I’m notsure what had possessed me.Perhaps Endor was wielding some sort of demonic voodoo on me.There just was simply no other explanation for my sudden behavior.
Except...maybe there was, but I didn’t have time to process that, not when Mercy needed us.
No, needs me.
There is no us, Valory!
I slid my heels on as quickly as possible, running after him.
When I’d been mortal, I’d never really given much thought to supernatural beings and stories.
I mean, they were just stories, right?
Vampires didn’t creep into your bedroom at night to feast on you, and that hot lumberjack wasn’t actually a werewolf.
Even in Heaven, talks of monsters and sparkly vampires were mostly in regard to the books I read.
Monsters didn’t have a place in Heaven.
They were creatures of the in-between, and until this very moment I’d never seen one, so I was more than remiss to admit they were real.
But the group—no,pack—that were advancing on Mercy hadflickeringimages.Their beefy bodies would have been comical had it not been for the flickering image of beast that overlaid their muscular forms.
The visage of beast was large, furred, with beady red eyes and sharp teeth that made every version of Little Red Riding Hood I’d heard flash in my brain.
What do they want with my precious Mercy, my little lost soul?
Before I could say a word, Endor’s wings popped out like a Jack-In-The-Box, flexing his black feathers.
I momentarily wondered who could see him, outside of Mercy, myself, and the...werewolves?
Showcasing our wings, our powers, was an act of celestial and demonic magic of the highest accord.Most mortals couldn’t see us, especially when our power and our wings were engaged, that I understood.
Except those who are touched with the gift, of course, like the old man in the alley...
But still, I worried that Endor was being too brash, too bold.We needed to becareful.Getting Mercy to the plane, to Jasper Springs needed to be our first priority.
Perhaps if we just ask them to kindly leave...
“What business do you have here?”he asked, his voice a deep, dark rumble that caused my already sensitive lady bits to flutter with renewed vigor.
Now is not the time to get all hot and bothered, Val!
“Last I checked, I didn’t have to answer to no demon about my whereabouts onmyland,” the one in the front said.
Mercy stood, but Endor flexed his arm, shooting her and me a dangerous look, one that was understandable without words.
Get Mercy.
I slowed my steps as I came closer to her, more than aware of the lingering gazes from the wolves on both of us.Energy flowed through me once more, like it had when I’d challenged Endor.
Smiting energy,I realized.It lingered on the edge, tempting me.To embrace it and let my wings pop, let the Godly power run through me and do what it was made for.
Put down the damned and protect the sanctity of...
“While it may be yourland, the girl is mine,” he said, his lips pulled back into a snarl.
“She ain’tyours,” the wolf snickered, his dark brown hair falling in his glowing gold eyes.
