He was quiet for a while and I started to think my little speech bombed. But then he sighed and hugged me tight.
When did you get to be so insightful?
he asked with a soft laugh.
I loved to hear his laugh, because it was such a rare occurrence.
I learned from the best.
We stood there in the silence, hugging each other, wings and all.
Chapter 23
(Alex)
I hated leaving her, but there was no way I was going to let her come with me. Her violet eyes drew enough attention and now she had wings.
How did you know about this, but I didn t,
Aislin fought to keep up with me as I shoved my way down the crowded streets of Vegas, neon lights flashing, casino machines ringing. People were dressed in impersonator costumes, handing out leaflets, ignoring the vampires feeding in the shadows.
I know a lot of things you don t,
I said.
Yeah, but I m a witch. You d think I d know that there was a spell to remove the wings of a Black Angel without sending them to hell. Are you sure it ll take two witches though?
She cast a glace around the street.
It d probably be easier if I could just do it.
No you need a witch for each wing & So this is where all the vampires, fey, and witches migrate to?
I observed, changing the subject, worried if she found out how I knew about this she d be hurt.
I guess it makes sense, going where it s more crowded, where there are more humans.
She shook her head, pushing a crying woman out of the way.
You could be a little bit more sympathetic you know. You don t have to be such a jerk all the time.
And you didn t have to hall a Black Angel to the house,
I said.
But you did.
Tears started to slip out and I shook my head. Aislin had always been a crier.
Sorry.
I gave her a pat on the back.
That was me being a jerk again.
It s okay.
She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.
You re just stressed
No, I m not.
I scanned the crowd for a witch that wasn t marked.
Because I m going to fix this.
Then I spotted one, not too far off, head down, black hair a veil across her face, trying to conceal her identity.
We also have another problem.
Aislin was still chattering.
Aleesa s still missing, and I think we should
I stopped, Aislin running into me. I pointed through the crowd.
There we go. I m guessing she s unmarked.
When we were younger, before my mom vanished, she used to teach me all this stuff that, at the time, I d thought was a useless bunch of information. Things like how to kill a Death Walker or where the City of Crystal was. Or how to shift a Black Angel back to human form. Sometimes I wondered if she knew all of this was going to happen. Or maybe she just knew my father was a dick who wanted to kill the entire world and would never teach me how to protect it.
Aislin seized my arm.
Maybe I should handle this.
Hey,
I said.
I can be charming when I want to you know.
She frowned.
No, you just think you can.
I don t think this is going to be easy no matter who goes over there,
I told her.
It might be better just to knock her out.
Aislin narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips.
That wouldn t be very nice.
I m not trying to be nice,
I said.
I m trying to save Gemma.
Alright, just give me a few seconds.
Then she disappeared into the mob and marched up to the terrified witch. She said something and then the witch followed her back.
She ll help.
She smiled, pleased, because she was right and I was wrong. She raised her eyebrows at me.
Should we get going?
I motioned down the street.
Go ahead, lead the way.
The witches name was Emma and her quiet, frightened demeanor on the streets was very misleading. Once she got going she wouldn t shut up, yammering about who she was and where she came from. But she was helping us out, so I tried to keep my mouth shut and just put up with it.
When we arrived at the house, the lights were off, the air dead quiet, the front door dripping with water.
We went inside and I motioned for them to stop.
Wait here. Something seems off.
My knife was already out of my pocket, positioned in front of me as I crept up the front stairs and pushed the door open. I was greeted by air so cold, it could only mean one thing the Death Walkers had been here. I sprinted into the living room, the table, chairs, and floor frozen over. And in the center of all of it, a Death Walker laid dead, its rotting flesh iced over by its own chill.
Dammit.
I ran my fingers through my hair, tugging hard, as Aislin and Emma came rushing in.
What is this?
Emma asked, panicking, backing for the door.
You said I d be safe. What is this?
Oh my god.
Aislin s jaw dropped to the floor.
They had to they had to make it out.
I pointed to the ground, at the dead Death Walker.
Yeah, but who killed that?
Before Aislin and I could react, Emma screeched and dashed out the door.
Should I go chase her down?
Aislin asked.
I nodded and she spun, sliding across the floor as she raced for the door and ran out into the darkness of the street.
I kicked the apothecary table across the floor and squatted down, examining the Death Walker. It had been stabbed by the one thing that could kill a Death Walker. The Sword of Immortality I could see the cut where the tip of the knife hand entered the chest. But how? My father had it.
Where are you?
I muttered to the air, like she could hear me. I stood up, inspecting the room for anything that would lead me to her. But everything was blanketed by ice, except for the front window, which was shattered. I walked over, sticking my head out. And there it was, like a secret message. A single purple flower, lying on the sidewalk, whispering: come find me.
Chapter 24
(Gemma)