Author's Note: I'd like to thank anxsty for your kind words! Criticism and comments are always welcome! Enjoy!
Eva dreamed she was walking through a vast golden hall with shimmering marble pillars that towered endlessly above her head. She felt tiny in such an enormous and eerily silent place. Each pillar held a torch with a fire that burned so bright, it hurt her eyes. Shadows danced around her, but she couldn't distinguish them.
You called upon me, and I answered your plea.
The voice was deep, yet melodic. Like the sound of a cello.
But do not say my name in vain, for you have not risen to the height of Heaven.
Eva's eyes fluttered open, focusing on the curved ceiling of the infirmary. Her entire body felt like it's been tossed in a meat grinder and then slammed against concrete. Her muscles screamed as she shifted on the bed and a whimper left her throat beyond her control.
"Let me help you."
The ever reliable and fatherly Hodge sprung from his seat at her bedside and helped her sit up. He fluffed pillows behind her and let her fall back against them. Eva hissed in pain but was grateful to be comfortable. She turned to look at him, feeling an overwhelming aura of relief and exhaustion radiating from him. "How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours," he replied, gesturing at the blue-orange tinge of twilight glowing just outside the infirmary window. "It's almost sunrise."
"Is everyone alright?"
"Jace and Alec are fine and sleeping," Hodge swiveled around on his chair to reach for a white curtain behind him. He pulled it back to reveal Izzy deeply asleep in the adjacent bed. He let the curtain fall back into place as he continued, "Izzy refused to leave your side; she fell asleep an hour ago and I set her down here so she'd sleep more comfortably."
Eva nodded slowly. "Raphael?"
To her surprise, rage exploded from Hodge like a roaring flame despite only frowning slightly. "He left after the Silent Brothers said you'd recover."
A thick silence fell upon them. Eva never felt awkward around Hodge, but there was a jumble of emotions simmering just below the surface of him that were hard to pick apart. There was relief, anger, exhaustion, guilt, worry, happiness. She wondered which he'd choose to act upon first.
"Are you hungry?"
Eva smiled softly. "A bit."
He reached for a large mug and removed the plastic lid over it, letting ribbons of steam dissolve into the air. It smelled delicious; it was his famous and very filling chicken bone broth.
"The Silent Brothers prescribed a liquid-based diet," he began as Eva took the mug in her hands and sipped the broth gingerly. Silence fell upon them again with only Eva's soft slurping filling the room. Finally, Hodge began the lecture Eva knew was coming her way. "You're never this reckless."
"I don't know what came over me," she admitted. She wrapped her fingers around the mug, loving the warmth it provided. "It just felt right to grab that seraph blade and—"
"And call upon Raziel?"
"I know you've always taught us that's an unspoken rule that must not be broken," she stared at the reflection of her golden eyes on the broth. "That people who call upon Raziel suffer the wrath of the Angel by bursting into flames and then die on the spot."
"There has never been a different outcome," Hodge said firmly. "But the Angel chose to answer you and let you live—perhaps he thought the nearly mortal wound you received was enough punishment for invoking his name."
"Pendejo," she grumbled under her breath, grateful for Raphael's lessons in Spanish cuss words. They were much more fun to use. "It just felt right to do that. I can't explain it."
"I had to tell Maryse what happened, but she's agreed to keep this all within the Institute; it's not explicitly against the Law to call upon Raziel, so she's not obligated to tell the Clave," Hodge said. "But that leaves me to lecture you children, especially Jace. Nothing happened to you, so there's no stopping him from trying to attempt it as well."
"Jace is an idiot, but he knows better," Eva laughed but immediately regretted it and winced from the pain. "What I did was a miracle; it won't happen again."
The curtain behind Hodge was pushed aside and Izzy rushed to Eva's side. If it wasn't for him snatching the mug of chicken broth from her hands, it would've spilled all over from how roughly Izzy pulled her into a hug.
"You idiot!" Izzy scolded fiercely. "If you ever scare me like that again I'll kill you myself!"
"I love you too, Iz," Eva laughed. Hodge sighed in exasperation and after insisting Eva drink the chicken broth, he left the room to leave the parabatai alone in the infirmary. As the door closed behind him, Izzy was tapping away at her phone. Eva drank a gulp of chicken broth. "Who are you texting?"
"Your boyfriend," she snapped the phone closed. "He told Jace and Alec to tell me to text him the moment you woke up."
Eva's heart fluttered at the thought of his concern for her. He must've dreaded asking Jace and Alec for that favor, even if it was as simple as passing on a message.
Izzy squeezed her hand. "I thought you were going to die, Eva. I saw those Silent Brothers sucking that disgusting black poison out of you with tubes and you wouldn't stop bleeding until most of it was gone. Thank the Angel Alec told Raphael to bite you."
