“And with me.” Layla snorted, sipping her tea. “Coming after the Paris Hotel and all my allies because I turned down being his little bitch.”
“Your words, not mine. But yes.” Heathren continued with a slight smile curling his full lips, a brighter gleam of silver in his eyes. “Yet now, we’ve had an interesting bit of information come out of the Binds Luke managed to liberate from Hunter via hisnullaxat the hospital battle. All of them, to the very last one, are from Nadia’s people at Petra.”
“Nadia’s people didn’t want to be Bound to Hunter.” Layla blinked in understanding as she paused now from blowing on her tea. “And Luke’snullaxworks predominantly on magic that’s been forced on a person, like curses and such. So Luke’snullaxfound Hunter’s unwelcome Binds and un-made them –duringa battle.”
“Indeed.” Heathren spoke with a hard glint in his eyes now, though a more eager smile curled his lips. “The Royal Dragon Binds that Mr. Murphy’s power liberated had been conscripted into Hunter’s army against their will. And we know that many hundreds of Binds succumbed to Hunter’s sways at Petra rather than get killed outright – hundreds we could potentially release from him. I believe that if I can use Archangelic magics to amplify Mr. Murphy’s power to its fullest, spreading it far wider than he could by himself and bolstering its intensity, we could produce a shield with hisnullax– and wrap it around the entire Hotel and its grounds on solstice night.”
“Creating a barrier through which all of Hunter’s forces have to pass to fight you and your men, Layla, at the Paris Hotel.” Luke continued, a pleased glint like Heathren’s in his fierce green eyes. “The moment Hunter arrives for the fight, he gets a nasty surprise – and loses a large chunk of his army right off the bat.Hundredsof Royal Dragon Binds suddenly lost – that we’ll never even have to lift a talon to fight. Boom. Take that, fucko.”
“Holy shit.” Layla breathed, finally seeing the massive potential of what they were talking about. Deep inside, her drakaina roiled with a furious eagerness through her veins, sending a scalding wave of energy straight through her and lifting goosebumps on her arms. “But how can we force Hunter and his army to go through our barrier if he can just arrive right inside it via an etheric portal?”
“You forget that Archangelic magicusesthe ether, Layla.” Heathren spoke with a small smirk now, cunning as Layla felt his divine power suddenly hum more strongly through the room, his skin shining brighter. “It comesfromthe ether. And if I use Archangelic magic to amplify Mr. Murphy’snullax, our barrier will extendthroughthe ether also – sky, sea, or earth.”
“Even if Hunter’s forces portal in, they’ll have to pass through the ether to do it. And pass through thenullax-barrier.” Layla blinked with real astonishment now, setting her tea aside on the bar’s white tiles as her drakaina gave a triumphant roar all through her veins. “Jesus. Do you think it could really work?”
“I believe so.” Heathren glanced at Luke as the two shared an accord. “Though such a thing has never been tried, I think if Mr. Murphy and I work together – with a few others of the Intercessoria’s most powerful Fallen Ephilohim, including my partner Insinio Brandfort – that we just might be able to achieve it. Mr. Murphy has a rather viciously angelic savior’s way about him that harmonizes well with my own aura, though it would require an entire cadre to implement over an area as large as the Paris Hotel. Thankfully, I’ve already sent Insinio and those I’d need to the Hotel. I’m hoping that if we can hold the barrier until Hunter’s forces fully arrive through the ether, that we can sever all of Nadia’s Royal Dragon Binds from him. And any others who were Bound against their will over the ages – diminishing his army and perhaps even bolstering ours.”
“Couldn’t Hunter just re-Bind them, though? Take them back immediately after we wrench them from him?” Layla frowned, trying to think through every angle before she gave it her go-ahead. She knew it would probably be vastly dangerous for Luke and Heathren both, not to mention the rest of the Intercessoria’s Fallen Ephilohim Judiciaries involved.
“Perhaps not. We have yet to test that angle of the plan.” Heathren spoke as he and Luke exchanged a glance, before Heathren looked back to Layla. “Which is where you come in, Layla.”
“How?” Layla frowned, not understanding. “I thought I was just the bait?”
“Not just.” Heathren spoke as he lifted a cryptic eyebrow, sipping his tea and nodding at Luke.
