"Later, I will explain later. Now we must go." He leads me from the apartment, closing the door with a murmur I can't make out and we head back up to the roof. I guess we're flying again, and I try to keep the giddiness hidden at the prospect. Even if the guy is a supreme asshole, one he saved my life, and two, well… flying!
He scoops me back into his arms, and I cradle my bag close to me as he runs the distance of the roof and leaps. I hold back my scream as we plummet before his wings extend and we bank upwards towards the clouds. The lights of Salem's Bay twinkle below us, it looks so small from up here. The cold is kept at bay from the heat coming off of Leviathan, and the beat of his wings are the only sound to keep us company.
"Thank you," I say softly, realizing I haven't said it yet.
"You have nothing to thank me for." His voice, little more than a breath in my ear, gives me goosebumps. "It was nothing."
"You saved my life. I'd say that was more than nothing," I tell him, but he shakes his head, as if he wants to say more but won't. We travel the rest of the journey in silence, it is not long before his pace slows and he becomes looser, as if the danger has passed. I see the house in the distance as we start to descend towards the grounds. A small stream at the back of the property runs through the masses of land surrounding it, with woods further back beyond the stream and then a huge expanse of nothing.
"Where are we?" I ask, as we land in the grassy lawn that leads up to the back of the house. He places me on the ground and stalks off toward the mansion-like house without a word. I sigh but follow him. I am going to get sick of this stoic bullshit real soon. I thought Roman had the asshole thing down, but he has nothing on the Angel it would seem.
I move quickly, trying to catch up, but it’s as if his long strides are almost carried by the wind, and considering the weakness I feel after the two weeks in a cell, my strength and speed aren't exactly in top form.
I watch as the huge glass doors open before he even reaches them, and my steps falter. I haven't had much chance to read up on Angels, but I hadn't even considered that they would have powers beyond those of the Hunters. And yet... that definitely just happened.
I move my legs as quickly as I can manage, but then slow, to take in the house I'm about to step into. Though, when Leviathan called it a manor, he really wasn't wrong. It looks like someone watched Pride and Prejudice one too many times and decided to recreate the Darcy manor. Huge stone bricks make up the building, and there are many windows, each trimmed in white, ivy creeping up the walls in places, and numerous flowers border the back of the house. It looks daunting and yet inviting at the same time.
I cross the threshold and stop, soaking in the expanse before me. I've never seen anything like it, and it's nothing like I expected, nothing like the exterior hints to. It's completely modern; all blacks, whites and grays, with just splashes of color here and there. It’s beautiful and cozy. The fire roaring in the space opposite the huge corner sofa, the blanket thrown over the back of it, is as if someone sat there not long ago.
An older woman approaches me, and she looks exactly like I'd expect a warm and loving gran to look like. Her red hair is streaked with grey, pulled back in a low bun. Her dark jeans are covered with a dusting of what looks like flour, and a floral high neck sweater finishes the look as she sweeps across the room to me.
"Oh sweetheart, just look at you, those monsters, keeping you locked up like that. Let’s get you cleaned up and fed. More meat on those bones is absolutely necessary." She pulls me into her arms and hugs me tightly. I go stiff at the contact, I'm not typically a hugger, but her embrace loosens me, and I hug her back. It doesn't matter that I have no idea who she is, after everything that