So he fluttered back, pulling his wings out wide. It gusted wind into my face and pulled my hair up, slapping it over my eyes. While I tried to adjust, he reached me and went to wrench me back. Cold fingers wrapped around my wrist. I hadn’t noticed this before, but he felt like ice. Immediately my natural magic rose to push his back. It simply couldn’t. It was like a wall stood between him and me.

  I locked my foot against him and tried to shove him away. It didn’t work.

  Kelsey wasn’t fully down. Her hand groped beside me, pulling my magical dagger from my sheath. It had remained with me, through thick and thin. She slashed at the Engelos’s chest. She got him right across his pectorals. It cut through his thick woolen cloak, and even the tunic beneath. It splattered blood all over my front. The guy didn’t even scream, but he was forced to slow down and release me.

  Kelsey shoved him back and shrieked in my face, “Fly,”

  So I flew.

  Wildly in any direction I could pick. The tunnels in this area branched off frequently. Maybe one path led up. I imagine every other direction led further into the Kings’ domain. It was cruel not having the time to pick where to go. So flapping my wings madly, I kept going left.

  I could probably be flying in a circle right back to the inner sanctum. But I didn’t have the brainpower to stop myself.

  The Engelos wouldn’t let up. He shot in close behind me once more, fingers almost scraping down my wing. But I spun and slammed my foot into his face. He almost caught it.

  “Don’t fight him,” Kelsey roared. “You have no chance. Fly, freaking fly.”

  So I did. I twisted around, stared ahead, ignored him behind me, and flapped my wings.

  They might be longer than his, but they did have a specific advantage. When I flattened them behind me, I could move fast. He could create more concentrated gusts and frequently did, trying to use them to push me out of the air. But I could corner better.

  It made a distinct difference in these cramped tunnels. I used that skill now as I flew close to a new tunnel. Something told me not to take it. A deep intuition stabbed me in the chest. I twisted to the right.

  The Engelos tried to catch me, but as I dodged his direct action seemingly randomly, he slammed into the wall. Blood continued to splatter down his front from the deep cut. It sizzled, and as it struck the air, it created long wisps of smoke. It proved how powerful he was. Engelos blood was filled with magic. I’d never known how much until I felt it burning in my own veins.

  He let out a dark hiss, and I thought he’d snap at me. He kept his lips closed and simply followed.

  I don’t know why my intuition had taken until now to rise, but I’d never heard it clamoring louder in my life. Right, it bellowed. I took the right path. Then it screamed left. It focused me, allowing me to fly without any distraction. Kelsey said a few things. I couldn’t even hear her. Move. Flap my wings. Reach something.

  My sense of smell was working, and as I kept scenting the air, I didn’t even know what I was locating. It was like everything happened unconsciously.

  “Dodge,” Kelsey screamed.

  The Engelos put on a burst of speed, until he was right there, his powerful body right in my face. Kelsey had cut him across the chest, and though his woolen cloak was strong and thick, as he kept flying, it tore then fell away dramatically from the lower half of his body. His tunic did too, revealing his chiseled pecs.

  Every line was perfect and powerful and revealed how strong this Engelos was. It also gave me a hint of his massive size. It was hard to guess somebody’s height when they loomed behind you, all wings and menace. But he looked about the same height as Velos.

  Before he could grab me, Kelsey slashed with the dagger again. But the werewolf’s fingers shook. Sweat now ran down her brow, tracing up the bridge of her nose and shivering underneath her lips. Every breath was harder than the last.

  “Hold on, do you hear me?” I hissed at her. “Don’t you dare die on me.”

  “Die on you? I’m the only thing keeping you safe from that freaking Engelos. Fly. Stop changing directions like that. Pick the left. It’s easier for you to bank that way with me in your arms. It will help you stay ahead.”

  I ignored her, couldn’t follow her advice. My intuition screamed at me again, and I went right.

  “That’s taking us further down,” she hollered.

  It certainly was. Down into what, I could not tell. But a dense feeling now clamped around my shoulders, sinking into my jaw as if somebody had pushed a screwdriver between the joints. I scented the air once more, and I understood what I was smelling. The knowledge of it banged into my brain like a hammer against a tiny nail.

