Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 204(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 204(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
“It’s like those shows where the cheetah and her cubs get separated, and those asshole guys filming know where they both are but don’t help, just watch and let the babies die. That’s what this is.”
Raphael nodded slowly.
“You did what was right when you killed Saudrian. A demon lord preying on people, who would have killed Simon and enslaved Leith, deserved to die. That was righteous. Moira getting away and then trying to take revenge on us, on our clutch, to get to you, that all made sense, and we were ready for that.”
“It’s true,” Leith seconded, and when I glanced at him, he joined me, along with Ryan. “How could we ever blame you for that?”
“But the rest of it, the watching and not getting involved, allowing evil to happen to Dylan, who’s the sweetest guy ever, that’s just—”
“Deplorable,” Ryan said coldly, locking eyes with Gabriel. “It’s obscene.”
“He ran,” Gabriel yelled, crossing quickly to Raphael, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around to face him. “You left us.”
“And you were bereft,” I said, taking a step closer to Raphael so I could make sure I had hold of his hand. He needed to feel me, how close I was. “So you took your wrath out on those around him because you couldn’t bear to hurt him directly.”
“You know nothing!” Gabriel screamed, instantly wrenching me away from my mate, from his grip. I felt the wind in the same moment, and when I looked down, there was only a yawning maw at my feet. “But you will.”
“No!” Raphael howled.
It was like being sucked through a vacuum. I didn’t even have time to look up, to yell, to catch a glimpse of my mate one last time. There was only wailing, icy wind, and then nothing.
FIVE
I woke up cold, and when I sat up, slowly, found myself in a field. Taking quick stock of my body, I realized I was okay. Nothing was broken, I wasn’t bleeding, but I was alone without my backpack or my sword, and most of all, my mate.
Where in the world was I? But that was the problem—the chances of me actually being in the world were very slim. It was doubtful I was in heaven anymore. Why would Gabriel have moved me? It was far more likely he’d dropped me into hell. What part of hell, and how far down I was, that was the question.
Standing up, getting my bearings, looking around, I saw lights in the distance, unmoving, like a building, and then, crazily enough, on the road I hadn’t realized was so close, a car went by. Stumbling, it took me a second to get my balance, and when I would have fallen, I floated up a bit instead.
“What the fuck?” I said into the air.
Moving again, I jumped and went higher than I should have. As a rule, warders could leap and soar—it was how those in my clutch ran across the tops of buildings chasing demons—but flying was not something we could do. But it felt like perhaps I could do some serious floating here. Almost like hang gliding.
Taking another jump, when I was in the air, I put my hands out to the sides and purposely pushed up, like on a swing, like I had as a child, and amazingly, I rose instead of plummeting. I was moving through the air, and when I lifted my head and moved my arms, like I was doing the breaststroke, I moved the way I wanted. After a few minutes, I dropped slowly, but when I jumped again and pumped and swam, I stayed aloft. When I ran and jumped, that moved me much farther, and hands out, I rose higher, twenty feet off the ground, and stayed up even longer. I wasn’t flying, it was definitely gliding, but it was good to know that if something came at me, at least I had a way to perhaps escape. What was most interesting was the air itself. On the ground, it felt normal. Above, it was heavy, like water.
Weirdest day ever.
Reaching the road, I stayed on that side, not knowing what crossing would bring. Raphael had told me about dimensions he’d been in where even a step could take you somewhere else. I didn’t want to chance that.
Raphael.
It hurt to know he’d been lying to me, but at the same time, would I have believed him? A kyrie I understood. Not angels. And could he even be an angel on earth? In heaven, he’d stood in front of me without incident. In San Francisco, on the mortal coil, perhaps just him being in his true form might have turned us all to dust. I had no idea. I would have to ask him when I saw him again.
If I saw him again.
It was impossible to say where I was, and yes, he’d found Marcus, and I was his mate, so our connection should have been stronger, but I was betting Gabriel had dropped me into a hole no one but him could find. And maybe not even then. It was possible that in his rage, a portal had opened and I was dropped in. He was furious with Raphael, and the best way to hurt him was to attack me. And Raphael wouldn’t forgive him for that, but neither would he abandon the other angels, Anahel, or Leith and Ryan, by letting them fight alone. He couldn’t come find me. I was on my own, and not dying had to be at the top of my priority list.