“I’m going to give you one more chance to answer my question before I bring your nightmares to life.”He grits his teeth and spits. “Bring it on demon bitch.”I shake my head with a small wag of my finger. “Now you see—I’m not a demon. I’m the queen of hell and the devil’s daughter,” I grin.
I was harshly awoken by shouting and the screech of metal on metal. I jerked upright, scrambling off the cot when I heard the familiar jingle of keys outside the door.“Hands on the wall!”I bit my tongue, trudging over to plant my hands on the stone. I heard the door squeak open and it took all of my self control to remain still as the guard yanked my hands behind my back and shoved my face against the wall.“You try an’ pull another stunt like ya did last time and they won’ even bother givin’ ya a trial—they’ll throw ya righ’ in the Cage,” he spat, locking the heavy chains around my wrists.He hauled me out of the cell none too gently. He pulled me by my arm so roughly I stumbled repeatedly as we made our way through the prison.The whines and moans of the other prisoners pierced my ears, making me bow my head and squeeze my eyes shut in a desperate attempt to block them out. I clenched my teeth together until my jaw hurt and dug my nails into my palms until I felt blood but it did n
“Luci?”What?“Luci.”
His eyes search my face. “You want to kill him don’t you?” “Tell me where he is,” I growl. “He’s more powerful than you Luciana,” he says, shaking his head. My lip curls upward. Had he not been bound and shivering and covered in blood and tears, I might have been concerned by his words. “Tell me where to find Michael,” I demand. His head bows and he keels over, coughing violently. I wait for him to finish shaking; blood dribbles down his front and splatters onto the floor. “He lives in the mountains.” I crouch down, my gaze locked on him. “Tell me more.” I listen intently to every single word he says. He seems to grow more weary as he describes the Council Leader’s home: a prison-like structure deep in the mountains, far from danger, far from enemies. Guarded by hundreds of angels. Protected by magic. Surrounded by miles of icy mazes. It sounds like an evil fortress straight out of a fiction novel. I sit back on my heels. “Anything else?” I ask. He shakes his head and goes sil
I swear I can feel my feathers freezing. My wings seem to grow stiffer with each passing minute, and the scarf wrapped around my nose and mouth does practically nothing to protect me from the harsh wind. Icy crystals blow into my face and cut at every inch of exposed skin. I can barely see anything through the flurry of snowflakes but hope flares in my chest at the sight of a vague shadow in the white cloud. As I get closer, I sigh in relief. The rock wouldn't be much warmer but at least it would give me a little shelter against the storm. I find a small overhang in the rock formation—well, I suppose it's closer to a mountain. It's significantly colder up here and it's slowly getting harder and harder to breathe. I can instantly feel the rise in temperature as I finally escape the wind, but the chill in my bones lingers. I close my fist then spread my fingers, relaxing when a small fire springs to life on the rocky floor. I don't know if it will continue burning once I fall asleep
What. "He's my uncle?" I shriek. The demon's eyes flare and its fanged grin turns menancing. "How else would he be as powerful as he is? Your family is among the strongest angels to walk this Earth my queen." I can hear the blood rushing through my veins. I've had family this whole time and he was responsible for all the torture and suffering I had endured. All of these years and he never said a word to stop any of it. He watched his neice beg for her freedom and laughed. "Get some rest my queen, we will watch over you." I know it was meant to be comforting, but it honestly made my skin crawl. I don't like the idea of someone watching me, especially not while I'm sleeping. "I appreciate the thought, but maybe don't actually watch me," I mumble when those bright red eyes are still staring at me a few minutes later. The demon laughs, blinking slowly before slinking away to the edge of the cave. The fire burning brightly at the center of the cave casts horrendous shadows onto the wal
I run as hard as I can through the tall grass that stretches above my head. I hear yelling and pounding footsteps behind me and I push myself to run faster.My lungs heave and my heart beats furiously. I glance back to see four figures slowly gaining on me.Panic sets in and I feel tears run down my face. I look forward again and hit something hard.I cry out at the impact and fall onto the ground. My head hits a rock; the breath is knocked out of me instantly and I gasp for air that won’t come.Black spots flood my vision and I am only conscious long enough to watch a grinning man's face come into view before everything goes dark.***My eyes fly open and I gasp at the pain that floods my body almost immediately. I squint against the bright white light but I can't see anything through my watering eyes.I clench my jaw, blinking back the tears. I feel panic settle deep in my chest. My stomach flips at the bleach stink filling my nose.Looking around, I realize I'm laying on facedown on
“—the new students transferring here from the rehabilitation facility arrive tomorrow, so please act appropriately and set a good example,” Mr. Woodrow, the headmaster, announces.“Yes sir,” we all mutter. He speaks for a few minutes more then dismisses us.I wait for the auditorium to empty before standing. I trudge behind the crowd of students, clenching my jaw as I am
