I closed my eyes to take in a deep breath and regain my composure and before I knew it, I felt the gentleness of his lips glide against mine. I knew whatever plans we had for the afternoon would be put on hold. Athen's fingertips began running along the length of my arm. It had only been months since I was last held in his embrace, but his touch felt so new and exciting. I felt his lips on my neck gracing every inch as he worked his way down. I began grabbing his shirt as he made his next move.

"At least, I'm not making you wait." I whispered coyly.

His lips immediately stopped gliding over my skin as he looked up at me. My heart plummeted down ten stories wondering what I did wrong.

"Unlike you, I wouldn't have accepted no as an answer," He said with his all too familiar half grin, half smirk, "You did."

"I had a choice?" Was all that slipped out as I sunk into the embrace of the comforter.

"It was worth it, wasn't it?" His eyes penetrated through to my core. They were so mesmerizing. I felt his fingers lightly grazing my collarbone and my entire body began to tremble with an eagerness that surprised me. He brought his lips down to mine, and I felt his breath hovering on my skin. It smelled so sweet. I released myself fully to him. There was no room for playful arguing. I needed him now. As his breath hovered on every crevice of my body, the chill began to invigorate me as our bodies became one, as if we had never been separated.

Chapter 21.

We were all in our living room spread out, taking in the moment of having Athen back. Athen and I never wanted to leave each other's embrace from earlier in the afternoon, but we knew we had to get back to Cyril and Arie.

"Alright, so you've got to fill us in. Arie wasn't able to locate Matilda. She couldn't find you guys. Ana couldn't see any images. After the incident at the hospital, it was like you were gone into the mist. I searched the place you were staying, finding nothing. Where did you go? I don't understand, man. You've got to tell us what the heck has been going on?"

My head spun to glare at Cyril.

"What do you mean you searched the place he was staying? I didn't think you guys knew exactly where he was staying."

Cyril began to shift uncomfortably in his chair, and I felt Athen's arms wrap around me to calm me a tad.

"I took off. I couldn't deal. I think I knew what was up from the beginning, but none of it made sense. It was becoming clear, bit by bit, and yet, I didn't want to see it or believe it." Athen answered Cyril's question before giving me a chance to go off.

"I had placed clues for myself about our life, but I can tell you they seem really absurd when you find them in a mortal state, or what you think is a mortal state."

"So you really did try the memsors? I didn't think that was even possible." Arie said shaking her head in disbelief.

"Where all did you place these clues?" I asked, letting Cyril off the hook for now. I didn't want to dampen the excitement of Athen being back in my arms by chewing out Cyril. It could wait.

"The first place was underneath Matilda's collar. Another one pointed me to a leather journal back at the Kingston home. I had written a lot of stuff in that journal." Athen seemed rather impressed with himself on that one.

"Whoa, I picked that up just a week ago! I almost opened it too."

"It was probably best you didn't." He said, winking at me and hugging me.

"We are still going to have to do the reintroduction process, you know." Cyril stated in a very serious tone. "I think the sooner the better."

"I totally agree." Athen nodded his head. "Tonight we should get it done. Lilith is still around. I don't want any complications."

Hearing him now actually utter her name made the anger begin to burn in my belly. I never imagined those syllables would roll off his tongue, and here they made an entrance.

"Well, we might as well. Nothing else has followed protocol."

Cyril and Arie got up from the couch.

"We should all get some rest." Arie patted her brother's knee on her way out the living room.

Leaving us to stare at each other was the best gift. There was so much I wanted to say and so much I never wanted to hear.

"Can I ask you something? It's kind of odd, I'm sure." I looked into Athen's eyes hoping for a positive response.

"Sure. Why wouldn't you be able to?" He chided, lightly touching my hand.

"When you were in the library researching Angels and Demons, did you notice me, and why were you researching those subjects? How did you know or what did you know?" His gaze moved quickly from mine, and I noticed he looked down.

