Chapter 4

“This the right place?” I ask Yvo as I raise an eyebrow at the run-down town. There was clearly some kind of fire here which obliterated most of the life around, leaving the remains as a charred scar on the horizon.

“Yep…you’re seriously going in there alone?” He asks, his eyebrows pinching together as he peers into my eyes.

I nudge him with my elbow slightly, a small smile letting itself be known on my lips. “You stay in the tree cover with the horse, ready to go. I’ll slip in, get the angel, steal a horse and join you back on the road.”

Yvo’s look of worry changes to a smirk when he elbows me in the ribs. “Wow, that sentence probably used up the entire allocated number of words you can say today.”

I roll my eyes, sliding off the horse. “I could talk more if I wanted to,” I retort, stroking the horse’s mane. “Why don’t you then?” Yvo pipes up, peering down at me from his perch on the horse.

Giving him a hard stare, I wait until he gets it. “Oh right. If you wanted to.” He looks a little disappointed, before shaking his head and swatting my hand away from the horse.

“Hurry up and get the angel, the longer we hang around here, the more likely it is she’ll be in multiple pieces once you get there.” I sigh, pulling my hair behind my head and securing it with string, so that it won’t get in my way when fighting.

“Back to getting familiar with the angel?” I ask, knowing full well that Yvo is feeling guilty about having to hand it over to the Duchess once we get back.

“Just be careful,” he says with a little wave as I grab one of my daggers from the gear on our horse, nodding my head at him as I leave.

—————

-The Angel-

I roll over onto my other side, in an attempt to drown out the sounds of shouting outside of my fun little cell. I’ve tried asking the guard what’s going on, but he looks like if I say another word, he’ll actually kill me.

Which, to be honest, his loss.

I’ve already been fucking kicked out by those damn Archangels, and for what? Being myself? Absolute bullshit.

All the other fallen angels got kicked out for things like murdering other angels or stealing something or whatever, like doing things to harm others.

But me?


Some angel scum ratted me out to the Archangels, and now I’m with the fucking humans, watching people fight over me so they can steal my blood and tears, getting tied up, and my wings broken, not to mention that they stabbed me with some thin pointy stick, and since then, I’ve barely been able to move, I’m so goddamn tired.

The human realm really sucks.

I recognise the sound of the trapdoor opening, but with my face turned away from it, I can’t see who it is anyway. Probably just another of the guards, here to relieve their buddy from sitting next to my shitty little cage for a few hours.

And then the guard yells before abruptly being cut off.

Well, that doesn’t sound very friendly.

But, I used all my energy turning around already, so I’m in no rush to do the same again and look at whatever just happened.

The jangle of keys piques my interest, and then suddenly strong hands are grabbing me, the ropes binding me lying severed on the ground around me.

My eyes were squeezed shut in an effort to pretend I’m asleep, but when the person sighs and whispers “you’re coming with me,” I’m guessing they know I’m faking it.

I mean, I was never a good actor, so. Not that hard to tell I was awake.

Peeling one eye open, I hold my breath for no reason in particular. A man in front of me raises one eyebrow, grabbing me by the shoulders and pulling me out of the cage. “I’m so not going with you,” I fold my arms across my chest, staring down the man.

He sighs in exasperation, and then has the balls to come over and pick me up. I just gape at him as he slings me over his shoulder, and I get a glimpse of my old guard.

It’s safe to say, he doesn’t look comfortable. I mean, there’s a fat slice across his throat, so. He’s very dead.

This guy went right for the jugular, huh.

Glancing back at said guy, I realise he has a charming knife in his belt, which has artistic blood spatters on. Lovely.

I squirm on his shoulder, but his grip is firm and he doesn’t seem to even notice. He kicks the trap door open, and the place is literal carnage.

If this ugly-ass town wasn’t already gross, now it has bodies lying around, and half of the area is on fire. As if it wasn’t already charred enough.

The man carrying me steps over a body, and as I glance behind me, I see the body stand up. I punch the shoulder of the man carrying me, and he sighs tiredly again, before I yell “behind you!”

He turns swiftly, throwing the knife in his belt with a speed that can only rely on reflexes. The body- the guy who’s alive, it’d be handy if I knew anyone’s name, but. Oh well. Anyway. He doesn’t manage to completely dodge the knife, but it only hits his leg rather instead of wherever this guy was aiming.

“Of course Duchess Derevene wants this angel,” the man says, sneering at us. Me? The guy carrying me? I’m not entirely sure.

“I fucking knew she’d be after it, and I knew she’d send the Hunter. I fucking warned them, but did they listen? Of course they fucking didn’t. Any now? They’re all dead. Serves those stupid fuckers right,” he spits, and I have no idea what he’s on about, but he’s clearly pissed.

I expect the man carrying me to kill this twat instantly, but to my surprise, he just leaves. His grip on me increases a little as he daintily steps over each body, leaving the other guy hissing in the burning house.

I’m carried over to a horse, where I’m placed surprisingly gently on top of the animal. The man climbs on behind me, carefully tucking my wings between my back and his chest. I still flinch a little at the pain, I mean, they’re fucking broken.

Not a good feel.

To my surprise, however, my ears pick up an almost impossibly quiet “sorry.” I glance behind me, but the man’s eyes are fixed ahead of us as he grabs the horse’s reins, and spurs the animal into movement.