Page 431 of Evil Hearts

My pantleg is sheared off, revealing the skin, and there’s a wrapped bandage around my thigh that is turning pink against white.

“I did the best I could,” Ivy says in a soft voice. “I’m not even supposed to be talking to you.”

I lift my gaze to hers. “Why not?”

Her shoulders lift in a half shrug, and she rises from the bed. “Michael told me not to, but you had a right to know. Especially after seeinghim.” Bitterness creeps in her voice.

“Him?” I question.

“Quinn,” Ivy says and turns to fully face me. “The man with the black wings. He’s a Fallen.” She turns away and then begins to pace the small quarters of what has to be a motel room. There are two queen beds and a TV stand at the foot of the bed.

I repeat his name and try not to shudder at how close he’d been behind me. The cool barrel of a gun pressed to my temple and the skittering of my heart racing in fear… He’d told me to run, and I had, but that hadn’t stopped him from shooting me. “Why was I shot?”

Ivy stops pacing, and her back is to me, her wings tight.

“Ives?”

She lets out a loose breath. “He’s a Fallen and thinks he deserves redemption. Michael and Gabriel say it’s not possible.”

“So he shot me as a way to get redemption?”

“No.” She turns back to face me. Her blue eyes harden, and she looks every bit of an avenging Angel. “He shot you to prove a point. He will doanythingto get that second chance.”

“Anything—” I go to take a breath, and my right side erupts in flames. I let out a sharp cry and double over, grabbing at my thighs to try and keep myself awake.

“Eva?Eva!” Ivy is calling my name, but she sounds further away. My vision tunnels, and I’m letting out short pants, hardly able to suck in any air. There’s a soft white light that engulfs the tunnel of darkness exploding in my vision. “Michael, she’s dying. Help her,please.”

My breaths are becoming fewer, and I something sticky coats my fingers when I blindly reach for my right side. A gentle hand touches mine, and a peacefulness washes over me. My shoulders slump forward, and someone pushes against my chest to lay me on my back.

My vision is going and swallows me in darkness, and my eyes shutting of their own accord. I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and feel myself drift away.

“Eva Grace Hastings, please step forward.”

I hold up a hand to shield my face and squint into the light. My body moves forward as if it’s on autopilot. When I can stand the light, I slowly lower my hand and gape at what’s before me.

This looks like something straight out of aKingdom Heartsvideo game. Billowy clouds form several walls that encase us in a room, and by us, I count seven white cloaked figures that sit behind seven podiums. Each podium has a word scribbled on the front, but I don’t recognize the language.

I clear my throat several times, trying to muster up the words that won’t come out of my mouth.

“Ms. Hastings, we will now begin the questioning,” one voice says.

“Q-Questioning?” I stutter and rub my palms against my jean-clad thighs. “Am I in trouble?”

A chuckle echoes throughout the room.

The tips of my ears burn with embarrassment. The cloaked figure that spoke directly in front of me rises from their chair and lifts their hood. My eyes widen in shock, and if I could’ve swallowed my tongue in that moment, I would’ve. I shift on my feet, and my heart pounds hard against my ribcage. The cloaked figure has no face. My gaze darts briefly to the other six figures. Are they as creepy as the person in front of me?

“Are you an alien?” I blurt out.

“If they were aliens, your tongue would be removed from your head,” a voice calls from my left.

I jump and turn sideways. My eyes widen, and I take a step backward. “Y-You.”

The man with the black wings slowly looks over at me with a bored expression on his face. His dark brown eyes almost appear black.

“Quinn, do not antagonize the mortal,” the faceless figure chastises.

Quinn rolls his eyes but turns and bows to them. “My apologies, Elder Two.”

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