Sing, Canary - Ashley Amy Page 0,39

to you, but now is more of a good time than not."

Before I could continue, Caine's face scrunched up as he looked up to the ceiling. I followed his view as he shook his head.

"You want me to do what?" His words confused me. "Well, if she's in trouble, it's her own fault."

At his scoff, I locked up. I knew then that he was communing with the holy one, and it was over his sister.

"Caine," I called to the man I loved. He turned to see me, irritated with being called of God. "What if it had to do with the words you spoke on the blacktop?"

Just like that, Caine shoved over the rack holding his weights. The crash echoed as all the bumper weights toppled over. His anger unleashed, but he needed to see reason.

Guilt was his only weakness in doing so.

"Dammit," he muttered, fisting his shaggy hair. Beginning his run, I followed him.

He sprinted down the longest corridor at the edge of the building, and we neared a private room. Lyra's screams were unmistakable as she suffered an unseen torment on the other side.

Caine paused as we saw Augustine heading our direction from the opposite end. His eyes were wide and wild as he listened to his best friend's daughter trying to pray the angel's death. I couldn’t stomach hearing Lyra—the knowing yet quiet woman—howling in pain. She hurt so much that she no longer wanted to live.

It came as a shock to all of us to hear Lyra facing an enemy so real, she asked her creator to end it all. I knew the holy one only intervened because he saw a purpose in Lyra's future. If he needed us, it meant something was threatening her status as an angel.

"Her wings were white as snow... I'll turn her daughter's red for her one sin was scarlet..." We all heard the voice of a male in the room with her. It was the man that was hurting her.

August rushed to the door, recognizing who it was immediately. His panicked eyes turned toward us. "Dolion Garrick has her. He's the one who killed Evangeline and made Lyra watch. He's doing the same thing to her now."

Just like that, the first clue of Lyra's trauma came to light. Dolion made her watch the murder of her mother.

"She'll be pretty. A pretty, pretty birdie. A birdie who had no pity. No pity for the master's kitty."

Even Caine balked at his insane rhyme. Dolion blamed Lyra for something.

"Hear me, oh Father that thou art in Heaven," Lyra's voice was broken and shattered as she attempted the death prayer for a second time.

We heard Dolion hit her to shut her up.

Unwilling to listen to any more, Caine kicked in the door. The first thing we saw was Dolion dragging his crimson-soaked blade down her white feathers. He had a firm hold of her right wing as blood spilled down her back.

I looked to where the wound bled from, seeing it was him beginning the severing process of her wings. None of us waited to move in. As the other two men went to handle Dolion, I gathered Lyra in my arms.

As her lips began the prayer, I tried to shush her. With how much blood was on her, I took her to the one place that would be empty this time of day for her to use.

Heading to the showers, I needed to make sure we cleaned her wounds as I coaxed her out of her traumatized mind. My heart lurched as her blood began to touch me, but I didn't have time to change my hold.

Rushing into the shower room, I could only pray Caine and August killed the fucker responsible for breaking Lyra's mind. No wonder she didn't come back to me that day.

She had never left the prison of her past.

Getting the water as warm as it could go this time of day, I placed us below the shower head as it ran the water red. Sitting us below, I held her to me.

She whimpered as her bleary eyes were unfocused. Stuck in a flashback, I knew I had to try and get her out of it. I had to help save her from whatever happened that day.

As the boy who loved the broken girl, it was up to me to show her I still did. She wasn't the fun-loving friend I climbed trees with, but she still carried the same soul that called to mine.

"Lyra, I know you're in