Page 73 of Dark Angel

“He is gone.” Uriel pronounces.

Kora hears her mother’s tears. Sobs racking her body. “Colton is gone.”

“His soul is dark. It’s what needed to be done.” Uriel calms her.

“But Lucifer will be back. He won’t be satisfied until he has what he wants. He won’t stop until he rules the realm.”

Uriel’s hand touches Tessa’s face, “Child, breathe. Use my blade and strike him down if he resurfaces. You will need all of my energy to defeat him. As for your daughter, I will protect her. Take care of Clarence, and Kora will be safe.”

Uriel vanishes within a blink, leaving the room empty and dull.

Neither of them cries.

Her mother doesn’t move.

It’s utterly silent.

Kora can hear her heart beating stronger, as if it’s trying to break free from her chest.

Tessa looks down on her, her smile growing again, but it’s trembling. “You will be fine, Kora. I promise he won’t get to you.”

Kora’s head falls forward once again. Her breathing is heavy and sporadic as she sees the red walls of the tent once more. The ruby stone is still in Scarlett’s hands.

Stumbling out of the wooden chair and falling to the ground, Kora attempts to catch her breath as the Augur watches her collect herself.

“What was that?” she yells at Scarlett through her panting, “and who the hell is Colton?”

26

Angelus Purus

Kora runs as quickly as she can from the ruby tent. She’s still trying to catch her breath as she scurries through the crowded aisles of the market.

Head still spinning like a windmill, she can’t believe what she saw or what Scarlett told her.

Spotting Clarence leaning up against the sign at the exit, she yanks on his hand and pulls him away with her before he can ask any questions.

“Slow down, would you!” He shouts as she rushes them through the busy streets of London. “Your skirt’s not on fire. Why the rush?”

Clarence, after stumbling behind her for some time, finally pulls her into an empty alleyway and halts her in her tracks.

He pushes her up against the cold stone wall as they both catch their breaths. “What in the world was that?” Clarence asks through his breathing, “you look as though you’ve seen a ghoul.”

“We can’t talk about this here, Clarence.” She warns him, peering around to ensure nobody is listening in on them.

It’s midday and the streets are busy with all sorts of creatures, and any of them could overhear their conversation.

“Why not? What happened in there? I thought all you needed to do was see Ricky.” His hand rests on her arm.

She stares at him. Going to grab his hand again, Clarence pulls it away from her, shaking his light brown hair.

“You need to tell me, Kora. What happened?” His voice lifting and echoing through the small laneway.

“How long have you known that I had a twin brother?” She blurts out.

Clarence scrunches his forehead for a second before relaxing his facial muscles and looks down at the ground. The cobblestones are damp at their feet. Their boots covered in dirt. “How did you find out?” He asks her, his voice sounding drained.

“Who is Colton!” She yells out.

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