"Well, the first part of the question is yes. I certainly did notice you, but I was afraid you were like the others. And that leads into the next answer. There was someone pursuing me pretty intensely, yet I knew something was off. There was a beauty to her but a lack of kindness. She was like stone, even her laughter. I felt she was something other than what she represented. I couldn't put my finger on it. Her eyes were so dark, almost lifeless; yet, the rest of her didn't seem to match that persona. It was very confusing."

I curled my legs up, sinking into the couch and deeper into his gaze.

"I had an evil feeling follow me every time she was around, yet I kept being pulled to her so I thought I should check it out. Not being privy to the information that I am now, I had no idea the enormity of everything. I also always noticed a black marking near her, either reflected on the floor or the wall. I thought I was going crazy. Then when I saw you and your otherworldly, completely wholesome beauty gazing back at me with your wondrous green eyes, I thought I was really losing it. Especially when I saw the beautiful light bouncing off the library wall. It was like the exact opposite of the woman pursuing me. I couldn't fathom if that was what I was really seeing or if it was somehow related to the dark markings. It was beautiful, but I didn't see any crystals or gla.s.s that could be causing the prism effect, and I realized that on some level you and the other woman had something in common. Somehow, you had to be connected. I didn't know what was going on, and I decided to take off immediately and barricade myself in my rental house for awhile. Only she wouldn't leave me alone, and she had the ability to be charming." He said somewhat laughing.

"Yes, serpents are known for their charming abilities." I rolled my eyes and smacked his leg.

"When I realized she was part of the equation, I almost quit and then finding out that my mistakes could have turned you away from us, I just..."

"Quit on what?" Athen asked so quietly, I almost couldn't hear him.

I couldn't bring myself to say it. It felt like the ultimate betrayal. Here Athen lasted for decades, and I almost gave up in a matter of months. I could feel the tears beginning to well up. I vowed I wasn't going to tell him these things, and here they were pouring out.

"What was it, Ana? What did you almost quit on?" Anger was edging into his voice now.

"I just... It was only for a few hours. I didn't think it was good for us or the situation if I kept thinking of you. I know I couldn't have stuck to it, but I thought I was making so many mistakes that either involved you or were because of you that I had to detach myself from you." Tears were streaming down my cheeks now in a constant dribble.

"I know I couldn't have done it. I think it was my coping mechanism or something. I was so worried that I'd lose you to her. I was messing up left and right, putting us all in jeopardy and the process in limbo. It makes me sick to think about it."

There was a long pause, and I wasn't sure what his reaction was going to be. Fear started to creep into my mind as I began thinking about how selfish I sounded.

"Sweetie, it's okay. I understand. I'm so thankful you stayed strong, but you can't ever give up on us. There is always a way. Granted, I never had to deal with a situation quite like this with you. I can only imagine what you went through. Please don't let it eat you up."

My tears had no intention of stopping, and I felt the warmth of his arms wrap around me and wondered how I was so lucky to have him. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear anything else, but there was a part of me that longed to hear every detail, no matter how horrible.

The moment had finally arrived. Our family was going to become complete once again. I looked into Athen's eyes and even though they were still beautiful in this state, I couldn't wait for the familiar green to return to them.

The intense feeling of fire began spreading through my body, and I knew it would reach Athen's soon. I held on to his hand as much as I could considering the amount of pain that was darting through every inch of my body. I quickly thought back to when I was reintroduced. I had no idea that he was in pain as well. He never once mentioned it. He only appeared strong and concerned for my well-being. I hoped that I could someday be as strong as Athen was.

"I love you, baby." I heard his soothing voice hover in the air, and then he grabbed my hand with such a grasp I knew the process had begun.

Arie and Cyril were in the corner of the room waiting helplessly as we both transferred as much energy as we could. The memories that were missing were being placed through his psyche. This time was so different than with me. He knew and remembered so much, I wasn't certain exactly what this process had in store for him.

Athen's eyes closed as the pain was no doubt becoming impossible to control. His body stiffening in pain as the images continued to run through him. I placed my hand on his cheek, caressing it as best I could.

His voice quiet, but resolute as he uttered. "Never let me go."

