“I can explain it all, if you’ll just listen for a second.”
“Hadley, you’re okay!” Auston calls, rushing over to her.
“Hadley,” Brax chokes out before pulling her into his chest. They hug her and hold her, relief all over their faces. But as Auston’s eyes open and he sees her wings, his relief is replaced with something.
Is it hurt?
Jealousy?
“You have my wings?” he asks, unsure, reaching out to finger one white feather.
“And my horns…” Brax adds, touching the tip of one on her head.
“And my scythe…” I whisper as the realization dawns on me.
“And my invisibility,” Karston admits, standing next to Had with his arm tucked under her wings. Auston’s wings. Gah, I don’t even know anymore.
“It’s the power of the Fated.” We all turn to Caius, who steps forward, hovering between all of us. “In order to save Hadley and give her a physical form, you all gave part of yourselves to her. We had no idea what would be taken, but it seems our Hadley has Auston’s wings, Braxton’s horns, Karston’s power of invisibility, and well, all of Preston’s Reaper powers.”
Auston kicks at a rock on the ground, anger radiating off of him. “How come I lose my fucking wings and all Brax lost were his horns?”
Wincing, I look at Hadley and see the hurt in her eyes. Can’t Auston ever shut his fucking mouth? I know that my brother is happy beyond relief that Hadley is alive and well, but I also know that he’s pissed because something happened beyond his control. Something he doesn’t quite understand, despite the Fates warning him what to expect ahead of time. Brax just shrugs with a smirk on his face, which makes Auston scowl harder.
“Isn’t it worth it though, brother, to give Hadley her life back?” Karston asks, hugging Hadley into his side.
“Temporarily.” Aggie steps up to Caius’s side with a naked Buttox next to her. “We don’t know how long it will take her to burn through your essences currently living inside of her. Could be hours. Could be days.”
Auston scoffs. “So you mean to tell me that after giving up my wings, she might only get to use them for a fucking day? This is just great.”
Braxton smacks Auston on the back of his head. “What’s wrong with you? You’re hurting her.”
“It’s fine,” Hadley says, pulling away from Karston. “He has every right to be angry. He didn’t ask for any of this.”
“Neither did you, Hadley,” I hiss, crossing my arms over my chest. “Don’t let him play the victim card when you are the one who had a dagger impaled in your chest and has your essence trapped in some cage in Hell.” Auston deflates at this, regret etched onto his face. “At least you still have your halo, Auston. I’m just fucking normal again.”
He rolls his eyes but concedes. “So what’s next? Where do we go from here?”
“Isn't it obvious?” Aggie chimes in, holding Buttox’s lips to her breast in a way that has me gagging and wishing I’d just passed out. “You go to Hell.”
Chapter 5
Hadley
Hell.
We’re going to Hell.
Great.
“Do we need to…um…grab anything?” I stutter, twisting my head so my question encompasses all of them. When my gaze latches on Auston, I quickly look away, unable to stomach the hurt in his eyes. The betrayal.
My large Angel has his arms crossed over his chest, almost like a defense mechanism. Does he really think he needs to defend himself…from me? Pain slices at my chest, stabbing my heart, but I ignore the feeling.
I don’t know what I would do if Auston comes to resent me.
“We have to be careful if we surface,” Caius responds, his smoky form hovering in the corner of the room. He almost appears to be one with the shadows, nothing but a misty silhouette that can vanish with the slightest gust of wind. For the first time since I’ve awakened, I wish I could see his handsome face and devil-may-care smirk. I wish I could run my hands through his black locks and trace the stubble coating his cheeks and chin.
But I can’t, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to again. His body is trapped in Hell—a place that’s specifically designed to terrify you. Where the monsters who live under your bed reside.
Do we really believe we can just waltz on in, find my essence and Caius’s body, and then leave? Are we really that delusional?
From the grim expressions on my men’s faces, I can tell that yes, yes we