Forbidden: Tormented

Chapter Eleven

The sun rose and still she slept.

Exhaustion pulled at him, but he could do nothing about it. Sleep was not an option. Not until the others returned. He couldn't reset his wards until they did.

The demon that he had left alive had been chained and interrogated. Information on Urian's whereabouts was given and the demon sent to the void with thanks given.

There was nothing left to do now but wait. Wait and remember.

Every gentle touch she gave him, every drop of her blood he spilled. Every kind word she spoke, every threat he returned. Every comfort she blessed him with, and every moment of hell he put her through.

He remembered it all.

Holding her hand, he offered prayers in her name. Right or wrong, he felt Heaven should know that she was still doing what she came here for. She was healing him.

What he had to do now would hurt her, but that pain he could bear. She would be safer far from him, but he knew she wouldn't leave. Because somehow, she loved him. All of him. His external scares as well as the ones that still bled on the inside.

She would be safe from him. From those hunting him. The one controlling him.

Yes, he could bear that pain.

But could he tolerate what he would feel? His ache that would never end? For her, for his love he would have to. It was for her protection.

"Jesus, Valafar! What in the holy hell happened here?" He heard Irin before she saw her. So caught up in his misery, he never hear the others approach.

He swung around in the chair, coming to his feet even before his body quit twisting, he faced her.

Angel. With demons on either side of her.

"They came."

"They?" Elathan frowned.

"Three of them. They attacked her. They almost killed her," he growled. "They thought to take her from me. They thought wrong."

Elathan held his hand up as he stepped closer to the edgy demon. "Easy, Valafar."

Valafar frowned at him. "What are you doing?"

"I am simply checking on her."

"She lives. Somehow, she lives."

Andras stepped into the room. "Damn brother, what happened?"

Valafar almost sagged in relief from seeing his sibling alive and well.

"Hell happened." He dropped back in his chair. "They came when we were asleep, going after her first. She kicked one through the glass door and that was what woke me. But they hurt her. So bad. This light." He shuddered at the memory. "This blue light came from me and healed her broken spine."

He almost missed the look that Irin and Elathan shared.

"What does this mean?"

"It means that you were created from... parts of angels. You have a slight healing ability. It's the same thing that let me heal Irin when Vetis tried to end her." Elathan spoke carefully, watching the rapid change in Valafar's eye's. The silver to red and back was downright scary. "You are as old as I and it was how we were made."

"Okay. Whatever." Valafar tilted his head. "I can hear him. He is talking to me. Laughing." Shaking his head, he found the others watching him. "He talks to me a lot. I didn't know who it was before. Then Andras heard him. Since then, he tells me things that he is going to make me do." Valafar smiled. "It used to be fun. But now I love her."