Eternal Sin (Primal Sin #2) - Ariana Nash Page 0,12

so fixated on trying to rid him of the wretched illusion. “Fuck!” He backed up some more and began to pace. How many more demons had to die before his kin would allow him to take back his squads? Before he could get to Mikhail and talk with him?

“Who leads us?” he snapped.

Samiel glanced at the madam and back to Severn. “There have been some developments on that.”

Severn jolted to a stop. “Developments?”

“It’s been ten years. A lot has changed.”

“Samiel—”

“Lux.”

“Wait… what?” Lux wasn’t a warrior. A brilliant strategist, but not a warrior. How had he risen to the level of High Lord in ten years? Lux was a concubi, one like Djall, who had learned to lurk in the shadows rather than fight in plain sight. Djall and Lux had always hated each other. But what if Djall had whispered in his ear and together they’d hatched the plan to destroy Aerie. Oh, it was all beginning to fall into place. Djall and Lux would absolutely kill humans to get to the angels. They’d even invite this carnage as proof the war needed escalating. Lux couldn’t rise alone, but he’d whisper in the ears of any demon stronger than him and manipulate them. He’d always been a slippery one.

“I need to see Lux.”

Samiel cleared his throat. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You didn’t think coming here was a good idea either, and here we are… The madam has told me more in minutes than you have in days. Samiel, I need to know what’s going on.”

Samiel’s laugh cut short. “You really don’t.”

“How can I stop Mikhail if I don’t know the facts?”

“Stop Mikhail?” Samiel echoed, his voice rising to match Severn’s. “You can’t stop him. You can’t just walk back into angel towers. You had ten years, Stantin. You failed!”

“No.” He strode toward Samiel and pointed a finger. “No, I didn’t fail. I rose through their ranks to stand beside him. I learned everything there is to know about angels.”

“By becoming one?”

“Yes, fuck yes! I know how they work. I know what makes them tick. While you and your kin had me tied to that fucking table, Mikhail kept on killing, worse than ever. I could have stopped him. We’ve wasted weeks. Lives lost. Lives we can’t afford—”

Samiel’s leathery wings burst open. “He killed them because of you!” He was in Severn’s face suddenly, his wings arching, his snarl so close Severn felt the brush of his breath on his face. “He put their heads on stakes, and he burned their bodies, because of you. You’re not fucking Konstantin. Look at yourself. You’re an angel, and you failed, Severn the Wingless. You can’t go back, and you can’t command our kin, because you’re the enemy. If you walk out that door alone now, you won’t get ten paces without someone killing you. Konstantin is dead. The sooner you get that into your angel-head, the better it will be for everyone.” He strode back the way they’d arrived but paused at the door, sighed, making his wings sag, and turned. “I can’t damn well leave without you. I have to babysit you like a fucking pup. Are we done here?”

Gods, this was hell. He was trapped in hell, in a useless angel body without wings, with nothing to his name, just the memories in his head of being someone better, someone who could take control and turn the battle around.

“There could be a way,” the madam said.

Severn rubbed at his face. “Go on.”

“The guardian angel Remiel, it’ll be weeks before he gets here. Unless he arrives early.”

“And?” Severn asked. Remiel arriving early would surely be the death of them all.

“You want your wings back?”

He glared at her. “I hope that’s rhetorical.”

“Just walk right in and grab them, as a guardian.”

“Absolutely not,” Samiel growled out. “I’ve just gotten used to his face, and you want him to change it again?”

“It doesn’t matter what he looks like. He’s Konstantin inside. Whether he wears the body of Severn or this Remiel, it’ll all be dust when he gets his wings back.”

“He can’t go back in there.” Samiel’s face turned to thunder. “We don’t even know if getting his wings will break this illusion. It’s too risky. No, Konstantin.” He met Severn’s gaze. “No.”

The madam drew her wings back in, briefly closing her eyes to their pain. “We need him. We need Konstantin. After Argothun’s death, there’s only Lux, Djall, and Jeseph left. We have no reinforcements to call upon. We are disorganized and