up through the elevator shaft, all the way to the processing center. The space is huge and filled with souls like usual, but I surpass them all, flying high above in the cloudy ceiling.
Go, go, go. I tell myself. Faster, faster, faster.
I can’t let anyone stop me. I can’t fail at this. For once, I’m going to do something right.
As soon as I spot the magic arch, I divebomb. Some people yelp at my sudden appearance, but then I land directly in front of the arch, and the angel manning it blinks at me in surprise. “What are you doing?”
I sprint over to her, my quiver full of arrows slapping against my back. I’m panting, even though I don’t need oxygen in my chest, my body feeling the phantom responses of surging adrenaline.
“I need to go through the arch again,” I say quickly.
She frowns and shakes her head. “Absolutely not.”
I fly up to her podium, my face frantic. Warren doesn’t have much time left. I’m not solid, so I can’t pull the lever myself. I have to convince her to do this for me.
“Please. I’m begging you. I have to go through that arch.”
She shakes her head adamantly. “It is not permissible. I shouldn’t have allowed you to do it the second time. Now, move away from the line, or I’ll be forced to signal for the Veil guards.”
No. I refuse to believe that after all I’ve gone through, I’m going to be stopped now.
I narrow my eyes and fly through the podium, not caring when my body disappears inside of it. I get right in her face, our noses inches apart. “Listen to me. If you don’t let me go through that arch, then you’re going to be responsible for killing my heart, do you understand?” I say, my eyes hard and my tone brooking no argument. I clench my teeth, my expression glittering with threat. “Pull the damn lever.”
She bristles her white wings. “No.”
I see red. Literally, because I start leaking out cupidity power from my pores. I’m fuming mad, terrified, and fricken desperate. It is not a good combo.
I am ready to kick some serious angel ass.
“That’s it.” I reach back to grab a Love Arrow, because I’m gonna stab her right in her heavenly tit if she doesn’t pull that godsdamned lever.
In response to my movement, she raises her hand with a ball of light in it that she’s probably going to use to incinerate me. I don’t even care. I’m not giving up.
But before either of us can attack, Sev suddenly lands next to us, making me jump back in surprise.
“What. The. Fook.” He curses as he braces his hands on his knees, panting like he just flew a marathon. He’s coughing like he’s been a damn smoker for the last three centuries. It’s so cavernous in here that the obnoxious noise echoes all around us, going on and on and on.
Sev finally straightens up and points at me, still out of breath. “How the fook did you fly so fast? Shite on an asswipe, I’m bloody tired.”
I walk up to him, my hands hovering over his shoulders in a desperate plea. “Seduce her again.”
Sev’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “What?”
“Seduce her,” I quickly repeat. “I need to go through that archway, Sev. I have to. Please help me. Please.”
I’m going to lose it. If he won’t help me, Warren will die, and I can’t...I can’t deal with that truth.
Sev studies me for a moment, his eyes tracing over my desperation, soaking in the plea that’s shining in my eyes, and then he sighs. “Alright, luv,” he murmurs, and relief floods into me.
He walks over to the angel, putting his best smile forward, but she shoots him down before he can even open his mouth. “No.”
His grin fades. “Shite. That’s not very friendly, is it?”
Shit shit shit. This isn’t working. I’m running out of time. I can feel it. Warren is slipping away.
“Sev, please!” I beg.
He must see the panic on my face, because he curses and then turns back to the angel, grabs the back of her head, and then starts tongue fucking her mouth for all he’s worth.
Lust bursts out of him, polluting the air, and they go at it hard.
She melts against him, forgetting her protests, and his hand snakes forward towards the podium.
He has so much Lust blown around her that she’s flushed head to toe, and she keeps pawing at his body and mewling. He turns away from her kisses,