“Karenna,” I moaned as I pulled back. I took another deep breath, my lips quivering as I attempted to give her life-saving air.
Time seemed to still as I rotated giving her compressions and breathing into her until finally, she coughed. Salt water burst out of her mouth, spilling down her chin. Color flooded back into her face as she gasped for breath.
“You’re alive! Thank god!” I sat her up and hugged her to me. I couldn’t believe I’d almost lost her.
“Your wings. You shouldn’t,” Karenna’s raspy voice wheezed.
Squeezing her tighter, I pressed my forehead against hers. There were no words to encompass what she meant to me. “I don’t care. I had to get you. I had to. You’re my everything.”
I couldn’t fight my feelings anymore. I kissed her. The moment our lips touched, my heart and my soul surged to life. The hole in my chest disappeared. She was the missing piece of who I was, a part of me I never knew existed until meeting her, a part I couldn’t live without.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for hurting you.”
“I thought you didn’t want me because I was Gibbor and the angels—”
I pressed my lips firmly against hers. Nothing, no one was ever coming between us ever again.
“I don’t care what the others say. I won’t ever let you go. I promise,” I said, kissing every inch of her face—her nose, her eyelids, her forehead. Her racing heart pounded against my chest, mine responded, syncing with hers in celebration.
“Oh, Tristan, I missed you so much.”
I ducked my head to kiss her again when something latched onto one of my wings, jerking me to my feet. A blinding pain seared through my back.
Ian’s black trench coat flapped in the wind as he placed himself in front of Karenna.
“You fool!” He whisked out his sword, pointing it to my chest. “They found us because of you.”
“The warrior angels? They caused the storm?” Karenna cried as she quickly got to her feet.
“No, they didn’t cause the storm. And they wouldn’t have known where we were until you pulled your little stunt so that they could find us.”
She scowled. “This wasn’t a stunt. Somebody pushed me.”
“You think I’d believe anything you say, Gibbor? He may fall for your lies, but not me,” Ian spat. “While you’re here playing the temptress, your sister is with Blaze. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
Karenna looked horrified. “I-I didn’t know.”
Ian grunted then, turning back to me, he tipped his sword to the sky. “Look at what your lust for a temptress of Gibbor has done, Tatrasiel.”
Winged shadows flew within the clouds. The small shadow raced across the sky with two larger figures chasing it. The shadows finally broke through the clouds. Caim and Thalos swung their swords, barely missing Val’s head.
“Oh my god,” Karenna gasped.
“Take her inside. And get Zac and the others!” I yelled at Ian as I propelled myself into the sky. I plowed into Caim, knocking him back. His wings flapped frantically, spiraling down as he tried to gain control.
Quickly, I checked on Val. Swords clinked as she fought with Thalos. She was holding her own, but there was something wrong. I’d seen Thalos fight before. He was holding back. Why?
“I have this. Get Caim!” Val growled.
I chased after Caim with a gnawing feeling something was off. Just before I reached him, he spun to face me, sword held high.
I lurched back, surprised by the black markings on his wings, a sign of his demonic transformation. He’d chosen to join Belial permanently.
“Well, now, don’t we look pissed. Sorry to have intruded on your play time, but duty calls.” Caim lunged, aiming for my chest. In one swift move, I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. He howled, dropping the sword.
“You were always a second too slow in the academy.” I shoved him back. “Go back to the hole you crawled out of!”
A clanking sound echoed through the air. I glanced down, surprised to see a rocky shoreline below. The sword bounced off a jagged rock, shattering in two.
Land? Where were the other angels? I peered into the distance. The ship was barely visible and still miles away.
Caim rubbed his shoulder, his lips curling in a sardonic grin. “You first.”
“Tristan! Behind you!” Val cried.
I whirled around, black wings circling us in a blur. I’d never seen anything like it. “What the hell?”
Caim snorted. “That’s right. They are hell. I’m shocked you don’t remember your academy studies.”
