Page 15 of Wings of Death

I shake my head. “I’m fine.”

“And you?” he asks Finlay.

Finlay raises his hands. “I’m good.”

“Was this you?” he asks Finlay with a wave of his hand toward the dead watchers.

Don’t tell him,I say through the bond.

He awkwardly shuffles from one foot to the other. “Ah, yeah, it was me.”

Thank you.

Anytime. I’ve got your back,he replies.

“Interesting,” Amaros says before he clicks his fingers, and the two angels crouch down by the watchers, and with a touch, the watchers disintegrate into nothing.

I inhale a sharp breath. I have never seen an angel do that before. But then again, I have never been around any dead watchers or angels before, either.

“Come. Your father has asked that I bring you back,” Amaros says and extends his hand to me.

I take a step back. “No, I’m not going back. I need to be here to protect Kyle. Those watchers were here for him.”

Amaros narrows his eyes at me. “No, that’s impossible. They don’t care for humans. They were here for you.”

Finlay steps down into the yard. “No, she’s right. They fought us, but they were trying to get past us to the house. To Kyle.”

Amaros ignores Finlay and walks around him, joining me on the porch. “Like I said, that’s impossible. You’re both mistaken. Now, I don’t believe I am making myself clear. It is not a request. Your father has asked that I bring you back.”

Before I have time to respond, he takes hold of me and lifts up into the air. I scream, but he ignores it, instead wrapping his arms around me as he guides me up through the clouds. We pass through an invisible layer above the clouds, the barrier, and back into our Kingdom. He doesn’t release me until we land outside the castle.

I push him away, breathing hard. “How dare you! You have no right to take me like that.”

He reaches out to touch me, and I move back.

“Don’t.” I run into the castle to find my father. He needs to know what has happened, and I have questions. Like what the hell a group of watchers wanted with Kyle.

CHAPTER FIVE

Two of my father’s guards, Yimel and Rimel, are guarding his quarters as I storm up the corridor. I don’t bother knocking, bursting through the doors instead, and they don’t stop me. After all, I am the King’s daughter. My father is sitting at his desk, and he places the paper he’s holding down. Footsteps sound behind me, and I turn to see Amaros follow me inside.

“Ah, Zarla. I am glad to see you are back.” My father gestures for me to sit in the chair opposite his desk.

His quarters are the largest in the castle, of course, and he spends a lot of time in here behind his desk, doing gods know what. His bedroom is in another room through double doors to the left, and this is more of an office and private living space for him. Oakwood lines the walls and floors, giving off a dimly lit den-like feel.

“Why did you have me brought back here?” I demand.

He’s silent, and only the crackle of the fire burning in the corner fills the room. His chair rakes across the floor as he pushes it back and walks around the desk, and then leans against it before me. “Because I heard there was trouble on Earth, and I didn’t want you in the crossfires of the watchers.”

I ball my fists and take in a deep breath. “I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. That’s what they trained me for. Now my human, Kyle, is down there alone, unprotected.”

“Actually,” Amaros chimes in, “Finlay is protecting him, along with two other guards.”

I glare at him before returning my gaze to my father. “He ismyresponsibility, not his. Unless there is a serious reason I cannot guardian him,Ishould be down there, not my second.”

My father scratches his chin and looks at Amaros. “What was the situation, Amaros?”

Amaros takes a few steps toward us. “When I arrived, there were three dead watchers. Zarla believes they were there for her human, Kyle, which is impossible. Watchers do not care for humans. They are there to ensure both guardians and seconds uphold angel law.”

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