Page 5 of The Bonds of Indigo

Alas, with Sydni, Xeraphine’s best friend departing today, it’s time I move on and find another way to the Beyond.

Throwing off the blankets, I move to the en-suite bathroom.

After showering, brushing my teeth, and combing through my hair just to throw it up into a messy bun, I head out into the hall toward the living room.

This two-story mansion is far beyond anything I’ve lived in since I had Lucifer in my life. Everything is white on white: marble floors, sterile walls, not a hint of color except for the occasional painting. It all screams wealth and vanity. From the vases tucked between archways leading to unnecessary dens and offices, to the glass chandeliers overhead. Even the few rugs that line the hallways are lush enough to make me want to piss on them.

I’d never, of course, I’m not an animal, but gods it’s just so prissy of the Fallen to quite literally bring the Vayl here after they kicked him out. My distaste for him only heightens my disgust with this place. But I’m too old to sit in that irritation.

Even if he’s standing right in my path to the living room.

From the bedroom I’ve been staying in to where I’m heading now, runs the same hallway that houses the dungeon door. I still don’t understand why he has one. His excuse of “It came with the house” grates on my nerves, so I stopped asking.

Alaric—said Fallen—is standing at the door, beating the handle like it’s an enemy. I’ve gotten to know him quite a bit over the past month or so, and I’ll admit, I hate him just as much as I did the first time we met.

He’s an Angel cast out by the Vayl, stripped of flight, and banished to the mortal world. Or Earth. His indiscretions? Well, let’s just say I’m not exactly upset over what brought that gavel down on him. Choosing not to kill Xeraphine when she was only a child was the right call, even if the Divine didn’t think so.

Still, his reasoning for helping Xeraphine to get an offspring of Demon and Divine blood pisses me off.

“The door isn’t going to suddenly summon them back to life, Fallen.”

He sighs and turns just enough for his deep blue eyes to meet mine. I have no sympathy for anyone in this mess except Sydni, so his disheveled look does nothing but make my balls itch. If he’s so keen on waiting for his revenge against his own kind, fine. Let it die out, like my friend did.

“I wish you wouldn’t call me that.”

I shrug. “I wish for a funnel cake to appear in my hand…” My hand comes up between us. “Oops. Well that didn’t work now, did it?”

He grumbles. “Childish.” Dragging his fingers up through his hair, he huffs, “I’m not summoning her back. It isn’t that. Even if she woke up suddenly—which is unlikely because let me be frank, I don’t think he’s coming back at all—as badly as you all so desire that, the odds are stacked against that outcome.” He releases a heavy sigh and turns back to look at the door. “Sydni is saying goodbye, and has been for nearly an hour.”

Belial himself.

Without needing instructing, he steps aside to let me pass and open the door. He doesn’t follow, thankfully.

Of everyone, I’ve known Sydni the shortest, but her intuition is sharp, and she’s never hesitated to stay close. Our bond is solid. I may not call her Princess or Butterfly, but she’s a friend—without question.

I’d say she became comfortable around me almost instantly, but I can attribute that to my calm demeanor and natural charm. Nothing to be shy about; I know I’m wonderful company.

The hallway lights up, revealing a stark contrast between the white marble upstairs and the dark grays and browns down here. I pass the medical room, where Taks, a friend of Alaric’s I guess, is leaning against the doorframe. He’s been watching over a permanent guest of this place—who I can’t hear, which means he’s probably passed out.

Just as I nod to him, I hear soft crying.

I move swiftly past several metal-gated cells, and when I turn the corner at the end of the hall, I see her.

Sydni sits on the floor, back pressed to the cement wall, curled into a tight ball. Her blonde hair hangs over her arms, her body shaking as she struggles to get herself together.

A soft sigh comes from my nose, and she jumps.

“You’ll get use to the hearing thing.” I approach her slowly, and only briefly look between the bars to see a large metal casket, resting in the middle of the dark cell.

No movement.

No heartbeats.

All three of them—Xeraphine, Kairhyse and Mister—still gone from this world.

I lower myself onto one knee beside her and rest a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, Sydni.”