injured her with the statement, but it passed quickly and she looked to Kais and I.
“Collared and tamed,” she said with a lopsided smile. She held up a hand with her pinky sticking out, Stavros’ too-long sleeve sliding up her wrist. “Pinky promise.”
“Stav,” I said slowly. “This is...bigger than an inappropriate liaison. We’re talking immortal soul stuff, man.”
“Zach, stay out of it,” Stavros said, levelling me with a hard look.
“Look as fascinating as it is to talk about Stav’s new sex life, we’ve got a situation at the gate. New visitor asking to be let in,” Kais said.
“No!” Deyva cried, the sharp word bouncing up into the rafters.
The three of us stared at her, watched her struggle to take control of the genuine horror splitting her expression.
“I mean, I’m not wild about it either,” Kais said, frowning at her. “But there’s a twist. This one’s got wings. We need to get out there, guys.”
“Deyva should come,” Stavros said, and his hand squeezed around hers, drawing her gaze. “You’ll have the best idea of what we’re looking at. Or maybe you’ll know them?”
Deyva’s face twisted. “That’s like assuming everyone in New York City knew each other. Wings? Are you sure?”
“Saw them on the monitor,” Kais said. “Come on, we need to hurry before someone else makes the decision for us.”
Wings. Wings? Did that mean…
I swallowed and eyed Stavros with his sex smile and Deyva who was twisting on her toes nervously. “You two should put some actual clothes on.”
“Don’t be jealous, Zach,” Deyva snapped.
“Children!” Kais shouted, heading for the door. “Get it together. Let’s go.”
The town was crowded around the gate as we approached, but I could see the tips of the wings over their heads, my heart stopping at the sight. Golden and dense, with sharp glinting talons at the height of the joint. The feathers were dense and downy, but lay in crooked angles, broken and twisted. I wasn’t sure if the wings were glowing, or just catching and holding on to the moonlight from the clear night.
I followed close at Kais’ back as he encouraged the stirring crowd to part and let us in. Behind me I heard the gasps of breath and the quick stirring as people realized we’d brought Deyva with us.
“God sent us aid in ridding the town of her,” a woman called from within the crowd.
“Is it true, Fathers?” another whispered.
“Look at him. My God, look at him.”
“Everyone, please, give us some room,” Kais said as he was just a few people away from the gate.
But I saw him then, the man at the gate.
The angel.
Our eyes met and I was judged in one glance, an eternity in a single drowsy gaze. He was as beautiful as Deyva, but this time it was less the pure perfection of his features, and more the peace that struck me as I stared at him. Soft hair framing around his face and jaw, a cherubic mouth, and that stare that saw through me.
Kais stopped in place even as our flock moved aside, his own eyes wide and body frozen in shock.
There was an angel at our gate.
“Children of God,” he said, words velvety and melodic, lips curving gently upwards. “I seek sanctuary.”
“Let him in.”
“Thank God.”
“Fathers, let him in.”
My hand reached out for the gate and even Kais was stepping forward, ready to open the gate for the angel.
“You are Fallen.” Deyva’s voice cut through the sweet murmurs like a knife, warning and tense, and I whipped around to glare at her. She looked like a feral cat, her eyes glowing in warning, body bunched and angled in front of Stavros, looking as though she were...protecting him. Which didn’t make any sense.
“A succubus,” the angel said, and that elegant ringing of his voice drew my eyes back to him, my heart beating wildly in my chest. “I haven’t seen one of your kind in millenia.”
“And I’ve seen dozens of you,” Deyva growled. “Those talons. Your wings. You’re Hell-touched.”
“And you aren’t, First Daughter?” the angel murmured, an eyebrow cocking.
“Deyva, if we let you in…” Stavros murmured.
“Enough,” Kais said. “Zach, help me open the gate.”
Deyva rumbled with a soft growl but I ignored her, hurrying forward to assist Kais in lifting the heavy barrier of the gate.
An angel. I didn’t care what Deyva said. God had sent us an angel, regardless of what direction he’d reached us from. We weren’t abandoned.
It was my one kernel of doubt and it melted away now.