Demons.
They circled Val. Her wings moved furiously, and she changed the aim of her sword from Thalos to the demons, unsure of what to do next.
The swirling mass circled closer. With a raised eyebrow, Caim thumped a fist to his chest. Laughing, the Power who had once trained to protect others from Belial and his demons, disappeared into the mass.
One by one, they came out of the black blur, attacking me. They pierced my back, my wings, everywhere. Razor-like wounds crisscrossed my body, oozing blood. I was stuck in a circle of hell, and I couldn’t move. I was trapped.
There was a loud boom, and Zac appeared. His sword sliced through the whirling circle. Demons hissed as the black ring broke apart. They scattered, disappearing into the clouds.
“Get Val!” Zac cried to me as he charged after them.
I soared through the air, searching for her. She was gone. I could only hear Caim and Thalos’ laughter swirling in and out of the dark mist.
“Come out, you cowards!”
“Let’s play a game,” Caim’s voice boomed from within the clouds.
“Oh, this will be fun,” Thalos agreed.
“Shut up! The game’s over,” I seethed. “Remi is ready for you and Ari’s army.”
“I’m sure he is. But I highly doubt he’s ready for you.”
I dashed toward Caim’s voice in the cloud above. “What are you talking about?”
“Aww, he doesn’t know,” Thalos said.
“Son of a—!” Val’s voice screeched from above before suddenly being cut off.
“Val!” I zoomed through the clouds desperate to find her. Caim and Thalos continued to taunt me as I searched.
“So impatient.”
“I concur, brother. Not at all Throne-like behavior.”
“Can we play the game now?”
“Yes, let’s play.”
Thalos emerged from a cloud, and my heart dropped. He had Val.
Val struggled against Thalos, her hands and feet tied. Blood dripped from a half-torn wing. Her face contorted with pain whenever she tried to move it.
“Let her go,” I growled.
Thalos flapped his wings slowly, showing off their black markings. “Don’t you want to see what’s behind door number two? I think you’ll like it.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Val said, kicking her feet back.
“Now, now Throne of Raphael. Your father isn’t here to heal your wing and you want to keep your other one, don’t you? Now, where was I? Oh, right, door number two. Caim!”
My heart raced as the thick mist gradually dissipated, revealing two figures. Slowly, Caim’s pale green eyes came into view. They gleamed with evil delight, sending a shiver down my spine. When the final wisps of dark gray clouds vanished, I sucked in a breath.
Karenna’s terrified eyes gazed into mine.
My fists curled as my wings spread wide, ready for attack. She shook her head wildly, muffled sounds hitting against the black tape over her mouth.
“Hold on there, lover boy. One twist of this fragile being’s neck and she’s gone forever.”
Freezing, I frantically looked for a way to beat Thalos at his game. He wanted me to attack him. He knew I would.
I spotted his sword at his hip, and my hands itched to feel it in my hands, to plunge it into his chest and watch his life force seep out of him. I’d never wanted to kill someone as much as I
’d wanted to kill the traitorous angel.
“Ready, brother?” Thalos asked gleefully. His hand hovered above Val’s injured wing, threatening to finish the job.
“Ready?” Caim said loosening his grip on Karenna. Her muted scream pierced through my chest, turning my blood cold. They were going to drop them.
Seabirds circled the rocky shoreline below, their white wings billowing as they landed on the jagged boulders.
My eyes darted to Val then Karenna. There was no way Karenna would survive the fall. And Val…the fall would shatter every bone in her body. She’d live.
Live to experience every excruciating second until we could take her back to her father.
Karenna yelled, demanding my attention. She repeated a stifled word until I recognized what she was saying.
Val. She wanted me to save Val.
“Wait!” As soon as the word left my mouth, Thalos ripped off Val’s injured wing. Then with an evil grin, he turned to the other.
