“Open your eyes.”Can’t he see I’m trying?Fingers press against my neck, searching for my pulse. Absurd. I’m only dreaming.
“Gods, your stubbornness will be your downfall. You must take S’lach’s deal.”
Lyklan. That’s who the voice belongs to. My traitorous lead guardian. I frown and stop trying to open my eyes. I’ve already seen him, and I have no desire to repeat the experience. I’d rather see Celine.
My cheek stings, or I think it does. The pain has been replaced with a strange numbness.
“You’ll never avenge her if you’re locked up in here or dead,” Lyklan whispers. “Be smart, Malach, you know what I say is true.”
Do I? Lyklan is a proven liar.
I suppose I am, too.
“Nod your head, wiggle your fingers—anything, and I’ll get you out of here.”
He sounds worried. It’s unsettling, like hearing someone sing for the first time and realizing they sound like a different person entirely. I don’t care about Lyklan, though, I was dreaming of Celine. Worry or no worry, I want him to shut up so I can be with her again.
A weightless sensation hits me.
The pressure on my wrists eases.
Then pain returns. Gods, the pain is inescapable. Someone makes a strangled noise. I suppose that’s me, but the whine sounds as unusual leaving my mouth as Lyklan’s worry. I try and fail to order him to leave me alone. My lips and tongue don’t cooperate.
“You’re dying.” Lyklan’s voice is brisk. “If you won’t let me help you, you’ll have done nothing for Celine but cause her more pain. Come now.” He slaps my cheek. “Surely you can’t want that. Think, Malach, think hard.”
I don’t want to die and let Celine down, but the alternative is too despicable.
I’m not sure I’m capable of aligning myself with S’lach publicly and meeting the otherthatshas’eyes afterward. To do so would be to betray all sevennish.An angel without honor is an angel who doesn’t deserve their radiant word; the teachings are clear.
Today it’s an innocuous choice. Tomorrow my wings could be as stained as S’lach’s.
Lyklan tries to move me. Stabbing pain runs through my joints, centered in my left shoulder. My thoughts grow muddier.
“Your finger twitched, I saw it.”What? Is Lyklan hallucinating?I didn’t twitch my damn finger, my muscles spasmed, and he ought to know the difference.No honor. He’s taking another choice away from you.
I try to rouse myself and fail. My mouth is glued shut, unable or unwilling to tell him I would rather die than do S’lach’s bidding.
This body is the latest in a long line of betrayers. The unconsciousness I longed for minutes ago rolls over me, a heavy, black sheet pushing me under. Then I’m back with Celine, her perfect lips moving against mine.
If only it were real.
FIVE
Unspoken Rule of the Fringes #54:
There’s power in silence.
CELINE
Ciprian leaves the bed around sunrise, a cross between a man on a mission and a lost little boy. His head hangs low, but his shoulders are clenched. I don’t try to stop him. If he wants to talk, I’m here, but he deserves alone time. Gods know it’s an endangered commodity.
Alistair and Luca are still asleep, their faces slack. I’m glad they’re resting. We all need it after the nonstop stress of the monster realm. I sigh and sink deeper into the pillows, glad to have some time to myself. The silence gives me a chance to sort out my next move.
My top priorities are getting back to my home realm, freeing Malach, and removing my father’s head from his body. I can’t use the illegal gateway in the desert; it’s obviously compromised, but I don’t know how to get to the celestial realm any other way. There must be other gateways. I need to track them down.
Beneath my skin, my wings twitch eagerly. They want out, but that will have to wait. I can’t stroll around the enclave’s Colorado compound flexing my wingspan... or can I?
The idea is tempting.
