Page 39 of Claimed By Night

“If we’re lucky, he knows nothing,” Dragan interrupts.

“You think Anona won’t tell him that you stole the angel and disappeared?”

He cocks his head to the side as though he’s not sure what he believes. “Anona won’t want to risk her already delicate favor with Variant by revealing she was housing an angel in the first place.” He sighs, long and hard.

“And if we aren’t lucky?”

He nods, as if he believes this option to be the case. “Then a hundred eyes have seen us. Which means Variant knows wehave Eilish, but he doesn’t know what she is. No one does, except for the four of us.”

“What she is?” I repeat, shaking my head at his idiocy.

“An angel,” he finishes.

“Anintactangel, a subject on which none of us knows the truth,” I correct him. He just nods, then breathes in deeply. He can’t argue with me on this, because he’s just as uninformed as I am with regard to the subject of whether or not the angel really is whole.

“Regardless,” I continue. “I want no part of this.”

“It’s a little late.”

“You came to me,” I remind him, glaring. “I could’ve denied you! Refused to see you! I could’ve—”

Dragan interrupts me again, holding up his hand, “But you didn’t. Which means you’re now as much a part of this as any of us. If Variant catches you, you’re as good as dead. So, I suggest you stop your incessant noise and help us devise a plan.”

I’m fuming. Beyond livid. I feel the air around me vibrate, touched with the energy of my anger. “You’re saying you brought me to Grimreap, to the city of the dead, and you don’t have a fucking plan?”

“No.”

“You are even fucking dumber than I thought! And you’ve sentenced us all to death,” I snarl through clenched teeth as I scowl at him. “You fucking cock!”

Dragan stares into the fire and I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing.

I continue, the reality of our situation settling in, “And you’ve damned us for what?” I look at the girl. “You don’t even know if she has her wings! You don’t even know if she’s actually a fucking angel!” I scowl at her, then at him. “You’ve damned us for a fucking whore!”

Dragan’s in front of me in a split second, his hand around my throat. He lifts me into the air and it becomes impossible to breathe. I sputter and try to kick at him but he’s immense and built like a wall, so what little I attempt does nothing to dissuade him from choking the life out of me. His eyes are angrier than I’ve ever seen them.

“Shadow Demon!” the sprite yells at him as it spirals around his head. “You can’t hurt him! We need him! Remember what Eilish said!”

After another few seconds, Dragan releases me. I reach for my throat and begin rubbing it as I inhale deeply and then erupt into a coughing fit.

“Don’t you ever call her a whore again,” he warns, his words dripping with ire. “Next time, I’ll kill you.”

***

FLUMPH

I watch the elf king pantin’ an’ lookin’ real angry-like. Dragan turn his back on Cambion an’ walks away, like, five steps. But Cambion continue to stare at him like he real mad. I think maybe it’s just a trick o’ the fire, but he got gold sparks, like embers, bouncin’ ‘round between his fingers. I’m worried for what he’s gonna do.

“Don’t do this, Cambion,” Dragan say real quiet-like even though he don’t even turn ‘round. It like he got eyes on the back o’ his head ‘cause he know Cambion standin’ there, ready to attack him.

“Fuck you!”

Then Cambion release whatever was brewin’ between his fingers, but it misses Dragan. So Cambion lunges for Dragan an’ Dragan slam his fist into the ground, an’ there’s like a big-ass earthquake an’ Cambion lose his balance real quick. Draganstand up straight an’ his big-ass black wings go spreadin’ out real wide.

I can’t tell ya who I’m rootin’ for, just that I’m enjoyin’ the show.

Just as I’m wishin’ there was popcorn, there’s a shift in the air. Like the energy jist got sucked outta the man-tiff that’s goin’ on in front o’ me. Befores I can take another breath, the angel does this weird high-pitched squeak thing. Suddenly, all eyes are on her.

“Stop,” she says in a little voice.

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