She let out a bloodcurdling shriek as he ripped into the wing, and when it was over, she fell limp. He flung the wings aside like pieces of trash.
Karenna thrashed against Caim in a stream of strangled shrieks. Tears streamed down her face.
“On my count,” Thalos said. “In five…”
Thalos and Caim gradually distanced themselves from each other and me, making it impossible to save them both no matter how fast I was.
“No, please don’t,” I pleaded.
“In four…”
“Tristan, look at me,” Val rasped.
“Three…”
Despite the distance, I saw Val clearly, as if she were mere inches from me. Her amber eyes glowed despite her pale face, and for the first time, I saw it. The touches, the fleeting glances, words she hadn’t dared utter until that day in front of the leviathan sculpture.
“I’m fighting for more than them.”
“What else is there?”
“You.”
It all made sense now. She loved me.
“Val, I…Karenna…I can’t…”
“Two…”
It was more than I could bear. Karenna’s resolute expression to sacrifice herself, expecting to die. Val’s ragged breathing, her tender smile. “It’s…okay, Tristan. It’s okay…to choose.”
“One.”
Don’t make me choose. I can’t. Please don’t make me.
“Release!”
“No!” I rocketed downward, chasing after both of them, knowing it was impossible.
Time slowed and became one with the pounding of my heart. Each beat echoed in my head as air whooshed over my ears.
The moment came in a heartbeat, a beat that lasted a lifetime and ripped through my soul, tearing it to shreds.
Karenna cried out in anguish when I caught her. Her faint wails calling for Val pierced through me, decimating what was left of my heart.
I hugged her to me, cradling her head into my chest, knowing what was to come, terrified she would hear it.
It came in two heartbeats.
A sickening thud.
A bloodcurdling scream.
Silence.
My body trembled as I turned. Even though I knew Val was still alive, I had to see. I had to be sure.
One heartbeat. One was all it took for Thalos to plunge his sword into Val and watch Caim carry away her wingless body.
19
Tristan
The sun peeked from the island’s horizon. The sky was clear as if the storm had never happened, as if it were a normal day. Stunned murmurs on the basketball court proved otherwise.
“Val’s dead.”
“Tristan killed her.”
“He saved the Gibbor.”
I dug my fingers into my palms, pushing haunted images from my head. Ripped wings, the shattering of bones, bloodcurdling screams, red blossoming from Val’s chest, there was no escaping them.
They were right. I killed Val. Even the knowledge Karenna was safe in her cabin didn’t take away the crushing pain.
“It’s not your fault,” Zac said, standing beside me. His cape billowed in the wind as his grief-stricken eyes gazed at me. The angels, waiting in formation for Remi, gawked at Zac, surprised to see him in the back with the Guardians and me.
“You’re in the minority,” I said, tearing my eyes away from him. I didn’t deserve his kindness.
The training was open only to angels this morning. Every single one knew of my betrayal. The Guardians kept their distance. Even Calder was at a loss for words. I wondered what he would’ve done if it had been Jo.
The Archangels and Ian gathered around Raffi. The light in Raffi’s eyes was gone, his face blank. He nodded woodenly as Ian made promises of vengeance.
“It doesn’t matter what the others think, especially Ian. You know what Val—” Zac’s voice caught, and he winced. He blinked quickly, smoothing his face. “You know what Val would say.”
“Screw ’em.”
“Yes, something like that.” He gave me a sad smile. “Are you sure they took her life force? Did you see the sword?”
The hopeful expression on his face nearly killed me. I wanted to tell him there was a chance, that the angle Thalos had stood over Val or the way Caim had carried her away left a glimmer of hope she might still live. Yet the image of Thalos’ sword sinking into Val’s broken body was clear.
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
Ian’s voice grew louder as more angels gathered around him. “We warned him, and yet he still chose the harlot over his angelic sister!”
The Guardians were shocked into silence while the other angels nodded in agreement.
