Suddenly, everything went black. I felt a searing pain in my entire body. My blood was boiling in my veins, but I couldn’t scream. I couldn't make a single sound. I couldn't even move.
I started hearing familiar voices; they had a tone of concern.
"Angel, please," I heard Nevaeh beg, "You have to eat something."
"No," Angel replied, "I'm not leaving him until he awakes."
"It's been three days." Nevaeh informed frankly, "He's not waking up anytime soon."
"The transition's nearly complete." Angel stammered, sounding like a man in the desert praying for water, "He's going to wake up any minute now; then we'll get married, and we'll be together forever. I promised him that."
"Wait." Nevaeh said, surprised, "What?"
“Please, Nevaeh.” Angel begged, “I only wish to be alone with him for a while.”
Nevaeh reluctantly exited the room with a huff. Angel squeezed my hands and kissed my palms. I wanted to smile, but I was frozen. I felt his tears brush against my fingers. I longed to kiss them away as he would kiss mine.
“Oh, Jesse.” he whispered mournfully, “If I lost you now, I don’t know what I’d do. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me since Beth. I remember when I first saw you. I was on guard duty, and I saw a group of people toss you over the Border. I walked up to your wounded body. When I saw your face, I knew I had to save you. It wasn’t until you woke up in the tunnels for the first time and I heard your beautiful voice that I knew why I had to save you; it was because I loved you. I love you. I really do love you, Jesse! I couldn’t imagine my life without you.”
His sobs weren’t so quiet anymore. He stroked the side of my face, to my neck, and down my arm. He rested his head on my abdomen.
“Jesse,” Angel muttered, “My dearest Jesse, I just need to do one thing, one last time.”
Then, Angel cupped my cheek and kissed my lips, pouring as much love and feeling as he could into it. He pulled away; I was finally able to open my eyes and move my face, though I could barely turn my head.
"Jesse!" Angel exclaimed, kissing my face and neck in between each word, "I missed you so much!"
I just held him in my arms and stroked his ebony hair as he cried into my chest.
"What was your crazy gibberish about before, Angel?" Nevaeh asked, reentering the room.
Angel sat back up and pulled himself together so he could answer.
"Damien attacked Beth not long after Jesse had accepted my proposal." Angel answered, not taking his big obsidian eyes off mine for even a second.
"You're kidding, right?" Nevaeh asked, "You barely know each other!"
"We have forever to get to know each other." I replied.
"You should at least wait until what you two are talking about doing here is actually legal."
I had completely forgotten. What Angel and I were planning to do was punishable by death.
"Jesse," Angel whispered, "when I proposed to you, I wasn't asking for a church wedding with a Catholic preacher. That isn't possible for us in this day and age. What I was thinking was more along the lines of a...Leviac ceremony."
I have heard of the Leviacs many times in my youth. They were said to be untouchable by federal law, and they could do anything having to do with Witchcraft, but they were most famous for their bonding rituals.
"You want to bring Leviacs into the tunnels?" Nevaeh complained, "You can't be serious!"
"They'll behave, Nevaeh." Angel responded calmly, "The Leviacs and I go way back."
"They're impervious to the law!"
"It'll be fine, Nevaeh. They may be Witches, but they're not evil!"
Nevaeh huffed and left the room. She was overreacting just a tad about the Leviacs. Sure, they’re a bit eccentric, but who on Liberal Ground isn’t? My mom said they were the most evil race of people in the universe, so they must’ve been alright, at least, because if my mother has an insane, unjustified prejudice against them, they’re worth a closer look.
“At least not all of them are evil.” Angel continued, “But in every species, aren’t there some good and some bad that ruin it for the former?”
Now Angel was talking to himself. He was so adorable when he talked to himself. I loved him and his voice so much, I couldn’t interrupt him, because he was so...dang...adorable.
“Take humans, for example.” Angel rambled, “The Holy Men are obviously not the best of humanity, quite the opposite. The best of humanity, well, the best of American humanity, is all right here, easily accessible from Liberal Ground. It’s quite amazing when you think about it.”
The more he rambled on and on to himself, some of it said in French, the more utterly adorable he became. I felt lucky, so utterly lucky, to be marrying such a thoughtful, adorable, inquisitive madman, the man of my dreams.
“You’re getting married?!” Avalis screamed enthusiastically, “This is so amazing!”
Then, I saw Avalis do something I had never seen her do since I’d known her. She ran up to us, and gave us a hug.
“It’s for the best that you chose a Leviac ritual.” Avalis stated, her hands on our shoulders, “It’s much more tight-knit and official.”
“Nevaeh told you?” I asked.
“Yep, along with everyone else in the tunnels. She sent a video feed.”
“So now everyone in Holy Land knows too?”
“Yep.” Avalis said less enthusiastically.
“Oh, boy.”
“It’ll be fine, Jess.” Angel soothed, “If they so much as think about trying to take you back, I’m prepared to fight.”
“Me too.” Avalis continued.
“Me three.” said Britter.
“Me four,” Beth trilled, “because I know their next move.”
“I do too.” I replied, “I think.”
So I told them about my vivid dream, abstract in meaning, about the black water and the volcano.
“I had that same dream!” Beth exclaimed in utter amazement, "Except I was watching you!"
“That’s...quite the coincidence." Avalis stammered in shock.
“It’s no coincidence, Avalis,” Angel said cryptically, “No coincidence.”
“What do you mean, my Angel?” I asked, taking a stray piece of his dark hair and pulling it behind his ear.
Angel took a long, deep breath and took my hands in his. I started holding my breath.
“Jesse,” Angel whispered urgently, “You’re...”
Aw, man, he knows! Angel will never love me now! I will sneak out of the tunnels tonight and make a run for it! Yeah, I’ll do that!
“...gifted!” Angel exclaimed as he embraced me.
I let the air out of my lungs as he stroked his back. That was a close call.
YOU ARE READING
Unkillable (Monsters Series #1) (Wattys2014)
RomanceIn an alternate future in America, when his parents throw him over the Border River, Jesse Salvatier is rescued by Colonel Angel Harper of Liberal Ground, who can never die, and falls instantly in love with him. When his family comes knocking on the...