"I never will, my love." I whispered into his ear as I held him tightly as the pain ran through both of our bodies. Hopefully, preparing us for the battles that were lurking for us ahead.

Not realizing that I would be seeing images from his time away from us, I was shocked beyond belief. I wanted to shield myself from the images that I was seeing, especially when Lilith would appear. The blazing pain was etching a semi-permanent mark on my heart. I wanted this to be over. I wanted the images to stop. The pain I could handle, but the images of Lilith and him over the last few months made a storm of emotions swell inside of me.

Seeing the agony on Athen's face as the pain ran through his body, I forced myself to get out of my own insecurities and be strong for him. He was here with me now, and that was what I needed to concentrate on. She was no longer part of our future. Not wanting to disrupt or impede the reintroduction process, I took a deep breath in, closing my eyes and began to allow the images to wash over me.

Not all images included Lilith, but the ones that did were like a knife right into my heart. They were together walking along the beach, and chatting at Starbucks together, going out to dinner and hanging out at someone's home. So far no pictures of her at the place he was staying emerged. I was secretly thankful for that.

Seeing Athen alone brought me the most solace. Invading his most private thoughts during this process was not something I expected. Following him on his journey to discover what he thought was going on was fascinating, but the images were so jumbled with the quickness that these thoughts were running between us, sometimes making it confusing.

Athen began to become restless. Opening my eyes and touching him with my other hand, I noticed the beads of sweat that were now canva.s.sing his forehead. The process had only begun, but I knew we had a long journey ahead of us. I only hoped I could be as strong as he was for me just a few short months ago.

Athen was sleeping quietly in our room. I snuck out to chat with Cyril and Arie for a little bit and get a refresher on some tea. After the reintroduction process, Athen was knocked out like I had been after mine only a few months before. However, he has been coming to earlier than I.

"So how's he doing?" Arie asked me as I was steeping my loose tea.

"Like ten times better than I ever was. Somehow the memsors really seemed to have worked for him. Instead of him being flooded with memories like I was, it's like his mind is only having to sort them out. Hopefully it lasts, for his sake. Since I am still trying to figure things out from before, it would be wonderful if he could at least regain most of his memories pretty quickly."

"That would be nice. Wouldn't it?" Cyril asked. "Especially in light of everything."

Athen's voice came booming down the hall.

"In light of what?" Athen's words reached us all.

"What is he doing out of bed already?" I was shocked.

I ran down the hall to greet him as he made his way towards us all in the kitchen, hugging him as hard as I could.

"How are you up?" I asked him, holding on and not letting go. It took me days to get through the reintroduction process.

"I honestly couldn't do it anymore. There was no more sleep to be had. Besides, I think I remember just about everything or at least the important stuff." He said gently touching my cheek softly.

I became completely fl.u.s.tered knowing exactly what he was thinking about and felt the heat wrap itself around my body in embarra.s.sment as Cyril and Arie most certainly heard.

"Well, that's comforting." I whispered to him with a giggle.

We made our way into the kitchen where Cyril and Arie were both smiling widely. Arie had left the pot of stew on the stove on simmer to come and hug Athen. It was like heaven having him back in our lives. Everything was coming back to him so quickly. I can't even imagine how pitifully slow everything must have felt for them all when I was in the process.

"So, back to what Cyril was saying." Athen began. "What's going on that is so horrible? Have things ramped up that much since I was taken?"

He made his way to the table and pulled out a chair to sit, making me feel like maybe the whole process really had taken a toll regardless of what it initially looked like.

"They are s.n.a.t.c.hing family members left and right and interfering in the mortal world continually." Cyril sat down at the table as well, sipping on his water that Arie had laid out for us all for dinner.

"Have you guys figured out why this is going on?" He asked looking at me only. I felt like he already knew.

"We've got some ideas, but nothing concrete. Truthfully, we weren't giving it the attention it deserved. None of the families probably have, which is all part of the demons' master plan. Distract us enough and they can continue the destruction with the mortals. We are just running around trying to reunite our families."

