Page 10 of Till Death

“Eli’s right. You can’t do it all alone, Jade,” Arianna added in. “This is our home too, our lives. We want to protect it too.”

I don’t say anything, only nod. Her mentality was the same as mine was before the battle brought out. I had believed everyone should have a chance to defend their lives and afterlives, not just Heaven’s soldiers, but after being in the thick of it, I was starting to wonder if I had made the right call.

“What about Cole?” Sean asked softly. “Did he—”

“Sean!” Arianna glared at him.

“What? He was my friend,” he snapped back before running a hand through his hair. “More like an older brother.”

My body reacted just at the mention of his name.

Intense emotions all hitting me at once. Grief, sorrow, hope, determination, disappointment, and fear—I experienced them all in the matter of seconds. It only confirmed my failed promise to him and how close I was to having something I’d been chasing for a long time.

Lifetimes, actually, according to Eli.

Pending tears stung my eyes. I refused to believe I was too late to save Cole.Refused.

It took me a minute to regain my voice, but when I did, I said, “I didn’t get to him. Yet.”

Sean perked up at that. “Yet? So, you have a plan?”

“Is there even still time?” Arianna asked. “He was already riding along the edge.”

“I’ll make time,” I replied.

Huffing, Arianna rolled her eyes, obviously not believing me. “Alrighty, then.”

“You now damn well giving up isn’t in her vocabulary,” Sean said with a chuckle.

“There’s a difference between being sensible and delusional.” She put her hands on her hips.

“Shut it.” Sean turned back to me. “Don’t listen to her, Jade.”

Not worries. I wasn’t.

I was fully aware how crazy I sounded. Just like when I jumped into the Hell pit, I knew the risks. I knew the danger and the lunacy of it all. Was that going to stop me from trying? Absolutely not.

“Stay safe you two,” I said and strode toward the magical wall again. The barricade dissolved for me as I stepped through. As expected, Eli was close on my heels.

“Do you think I’m crazy, too?” I asked him as the bricks realigned behind us.

To my surprise, a small smile cracked his hardened façade. “Always have.”

At least the Guardian was honest. “Seriously, though. Am I doing the wrong thing here, wanting to save Cole? Is Arianna right and I’m wasting my time? I need you to be honest with me here, Eli.”

“I’ve known you for alongtime, Jade. And you’ve never been the type of person to follow the rules. No matter what they were or who made them.”

“I’m stubborn. We know this,” I said.

“Yes, but it’s also made you a great Archangel. Better than me or any of the others. Better than Michael. Your decisions are made with your heart, always with others in mind, selflessly.”

“You know compliments make me uncomfortable.”

It was true. My skin was beginning to itch.

He chuckled. “It took me some time—too long to be honest—but I realized recently that when I said I’d follow you to the end, I needed to follow it through. No matter what. So if you think we can win this war, you’ll find me fighting beside you. And if you believe you can save Cole, then I’ll do whatever you need me to for it to happen. I’ll be right here…” He whirled his spear and knocked the end on the ground. “Right by your side.”

My throat tightens.

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