“Layla.” Facing her squarely from where he sat across the breakfast bar, Luke set his tea aside on the crackle-glazed white tiles. “You know that mynullaxun-makes magic. But after experimenting with my power these past months at the hospital… it seems that after I break a magical Bind, they’re not able to return. Ever.”
“What do you mean?” Layla asked, curious about this aspect to Luke’s magic.
“Well, there are many kinds of Binds in the world – curses, hexes, spirit invasions, and so forth – and I’m learning about a lot about how to break them without damaging a Twilight person’s native magic.” Luke spoke again, frowning as he rifled a hand through his dark hair. “The patients I’ve worked on with mynullax, it seems they’re not susceptible to getting Bound again by the same force. If they were invaded by an evil spirit, they’re suddenly not open to spirit invasions anymore. If they were cursed by touching a magical object, they can now touch anything cursed and it doesn’t affect them.”
“And if Hunter used his magic to Bind someone,” Layla continued, her eyes wide as she finally understood, “that Bind would be sundered. Forever.”
“Bingo.” Luke spoke back soberly, though his emerald eyes flickered with eager lightning. “But right now, it’s just a theory; we haven’t been able to test it yet. Which is why Heathren and I summoned you here. You and I were Bound once by your magic, but I broke it with mynullax.If you can re-Bind me, then my theory about being able to take Hunter’s Binds away long-term is shit and we need a different plan. But if you can’t re-Bind me… we’ll know our plan has a chance.”
“Luke.” Layla stared at him, her heart suddenly gripping as her bourbon-orange Dragon’s scent rioted from her, alarmed. “If I re-Bind you—”
“I know, Layla.” Luke held her gaze now, his green eyes intense but clear. “I know I’ll become one of your Bound men and lose my freedom. But I think it’s worth it, don’t you? To find out whether we can take a good chunk of Hunter’s Binds away from him? After everything that went down at the hospital, after seeing so many of my colleagues and patients die, and losing my grandfather’s house… I want this, Layla. I need it. I need to do something that willseriouslyfuck Hunter up. I need to make him pay – whether I’m back in the Bind or not.”
Slowly, Layla let out a long breath through pursed lips as her drakaina roiled in her veins, thinking about what Luke was asking her to do. Though they had been lovers in the past and loved one another still, she and Luke were like oil and water, destined to never get along. Renewing their Bind could be catastrophic if their tempers raged again, tearing the Bind apart. But Luke was right; if Layla’s magic couldn’t re-Bind him after they’d severed it with hisnullaxback at Christmastime, then this plan to take away part of Hunter’s army just might work. It was a risky gamble, but as Layla stood there looking into Luke’s fierce green eyes, she knew she trusted him.
To make the hard decisions and come out fighting.
“Okay. I’m in.” Layla spoke at last with a decisive nod. “When do we do this?”
“Right here, and right now.” Heathren spoke as he gestured to his apartment. “My penthouse has more warding against magical spying than anyplace else I know. We need to do this experimentbefore we head to the Paris Hotel. And see what can be seen.”
“Okay. Just… give me a moment.” Layla spoke again, praying that her Bound men would understand her decision, especially if Luke made it back into the Bind. They were all having to use their judgement these days to make choices for this battle without the rest of the Bind. Still, Layla set a hand to her heart, feeling her way out to Adrian along their Bind in a moment of quiet.
Adrian?She asked deep inside as she searched for him. Far away, she found him, and saw him turn in one of the Hotel’s opulent rooms.
Layla? Is something wrong?Adrian asked her, blinking as his dark eyebrows rose.
I have to make this quick, Adrian, and can’t be specific in case Hunter is possibly still able to monitor the Bind, but I need to ask you something.Layla thought back, pressing her thoughts deeply through the weft and weave of the cosmos to her most beloved drake.I need to make a decision about the Bind, one that could really help us or possibly rip us up. Do you trust me?
Pausing, Adrian stared at her for a long moment through their connection, then gave a deep nod.I do, Layla. I trust you. Make your decision and head back to us. We’ll deal with any fallout as a group, supporting your choice. I promise.
Thank you. Layla murmured, loving Adrian to the ends of the universe as her heart swelled with a vast golden glow for him. She felt his heart swell back through time and space as he placed his own hand to his chest, mimicking her with a deep smile. And then he spoke again, giving her a little push backwards through their Bind and the ether both.
