Dark Kings (Feathers and Fate #1) - Sadie Moss Page 0,5

to kill them? No, it would be far better to win them to our side. That way, we gain strong allies in our fight against the corrupted.”

“But the sins aren’t corrupted,” I point out. Because it’s true, they aren’t. “They’re kind of… neutral entities. They like being among humans on Earth more than they like helping Hell. Indulging in the sins they represent. Unlike the corrupted, they have no stake in the war between the factions of good and evil.”

“True. But their nature is implicitly dark. It is only a matter of time until one of the corrupted wins them over to the side of Hell,” Anderson replies. “We cannot allow that to happen, Trinity. We must get to them first. You have to get to them first.”

“Um… I think you might be overestimating me.” The words pour out before I can stop them.

Anderson purses his lips, then sighs. “Well, that is a pity. I would hate for you to refuse this opportunity. We would have to give it to someone else, and your case wouldn’t come up for review again for…” He clucks his tongue. “Decades, I should imagine.”

Decades.

Decades.

I’ve already been here for decades. Three of them. In that time, the face of the world has changed so much that I hardly even recognize it at times. How much more will it change in the next thirty years? And what about home, my real home? Has it changed too? Or is it still the same? How much longer will I have to be separated from it?

I can’t let decades go by. I just can’t. I want to go back home. But am I really up to the task of redeeming the creatures that represent, encourage, and personify all of humanity’s vices?

Nuts. It doesn’t really look like I have a choice, does it?

“I’ll do it,” I blurt quickly. “I’ll redeem them.”

Great. Somehow.

My angel superior smiles. “Ah, wonderful! That’s the kind of attitude I like to see. I’m pleased to hear it. The board will be glad to know that you’re so excited about your new assignment. I’ll be your supervisor for the whole process, so don’t worry. I’ll give you a means to contact me, and you can reach out to me if you have questions or need assistance.”

My brows pull together a little as I try to subtly study his expression. I can’t tell if he wants me to check in with him all the time so that he can hold my hand and micromanage me, or if he wants me to not ask any questions and do everything perfectly, and would view my asking for help as a sign of failure and weakness.

Maybe it’s silly of me, to be scared of the board and the higher-ups Above like this. But my chances of getting back home depend entirely on me pulling this off. So, yeah, I’m nervous as crap about this assignment, and I don’t want to blow it.

I take a few deep breaths—I don’t need them really, but I’m in the habit of breathing to blend in with humans, and it actually does calm me down.

“Great. I can’t wait to get started.” I force a cheerful smile onto my face. “I’m excited to get back home.”

That part’s true, at least.

Anderson nods. “Excellent.” He turns as if to step away, but then pauses and looks back at me. “You will need a little something, I think, to help you on your task. Consider it a taste of the rewards to come if you succeed, and a show of our good faith in you.”

My back muscles clench in momentary pain as fire races up my spine. I arch, gasping, feeling like I truly can’t breathe, then—the pain is gone. A new weight, or rather an old weight that I haven’t felt since I fell, sits on my back. I have to adjust my stance and how I balance on my feet to make up for it.

It can’t—oh my gosh, could it be? Did he…?

I turn and race for the mirror that I have on the back of one of my apartment doors, and sure enough, they’re there.

My wings.

My beautiful, beautiful wings.

I missed them so much; more than almost anything. I used to fly everywhere, but I’ve been bound by gravity for the past thirty years. When they took my wings before casting me out, it was like I lost two limbs—no, wait, I literally lost limbs.

Angel wings, for the record, are not always big and white and fluffy. The