Page 49 of Wings of Destiny

“Raphael warned his people who remained, those closest to him in those final moments, to be watchful. To be at the ready and prepare, for there would be those who escaped the pit. And one day, war would come. A war like no other. And the only thing standing between the Demons and destroying the world, would be a key. The Key. To end the Demons. Locking them away forever. But, if it fell into the wrong hands, it would be the end of humanity. The end of the Angels and Nephilim, as the Demons would once again wreak havoc on us all. And with them, bringing the end to the world as we knew it.”

The tension in the room was palpable. Everyone was on edge.

Josh leaned against one of the massive windows in Seth’s living room, his jaw ticking. Libby uncrossed and recrossed her ankles several times, her eyes fluttering between each of us. The tendons in Seth’s forearms flexed along with Derik’s. Both of them held death in their eyes.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“Okay, so let me get this right. Some ancient Angel, Raphael, kicked a bunch of Demons’ asses. And said Demons want revenge. But beyond the whole kicking Nephilim and Angel ass thing. They straight up want to slice and dice us all until we’re all gonzo?” I said, adding a touch of annoyance to my voice.

Derik chuckled, the fear on his face twisted into a smart-assed smile, chipping at the tension in the room. “That’s one way to put it, Princess.”

“That’s freaking stupid. And what the hell does that have to do with me? Why would the shithead call me ‘The Key’? I’m barely gaining this freaking Nephilim mojo. My dad wasn’t anything special, besides, as you”—I glared at Seth— “informed me of being an Angel. My mom was human and as far as I can tell besides spitting fire and lightning there’s nothing different between me and you guys. So. Why me?” One of my legs fellasleep, so I pulled it out from under my other one, tapping my foot against the hardwood, anger threatening to boil over.

I am nothing.

Why the actual fuck would I be this ‘Key’?

The biggest thing I have going for me is lighting someone’s ass on fire.

And technically, that can be done by throwing gasoline and a match at someone.

My pulse thundered in my ears.

Seth matched his gaze to mine. “I don’t know. But we’re going to find out. Because as of right now, we have nothing to go on,” he shot Josh an accusatory look before turning his gaze back on me. “And there was no intel or tip off prior to the Demons taking you.”

I wanted to scream.

Keep a lid on it.

I can panic and lose it later.

I glanced at Derik, then Josh. “Then what do we do?”

Derik chimed in; a crooked grin plastered on his face. “We get your ass trained up, Snow. Then Seth and Tight-Ass over there, get cracking on the books and interrogation tactics to get us some answers.”

Seth and I both rolled our eyes. Derik winked at me.

And at that, even with all the doom, destruction, and dread that filled the room, a laugh escaped my lips. “Well, Beer Pong Man, show me how to kick some Demon dick-headed ass.”

“I thought you had defense training when you were a kid?” Derik gave me the up-down. “What you’re doing right now is trash.”

I swung my fist directly for Derik’s cheek and he made his point by catching it mid-swing. He followed up by kicking my legs out from under me. I landed clean on my back, knocking the air right out of my lungs. “Get it together, Erin. You’re all over the place with zero aim or control. The strength is there but that’s about all you got.”

I huffed. “Excuse the hell out of me for being a human and assuming being able to kick a guy in the nuts and the defense moves I learned when I wasten, would hold up.”

He cocked his head and clicked his tongue. “Well, do better. Demons don’t give a shit; they just want you dead. So, suck it up, Pipsqueak. On your feet. I’m going to run you through some basic movements. Again.” He bent down to reach his hand out and help me up.

Dick.

I flipped him off and rolled myself onto my stomach before pushing up and onto my feet. “You know, the whole serious asshole thing doesn’t look good on you, Derik. I liked you better when you were just an annoying asshole.”

Someone snorted at that. My eyes swept the room and found Libby holding her hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking; Seth standing next to her with a coffee mug in hand, busting out laughing.

“Hell must’ve frozen over. Erin, did you admit to liking me? I’m honored.” Derik flung a hand over his chest.

I rolled my eyes, straining to keep a smile from creeping onto my lips. “You’re so dramatic. And if anything, you being obnoxious is just far more tolerable,” I widened my stance, bending my knees slightly. “Although, this gives me a reason to punch your face in without feeling guilty about it.”

That’s a lie. You’ll sit there, overthink, and feel horrible about it if you ever actually land a blow on the guy.

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