“Soon, buddy. We will see her in three days.”
Although that seemed like an eternity when I said it out loud.
GABE
Icouldn’t help but grind my teeth together as my jaw clenched tightly, bile and pain rising in tandem within me as my shift came over me.
Fuck this.
Having just fallen a few years ago, I had an edge over anyone else in the Rebellion when it came to this job. With access to the most recent knowledge of the inner workings of the kingdom, paired with being the only angel we knew of with my affinity…Well, it made it a no brainer that I was here now, but I hated every second of using my power. A grunt escaped me as my spine cracked and a burst of heat tore through me.
Many in the Rebellion called this power a blessing, but it was a curse to me. A reminder every day that I would never fully be understood…And a reminder thatitwas the reason I had to fall and leave everything I knew behind.
Steele is going to owe me so many bottles of Macallan for this. I’m talking I-want-to-be-able-to-swim-in-it amounts.
The risk of breaking back into Alfemir after falling was quite literally a life or death situation, yet here I was, doing it for the second time. My brow pinched together, and I thought of my last visit here to get me through the roaring inferno of painblazing through my body as the bones in my legs cracked and my skin shifted as commanded. A hiss slipped through my thinned lips as they curled back in an effort to hold in the scream that threatened to rip from me.Just a few more seconds.
I only had myself to blame for needing to come back again after getting sidetracked in my first attempt a few months ago—all because of that golden-haired minx in the library. Steele didn’t need to know that, though, or else he’d have my hide as commander. He’d never understand the draw I had to her, seeing as his only friend was his right hand—on a good day.
I forced myself to take deep breaths in and out to steady my heart rate as my body settled into the final stage of my shift. As my bones snapped into place, I had to actively attempt to shove her out of my mind…Kieran. My lips pursed. I couldn’t have a repeat of last time.
I’d spent countless hours throughout the past few months surveying the sentries’ shifts at all of Alfemir’s outposts and even longer tracking the unsuspecting soul whose appearance I stole for this job. He was my ticket in, and I had to go as far as to learn and perfect his voice, otherwise having his body would be for nothing. However, I couldn’t risk doing this again after this. So many things had to go just right for me to get in and out undetected. There was too much room for error despite my reconnaissance.
One flick of her tongue over her full lips as she eyed my body had me breaking like some kind of virgin, despite knowing the danger I was in. My head shook on its own accord, as if I could clear the feeling of her wrapped around me from my mind. The corners of my lips tugged up in a smirk.As-fucking-if.My mind had been consumed by an endless loop of recalling every curve of her body and the sinful, breathy moans that crossed her lips, even though I knew it wouldn’t happen again. She’d made that clear, but I needed to avoid her at all costs for multiple reasons—and not just because I didn’t trust my self-control around the woman.
Launching myself into the air under the cover of night, I shot through the sky like an arrow, knowing I had mere minutes to show up at my target’s post at the northern tower in a timeframe that wouldn’t cause suspicion in the case that he’d interacted with any other guards or their beasts recently. Exhaustion poured through me from the strenuous flight and using my powers, but the night was still young and I had a mission to accomplish.
Despite leaving Alfemir for my own safety, a pang of longing rolled through me as the familiar, fluffy clouds encompassed me like a hug from an old friend. My wings twitched, itching to travel the familiar route to my family’s home, to check on them and see how they were doing. I hadn’t had time to explain or say goodbye to them before I left, and it ate away at me every day, knowing the pain I likely inflicted on them.
Guilt was a complicated beast I’d yet to tame, and it seemed I left a wake of destruction behind me, even if the people I impacted didn’t know it yet. My attempts to clear Kieran from my mind failed, and my thoughts turned back to her, but this timebecauseof the deep guilt I felt for deceiving her. I’d accidentally let my wings out in the shock of my draw to her. The black feathers were the one thing my affinity couldn’t shift for some reason. Therefore she knew I was a fallen angel going into our night together, but she didn’t know the full truth—that she knew me before I’d fallen…The real me who wasn’t in someone else’s shape.
A grimace overtook my face when I thought of the look on her face if she ever discovered that betrayal. While we hadn’t had a personal relationship before I’d fallen, we’d grown up in the same prestigious circles—having Archangel parents—and she’dundoubtedly recognize me. I didn’t regret our night together, but I did regret not giving her the full truth.
Don’t, under any circumstances, reveal your identity. You know what’s coming for the world if you fail this mission.
Steele’s words had haunted me in the split second I thought about telling her. I would learn to live with the guilt if it meant ensuring the completion of this mission, as fucked up as it sounded. It wasn’t like we had a future together, anyway. She’d move on and settle down like duty in Alfemir demanded of us all. My fists curled tightly at my side at the thought of her with someone else. A growl rumbled through my chest. She’d give another man those pretty little sounds as their cock pounded into her…Fuck, Gabe. Stop it, focus.
As the northern perimeter post came into view, I quickly dove toward the cloud top, tucking my wings back into my body the second my feet landed before running up the stone tower. Dragging my hands over the uniform I’d stolen, I composed myself and assumed the position that Sentry Cadiman always deserted for exactly ten minutes on the third Monday of each month.
Upon learning his schedule, I discovered that he was buying illegal moonshine from black-market merchants in the lower ring of the city. I didn’t judge the dude for it, despite not being into psychedelic drinks myself, but I had no respect for a man who opened up an entire realm to a safety breech for his vices. He was lucky I had no intent to harm anyone here, considering this was the closest post to the castle, where not only the archives were but also the portal gates. I just needed to get two items and I’d disappear back into the night.
Cadiman always reappeared mere minutes before his shift ended, swapping out with the new Sentry per protocol, so I needed to be far enough away to not collide with him or hisrelief, but not far enough to be out of his zone in case someone saw me. It was a delicate balance.
The clouds were thick tonight, giving me a buffer on coverage, and it felt like luck was on my side. Sure, I could have risked just walking into the castle in this guise, but Alfemir operated on a structured system. Everyone had a place to be at all times—a purpose. Each angel was a cog in the never-ending wheel, so if anyone stuck out, it would be glaringly obvious and warrant attention I couldn’t afford. In a few minutes, I’d be free to make my way to the castle and into the archives, and with Cadiman’s home being within a few minutes walk, no one would blink twice at me.
The sky was a deep navy blue tonight, with only faint glimmers of light from the stars peeking through the heavy clouds. Seeing the stars still hanging in the sky had a huge breath of relief passing over my parted lips. We still had time.
A deep rumble floated through the air, causing my feet to still as I squinted, attempting to see through the heavy clouds. Talons curled around the stone wall nearest me, and my mouth dried at the sight.
“Announce yourself quickly, or Jaeger will burn you to a crisp.”
Shit.Shit.Why was there a dragon and Cavalry Rider here?
Clearing my throat, I tried to keep my voice even. “Sentry Cadiman, here, Sir. Patrolling the edge of my territory to clear it before shift change.”
I was utterly screwed if they’d already crossed paths tonight or if there had been a change up of patrols and territories.
The clouds thinned around us as the breeze stole them away, revealing in full the hulking beast and its rider. The white dragon's large wings were folded neatly against its back, glimmering in the light from the sky. Its cobalt underbelly stood out starkly against its white body, and its matching blue eyesseemed to glow in contrast to the dark shadows of the castle walls. Its large head swung around to pin me to the spot with its gaze.
