Wings of the Wicked - By Courtney Allison Moulton Page 0,46
eyes fell to the silver chain around his neck. The chain slipped between my fingers, and I drew the crucifix out the collar of his shirt. My fingers brushed the silver against his chest, the fondness of my memories of it pressing down on my heart, and my gaze moved to his tattoos. My hand slid across his skin to trace the delicate swirls of ink down his neck and arm. The muscle beneath his skin rippled at my touch, and he watched me in silence. My finger followed each intricate line of ink, and as the memory came, the sadness in my heart sank into my stomach. I realized now that this was the old angelic language I’d forgotten long ago, and it was my true name tattooed down his arm. I brushed my fingertips across the script, and he trembled and took a deep breath.
“It’s my name,” I said softly. “I remember now. The language in your tattoo that gives you my protection, it’s my sigil. It binds you to me, makes you mine. It’s my name.”
His gaze followed my fingers and rose to meet my eyes. “Gabriel,” he said, his lips brushing my ear.
I fought back a tear as he said my true name and kissed my bare shoulder. I pressed into him and squeezed my eyes shut. He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me, and kissed my hair.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed. “You’re right. I fear Michael, but I fear losing you so much more. I don’t want him to take you away from me, but if I don’t keep my distance, I will lose you.”
And then he drew away suddenly and left me cold. When I opened my eyes, he was halfway across my room, heading toward the window.
“Will,” I said.
He turned back to face me, but before he could speak, his cell rang. He gave me an apologetic glance as he took his phone out to answer.
“Ava?”
I felt like I was falling.
His expression became hard and worried. “Are you okay? Where are you? How many of them? No, no. We’re coming.” He shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Ellie, we have to go. Orek ambushed Ava, and he’s fighting her in the mortal world. She can’t contain him by herself.”
I jumped up and grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater. I was exhausted and I didn’t want to leave my warm house, but I had a duty to carry out. And Ava needed help. “Meet me in my car.”
He vanished. I pulled on the warmer clothes and then crept silently from my room through the Grim and down the stairs to the back door. I darted around the house on the concrete sidewalk and down the long driveway to my car. Will waited in the driver’s seat, and I jumped in the passenger side.
“Where are they?”
“Downtown.”
“Oh, God.”
Will sensed Ava and Orek at the precise moment that I did. He parked my car in a safe place, and we tried to gauge their positions. I focused harder on the reaper energy, and my eyes widened with shock as I realized that they were fighting somewhere above us.
“The rooftops!” I cried, and sprinted into an alley.
We climbed a fire escape and spotted Orek’s massive body plainly visible several rooftops away. I didn’t see Ava. I took off like a shot, both my Khopesh swords in hand, alight with angelfire, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, praying the busy street below wouldn’t take notice.
Orek was atop one of the tallest buildings on the block, six stories above the street. When we got close, I saw that he had Ava pinned beneath one of his powerful hind legs.
“Ava!” I cried.
Orek swung his giant dragonlike head and long neck to look at me with his pale, unseeing eyes. His nostrils flared and his jaw dropped to hiss at me. “Preliator! About damned time. I’ve grown bored with this one. She doesn’t scream.”
He stepped off Ava and stomped toward me. The front of Ava’s body was soaked red, and she wasn’t moving. She had to be alive, since her body hadn’t become stone in death, but she was very badly hurt.
Orek’s wings spread wide and menacing, and for a moment he looked twice his normal size. “I was hoping you could make it tonight.”
“Ellie,” Will said in a low voice. “I’m going to distract Orek. Make sure Ava is okay. Get her out of the way so she can heal without further damage.”