"They're gone," I choked out, feeling her arms come around my waist, mindful of the wings. "They're gone! And they're not coming back. Oh God."

I felt Flare’s body grow still, and then she shivered, though her grip on me never loosened. "Tenshi... what do you mean?" she asked, and her voice was so soft that if she hadn't been speaking into my ear I wouldn't have heard her.