Athen grabbed my hand under the table. It was like nothing had happened to him. He was picking up right where he left off.

"Have you filled in Ana on her history? Her lineage?" He asked staring directly at Cyril and Arie.

"Yes, we've told her who her father was, if that's what you're referring to." Arie nodded.

"What are you getting at?" I asked Athen, feeling my stomach begin to do flip-flops. Not understanding what my father, Remiel, would have to do with any of us. "Why is this suddenly about me again?"

"Well, Lilith didn't realize how astute I actually was so I was able to pay attention to some of her communications without her recognizing it." Athen started and again, hearing her name brought an anger within me that I hoped would soon subside.

"Azazel has been forming Legions all around the globe. They are preparing for a battle against us, and they aren't afraid to use humans as p.a.w.ns. In fact, I think they prefer it. More at stake for us, don't you think? They've got a point to prove, and now it is up to us to try to figure out what that point is." Cyril said.

"It certainly is Azazel and Asmoseus. Azazel is seeking revenge, and I'm guessing everyone in this room knows why, except for Ana. I think it is time to tell her the truth." Athen announced.

Chapter 22.

I was laying in bed, listening to the steady breaths of Athen beside me. Even though he had the ability to snap back to things far quicker than anyone thought possible, I knew he was still exhausted. I wanted him to be able to sleep, like I was allowed to only months before.

Learning what I had about my father, Remiel, and why I'm now so tied to the events that were continuing to unfold before us, made me feel as if things were completely out of my control. By being in any proximity to me, I felt like I was putting everyone I knew in danger. Knowing that every event that was near, and every move that I'd make, was going to possibly affect how the battles were fought was almost impossible to fathom. My family told me to put it out of my head and focus on the here and now. Truthfully, that was all I could do for the time being anyhow.

Snuggling slowly into Athen so that I wouldn't wake him up, I thought about everything he told me last night. He had known about my dreams the entire time. He saw what I had seen. I hadn't done a very good job of hiding my dreams from him. He was apparently able to see them all. He knew demons were going to attack him, and he was preparing for it. He felt he had a better shot at coming back quicker than I ever could so he sacrificed himself for us.

Athen was also aware of something that I wasn't. If he hadn't been attacked and made himself the target, I would have been the victim, and the process would have been far worse to get me back the second time. He went into that battle on the hillside with the full knowledge that they would win the demons would win, and he would not come out the other end. Athen had, however, began the process of memsors. He put all his energy into the process. Setting out memsors was almost a mythical process. Something everyone apparently knows about but something seldom that anyone used since it hadn't always been known to work.

Athen had spent the weeks before practicing different techniques that allowed him to remember just enough to trigger memories. Apparently, it never usually worked. How Athen managed to pull it off was a miracle. He began by sticking a note under Matilda's collar. The tip under Matilda's collar was what seemed to have led to the chain of events that got him researching about everything. Since he knew Matilda would land wherever he was going to end up, he started with placing the initial clue with her. Some of the reminders led him to our home in Kingston and to that leather journal that I almost picked up and read so many times.

Knowing that he chose to get taken away from us to save me was beyond anything I could ever imagine. The bravery and strength it took for him to decide such a fate was the most selfless act I had ever encountered. I hoped one day, I could return the favor to show him that my love was equal to his.

I wondered if he knew about Lilith from my dreams; maybe that was why he wouldn't let himself get as close to her as she would have liked. I did my best to push those thoughts aside. I really didn't want to be plagued by anymore Lilith memories or worries.

Matilda was at the foot of our bed with no intention of waking up and between her little snores, and the comforting sounds of Athen breathing, I found my lids getting very tired with the idea of sleep seeming like something I needed again.

I awoke to Athen holding me. I wasn't sure what had happened, but somehow he was the one providing me comfort. I felt the heat rolling off of my body and realized I was covered in sweat. My pulse was racing, and my mind wouldn't stop spinning. I tried to get my bearings, but the visions I was racing to sort out were not willing to untangle. Everything was a fog, except for Athen. Athen was real. He was here, right next to me.