Page 102 of Wings of Betrayal

“Zarla?”

I nod. “Yeah, okay. I will.”

He yanks a sword from the straps on my back and thrusts it against my chest, and I grab hold of it, gripping the handle firmly. Kyle runs into the carnage, and I follow him.

Lost ones are everywhere, attacking with their long claws, but these archangels are impressive. They can fight. They can seriously fight.

Kyle swings his sword and takes the head off a lost one while I stare with wide eyes.

Damn, that was good.

I hold my sword up higher as a lost one heads for me, and I swing hard, slicing it across its side. It lets out a screech, and the stench coming off it makes me gag. It smells like rotting flesh, and it fills the air, making it damn hard to breathe.

I stab my sword into its stomach, and it falls to its knees and settles on the ground. I barely have time to catch my breath before two more head my way. Kyle comes into view nearby, and he’s handling himself well, thank the gods. I refocus on the two lost ones and swing my sword again, slicing the neck open on one of them. It makes an awful gurgling sound as black blood oozes from the wound.

The other one screeches and bares its claws at me. I raise my sword, and it bats it out of my hand, narrowly missing me with its claws. I back up a bit then blast it with my powers. It violently shakes before exploding in a burst of white light.

Okay, good. I can still do that, whatever that is.

“Zarla, look out!”

I spin around just as a lost one charges at me and tackles me to the ground. When I land hard on my side, a distinct crack in my ribs sounds.

“Fuck.” I grit my teeth and wince through the pain as the lost one snaps its rotten teeth at my neck.

Shit, this creature is strong. Using one hand to hold it back, I try to reach for my daggers, but the weight of it is preventing me. It squirms around on top of me in a desperate attempt to tear into my flesh. I reach down, straining my muscles until I feel the cool metal tip of my dagger. I yank it from my holster and stab it into the lost one’s neck. It screeches, spitting black blood across my face.

I turn my head to avoid getting any in my mouth. The stench is unbearable. Pressing my hands against its chest, I scream as I blast my powers into it, blowing it into pieces that scatter all around me. The scent of burnt, rotting flesh fills the air, and I gag as I stumble to my feet.

More lost ones attack, and I fight them off, using my daggers or my powers. But it’s as though there’s a never-ending swarm of them. Just as soon as I take one down, another one, or more, attacks. My body aches and my legs quiver beneath the weight of my daggers..

“You okay?” Kyle calls out to me, and I glance over to find him battling a lost one not far from me.

I stab another through the heart.

“I think so,” I reply, panting hard.

Em spins around, her long red hair waving in the air, and takes down two lost ones in one swing of her sword. She looks like a real fighter, and I can see why she’s so cocky. Her blue eyes meet mine for a moment, and jealousy flashes in her gaze.

But there’s something else too. Hurt.

The battle rages on, and I take down every lost one who attacks me until my muscles burn, and then I carry on still. Fewer lost ones swarm the skies now, which helps settle my nerves somewhat.

As the numbers on the field diminish, that’s when the true aftermath is revealed. Gods above, many archangels have been slashed. Other archangels are helping to remove them from the battlefield and get them back to the city to be attended to by the healers.

I take a moment to catch my breath and spot a lost one taking down Em. I immediately jump into action and sprint toward her. Leaping into the air, I land a kick to the lost one and send it flying off her back, then I bring my sword down on its neck, cutting its head clean off.

I hold my hand out to Em, and she stares at it as though it’s some kind of trap. She instead gets up on her own. I roll my eyes.

Em shoves me. “I know about the two of you. I can scent it.”

I ignore her as several lost ones surround us. One charges me, and I spin out of the way, swinging my sword and slicing it down its back. It lets out a pained screech as I pierce my sword into the back of its neck, killing it instantly.

Em takes down two more lost ones then points her blade at me, her jaw tense. “You are the worst thing that’s ever happened to him.”

“Em, we are fated mates. This was always going to happen, eventually.”

She leans her head back and snorts. “What a joke. He deserves so much more than you.”

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