Sentinal's Tear (Book #1 in Requiem Series) [formally titled Lacrimosa]

Chapter 22

Aydan

I wasn't supposed to fall in love. Angels never do. But something about Elle changed everything. I don't know if it was her gentle manner or the fiery spirit that lived just beneath the surface. Either way, she was intoxicating. She understood me from the moment I introduced myself, almost as though she could touch my soul.

I met her a few months after I arrived in Bedburg. I wanted to marry her, give up my angelic life and live out my days with her. Something the Council would never allow.

Her father betrothed her to another and I went mad. There was no way I could share my Elle.

I thought of running away with her. But can you ever really run away from yourself?

My eyes flutter open as the image of Elle and our life together fades away. I look around, wondering how I made it back to my apartment.

Was everything just a dream?

The pain radiating in my chest gives me an answer.

Azza stares out of the window, stiff, angry. I haven't been acting like the UnHoly he'd trained me to be. Not by a long shot.

"How did I get here?" I ask.

"I found you outside of the hospital, bleeding and unconscious."

I sit up on one elbow, groaning as I clutch my chest.

"The wound to your human flesh will hurt for a while. But, overall you're intact. Looks like the Sentinal returned to finish her work."

I think about Nesy. The taste of her lips on mine. The vanilla scent of her skin. She kissed me back. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. A smile tugs at my lips and I stowe it away, desperate to hide the love I still hold for her.

Azza glares at me. "Strange."

Does he know? "What's strange?" I ask, pretending to feel nothing.

"Sentinals never miss. Let alone twice."

I bury my emotions and force myself to be the Beast I am. "Maybe I'm just stronger than she is."

"Mikayel would not have sent her if she couldn't complete the task. My guess is that something else got in the way." His gaze intensifies. "Something you may know about." He tilts his head and waits for me to answer.

"I have no idea why she missed," I lie.

Azza pounds into my thoughts, rifling through my mind. Good thing I know how to block intrusions—just the way he taught me.

A moment passes. And another. Scenes of my life with Azza stream in front of me before I feel him leave my thoughts.

"We must figure out why the Sentinal is so hesitant to vanquish you. It could help us learn how to defeat her."