The problem?
He crept closer. And closer. They would eventually see him.
“Or!” I exclaimed. “Sometimes people like to open up about bad experiences. Like, ‘yes,Igot the dress from here, but…stay away!’ Y’know? Because some places sell pretty stuff, but they’re dirty and they’llrake you over the coals. Literally.”
Cheriour glanced up.
Okay. I had his attention. Now…
“Fuck!” I screamed when he threw a knife.
His aim was perfect; the blade sank between Seruf’s shoulder blades, right by her wing joint. And, based on her reaction, that was akin to kicking a Celestial in the balls.
She doubled over, gaping. Like the wind had puffed right out of her sails.
“Bitch.” I shoved her away from me and dove for my poleaxe.
Gabriel dove for me.
We collided and went down together. Him on top of me, the poleaxe just out of my grasp.
“Ekk…no!” I slapped the back of his knuckles when he dug his sharp nails into my stomach. “No…that’s rude. You don’t grab a girl without her—gah!”
He grasped my thigh, clawing at my bare skin.
“Don’t harm her!” Seruf rasped as she stood upright. She ruffled her wings, knocking the knife (and a few feathers) loose. And then shepoofedagain.
“Cheriour! Look out!”I cried.
But, as Gabriel raked my upper thighs, Seruf reappeared beside Cheriour and kicked his legs out from under him. A nauseatingcrackechoed as at least one of his bones broke.
“Why do you fools do this?” Seruf shoved Cheriour down. He didn’t cry out or give any indication of pain, but I saw it in his face. In the way he squeezed his eyes shut and cradled his mid-section as he hit the ground. And I couldn’t go to him! Not with freaking Gabriel holding me down.
“We cannot be killed by your weapons. When will you learn…” Seruf paused with a strangled gasp when Cheriour looked up at her. “Brother?” she whispered.
Brother?
“Get off, get off!” I played whack-a-mole with Gabriel’s fingers, smashing or biting at them every time he touched me. He never flinched, even when blood oozed from the lacerations I left on his knuckles.“Get off!” I yelled. “Fucking—holy fucking shit!”
Gabriel suddenly sprawled sideways when Seruf shoved him out of the way.
“What a night this has been!” She plucked me off the ground. I was no lightweight, and she held me by the scruff of my neck like I weighed no more than a kitten.
Her wings fluttered.
Wepoofedacross the street—where Cheriour lay on his side, wheezing.
And traveling through thepoof…holy crap, it was awful.
In one way, it reminded me of the night I’d stumbled upon a playground while doing the shitfaced shuffle from the bar to my apartment. Drunk me had been helpless against the allure of a twisty tube slide. The problem? I wasn’t a kid anymore. Not even close. Ibarelyfit. And the hard plastic squishing my body from all sides as my skin made asqueeeaksound…
Combine that, with the stomach-left-behind sensation you’d get from a drop ride, and that was how I feltpoofingfrom one end of the street to the other.
I clenched my jawas my stomach took a few seconds too long to catch up. “That would’ve been a ten-foot walk! Are you really that lazy?”I snarled at Seruf.
Seruftsked, cupped my cheek again, and turned to Cheriour.
He’d pulled himself back into a crouch. Sweat trickled down his pale face. Blood oozed from the wound at his rib cage. A lot of blood.
