For several heartbeats, nothing happened, and I thought he was going to go back on his word. But then, the reek of burnt feathers filled my nostrils, followed by a bolt of scorching pain. I gritted my teeth as tongues of fire lacerated my back, excruciating and insistent, like slashes from a serrated blade. White dots danced at the edge of myvision.
I would ask if all angels are as beautiful as you are, but I’ve seen them, and fuck if any hold a single feather toyou.
Fighting to stay conscious, I dug my palms and knees into the stone, perspiration dripping from my scrunched brow. Another wave of fire streaked over me, so violent I thought my entire body would go up insmoke.
To Abaddon and the magnificent angel who’ll be sharing mycell.
Another brutal wave of pain sank into my spine. Even though I clamped my jaw together, a muted sob lurched out. The world grayed, and Jarod’s face, the one which had danced out of my holo-ranker, shimmered behind my closedlids.
You are blinding me to the surrounding world,Feather.
More gray dappled my vision, and I clawed at the hot stone to stay upright, but my elbows bent, and the ground rushed toward me. The world darkened, then came into focus. Clumps of silvery ash fell around me like freshsnow.
The temperature dropped, and I shivered, the frost that replaced the fire burning just asfiercely.
“Is it . . . is it over?” Sweat and tears ran into the corners of mymouth.
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes, letting air whisper through my cracked lips and across my scourged skin. Slowly, my heartbeats spaced out, my breaths, too. I tried to push myself up, but my muscles convulsed, and my bones rattled. My cheek smacked the hardstone.
“Don’t move, Leigh,” Ashercommanded.
My fingers twitched as I pressed them into the stone. The archangel lifted my limp body, and I gasped from the pain of his arm pressing against myback.
Like peeling paint, the world flaked away, strip by strip, until only starless blacknessremained.
Chapter 66
Pale light filteredthrough my clasped lids. Slowly, I pried them open. The bluest, brightest sky streamed through a large window. I stretched my body that felt like it had gotten trampled during thenight.
I’d ascended, and then I’d . . . then I’d . . . I tried to move to check over my shoulder for feathers, but a face appeared over mine, and Ifroze.
“How could you do this?” Celeste’s eyes were redder than when I’d lefther.
The last few hours trickled into my mind, feeling like both a dream and a nightmare.Hadit been real? Had I flown over Elysium? Had Asher burned mywings?
“Can’t believe you got rid of your wings,” Celeste said, her voice breaking over asob.
Apparently, it had beenreal.
I lifted my hand and touched her narrow jaw. Her tears ran over myfingers.
“When Asher carried you through the guild last night, I thought . . . I thought you weredead.”
I breathed in deep, and it reawakened the leftover agony of the archangel’s fire, so I held my breath instead, and that eased the pain. “Where arewe?”
“A hotel. You’re not allowed inside guildsanymore.”
I stared at the unfamiliar room done up in heavy brocades and buttery yellow paint. “I need to getto—”
“Why?” Celeste’s voice sounded as raw as myback.
“Whywhat?”
“Why did you do it? Why did you get rid ofthem?”
“Because they weren’t going to let himascend.”
