Page 129 of Grave Revelations

Something barreled into his chest, and he stumbled back as arms came around him, squeezing him in their iron grip. On instinct, he fought to free himself, preparing to run.

Then, her smell hit him: apples and chocolate, just like the taste of her blood. And although it wasn’t how she normally smelled, there was a truth to it he couldn’t deny.

“Rebecca,” he breathed, wrapping his arms around her.

“You’re alive,” she whispered against his ear.

He gazed over her shoulder at a thick carpet of green and a brilliant blue sky with light, fluffy clouds swimming lazily overhead. “I’m not sure about that.”

She pressed him back, scrutinizing every inch of him.

He looked at her, truly looked at her, and understood what he’d felt when he first arrived. He thought it might be his true death; now, though, he knew what it was.

“Rebecca.” A cold stone settled in his stomach, and he tore himself from her grasp. “What did you do?”

Her face crinkled in confusion, but he couldn’t be sure it was genuine. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

“What do you mean?” she finally asked.

He paced away from her but turned back, running a hand through his hair. “You died. You killed yourself, and when you did, the compulsion to keep you safe fell away. Your true death freed me from it.”

Rebecca’s voice shook as she asked again, “What do you mean?”

Simon searched her face for a lie. “Zophiel forced me to keep you safe no matter what it cost me. I didn’t remember it until now. The memory was buried somehow. Some angel trick. Are you telling me you didn’t know?”

“Simon, you’re wrong. I didn’t know Jophiel until Allie’s life.” She sounded uncertain, even to his newly dulled senses, but the color drained from her face, and she looked as though she might faint.

Although the compulsion to keep her safe was no longer there, Simon wanted to go to her, to console her. A memory of all the times he’d used compulsion on her flashed in his mind, and his gut twisted.

Rebecca backed up as if she were about to run. When she took another step back, he lunged forward, grabbing her hand. “Wait.”

Her eyes glistened as she looked between their clasped hands and his face.

He wanted to comfort and tell her it was okay, but it wasn’t. Would he have spent his afterlife looking after each of her incarnations, helping her remember who she was, if not for this spell? Would he have sacrificed himself on Grace Island if he hadn’t been bound to?

He released her, running a hand over his face. “I just need some time.”

Rebecca had said nothing, hadn’t moved.

Sophia appeared, grabbing him and squeezing him in a fierce hug. “Adelfós. Thank you for stopping me. Thank you for keeping me from harming Rebecca when I wasn’t able to control myself.”

Simon let her hug him, gaze falling on Rebecca as she wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the cave wall. An explosion of vines raced up the stone behind her, cradling her as if to offer some comfort. She was dead, and although it had been by her own hand, she was struggling with it.

Sophia released him, stepping away as she glanced between them. “I’ll give you a moment.”

She wandered away, venturing out of the cave toward an expansive horizon that had never been visible before.

Simon came to stand beside Rebecca, leaning into the vine-covered wall. “What happened? After… Elizabeth.”

Wetness pooled at the edge of Rebecca’s lashes. She squeezed her arms more tightly, a tear rolling down her cheek as she pushed off the wall and moved away from him. “He’s gone. Truly gone.”

“Who… Gabriel?”

She nodded, her eyes glazing over, and Simon inhaled sharply. He had just learned a devastating truth; his entire world tilted on its axis, and all she cared about washim?

She loosened her grip on her arms, wiped her cheek, and stepped out of the cave. “We’re looking for the rest of the coven. Help us if you want.”

A bolt of fury shot through him. Rebecca hadn’t acknowledged his words. Yet somehow, his chest still constricted, knowing she was in pain. He wanted to claw his damned heart from his ribcage and smash it on the ground. This woman had altered his fate completely, and he didn’t want to feel anything for her. When had Zophiel done it? Was it after he died, or had she done it while he was still human, setting him on this path long before he’d ever known the horrors of the Graves Estate?

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