Chapter 60 – What have you done?

Bastian blinked, still a little thrown off by Billy's sudden outburst. He had heard Billy shout, but didn't expect him to be staring at him like he was about to murder him. The whole group flinched when Billy yelled, except Wyatt, who just arched an eyebrow, like he was watching a soap opera.

"Bastian! We need to talk!" Billy's voice was intense, his words almost a growl, full of something Bastian couldn't place—anger? Panic?

Bastian glanced at Wyatt, who had just gotten everyone ready for training. "Uh, can it wait? We were about to—"

Before Bastian could finish, Billy's wings snapped open, feathers catching the light in a flash. Without warning, Billy launched himself forward, grabbing Bastian by the collar with inhuman speed. In one swift movement, they were both in the air, rising so fast the ground blurred beneath them.

"What the hell!" Rose yelled, staring at the sky where they'd just disappeared.

"Did... did anyone else see that?" Matt asked, blinking in disbelief.

Anastasia put her hand over her eyes, squinting up at the sky, but all she could see were clouds. "I... I have no idea what just happened," she muttered, breathless. Her heart pounded in her chest—this wasn't like Billy at all.

Wyatt watched the horizon for a moment before shaking his head. "Y'all got three hours to run in the forest. By the time you get back, I'm sure Billy will have Bastian's ass back on the ground." His tone was casual, but there was an edge to it. Something felt off, even to him.

Anastasia couldn't shake the sinking feeling in her stomach. What the hell is going on?

High above the clouds, the air grew cold and thin, but Bastian was more concerned with Billy's death grip on his collar than the altitude.

"Billy, what the fuck is this?" Bastian growled, his wings straining to break free, but Billy's hold was iron. "Let go of me!"

Billy didn't answer. He just kept flying higher and faster, his jaw tight, eyes focused dead ahead. Bastian's patience ran out.

"Alright, you want to play this game? Fine." In one swift movement, Bastian tore himself free, his wings snapping open as he grabbed Billy by the neck. With a fierce grip, he dragged Billy down toward the ground at breakneck speed.

The wind roared past them, the earth rushing up to meet them. Billy's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. "DUDE! What are you doing? We're gonna crash!" he shouted, his voice tinged with panic.

But Bastian just grinned. "Payback, bro." He didn't slow down. The ground came closer and closer until—

At the last possible second, Bastian pulled them out of the dive with a sharp stop that knocked the breath out of Billy. They landed hard, dust kicking up around them as Billy bent over, gasping for air, hands on his knees.

"That's for dragging me into the sky like a goddamn idiot," Bastian said, smirking as he watched Billy struggle to catch his breath.

Billy stood up straight, glaring at Bastian, but his voice was calmer now, more controlled. "You know angels can hear each other's thoughts, right?"

Bastian raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, duh. Why?"

Billy crossed his arms, his face darkening. "Then explain why I could hear everything in your head this morning about Anastasia. Did you really...?"

Bastian's heart skipped a beat. "Wait, hold on—what? I thought we could only hear each other's thoughts when we were... you know, talking. You mean to tell me you can hear private stuff too? That's bullshit! Isn't that an invasion of privacy?"

Billy sighed, rubbing his temples. "Private thoughts aren't always private, especially when they're as loud as yours were this morning. Didn't they teach you any of this during your training?"

Bastian's face twisted in frustration. "No! They didn't! We didn't learn about that stuff. They focused on combat, not... whatever this is. I was isolated, man. All I did was fight fake demons day after day. No one bothered to teach me about mind-reading or bonding. And now you're telling me you've been eavesdropping on my thoughts?"

Billy shook his head, clearly irritated. "It's not eavesdropping. It just happens. And you should've been taught how to shield your thoughts by now, but clearly, someone dropped the ball. Guess it's up to me to fix that too. But that's not the issue here. What I really need to know is... did you seriously mate with Anastasia?"

Bastian groaned, rolling his eyes. "Bro, can we not use that word? 'Mate'? Seriously? That's some medieval angel shit. We slept together. We made love. Happy now?"

Billy's eyes flashed with anger. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

Bastian looked at him like he was crazy. "Uh, yeah? I made love to the woman I've been in love with since I was a kid. What's your problem?"

Billy took a deep breath, his voice calm but heavy with seriousness. "What you've done is sealed your bond with her. You've mated, Bastian. That's not just some casual thing. It's eternal. You can't ever bond with anyone else. She's it. And even if you leave her, she'll never have a connection like that with anyone else. She could marry someone, have kids, whatever, but she'll never feel the same way with them as she does with you. And you? You're locked in. Forever."

Bastian froze, his heart pounding in his chest. "Why the hell didn't you tell me this before?"

Billy gave him a dry look. "Would it have made a difference?"

Bastian hesitated. He wanted to say it would've, but deep down he knew it wouldn't have. "Probably not," he admitted. "But now... now I feel like I've ruined her chances at happiness. What if I have to leave? What if Gabriel sends me away? I could've just wrecked her future."

Billy shrugged. "Yeah, you probably did. You should've thought about that before you sealed the bond. Now, it's too late. And if Gabriel finds out... man, I don't even know what he'll do to you."

"What law are you even talking about?" Bastian asked, feeling a pit form in his stomach.

Billy stared at him like he was the dumbest person alive. "Bastian, seriously? You didn't learn anything in those 150 years? Mating, bonding, it's all part of the angelic laws. You've broken one of the big ones, and Gabriel... well, he's not going to let that slide."

Bastian ran a hand through his hair, anxiety creeping in. "Dude, all I learned up there was how to kill things. I didn't even know heaven could be that brutal. I fought, I trained, and that's it. No one taught me about this kind of stuff. Will you... I mean, can you teach me?"

Billy studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I'll teach you. You're my brother, after all. And even though I'm pissed about the whole Anastasia thing, I'm glad you found your person. Just... try not to mess things up more than you already have, alright?"

Bastian cracked a small smile. "I'll try. Thanks, Billy."

Billy smirked back, giving Bastian a playful shove. "Let's hope Gabriel doesn't kill you before I get the chance to teach you anything."