“What are you going on about?’I asked, not at all in the mood to deal with her incessant babbling.
“The plates...they say Arkansas,” she said.
I followed the car until we’d made it out of the woods, into a sleepy little town.The sign at the edge of the road readJasper Springs.
The sign looked faded, with lichen growing along the side of its stakes, and amid the darkness and the rain, it looked like something out of a horror movie.Valory walked beside me, the rain causing her hair to stick to her wet, pale skin, her beaded white dress clinging to her body like a second skin.
In the rain and fog, her features were pronounced, and the water had elevated her natural curves.Much like a winding, abandoned road.
Tempting, but full of obstacles, I’m sure.
The car had disappeared, but Valory and I remained, an ominous feeling washing over me, until suddenly the darkness shifted into blinding light, and the earth fell from beneath our feet.
My wings spread of their own accord as I grabbed Valory, my hand tightening around her arm as I pulled her close.The sound of her wings spreading was a resoundingwhoosh, her feathers prickling against my own in the stormy, wet sky, her hand resting on my soaked shirt over my chest.Her touch was warm, despite the chill, but before I could make a move, a sound, we were thrown back through the vacuum of Mercy’s consciousness, evicted like a tenant down on his luck.
I fell back with a force against the bed with Mercy, with one hand against her sweaty temple, and one hand wrapped around Valory’s wrist.
The light of the hotel was bright, brighter than any sun, and my headached.
“Fuck...”I grunted as I sat upright, knocking the women on top of me down just a hair.
Mercy rolled her head lazily, the exhaustion in her expression evident.“Jasper,” she murmured, her voice thin and tired.
I slid my hand through her hair, her brown eyes staring up at me.
“You did good, Mercy.So good,” I said, smoothing her hair.
“But now you need to rest.”
“But...we need to go, to find—”
“And we will, but right now, I think weallneed a good night’s sleep.”My gaze shifted from where Mercy sat curled against me, to the angel on the other side of her.
Despite the look of concern on her face, Valory didn’t look the least bit affected by what had happened, what we’d seen.I noticed as she dropped her gaze to Mercy her eyelashes fluttered and she ran a shaky hand over Mercy’s, holding, squeezing hers.
“Endor is right, we need to be well-rested and well-fueled for the trip to Jasper Springs.”She smiled softly, and I couldn’t help but notice the almost natural glow of her tan skin, her golden hair.
And the way she was looking at Mercy made my insides warm, though I supposed that was just a side effect of our trip into Mercy’s memories.
Is that where her body is?
In Jasper Springs?
Something about it felt too easy, too...predictable.
But I wasn’t about to look fate in the eye and tell it it was wrong.
Though a part of me tensed at the thought of Mercy finding her body.
What if she does not choose to bind herself to Hell?
What if...
I shut the thoughts down immediately as she curled closer.I pulled her against me, away from Valory, as I situated us against the pillows against the headboard.
Mercy purred in contentment, murmuring something about warmth and my scent, but it was mostly incoherent.
I stroked my fingers through her hair until she’d truly fallen asleep, my gaze fixed on her youthful, innocent appearance.
