Ethon stood in the stairwell, between the second and third level. He left his wings visible but folded them behind his back. He had on a black shirt with black jeans. Through one hand, he raked his raven black hair away from his crimson eyes, and in the other he held his long, sharp sword.
“Emma,” he called again.
The bond acted as a magnet, pulling me away from Kade. As much as I wanted to stay with him, the bond seemed like it was getting stronger. It weakened me and caused my heart to yearn after Ethon. I had to go. The bond was forcing me to.
“I’m sorry. I have to go,” I said.
Kade didn’t say a word, but loosened his grip on my hand. He knew time was running out, and if Lucifer lived, he would use my oath against me.
As soon as I was free from him, I found myself running toward Ethon. My body was on autopilot. I didn’t have as much control over myself as before, and I could feel my inner-self fading to the will of the bond.
I willed visibility and as soon as I did, Ethon sheathed his sword and held out his arms to me, a wide smile filled his face. “There you are, my love.”
From the side, I saw a large figure shooting toward him. In a flash, Lucian had escaped from Lucifer. His face was hard-set, and his blackened eyes were narrowed and set on his new target.
“Ethon!” I screamed, a few yards away. He turned and ducked under Lucian’s sword. Behind him, Lucifer caught up to him, grabbing his leg.
What happened next played out in slow motion, and I had a front row seat; an unwilling witness to every horrific and terrorizing detail.
As Lucian was being thrown backward by Lucifer, he resisted. His face hardened as he twisted, thrusting his right wing outward at the exact moment Ethon stood to unsheathe his sword.
I cried out helplessly, watching the tip of Lucian’s wing impale Ethon’s chest, exiting out his back.
A reverberating, earth shattering roar exploded from Lucifer, rattling the entire house as he watched the assault on his son. His rage quickly overpowered Lucian. As he slammed him backward into the ground, sending a shockwave of rubble, Lucian’s wing ripped from Ethon’s chest.
Enraged with a fire in his eyes I’d not yet witnessed, Lucifer pounced on him, hammering down on his face and body with such force it was sickening. Lucian was broken, barely moving, and hardly recognizable. But Lucifer continued, showing no mercy. He finally stood above him, his eyes filled with wicked intent, kicking him over to his stomach. He then took his wings, and with his sword, severed each one and tossed them to the side like they were trash.
Lucian wailed in agony as Lucifer kicked him back over to face him.
“Now… you die,” Lucifer hissed.
He lifted his sword and then slammed it down right through Lucian’s chest. Lucian wailed and clawed at the metal, struggling to remove it. The sounds of his last cries were nauseating.
With one final twist of his blade, Lucifer ended Lucian’s life. But his revenge had not ended. He grabbed Lucian’s hair, pulling his body upward, and then severed his head. He stood and raised it above his head, showing Lucian’s Fallen what became of their leader.
During Lucian’s extermination, Ethon dropped to the ground, grasping the wound in his chest.
“Ethon!” I screamed, running to his side. I fell down next to him, bringing his head to rest on my lap. Blood was pouring from the wound, pooling around and under him. His crimson eyes were becoming dim and dark; his breaths were raspy and shallow.
“Ethon. You can heal, right? You just need to rest. You’re an immortal.”
He looked at me, his eyes glossed over. “I’m sorry, Emma. Fate got the best of me,” he said softly.
“No,” I wailed. “Can’t you heal yourself?”
My heart felt like barbed wire was being tightly wound around it. Throbbing in agony, I could barely breathe.
“Emma,” Malachi yelled from below. I was glad to hear his voice.
As I turned to him, I noticed his eyes were filled with concern. “Look,” he said, holding up Lucian’s severed wing, showing us the tip which pierced through Ethon. “He attached immortal blades to them.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means… there’s nothing we can do for him,” he said sadly.
“You can’t die,” I said, turning back to Ethon, bringing my face to his. My heart was torched with an intense and shooting pain.
“It’s alright,” he whispered, then smiled weakly. “Death is my final destiny. But you will live, my beautiful Emma.”
“Ethon, no,” I sobbed. The bond was literally bashing my heart, splintering it into the tiniest fragments.
He raised his hand and rested it on the side of my cheek. I held it tight.