The only thing she knew that got to him was whenshewas hurting. And God knew she was right then.
“I have a few things to say to you,” she said, keeping her voice firm when all she wanted to do was cry. “How could you think I would move on without you? In those few hours after you left, until I learned the truth, I thought I would never be happy again, not like the way we were at the abbey during those stolen days?—”
A slide of rubble had her jerking to her feet.
God, please, please, let it be a small, stray animal.
She crept to the entrance. A hand on the cold stone, she peered outside but couldn’t see what had disturbed the quiet. Her heart in her throat, she stepped out.
A small brown creature with four dark stripes down its back scuttled past. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it looked like a mouse, though much larger. It settled in some dry weeds caught under a boulder.
Exhaling a huge breath of relief, she turned back into the cave and stilled.
A brilliant light inside had her blinking. Michael didn’t glow so brightly. Her sight adjusted, and she frowned. This male wore white robes, his massive, multiple pale gold wings sweeping the ground. The angel leaned over Lore.
Was he healing him?Oh, thank God!
She didn’t dare make a sound and distract him. She just wanted Lore better and back to his cool, aloof self with that slight amusement in his eyes.
“I am sorry, Loráed,” the angel said. “We’ve known each other for a long time. I had hoped whitefire would have taken care of this. Alas, I cannot go against the Supreme Seraph’s order.”
What the hell?
His hand lifted. Silver glinted in the darkness. The blade came down?—
“Nooo!” Nia charged across the cave.
The angel twisted. With a casual flick of his hand, he sent her flying across the cave like a rag doll. She collided with the rough wall before crashing to the unyielding granite floor. Stars exploded, blinding her. Pure agony splintered her skull, flooding every inch of her. She lay there, so sure she’d fractured something. Every breath felt like a battle. Speaking was beyond her.
The angel glided to his feet and floated over to stare down his thin nose at her, his short, blond hair emitting a glow.
“So, you, human, are the one for whom he gave up his divinity, hmm?” His tone was affable, his eyes curious. “A little throw, and you can barely move?” He nudged her painful hip with his foot.
Agony flooded her, and she bit her inner lip to stifle a cry. Tears seeped.
“Loráed has truly lost his mind. But it is far too late for him.” He smiled, the sight horrifyingly chilling in its friendliness.“Where our Power and Throne have failed, it seemsIfinally have to eliminate the tiresome, hard-to-kill descendant of Zarias’ line.”
He picked up his fallen blade. “First, you shall see what your little fight for freedom has resulted in when I take out our Power.”
Rage tore through Nia. “Touch him, a-and I will k-kill you.”
He angled his head, eyeing her like she was a flea. “I don’t see how, mortal. You are barely able to move a limb, with a fractured rib. And I am here…” He knelt near Lore’s glitching body again.
God, please!
He lifted the blade, met her gaze with a cool stare, and thrust down?—
“Nooo!” Terror and adrenaline surged, and she somehow flashed herself between the angel and Lore, and with all the rage in her, she shoved him hard with both hands. Eyes wide with shock, he flew back as if tossed aside by a tornado. Blood pounding in her head, Nia grabbed his fallen blade and plunged it into his evil chest. “You will never touch him, you fucking ass!”
His body jolted.
A stream of white light shot skyward, and the angel vanished.
Barely able to breathe, her ribcage searing, Nia crawled to where Lore lay on his back, unmoving?—
A burst of noise and color split through her mind. Power exploded in a dizzying white light inside her skull then warm sunlight streamed down onto the rolling green hills… Angels were everywhere.
She groaned and grabbed her head.