  I gasped, and for one second I almost dropped Kelsey. My wings froze, too. At the worst possible time. The Engelos let out a hiss, halfway between a scream of happiness and a growl. He caught me, one arm locking around my throat. My head bent backward.

  But this time I didn’t need Kelsey to save me. Shoving my elbow behind me, I smashed it into his ribs. My power might not be able to strip his magic, but it still came with its own unique explosive force. I shoved back into him with everything, and it wrenched him off me. A pained shout ripped from his lips as he spiraled backward and slammed into the wall.

  “Now. Move freaking now,” Kelsey roared.

  She was right. I would never get a chance like this again.

  I flapped my wings desperately, trying to ignore the now gnawing hunger ripping through my stomach like wolves. It promised that if I didn’t feed it soon, I would simply run out of energy.

  Kelsey squeezed her eyes shut. I had no idea if it was because of the pain or the fact she knew I couldn’t keep this up any longer.

  The Engelos screamed from behind us. There was a flash of bright light. It looked like an explosion. For all I knew, another Engelos might have reached him.

  “You’re going further down,” Kelsey snapped at me as I picked the right path once again.

  “I can smell something down there.”

  “Something familiar?”

  “It’s not a thing.”

  “What?”

  “A who,” I corrected. “My sister,” I revealed in an emotional breath.

  I thought Kelsey would snap at me that it was all in my imagination. But her sallow cheeks looked like they’d drop from her face. “You serious?”

  I’d never been more serious in my life. The prospect my sister was waiting for me filled my freaking head. It pushed at the edges of my heart like it’d make it pop.

  Smelling my sister and reaching her were two very different things. The Engelos still roared from behind me, this time his voice sharp and penetrating. I wondered if he deliberately made it as loud as possible to carry through to the rest of the Kings.

  “She’s gonna be incredibly well protected. You go down there – you’re pretty much handing yourself over to them. But I don’t care, because I’m fully behind this plan,” Kelsey said, changing her tack immediately.

  “What?” I spluttered.

  “She’s your freaking sister. She’s a member of your familial pack. You don’t leave them behind.”

  A sense of pride briefly swelled in my chest. It had all of several seconds to settle. Then the Engelos flew back into view. I was right. He now had a friend. Another, albeit smaller, Engelos. This guy was quicker. Unlike the King, he didn’t wear a cowl hiding his face.

  … Had I seen him before?

  Now was no time to concentrate, but my brain promised I’d walked past him briefly in the Engelos tower. That wasn’t so strange. So many people had already moved over to the Kings’ side. It seemed more egregious with the Engelos, though. They were meant to be above earthly desires. Money, power, privilege – they couldn’t sway an Engelos. But if that were the case, why did they live in one of the nicest apartment blocks in Mythos?

  Guess I’d never stopped to ask. I now knew there was definitely no time to stop at all. The much faster Engelos beat his wings, soon reaching me. He also held a dagger.

  Kelsey pushed hard over my shoulder and parried a blow. But the werewolf simply didn’t have any strength. This guy did. It forced Kelsey back, and I almost dropped her. So I flicked my wings up, but that was exactly what the guy wanted.

  He cut across the tip of my feathers. Wingtips are pretty important. And as I was about to learn, they were seriously sensitive. It felt like he’d ripped out my tongue a thousand times over. My head tipped back, and I shrieked. But he didn’t cut off the tip completely. Blood splattered out, yet I could still move the feathers. I flapped them around.

  The guy had paused, thinking that was a debilitating blow. But when my wing twitched back into him, he didn’t move in time. I slammed it into him with all my fury. It smashed him into the wall, sending him spiraling like a spinning atom.

  This brought an audible grunt from the King’s lips. He’d fallen behind, but now he raced forward, realizing his plan hadn’t quite worked.

  Too freaking late. Kelsey had caught the other Engelos’s dagger before I’d rammed him into the wall. Proving she still did have a little werewolf-worthy strength, she threw it right at the King’s chest. He wasn’t ready for it. His wings were out, and his chest was fully bare.

  The dagger whistled through the air and sliced right into his skin.