What. "He's my uncle?" I shriek. The demon's eyes flare and its fanged grin turns menancing. "How else would he be as powerful as he is? Your family is among the strongest angels to walk this Earth my queen." I can hear the blood rushing through my veins. I've had family this whole time and he was responsible for all the torture and suffering I had endured. All of these years and he never said a word to stop any of it. He watched his neice beg for her freedom and laughed. "Get some rest my queen, we will watch over you." I know it was meant to be comforting, but it honestly made my skin crawl. I don't like the idea of someone watching me, especially not while I'm sleeping. "I appreciate the thought, but maybe don't actually watch me," I mumble when those bright red eyes are still staring at me a few minutes later. The demon laughs, blinking slowly before slinking away to the edge of the cave. The fire burning brightly at the center of the cave casts horrendous shadows onto the wal
I swear I can feel my feathers freezing. My wings seem to grow stiffer with each passing minute, and the scarf wrapped around my nose and mouth does practically nothing to protect me from the harsh wind. Icy crystals blow into my face and cut at every inch of exposed skin. I can barely see anything through the flurry of snowflakes but hope flares in my chest at the sight of a vague shadow in the white cloud. As I get closer, I sigh in relief. The rock wouldn't be much warmer but at least it would give me a little shelter against the storm. I find a small overhang in the rock formation—well, I suppose it's closer to a mountain. It's significantly colder up here and it's slowly getting harder and harder to breathe. I can instantly feel the rise in temperature as I finally escape the wind, but the chill in my bones lingers. I close my fist then spread my fingers, relaxing when a small fire springs to life on the rocky floor. I don't know if it will continue burning once I fall asleep
His eyes search my face. “You want to kill him don’t you?” “Tell me where he is,” I growl. “He’s more powerful than you Luciana,” he says, shaking his head. My lip curls upward. Had he not been bound and shivering and covered in blood and tears, I might have been concerned by his words. “Tell me where to find Michael,” I demand. His head bows and he keels over, coughing violently. I wait for him to finish shaking; blood dribbles down his front and splatters onto the floor. “He lives in the mountains.” I crouch down, my gaze locked on him. “Tell me more.” I listen intently to every single word he says. He seems to grow more weary as he describes the Council Leader’s home: a prison-like structure deep in the mountains, far from danger, far from enemies. Guarded by hundreds of angels. Protected by magic. Surrounded by miles of icy mazes. It sounds like an evil fortress straight out of a fiction novel. I sit back on my heels. “Anything else?” I ask. He shakes his head and goes sil
“Luci?”What?“Luci.”
I was harshly awoken by shouting and the screech of metal on metal. I jerked upright, scrambling off the cot when I heard the familiar jingle of keys outside the door.“Hands on the wall!”I bit my tongue, trudging over to plant my hands on the stone. I heard the door squeak open and it took all of my self control to remain still as the guard yanked my hands behind my back and shoved my face against the wall.“You try an’ pull another stunt like ya did last time and they won’ even bother givin’ ya a trial—they’ll throw ya righ’ in the Cage,” he spat, locking the heavy chains around my wrists.He hauled me out of the cell none too gently. He pulled me by my arm so roughly I stumbled repeatedly as we made our way through the prison.The whines and moans of the other prisoners pierced my ears, making me bow my head and squeeze my eyes shut in a desperate attempt to block them out. I clenched my teeth together until my jaw hurt and dug my nails into my palms until I felt blood but it did n
“I’m going to give you one more chance to answer my question before I bring your nightmares to life.”He grits his teeth and spits. “Bring it on demon bitch.”I shake my head with a small wag of my finger. “Now you see—I’m not a demon. I’m the queen of hell and the devil’s daughter,” I grin.
It hurts. I know it shouldn't, but I can't seem to stop the throbbing ache in my chest.The pain seems to pulse in time with the waves. It makes it seem almost . . . comforting. Like it's reminding me of what's real . . ."Luci.""Please leave me alone," I whisper, my voice hoarse from crying."You have been gone for hours," he says."I don't care.""But I do. And so does Diana.""I want to be left alone," I snap."You're lying."I let my chin fall onto my knees, hugging them tighter against my chest. "Please just go Logan," I mutter."I refuse to leave you out here alone. It isn't safe," he says in a firm voice.I pick at the sand with my fingers, wrinkling my nose as it gets up under my fingernails. "I'm still on your property. The council can't find me here," I mumble. My eye catches onto a pale gray stone and I flick it into the surf."I'm not worried about the Council, I'm worried about you hurting yourself," he growls."I told you I'm fine!" I spit."Ten years ago, I made a promi
I wake to voices and a strange sliding noise—sweeping maybe? I slowly open my eyes, squinting against the light that fills my room. “Hey you’re finally awake. Did you sleep okay?” I look up at Diana, confusion swirling in my mind for a split second before I remember last night. “Yeah,” I say, my voice hoarse and scratchy.
My breath stops in my chest.“Oh my god,” I whisper.The forest around me holds an