"He bit me?" Eva was astonished. One of the first rules Raphael set down for their relationship, apart from his eight to ten P.M. telenovela time, was that he would never drink from her for any reason. He simply refused to and while Eva found no problem with it, he was adamant. "How did you even manage to convince him?"
"Vampire saliva increases your blood cell count and stopped the poison in you from spreading," Izzy explained. "Even the Silent Brothers confirmed it."
Eva now understood why Hodge was seething with rage when she asked for Raphael's wellbeing. He most likely thought Raphael was feeding from her whenever they went out on dates. This was going to be a mess, Eva knew.
"You must be exhausted," Eva said. "Take a shower and go to sleep. I appreciate you refusing to leave my side, but you need to think about your own health too."
"Not until I knew you were going to be fine," she huffed with a flip of her hair. "But now you are, so I'm going to take a hot bubble bath and do a clay mask."
"Maybe when this chicken broth starts to kick in, I can work on detangling this rat's nest on my head," Eva joked, tugging her knotted curls.
Izzy left the infirmary and was making her way to her bedroom when her phone began to chirp with a call in her back pocket. She was shocked to see who it was before she answered it. "Well, this is a surprise, Raphael."
"You're telling me," he grumbled on the other side. "And it's about to get worse—I need a favor."
"Did that demon whack you over the head?"
"I'm not sure what's going on—just listen to me," he said. "I need you to sneak me into the Institute tonight."
"Are you insane? This is hallowed ground."
"I'm aware of that and I appreciate your overwhelming concern for my health."
"It's all for Eva's sake; don't get it twisted."
"And here I thought you liked me," he scoffed. "Will you do it or not?"
"Yeah sure, just wait for my call," Izzy said. "Hodge is orbiting around Eva like she's the center of the universe, and he's not too happy that you bit her so watch out."
"I've already been warned about the bounty on my head, thank you," Raphael said dryly. "I'll be expecting your call tonight."
Eva left the infirmary later that afternoon when her soreness was slowly leaving her muscles. The moment she walked into her bedroom, she wasted no time in taking a long shower. She washed her hair and carefully detangled each thick section with a comb. After finishing her shower and smoothing a coconut-scented curl cream and gel into her hair, she rummaged through her drawers for underwear and her pajamas. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on her vanity and her eyes immediately went for the scar the demon's stinger left behind. It wasn't as big as she'd thought it would be; it closed quickly thanks to the three iratzes that had yet to dissolve away on her skin. It was a circular scar, about two inches in diameter, and looked almost like one of the Moon's craters with jagged skin around the edges.
She slipped into a T-shirt and polka dot pajama pants before slipping under the covers. Earlier that morning, Raphael had projected himself in the infirmary and informed her in a hushed voice that he would be visiting her tonight. Eva was confused by his words, but she couldn't question him further because Hodge came in with her tisane for soreness. They didn't exchange any words other than curt greetings, but one could slice through the tension in the room. Raphael dissolved away shortly after that.
Eva waited for nightfall desperately. She'd asked Izzy if Raphael had offered any explanation as to how he planned to walk on hallowed ground without twisting in pain, but the girl merely shrugged her shoulders.
"He probably hired a warlock to put a spell on him," Izzy suggested. "I'm sure those exist."
It was night outside her window and Eva was entertaining herself with a novel when Izzy's firm knock echoed into her bedroom before the door opened. Raphael walked inside dressed in a sharp black suit and royal blue shirt with the first few buttons undone to reveal his collarbones. His right arm was oddly curled up against his chest as if he had it in a sling.
"I'll keep watch out here in the hallway with Church," Izzy grinned mischievously as she slowly inched the door closed. "Have fun, and try not to make too much noise."
Eva blushed at Izzy's insinuation, but Raphael wasn't paying attention. He crossed the room in a second, sat on the edge of her bed, and kissed her sweetly.
"Mi ángelito," he murmured against her lips. "How are you feeling?"
"Better than this morning," she reached out to pat his oddly bent arm. "What's this?"
Raphael reached into his jacket to reveal a large stainless steel thermos. "They said liquid-based diet, so some horchata won't kill you."
"You're so sweet when you want to be," she eagerly took the cold thermos in her hands and opened it before tipping it over her lips. The delicious icy drink made her shiver pleasantly as it cascading down her throat and settled in her stomach. "Now, please address the elephant in the room, Raphael. I know you're avoiding it."
He rolled his shoulders and a strange mix of confusion and fear pulsed around him. Eva frowned sadly, "Did you hire a warlock? How much did that cost you?"
"I didn't hire anyone," he shook his head. "After I left the Institute, the Silent Brothers that healed you came to me and told me that what once hurt me will hurt me no longer."
"So you're not under a spell?"
"I went to a church I used to go to when I was a kid and I walked in there and...I looked into Christ's eyes, Eva," his eyes were glossed over, like he couldn't believe the words he was speaking. "I dunked my head in holy water and drank it and nothing happened to me."