  It wasn’t in his heart. She got him a little to the right, closer to his lungs. It wasn’t a killing blow, but it hurt him for now. He twitched, let out a gurgle of a scream, and fell back.

  “Yes,” Kelsey snapped, fist lurching up into the air. Then she immediately flopped down into my arms, proving she was still on the edge of death.

  Like I said, the King wasn’t down. He soon grunted, and though I’d already flown down another turn in the corridor, I knew he was still following, albeit slower.

  “Try to find a clear path out of here,” Kelsey began.

  She’d forgotten about Karen. I hadn’t. If I could reach my sister, maybe she could save Kelsey’s life. Even if she couldn’t, I would break her out of here. I’d spent too long dallying above ground. I should have come down here and broken her free on day one.

  It was hard to see past the tears rolling down my eyes like thunder clouds. But scenting the air, I got closer and closer. Which meant I got further into the inner sanctum of the Kings.

  For Kelsey was right. They protected their medical mediums more than any other resource. And now I was about to fly into the heart of their rotten operation.

  Chapter 14

  I couldn’t turn back. Even if it was the smartest thing to do. The scent of Karen filled my nose, my heart, my everything. It crowded out every other self-preserving thought until I was virtually a machine. No. They were mechanical. I was instinct through and through.

  With another powerful flap of my wings, I came around the corner. I expected more of the same roughly hewn tunnels. That’s not what I got. I moved into an area that kind of resembled the flood tunnels. It had modern infrastructure with smooth concrete sheeting, even a high ceiling and wide walls that allow vehicles through. It was such an abrupt change. There were lanterns that resembled the magical city I’d originally arrived in. But they couldn’t make up for the clinical, clean, almost militaristic feeling of this new area.

  The second I saw those lanterns, I smashed my wings into them, and they cracked with satisfying ease. It was like popping dead jellyfish on a beach.

  Kelsey had settled back into my arms, her eyes pinned closed, her chest struggling for breath again. She didn’t even stir when I got through the last of the lanterns.

  I shook her in my arms, but she didn’t move. “Kelsey? Kelsey?” I tried.

  Nothing.

  While I’d taken out the lanterns quickly, they would have transmitted footage somewhere. Even if they hadn’t, the lone Engelos still knew where I was. I needed to move quickly. So scenting the air, I oriented.

  These tunnels were round, but they had low doorways. I initially stayed up close to the ceiling until I spied a ceiling fan. It created an updraft that sucked me toward it. My wings started to get more and more fatigued. My stomach had stopped grumbling, likely realizing I couldn’t feed it. It settled into this numb, cold feeling that made me want to dig it out.

  I still dodged the ceiling fan, moving as close to the ground as possible.

  Aligning my senses one last time, I realized Karen wasn’t in this section. I had to kick through a large steel door to get to her. It was locked. I settled my hand on it, but it wasn’t a simple magical catch. I pumped my force into it. It did nothing. Which meant using strength.

  I’d already learned how to flick my wings into something. It was completely different to bash them into a door, especially after an Engelos had almost cut the tip off one. Blood still splattered out of it, and a cold sensation gripped my shoulders whenever I tried to use it from that point. But I needed full strength, and I could only get it from my wings.

  I winced like I was pounding my knuckles into razor blades. It felt pretty similar. With one bang, the door shook. With another, it shook worse. The metal didn’t bend. It was obviously too thick, likely over two inches in width.

  I kept banging on it anyway, hard pressure soon backing up into my wing joints, across my spine, and over my stomach. Keep going like this, and I swear I’d snap in half. But what was my alternative?

  Nothing. I knew Karen was on the other side. Closing my eyes, I focused on her familiar smell. It helped hold back the pain as, with one last desperate bash, I got through. The door bent in front of me. I immediately lost the ability to fly, and I flopped down onto my feet. I couldn’t even hold Kelsey anymore. She slid out of my arms as I went to topple forward.

  But I never fell flat on my face. A memorable grip grabbed my shoulders.

  “Oh my God, Serena? Serena?” Karen spat, “Is that really you?”

  My eyes almost closed. Almost. But I reached my sister. I threw my lids back and embraced her. In the time I still had left.

