Wounded Angel (The Earth Angels) - By Stacy Gail Page 0,79
and what she was. He believed her scars gave her strength, not damage, and he had a touching faith that she was strong enough to deal with the scars that belonged to him. When she was by his side, she knew there was a welcoming, loving place for her in the world. That knowledge made her heart complete.
She loved him.
A watery ripple washed over the thing that held her, and she looked back in time to see Charles Rainier’s face vanish as if melting into formless wax. A scream that was pure frustration filled her ears a moment before they shot straight up toward the glass ceiling overhead, the sting of cold night air hitting her face as they flew through the blown-out panel, and Nate’s anguished yell hit her heart with the accuracy of an arrow. In seconds they were high over Navy Pier, the lake a vast and empty darkness behind them and the sprawl of Chicago’s towering skyline outlined in lights before them. Terror all but strangled her heart to a standstill, her stomach lurching in a sickening jolt as they came to an abrupt halt. They hovered, impossibly high over the bright carnival-like lights of Navy Pier’s amusement park a moment before the arm that held her reared back.
“My parting gift to your crippled half-breed,” Dantalion hissed. “Let’s see if your capability of love can save you now.”
No, no don’t—
A strange purple-white streak erupted from the roof of the Crystal Gardens even as Dantalion threw her fastball-style toward the ground.
I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead...
She hurtled so fast through the air it was like being caught in a vacuum; there was no breath even to scream. Not that breathing mattered anymore. Dead people didn’t need to breathe. Blackness edged her scattering awareness, and she was thankful for it coming to claim her. It would cushion that last instant of agony, both the physical and the emotional. To die like this was horrific enough, but to die with the regret of not telling Nate she had learned she could still love thanks to him... That was an absolute tragedy.
Something caught her on her downward trajectory and pulled her parallel to the ground as the patterned concrete of the pier rushed up like a mind-numbing nightmare. The G-forces tugged at her, creaking at her bones and threatening to detach her internal organs from their rightful places. The concrete seemed almost close enough to touch, before her arc slowly eased and U-turned upward, hovered a moment, and settled somewhat gracelessly on the pier’s edge. Air rushed back into her lungs and the dancing blackness seeped away so that clarity once again reigned supreme.
Alive. She was alive. Somehow.
“Ella.” Strong arms gripped her. A deafening rustle sounded. “My Ella. Oh, God. I almost lost you.”
Slowly she peeled open eyes she couldn’t remember closing, amazed that she could feel her heartbeat shake her whole body. She shouldn’t have a heartbeat. She should be splattered against the pavement, not held against a hard body radiating nuclear-like heat.
A hard body...?
“Nate.” It was barely a whisper, but the arms that held her crushed her that much more in response. As if he had no more strength in his legs they both sank to the ground, with her body cradled like a lifeless doll in his lap. She began to shiver uncontrollably, and as her teeth began to chatter she huddled against his chest, only to find it bare. That made no sense. Hadn’t he been wearing clothes? “I...I...”
“I’ve got you.” His mouth burrowed into her hair, and out of nowhere came the memory of that long-ago moment when he’d found her once before, wrapped his arms around her and brought her out of the darkness. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
“Thank you.” As she wrapped her arms around him, she was almost too numb to be surprised when she encountered the thick, sturdy frame of wings. At their base sprouted dark, almost bruised purple feathers that flowed into an iridescent white at the tips.
At last, her wounded angel had gotten his wings.
Chapter Eighteen
The first hint of a new day was making the sky blush when Ella straggled into the hotel room with Nate. Without pause she put out the Do Not Disturb sign before locking the door behind them. Every nerve in her body screamed for sleep, though part of her feared that if she took the risk of lying down she might never get up again. Though several hours had passed since her plummet