"But how?"
"I don't know," Raphael looked down. His hand was nervously playing with the edges of the blanket draped over her legs. "After I left the church, I went to the penthouse at the Four Seasons and I..." he choked. "I watched the sunrise."
Eva clapped her hand over her mouth. She didn't know if this was a good thing, or a bad thing, if she should congratulate him or be frightened for him. This wasn't normal, but not an entirely terrible thing either. She found her voice, "The Silent Brothers must know why you can suddenly walk in the sun and over hallowed ground."
"They didn't tell me why, and I don't think they'll be forthcoming if I march into the Silent City and ask," he rolled his eyes. "The Downworld calls vampires that can walk in the sun Daylighters, but they're extremely rare—even the oldest vampires in my clan have never met one, and I've never heard of Daylighters having the ability to drink holy water."
There was more to this, Eva knew. The guilt floating around him was tangible and Eva latched onto it. "What's wrong, Rapha? What else do you know?"
His embarrassment was clear in his expression, and if he weren't a vampire, his cheeks would be a blushed pink. Eva eased him, "I know you drank from me. Izzy told me."
He was still avoiding her eyes. "I think drinking your Shadowhunter blood had something to do with why I'm like this now."
"Shadowhunter blood creates Daylighters? That's impossible! I'm sure there's other vampires out there that have fed from Shadowhunters."
"Vampires normally avoid anything that will kill them; unless you tell us that we can go into the sun and prove that we won't die, we won't attempt it," he frowned in thought. "God knows if there's more Daylighters out there but they just don't know it."
Eva looked into his eyes, realizing the predicament he was in. She could sense emotions easily, but there was something about Raphael's soft brown eyes that she could read like a children's book. He sighed softly as he added, "I can't tell anyone, and you and Isabelle have to swear not to tell anyone either. If word gets out that Shadowhunter blood is the key to making Daylighters —whether that's true or not—it'll be chaos," he shook his head. "I can't allow that to happen."
"I'm sorry, Rapha," she touched his cheek, his skin cold and smooth. He raised his hand to cover her own and pulled it over his lips to kiss her palm.
"I'll never drink from you again, Eva," he murmured against her skin. "I know what you're going to say: I saved your life—but it doesn't make me feel any better that I couldn't control myself and still drank more than I should've. I'm the one that needs to apologize."
"You can drink from me whenever you need to, you idiot," she giggled. "I will never refuse you."
"And I will never ask."
Eva sighed, the determination in his voice telling her there was no changing his mind on this subject. Nevertheless, it won't stop her from teasing him. "Was it that good?"
She was surprised to see him hesitate, his shoulders stiffening as a telltale sign of his discomfort. He licked his lips absentmindedly, almost as if he was recalling the taste. "It was the most delicious blood I've ever had in my life."
Eva was oddly flattered and it only made her smirk wider. "Who's the subjugate now?"
"Cuidadito, mi cielo," he gave her a playfully pointed look. Eva laughed and leaned forward slightly and he met her halfway, brushing his lips on hers. Before he could steal a kiss, she spoke.
"When I recover completely," she whispered. "We're going to Rockaway Beach."
"Oh! Do you need help with that?"
Izzy's voice was dramatically loud in the hallway outside Eva's door and the voice that followed afterwards made their stomachs drop in fear.
"I can handle it. Just hold open her door for me, and make sure she's decent."
If it wasn't Hodge saying that, Izzy would have surely made a crude joke. The alarm in Raphael's face was frightening; it was rare to see him panicky like this. Eva pushed him by the shoulders and he took the hint. He disappeared under her bed just as Izzy swung open her door and peeked inside. Seeing only Eva was in the room, she held the door open for Hodge to step through with a tray holding a bowl of creamy broccoli soup and a steaming mug of calming tisane.
As he set it down on the nightstand, Izzy widened her eyes at Eva, silently asking where Raphael was. When Eva quickly gestured at her bed with her finger, Izzy bit her lip hard, no doubt trying to resist the urge to laugh.
"What is this?" Hodge was holding the thermos in his hand. He opened it and sniffed its contents. "Cinnamon?"
"It's horchata," Eva replied quickly. "Raphael came by and gave it to Izzy so I could have it."
"You shouldn't be drinking this," he scolded gently. "You need to build up your strength and this is pure sugar."
"But it's good!"
"You can drink a bit of it after you eat." Hodge turned on his heel and went for the door, the thermos under his arm. "Isabelle, make sure she eats everything."
"Will do, boss," she saluted him playfully and when the door closed behind him, Izzy finally let out the laugh she'd been holding back. When Raphael crawled out from underneath the bed, she only laughed harder. She was so contagious, Eva also found herself laughing at her boyfriend's expense.
He was obviously not amused as he smoothed down his suit with his hands. "I hate this place."
