”
Twenty-Nine
Samuel
Youngblood was unusuallybusy for a Sunday evening. I watched people dancing and drinking and generally enjoying the last night of their weekend, blissfully unburdened by angelic politics. Three days away from Siren hadn’t really cleared my head, but it did make one thing very obvious.
I couldn’t go through another eight years without her. This time we’d gone too far to go back to the way things were. I’d debated texting her a hundred times since I left her in her parents’ backyard Thursday, but I knew it was useless. What happened between us couldn’t be fixed with a text or a kiss or a quick fuck. The fact would still remain that I wasn’t free to love her or give her a future.
Looking around the room one last time, I downed the glass of bourbon in my hand and silently said my goodbyes to everything I’d built here.
* * *
Castle Island was empty.Technically the park closed to the public at seven. That wouldn’t stop Asura or me from showing up, but it did ensure that we’d be alone for our conversation.
“You came,” Asura said from behind me. Her tone didn’t give anything away, but that was my mother. She was an actress, dramatic and manipulative but good at hiding her feelings when she wanted to.
I turned slowly to face the woman who’d given birth to me and hadn’t played the role of mother for one second beyond then. I didn’t trust her as far as I could throw her, but I was curious what she had to say.
“You said you’d fight for me. Why?”
Asura smiled. It looked more triumphant than motherly, but it was still the most affection she’d shown me in my whole life. “Because you deserve the chance to love. I loved your father once upon a time. After hefell, I was devastated. Those four years were torture. I thought I could be with him forever if I just gave up my halo and place in Heaven. But I had to give you up too. It was the hardest decision of my life, and I regretted leaving you, Samuel. Our family was torn apart, all because he broke one little law. I want better than that for you.”
I was about ninety percent sure Asura was editing the story, but if even one part of it was true…
Could I throw in my lot with Asura? Turn my back on Micah and everything he’d done for me?
“Dammit.” Nathaniel landed hard just to my right, his red wings flared out. He’d never been the most graceful when it came to landing. “You’re smarter than this. Why are you entertaining anything she has to say?”
“What are you doing here?” I glared at the angel I’d thought of as my little brother ever since he’d joined the secret order. The brother who was supposed to be at the Amatos’ house with Siren and his family.
“Following your ass because Jor was worried about you.”
“Jor told you to follow me?” Last I knew, Joriel was sitting in a cell above Youngblood, something no one but me was supposed to be aware of.
“He said you seemed off the other night.” Nathaniel leveled a glare at my mother.
Asura bared her teeth at him, looking more like a wild animal than an angel in that moment.
“Don’t be an idiot, Sam—or rather more of an idiot than you’vealreadybeen. Siding with a Fallen is only going to lead to trouble and loss.”
“What more do I have to lose?” I snapped. “We can’t all be exceptions who get to recklessly love humans and have Nephilim babies. We’re not allyou.”
“You stubborn asshole. I’m not special! She’s mymate.”
I stared at Nathaniel dumbly. I’d always believed the mate legend was just that—a legend, nothing more than a myth. Even in the stories, they were rare. Angels married, usually for the sake of having children, but the mate bond was something else—rare and sacred. The idea that Nathaniel not only had a mate but a human one? I couldn’t believe it.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Asura move, lunging toward Nathaniel. And then the next second, she was dropping to the ground, her body spasming.
I wasn’t even surprised to see the archangel I thought of as a father, his pure black wings practically shimmering in the moonlight.
Archangels have the power to cause pain just by willing it. I’d never experienced it or seen it done before, but there wasn’t one doubt in my mind that was what Micah was doing to Asura.
“I’d say it’s nice to see you again, Asura, but we both know that would be a lie.”