Demon Fire (Angel Fire #3) - Marie Johnston Page 0,54
had wings. Big fucking wings that arced near the top of his head and trailed down to the floor. A glossy midnight black, the feathers were thick and reflected the light in the room. Boone had never seen wings on anything but birds, but damn. Were angel wings as beautiful?
Boone still held Sierra’s hand in his. Beads of blood collected along the cut but he didn’t have a tissue and wasn’t willing to leave her side to get paper towels. Her blood obviously did something. He’d believed she was in danger before, but the sobering reality sank in farther.
Harlowe appeared as if she’d just stepped out of an invisible wardrobe out of a child’s story. Was there really another realm? A Mist?
Urban was standing now, his jaw hanging. Boone had witnessed a creature inside of a human disappear and then reappear—with wings—and for fuck’s sake, were those horns?—but Urban and Jagger were the shocked ones.
“Impossible,” Urban breathed.
Sandeen stretched and rolled his neck, his wings lifting and his feathers silently fluttering. “Numen steel. Daemon steel. It apparently doesn’t matter. Either will give me the full pass out of the host.” He stretched out an arm. Muscles and veins stretched and flexed in his forearms.
“But how?” Harlowe asked. Her gaze kept straying to Sandeen, like she was trying not to look when all she wanted to do was stare.
Sandeen gave her a sly smile. “If you don’t know, I’m not telling you. Unless you want to work out an exchange.”
“Ew.” Harlowe’s disgust lacked conviction.
Sierra tensed. “It’s me. I can do this.”
“I thought maybe Jameson was special but I think I’ve ruled that out. The Mist will eventually expel anything that isn’t Numen, including fallen. Like a built-in security measure. But if I have unearthly steel and some fallen blood, it’s like a loophole that fools the natural tendencies of the realm to prevent a demon from crossing in its own body. And if any fallen will do, then Numen best rethink its policy in regard to them. Because Andy will gather them up and collect them like porcelain dolls. And he’ll work twice as hard to bait other angels into losing their wings. Just sayin’.” He patted the pocket with the blade. “If you’ll excuse me.”
He took a step back and disappeared like the air had dissolved him. Harlowe lunged for him but her hand closed around nothing. “Where the hell—” She vanished again, proving the first time hadn’t been his imagination.
The look Jagger cut Sierra was full of reproach. “He went right into the Gloom. How nice of you to set that up for him.”
Confusion lined Sierra’s brows. “What are you talking about?”
“Please, Sierra. You helped us with Stede, but that was for your benefit as much as ours. We were wrong to think we could trust you again.”
“Trust me?” Fury sparked across her expression and lingered longer than he’d seen before. This was what simmered inside of her, what she didn’t let others see, didn’t let herself feel. “You mean like I believed you all when you said you’d support me during my fall? I sat alone in that cell for weeks.”
She’d been despondent after he’d brought her back to the cabin. He’d assumed it was from the trauma. When he’d woken from his gunshot wound, at least he’d had his team leader at his side checking on him. Though during the trial, he’d pushed his team leader away again. Everyone else had been keeping their distance already.
Sierra had been dumped and left alone. Because she’d made a terrible decision.
After all he’d been through, after what his wife had done to him, he couldn’t bring himself to think it was fair.
What if . . .
What if his wife had survived and come to on the floor of that clubhouse and no one had been around?
Would he think she deserved it?
Perhaps a few years ago, he’d have thought so. Probably even a few months ago. Now? After seeing those who used to be closest to Sierra shun her for old crimes? He didn’t know.
Harlowe stepped out of the Mist, her dagger poised and ready to strike if Sandeen was within distance. “He’s not there. He must’ve gone to the Gloom. Can he get back again?”
“Can he, Sierra?” Jagger snapped.
“How should I know?” she said.
Urban was the one who answered. “Because when we arrived in Green Valley, we found you running off with him.”
“Because he’s the only one who knows the most about what’s going on.”