  While all I wanted to do was hold my sister close, I heard the King Engelos screaming.

  Karen had no idea what was going on. Tellingly, as she lurched back, her eyes didn’t get stuck on my wings for long. It was like she’d known they were always there, waiting to burst up out of my spine.

  “Karen… I’ve gotta get you out of here. I can carry you both,” I said, trying to work myself up to this gargantuan task. My arms wouldn’t even hold themselves up anymore. They’d fallen slack by my sides. I tried to take a step, but my hips swayed, my foot twisted left, and I fell hard on my side.

  Immediately, Karen lurched over and grabbed me up. Without having to ask, she tried to pump her medical magic into me. I shook my head, grabbed her hand, and pushed it toward Kelsey. The werewolf was fully out of it now. I didn’t think she’d ever rouse again. Her chest looked almost frozen.

  I had a dog that died at home once. I remember that terrifying stiff phase he’d gone into before he’d taken his last breath.

  Tears choked my eyes. “God, don’t let her die. Please. I brought her down here. I’m responsible for everything.”

  “She’s not dead. She’s got a little time. You don’t. Get out of here. Please. Don’t you dare let the Kings catch you. Patrick—” she said, tears filling her eyes.

  His name was like a slap, a bucket of cold water, a bang by my ear. I remembered how he treated me, the snarling way he smiled in my face. When I thought I’d collapse, I pushed myself the hell up. Then I leaned down, grabbed Kelsey, and yanked her over one shoulder. I shouldn’t have the strength. Everything was disintegrating in front of my freaking eyes.

  I’d crossed my tipping point, having used too much energy. Keep going like this, and I imagine my body would start breaking down my muscles. But for these short few seconds, it didn’t matter.

  Karen tried to push me back. I grabbed her, twisted, and flew. I moved out of the door as the King Engelos swept into view. He’d gathered a team. He’d also removed the dagger from his chest. Blood slid down his front, but he wasn’t gagging from the injury to his lung. Instead he immediately pointed forward at me, looking like a general telling his army to swoop in for the kill. But these bastards wouldn’t be so kind as to murder me.

  Something far worse waited. I still couldn’t see the King Engelos’s eyes. But I stared at him for one last second until I turned and flew.

  If it was hard to fly with Kelsey in my arms, it was virtually impossible with the comatose werewolf over one shoulder and Karen pinned against my chest.

  I was too small in the torso. But I had to go back to the fact my wings were wide. Thankfully this tunnel was much bigger. It also had predictable smooth walls without any jagged rocks pushing out at odd angles. It gave me the immediate advantage, despite the fact I was so weak.

  Some of the smaller Engelos almost reached me, but I could bank quicker. My wings were also a lot more lethal. One guy got a little too close, and I flicked him right in the throat. A devastating blow, it sent him spiraling backward. He almost struck the King Engelos, but the bastard dodged.

  I knew he glowered at me. So I glowered back. Then I flew.

  I wouldn’t get lucky this time. Kelsey wasn’t there to parry any of the Engelos. And they tried to pepper me with attacks. When they realized I was too quick, they started hurling magic at me instead.

  Karen shook against my chest. “Stop it. You’re too weak. You’re about to black out. God—”

  “Do what you can for Kelsey. Get her conscious again. I’m sorry to ask this of you—”

  “You can’t escape,” Karen said, voice like a quiet mouse. “He won’t let you. He runs everything.”

  “Patrick?”

  “Patrick isn’t the King in charge. He is.” Karen pointed over my shoulder at the Engelos.

  I stared at him. Again, I swear our eyes aligned. I wanted to pierce right through that cowl, rip it off his face, and reveal who he was. Hell, reveal who all of the Engelos were. They could pretend they floated above everybody else’s problems, but there were far too many of them attacking me.

  Engelos were the weakest race by numbers. Vampires could be made. As could shifters. As for witches and wizards, their ranks had swelled incredibly after M-day. Most people had become one of them. I couldn’t tell how many Engelos were in Mythos City, but it couldn’t be more than a thousand. There were at least 50 in the tunnel. And something told me that was the tip of the iceberg.

 

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