David picked her up, kissing her hair as he carried her to bed. “Don’t listen to Aunt Gwen. She’s only worried because I am her younger brother. I know you are not older than Nathan, but you look out for him, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“That is all she is trying to do.”
“But do you love that lady instead of Mommy? Does Mommy not make you happy?”
His chest ached as he smiled. “Mommy makes me very happy, princess. And no, I do not love Artemis. I never will, and that is why I will not give her a chance. My heart belongs to Mommy.”
Natalie stared at him for a minute. “Mommy didn’t know I could hear her and Daddy in my room. She would tell you to go like she used to tell him when she’d cry. She was sad because he wasn’t happy with her. She told him it was okay to leave her.”
“I’m not like Daddy, princess. I love her—always. And she makes me very happy.”
“You promise?” she asked as he laid her down.
David fixed the comforter around her. “I promise. Get some sleep now.”
“Daddy used to promise Mommy he loved her, but he didn’t act like it. He always left when she cried in her room. He said she would never get better. Then at the park, he told her he wasn’t in love with her.”
David kissed her forehead as he realized these little children had suffered with Jane. They never should’ve heard these things. “She doesn’t need to get better. She just needs to be loved and held together because there are a lot of bad things out there trying to tear her apart. No matter how bad she gets, I’ll always love her and hold her.”
Natalie smiled, rolling on her side. “I guess that’s why you were picked for her.”
He sat there beside her for a moment, just staring at her little face. She had fallen asleep before she had fully rolled over, and he was curious if she had consciously spoken or if she was talking in her sleep. He hoped this was God’s way of speaking to him, reminding him they were no mistake.
David shook his head before leaving his room. He’d promised Nathan he would find the plush dinosaur toy Dagonet had given him so he could sleep with it, but the little boy had fallen asleep on his own. He hated leaving them alone for long, so he quickly pushed open the broken door to the room they’d stayed in with Jason. Gwen had wanted everything destroyed, but he told her to let the kids have some peace without seeing workers tearing apart the room they had thought would be their new home.
After entering the twins’ room, he sighed. It was still a mess, and the smell of Jason’s blood was still thick in the air. Luckily, he spotted the dinosaur and the doll Dagonet had given the children right away. He snatched them, relieved they didn’t have blood on them, and headed back to his room.
He glanced at Jane’s door out of habit, pausing with his hand on the doorknob to his room. It wasn’t like she was going to come walking out, but he could still smell her sweet scent whenever he passed by.
David sighed and looked away, turning the doorknob to his room.
“David.”
He froze, staring at his door.
It was just a whisper of his name, but it was who the voice belonged to that had his heart pounding. Death.
Turning quickly, his eyes widened at the green glow fading from under her door. He shoved the door to her room open so fast, he almost broke it, and nearly cried at what he saw.
Death lifted his gaze from Jane’s unconscious form to David’s. “Hurry. Lucifer had to drain half her blood.” He turned, laying her on the bed and uncovering her naked body.
David couldn’t move. She was white. Naked. And she smelled like . . .
“Stop staring at her like that! Come here—I need your help.” Death glared at him, holding out his hand. “Give me your arm.”
David had no idea what Death could do with his arm that would help her, but he sat on Jane’s other side and held it out.
Death grabbed his forearm, squeezing tightly but never looking at him.
A cold sensation pulsed a few times where Death’s hand was before slowly traveling up David’s arm, to his chest. It spread through his lungs, reminding David of breathing cold air in, but it instantly switched from cold to hot. Too hot. “Death . . . I can’t—” He took a huge breath and tried to pull his arm free, but Death held him tight.
“Don’t,” was all Death said when he felt his lungs burn and collapse.
David braced himself with his free hand as his lungs burned so painfully he thought he might collapse. He kept trying to breathe as Death leaned over Jane.
“Breathe,” Death said, brushing his lips against hers.
More pressure surrounded David’s chest. He tried to suck in air, but each time it was stolen, replaced with fire he could not escape.
David began to panic as he thought Death might be taking him in order to let Jane live. David would give his life for hers, but he wanted to see her before he died.
When he collapsed, struggling to keep his eyes open, Death loosened his grip and blue flames erupted from his mouth. They swirled around Jane’s lips before Death kissed her, pushing her mouth open enough that they could enter.
The fire inside David’s lungs spiked to an unbearable heat and then suddenly receded back down through his arm and died when Death removed his hand. Relief and oxygen filled his body, but all he could do was watch the blue light spread from her lips down to her chest.
“Baby.” David almost felt like crying when the light faded and her chest rose.
Death smiled as he leaned away and cupped Jane’s face. “Come on, baby girl.” He gave David a small nod, but David was too focused on the rise and fall of her chest to acknowledge him or ask what had just happened.
Finally, she gasped, her eyes flying open, darting all around the room but never to David.
“Easy, Sweet Jane. You’re home,” Death said, smoothing her hair back.
“Luc!” she cried, tears falling from her eyes. “Luc, my king! My king!” She frantically slapped Death’s hands from her face. “LUC!”
“Stop it, Jane!” Death yelled, grabbing her face and forcing her to look him in the eye. “Baby girl, it’s me.”
Her eyes darted back and forth between Death’s as she continued to cry. “Luc.”
Death shook his head. “He’s not here.”
More tears slipped from her eyes.
“Luc took her out of you, Jane,” Death whispered, nuzzling her. “Remember, angel. Remember what happened. You’re only disoriented because you stopped breathing for a while.”
She sobbed. “My king—he kept me.”
Death nodded, kissing her cheek. “I know, angel. He kept a part of you safe so you could come back. He took her out.” Death pulled a sheet up to cover her as she wailed. “He didn’t want to go as far as he had to.”
“Luc!”
David could only stare at her. She was crying, begging for Lucifer to come to her. Not for him. Not for Death. She cried for Lucifer.
Death lifted his gaze to David and shook his head. “Give her time. She doesn’t understand. He had to break her completely in order to seal her away for me to revive her. His light protected enough of her for me.”
He nodded, remembering what Death had told him: Lucifer was the only one who could control and extract Jane’s darker soul—imprisoning it within himself. The only problem—the problem that tore Death apart this entire time—was that Lucifer had to destroy Jane. He had to make her fall and not get back up.