Page 77 of Angel's Enemy Omega

But he’s ready. More than ready. He wants toact.

That night, Nur feeds from him for the last time.It’s bittersweet. Feeding is a ritual he’s come to crave, as much as he craves any other touch from Nur. Yet he’ll not be sad to put an end to it. Nur will never truly be free while the spectre of the King stands over him, while he’s ahollowinstead of a creature who can forge his own path.

Nur’s soft mouth lingers on his neck long after the wounds have closed over. The silvery scar will fade eventually, like allArsene’s scars, but he hopes it will still leave a trace. Nur mouths at his jaw lazily, gently.

“You deserve better than what they gave you,” he murmurs, the words vibrating against Arsene’s jugular. “Just remember that. Because when you go back, they’ll offer you everything you want and more.”

“They could never give me you.” Arsene smiles, tangling his fingers in Nur’s silky hair. The Seraphim Council’s wildest dreams couldn’t touch what he truly wants. Freedom. Love. They’d offer him a cold bed and tell him to be grateful.

Nur sleeps next to him all night, wrapped in his arms. Halfway through the night Arsene is woken by the dogs. He tenses, ready to get up, but their yipping quiets after a moment. He sinks back into an uneasy sleep until morning dawns foggy and cold.

“It’s ready,” Irvin says when Arsene pulls back the flap of the medical tent. His face is drawn and ashen. “Are you certain about this?”

“Completely.” Arsene sits on the medical cot, where he’ll spend the next handful of days…indisposed.

A twinge of fear pricks him in spite of himself.

In the sentinel house, he was hurt. By the sentinel serum and its after-effects. By the training they were forced through while their muscles still burned from the latest dose. But almost worse than that, he was changed. They turned him into someone else while he was in there. And it’s not the pain he fears, but that transformation. The loss of control.

But when Nur enters the tent, his hair clean and pulled back, his clothes tidy, his stride confident…a wave ofrightnessrises through him. He lies back without fear. Irvin goes to his left arm, fingers cool on Arsene’s skin. There’s a brief tug. Then it begins.

Chapter 43

NUR

His ichor isblack as a starless night. At the first trickle, Arsene’s jaw goes tight. Slowly his face drains of color and his neck turns rigid, tendons flaring. Nur’s vergis wakes up and begins to keen unhappily. He grits his teeth—they have a lot more of this to go.

Arsene jerks and a grunt escapes him, and Nur grabs his hand instinctively. “Is he alright?” he asks Irvin.

“I doubt it.” Irvin’s response is dark. “Don’t move—you’ll disturb the line.”

Another noise comes on its heels. Then another. Nur clutches his mate as Arsene’s spine bows and his neck arches. Pain washes through the bond, a cruel river spilling into Nur’s heart. His own essence draining away is a tiny signal in the roar. He squeezes Arsene’s hand so tight the bones grind together. “Do something. Give him the healing serum!”

“Not yet.” Irvin’s reply is taut.

Finally, the tug inside him eases. Irvin steps forward. He unhooks the tube from Nur first and holds it upright. Arsene twists, thrashing against the pain.

“Hold his arm still.”

Nur grabs Arsene’s arm with both hands and presses it firmly into the bench. Arsene groans but doesn’t try to pull away, and Irvin carefully detaches him. The site of attachment is grey as ash and cool to the touch. He helps Irvin bandage it as Arsene gasps in the background, still twisting back and forth.

“Shh. It’s over,” he murmurs, stroking Arsene’s rigid forearm.

“Until the next one.” Irvin scowls. He lifts the bottle. “Let me do this now. Maybe it’ll help.”

Nur stands aside, helpless as Irvin administers the healing serum. Mercifully, some of the pain lessens. Arsene goes limp. Through the bond, his mind is fogged over.His body needs to process, Nur tells himself, but it’s no comfort.

What if this is all for nothing? It seems impossible that it could work.

“I need a smoke.” Irvin sighs. He closes up the box and rubs his eyes. “This is madness.”

“I’ll stay.”

Irvin nods sharply. “Tell me when he’s feeling better.”

As soon as they’re alone, Nur drops his head to Arsene’s ribs and groans. Arsene’s anguish is an ache just below his ribs. His vergis screams into the aether, railing at him.Your mate! How could you hurt your own mate!

“Hurts.” The rough moan makes him jerk upright.

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