Page 51 of Wings of Death

“How am I supposed to get there with no wings?” he asks, snapping me out of my desire-filled thoughts.

My lips twist into a smile, unsure how he will take my plan. “I can carry you.”

He stares at me. “Seriously?”

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. “Yes, seriously. I’m stronger than I look.”

He nods, considering it as an option. “Okay. If you think it’s possible, I’m in.”

I pick up my mug and take another sip. Gods above, this tastes good. Kyle tugs his T-shirt off, and I can’t help but gawk at him. He is male perfection, and before I can look away, he catches my eye.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I might just have to kiss you again.”

I reluctantly look down, heat rising in my cheeks again, and he laughs as he crosses the room and then stops in the doorway. “Do you want to borrow a shirt? You’re pretty soaked.”

“Yes, please,” I say.

He gestures for me to come with him, and I follow him into his room. It’s much smaller than my quarters back in Silanthia, but it’s nice. There’s a decent sized bed near the back wall,adorned in black bedding, and an enormous TV hangs on the wall opposite it. There’s an open wardrobe to the left, and next to that, a small bathroom. He rummages through his wardrobe and eventually tosses me an oversized white shirt.

“Try that,” he suggests.

I stand awkwardly, unsure about changing in front of him before he offers for me to use the bathroom. There’s a bathtub in there, a walk-in shower, and a vanity with a sink. Everything is white except the black tap-ware on the sink and in the shower. I strip off my wet, leather corset and change into his shirt, which smells just like him. There’s not much I can do about my wet pants right now, but I can change when we get back to Silanthia.

I step out of the bathroom, and his eyes trace my body.

He clears his throat. “You look, um, nice.”

I glance down at the oversized shirt, and my cheeks flush. “Thanks.”

He leaves the room, and I follow him back out to the lounge.

“Are you ready?” I ask after him.

He rubs his face and paces the floor before turning to me. “Yes, and no. I’ll ask a friend to pick up Millie while I’m away.”

He pulls out a little device I’ve learnt is a cell phone and moves his fingers across the screen before slipping it back into his pocket. Then he removes it again, holding it up. “Probably won’t need this, will I?”

I shake my head. “No, we don’t have those in the angel Kingdoms.”

After his friend agrees to watch Millie while Kyle’s gone, we move out to the yard, and I’m thankful the rain has stopped. It can hurt a bit when flying at speed, like tiny needles stabbing youall over. I glance at Kyle’s house, and his dog, Millie, is watching us through the porch door, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth.

Knowing what we are about to do makes me a little nervous. I shake my hands out and take in a few deep breaths, then step closer to Kyle until our chests are touching. My eyes meet his as a sense of calm washes over me. I can almost get lost in the blue depths of his eyes. We stare at one another for a while before I finally break the silence.

“You ready?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, and he nods.

We wrap our arms around one another as my white wings emerge, and I gently lift us up into the air. We hover for a moment until I’m sure this will work. I’m much stronger than he may have imagined me to be and can lift him easily. Angel strength is far superior to human strength.

“Ready?” I ask again.

His gaze is locked with mine, and he nods.

I take off up into the sky, and once I’m sure he’s safe, I increase my speed, and we soar higher and higher until the city lights resemble the stars in the night sky, twinkling down below us. I can sense we’re approaching the barrier, and I warn Kyle to prepare. It can feel strange the first time you go through it, like a feeling of unease or motion sickness.

It was designed that way to guard the Kingdoms from unwanted visitors, so it’s a small price to pay for our safety. The barrier is invisible to humans, and once we move through it, we’ll be in Silanthia. We learnt that angels from other Kingdoms will emerge in their own Kingdom once they pass the barrier. Maybe it’s to do with their markings, or their lineage. Or maybe the gods just know who is allowed to go where. No one really knows for certain.

For a moment, anxiety floods my body while I think about Kyle and whether he’ll be able to pass with me into Silanthia. I hadn’t thought about the fact he doesn’t have any angel markings, but once we pass through, it appears not to be an issue at all, and I let out a sigh of relief.

Kyle frowns at me. “Was that the barrier?”

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