“All angels must be held accountable,” Ian continued. “We cannot let the actions of one angel put our kind at risk. All must follow angelic law. Without law, we have no order. We cannot risk falling back to the ways of our Ancient’s past. Isn’t the loss of our angelic sister proof enough?”
The Archangels roared their approval, slapping Ian’s back. He basked in their admiration.
I stiffened at Ian’s words, so similar to what I’d heard my father preach to the other angelic houses. The Guardians and most of the Powers shifted uncomfortably.
The Archangels quieted when Remi appeared. The Guardians and Powers immediately knelt, thumping their chests as Remi made his way through to the balcony.
Zac’s breath hitched.
“What?” I whispered.
“The Archangels. They’re still standing.”
Remi paused in front of Ian expectantly. Ian glared, making no move to show his respect to the Ancient.
“What’s going on? Why is Remi letting him get away with that?”
“I didn’t think he’d—” Zac stopped abruptly, as if remembering I was there. “I don’t know.”
Ian finally gave in, slowly dropping to a knee. The other Archangels slowly followed.
“Come, Raffi,” Remi said, ignoring that none of the Archangels thumped their chests, the angelic gesture of loyalty.
“I want to stay with Ian,” Raffi said, his voice a faint whisper.
Remi blinked, surprised, but then quickly schooled his face. “If you wish.”
Reaching the balcony, Remi paused, looking over the angels with a solemn expression before speaking. “We all mourn for Valifor, House of Raphael. She fought valiantly for what she believed in, a just world and Heaven alike. To her, we owe our greatest efforts. We honor her in a moment of silence.”
Heads bowed for only a minute before Remi began speaking again. “It is with great sorrow I announce some of our brothers have joined Belial.”
That was it? Val had sacrificed her home, her family, her life for Remi and that was all he could do to honor her?
I took a step forward. Zac caught my arm, shaking his head. “Don’t. Trust me.”
“Our one-time brothers who no longer have angelic goodness within them are demons. They are the foot soldiers of the Dark Ways. These former angels have no hope of turning back to us. They are not like t
hose who follow Azriel and his sister Anael, House of Sariel. For they still have light within, misguided as they are.”
Misguided my ass. I snorted at Remi’s attempt to soften Ari and Ana’s betrayal. Remi may have put all the blame on my father, but Ari and Ana were not innocents in this. It was Ari who had demolished city after city, tearing the world apart. It was he who had come after Karenna’s family.
“But heed this,” Remi continued, “It was demons who took Val’s life force, not Ari’s army.”
“Thalos and Caim are of House of Sariel!” one of the Powers cried. “They follow Ana’s command.”
“Not anymore,” Zac called out. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Their wings bare the markings of transformation.”
The crowd roared with shock at the news.
Remi held up his hand, silencing them. “While we mourn their loss, we must remain diligent to hold to our angelic creed. When we face our brothers in battle, hold on to the hope we can sway them back to their rightful place with us. It is what Val most desired.”
The court erupted, Guardians, Powers, and Archangels vocalizing either support or rejection.
“They broke angelic law!”
“They must be punished!”
“They are not the enemy. They’re our brothers!”
“Weakling!”
“We must show strength!” Ian cried.
Remi raised his hand. When the crowd quieted, his calming baritone voice swept through the court. “There is strength in forgiveness and love.”
“Ridiculous!”
The crowd gasped at Ian’s retort.
Remi fumed, the cords along the sides of his neck jutted out. He looked like he was about to explode. With a flick of one of his colossal wings, he could send Ian straight back home. I leaned forward in anticipation.
Instead, Remi took a breath. Squaring his shoulders, he gave Ian a gentle smile. “That’s a discussion for another day. For now, we can agree to disagree. We must focus on getting our guests to the safe haven. Blaze has come up with a plan to give us time to get us there safely.
“This is absurd. Now we’re following the battle strategy of a Guardian?” Ian growled under his breath.
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