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She whipped her head down. He was still not well, but the look in his eyes told her he d heard
every word. Shh. Don t worry about it, she said, trying to soothe him.
You ll have to leave me behind, he ground out.
What? No! Jeremiel clenched his fists. I would never do that to you. Never. And neither
would Charmeine.
Charmeine agreed. There has to be another way. She couldn t fathom how Haniel managed to
speak. Clearly, the pain was still intense, judging by his body s involuntary twitches. She wished she
could take the agony away.
We need to defend our people, he said, gasping as his muscles cramped again. They need
our shield. You have to go. He panted for air. Too& important.
Jeremiel shook his head. The shield won t work without you.
Haniel grunted, straining to speak, but Charmeine interrupted him, laying her fingers on his
mouth.
We ll carry you. She looked up at Jeremiel, sliding her palm down to cup Haniel s cheek.
Stubble tickled her palm. We can carry him.
Crazy, Haniel gasped, wheezing.
Charmeine was about to argue, but when she looked at his face, she realized he was laughing.
Laughing!
She s right. We ll carry you. Jeremiel rubbed his face. As soon as this episode is over.
It s easing, Haniel breathed. His shoulders suddenly relaxed and Charmeine had to scramble
to keep touching him. She ended up crouched over him. His hazel eyes blinked up at her and he
managed to snag one of her curls in his fingers. Beautiful.
She smiled, a rush of relief flooding through her. You re going to be okay.
That was a lot shorter than the last one, Jeremiel said softly. He sounded as relieved as she
felt.
It was. Haniel took a deep breath. Ahhh, almost better. I don t know why it was shorter. I
don t think I care.
Maybe God answered my prayers, Charmeine murmured.
Jeremiel and Haniel exchanged glances. Stranger things have happened, he said, holding
Haniel s gaze.
****
This is crazy, Haniel said, laughing. Charmeine held his right arm, and Jeremiel had his left.
They floated about five feet above ground. The best part was that he could still feel the winds in his
soul. He hadn t lost any of his instincts about flying, just the physical ability.
I don t understand why you can t float. If our wings only serve to direct us, why can t you at
least move off the ground? Charmeine said, swaying a little in the breeze.
I think something more was destroyed when I was burned, Haniel said, feeling giddy. They
were just over the tree tops now. My arm looks fine, but I felt the burns all the way to the bone. I
even felt it inside my gut and my spine. Between my shoulders. He shook his head. I can t explain
it.
We should get moving, Jeremiel said tensely.
Haniel glanced at him and nodded, tamping down his elation at being in the air. He d tried
flying in airplanes and helicopters, even once in a glider, but they never felt right. This, however, felt
good. It felt like he d come home. Except if they let go you re toast, he reminded himself grimly.
That thought dashed the last of his joy.
Most angels can move pretty fast when they need to, Jeremiel said, still instructing
Charmeine. Just watch out for unexpected currents. We re in the midst of a high pressure system
right now, so things should be pretty calm overall.
Haniel watched her nod, biting her lip in concentration. They d taken an hour to eat and find her
something else to wear a simple halter-top but they d had to hurry. She reassured her friends at
the diner that she was only going for a week, but Haniel could tell her boss knew something more was
happening. The look in Marvin s eyes said he realized she might not come back. Haniel hadn t the
heart to reassure him, though Jeremiel had made an attempt. Then, directly after returning to
Charmeine s property, they d taken off, dragging Haniel up into the heavens between them.
You doing okay? Jeremiel asked.
Haniel nodded. He knew Gabriel was desperate to get to the castle and didn t really want to
know about his aching biceps. He d sensed a quiet urgency when Jeremiel had told him what the
Alpha had said: demons massing on the western border of Castle Alpha, just at the edge of the lake.
More demons than they could fight off with the handful of warriors at the Castle.
I thought there were a lot more angels in the world, Charmeine said, turning her head so she d
be heard over the wind. What could we possibly do to help? There are only three of us and I don t
know a thing about fighting.
Haniel grimaced. There used to be a lot more of the People. More clans, more loners. Our
numbers plummeted during our parents generation. We had a demon-bound Alpha for decades and
none of us knew it. I think that had a lot to do with what happened.
We think his influence infected our People. A lot of us died mysteriously, or disappeared.
Many faded into the mist. Jeremiel s voice shook. We don t talk about it much and especially not
with humans.
Charmeine s hands tightened on Haniel s arms. Because you don t want the humans to freak
out, do you? That would surely plunge the entire world into darkness, if people thought the angels had
deserted them forever.
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