Page 41 of Angel Condemned

Axton

Pain seared through my body as my healing power stitched me back together again. This hadn’t even been the worst beating I’d gotten from them, but knowing Jody was alone and vulnerable took its toll on me more than I would’ve thought.

How long had I been in the healing sleep? I forced my eyes open and looked around the empty cell.

“Jody?” My voice was cracked and dry.

No answer.

Fuck! Had the bastards taken her? A sinking sensation hit my gut.

I lifted up on my elbows, pain blooming along my temples. She was gone. In the corner was a pile of bloody napkins and her prison shirt, which was also stained with blood.

Rage plowed through my veins and I forced myself to sit up. I was going to tear this place apart if they didn’t bring Jody back right now. I didn’t care if I brought the prison down on the lot of them.

I pushed myself to my feet and stumbled to the barred door. Clasping the metal, I shoved as hard as I could. Dust from the stones above and below puffed out. The bars barely moved. I’d tried similar things for months and had no luck. But everything in me was screaming to do something. To fight. To yell. To rip the door off its hinges.

“Oy!” I bellowed. “Where is Jody? Bring her to me.”

The other prisoners grumbled and a few shot out curses at me.

“Shut up,” one said.

“I’ll shiv you if you don’t fucking shut your mouth,” another replied.

“Wait, did you see the human woman? Where did they take her? How long ago?” I rattled the bars when they only laughed. My gaze darted back to the pile of bloody rags, then at myself. Jody must have cleaned the blood off me. So, she must know about my healing—if the Roulex hadn’t told her already—she knew everything they did.

I only hoped they weren’t hurting her. I’d break. I’d give them whatever they wanted if it meant she was safe.

Jody

I floatedabove my body while the Roulex blasted it with electrodes. Was this a dream or had I overdosed on the medicine they gave me? There wasn’t any pain.

Except a blinking darkness further in the prison caught my attention. A darkness with a rainbow center that was dim and dull and I knew instantly that it was Axton.

His presence called to me like a beacon. Drawing me closer, but doing so meant I would be further away from my body.

A glowing golden figure with pale skin glided between me and Axton. Her white-blond hair flowed around her like she was underwater. Her wings were so white they hurt my eyes to stare directly at them.

“Don’t.” Even her voice was melodic like a plucked harp.

I frowned. Why couldn’t I go to Axton? “He needs me.”

“Not dead.” She shook her head. “You must hold onto life. Fight, unlike I was able to do, he won’t get over it if you die too.”

“You’re his sister.”

“If you die, his heart and soul which calls to you, will disappear. He’ll become a monster. You must return to your body.”

And as much as I wanted to do what she asked, my body seemed so far away now. Like it was on a desert island that I could never swim far enough or fast enough to reach.

“I-I can’t.” Whatever had happened, the way back to the living felt stretched out too far.

“There is only a short time that I can remain like this.” Celica shook her head. “Take my strength, as much as I am able to give you.”

“Wait.” I held up my hands. Axton would want to know I met his sister in the afterworld or whatever this was. “Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you have moved on to a better place?”

She gave me a sad smile that made my throat tighten. “I cannot leave this place. My spirit is tethered to the stones until Axton and Knox forgive themselves for my death. I’ve already forgiven them for what happened.” She glanced over her shoulder at something in the shadows. “Hurry, we don’t have much time before they cremate your body.”

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