Steel

Chapter 37

"I do not know if completing the bond will be able to save you," she confessed, her glowing silver gaze meeting mine. This wasn't news to me. I remembered Lucifer's invasion in my head. I knew that whatever we did could end up being futile against him. But we had to try.

"I'm not afraid to die," I replied truthfully. I'd done it already. What's once more?

"Not death. Oblivion," she corrected me, her unwavering gaze boring down into mine.

I paused, trying to figure out how to respond to that.

"What happens will happen," I breathed out and she nodded slowly.

"You were made for this, my daughter. I do believe you can succeed, if that is any consolation," she offered me a small smile, which I'd never seen her do before. I too bowed my head a little in respect, looking back up to meet her gaze.

There was a moment of silence and then-

She slammed the glowing rope straight into my chest with a searing pain. I let out a bellowing scream as I fell to my knees, the world spinning around me, faster and faster by the second. Every nerve in my body was on fire, scorching like being burnt again by Hellfire. The bitter taste of iron made me tear up, my throat burning raw from my bloodcurdling screams. It felt like electricity was searing through each of my nerves, reorganizing every muscle in my body. There was a crack as my head hit the floor, a blinding flash of light and searing pain and then-

I sat up, gasping for air. I could still feel electricity tingling in my fingertips, echoing inside my bones. Move, it pleaded, move.

I was still in the church, but the daylight filtering through the stained glass had gone dark. Instead, the chapel was lit by golden candlelight. When I glanced to the altar, I saw no one. God was gone, as was Suriel, it seemed.

Sweat beaded on my skin, burning against the cool night air. Every muscle in my body protested as I pulled myself off of the stone floor and looked around, looking for Grey. Surely he was still here.

Turn, I heard a low voice echo inside my head and nearly jumped out of my skin. I spun around so fast it made me dizzy again. Slowly, my vision began to focus and he came into view: glimmering glacial eyes, midnight hair, and unearthly bone structure.

Where were God and Suriel? Why did they leave?

We've been out for hours, you a bit longer than me, the voice echoed inside my head once more. I jumped again, scowling at him.

"Are you-?" I croaked out, my voice raw. Grey nodded, a slow smile curling on his lips as he pulled me into his arms. Ocean. Leather. Blackcurrant. Home.

"How can you do that?" I whispered against his tunic, my throat burning as I spoke.

"Now that our souls are bonded, I am with you always, just as you are with me. Since our souls are connected, you can hear me as I can hear you," he explained, his voice crackling as if it were hoarse too.

"Why was I out longer than you?" I asked softly. Grey sucked in a deep breath and ran his fingertips over my arms.

"From what I understand, your body struggled to adjust to my soul. I think your body was prepared to give out when your soul was bled dry, I don't think it was prepared to receive any more power," he explained dryly. But of course that's only a theory, I have no fucking clue, that voice echoed in my head.

"Was it bad for you too?" I croaked, snickering a little at his snide comment.

Silence.

Was that what you went through in the Hellfire? When you Pledged to me? Or when you Pledged to Heaven? His voice rang in my ears.

Slowly, I nodded. I watched his head fall a little, his gaze boring into the ground. I could hear little muffled angry curses, seething, self loathing remarks, but they sounded a little further away than they had before.

"Stop. I can hear that. What pain I went through, I obviously could handle," I said hoarsely. Grey clenched his jaw tightly, looking back up at me solemnly.

"If I knew that- if I knew that was what it was like-," he whispered and I shook my head furiously.

"No, we're not going to do that. You couldn't have saved me from my pain, just as I couldn't have saved you from yours," I refuted, wrapping my arms gingerly around his neck. "It's over now. For now."

"For now," he emphasized with a roll of his eyes.

"For now, I have you, and you have me. Completely. For the first time, ever. That is enough to distract me from any pain, past or present," I smiled and Grey chuckled hoarsely, shaking his head a little.

"We should go tell the others the bond was successful before I change my mind," he murmured, his eyes fizzling alight with blue flame as he gazed down at me.

"Change your mind?" I questioned with a snicker. He brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear and trailed his fingers down the side of my neck.

"About kidnapping you and holding you hostage in my tent until we've had enough of each other," he breathed in my ear and I shivered. Regardless of how badly I wanted to take him up on that, he was right, we had a duty to the others.

"Maybe after we tell the others," I croaked out, though I wasn't sure if it was due to my raw throat or my thundering heart. Grey chuckled darkly and took a step back, as if he were fully aware of his intoxicating effect on me.

"Very well," he hummed, taking my hand firmly in his and leading me out of the chapel. With every step I took, I winced as my muscles seared with electricity in every movement. Grey must've been right about my body struggling with his power. I felt like I could either pass out cold or level a city with a flick of my wrist. Is this what Grey felt like all the time? And he thought I was powerful? I don't think I'd ever felt this much power running in my veins- ever.

You good? I heard his low voice in my head and shivered at the invasion.

"Just feeling a bit like a druggy on a high," I chuckled hoarsely and Grey huffed in amusement, leading us back towards the camp where the others were waiting.

And silently, I prayed.

I prayed that this- that we- would be enough.