Page 26 of Claimed By Night

“This isn’t so simple,faerie,” Dragan starts, spitting the words at me.

The prick knows how much I hate that term. “Yes, it is. Variant won. You need to accept it the way I have.”

“I will never accept it, because it isn’t true.”

God, I can’t fucking stand him. Truth of it is, I never have. He’s an arrogant, stupid barbarian and he always has been.

“Isn’t true?” I laugh at him like he’s a bigger moron than I had previously thought. “Look at reality, you fool! Variant is the one in power, not us!He’sin control.”

“Maybe for the foreseeable future.”

“Not just the foreseeable future, you fuckhead!” I yell, unable to keep my anger in check now. Dragan is just so fucking stupid. “We’re the lucky ones!” He scoffs at that. “Look at what Variant did to Baron!”

“What’d he do to Baron?” the sprite asks, even though he clearly has no idea who Baron is.

“Variant fucking murdered Baron and put him six feet under!” I continue as I shake my head, wondering if I’m talking any sense into Dragan’s stupid brain. “And he did it as a message to the two of us. I’ve listened, and you should do the same.”

“Heal the girl,” Dragan says, his hands fisting at his sides. Clearly, I’ve provoked the dumb fucker.

“Heal her yourself,” I spit back at him.

He glares at me. “You’re well aware that I can’t heal her, or I already would have.” He’s correct, of course. His dark magic won’t heal an angel. Only magic born of light will. Hence his reason for coming here.

“I want no part of this,” I respond, making no move to heal anyone.

But before Dragan can say anything, the girl’s eyes dart open and she stares right at me. Then, she opens her mouth as if to scream but passes out again, instead. I feel my breath catch and all of my anger bleeds away. Her eyes were wide, beautiful, the color of a clear, blue sky—and the expression in them was one of pure panic.

She needs me.

The way she looked at me was imploring, begging.

It’s at that moment that I begin to realize what she truly is, as if this knowledge had been stoppered until now. Whether she has her wings or not, she’s the ultimate example of a creature of light. Such that I am. The fae have always regarded angels asthe most revered of all creatures. And I haven’t done my part to honor her.Not yet.

“Our time to leave is approaching rapidly,” Dragan announces, sounding impatient.

“Open the window,” I demand, removing my jacket and setting it carefully over the armchair at the foot of my bed. Dragan does as instructed and I face the sprite. “Fetch me the flowers there, sprite,” I tell him and point to the vase in the far corner of the room.

“Don’t no one ‘round here know how ta sayplease?” the sprite grumbles, but does my bidding all the same. He brings me the bunch of daffodils, roses, tulips, and daisies, and I place them around the girl’s body, ensuring the petals touch her skin. Instantly, the hue of the blossoms begins to intensify, the yellow of the daffodils deepening into gold. The lavender of the rose becomes a rich violet; the red of the tulip, crimson. And the green of the stems is more verdant than it was seconds ago. What’s even more strange is that the leaves of the rose and the daisies begin to grow, reaching out as if they’re on fast forward.

“What the bloody hell?” I say, mostly to myself.

“She’s an angel,” Dragan scoffs above me, as if that response is explanation enough.

I reach into the fabric pouch I keep upon my person at all times and remove the crystals from within it. As theAtacomiteis poisoning her entire body, I must cleanse her from head to toe. It’s usually a lengthy process to removeAtacomitefrom someone’s body, but time isn’t a luxury we currently have. And though I know I can pull most of the poison from her body, it will not come without cost to her. She’ll be extremely weak as her body heals. I, of course, have the ability to aid in her recovery, but we won’t be in one another’s company for much longer. A shame.

Above her head, I place a piece ofCelestitein its natural, geode form.Celestitewill help minimize her pain as it aids in removing the toxins plaguing her. The blue crystals sparkle, reminding me of the glittering blue of her eyes. Up close such as I am to her now, I can truly see how remarkably lovely she is. Easily the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I suddenly feel pangs of shame that I wasn’t quicker to offer my assistance. Well, I’ll make up for it now.

I place purpleFluorite, one of the most beautiful crystals, on her forehead. TheFluoritewill strengthen her bones as theAtacomiteleaches valuable minerals and vitamins from them. On her throat I placeAzurite, a small, deep blue stone, which will protect her brain from any damage.

When I realize where the rest of the crystals must go, I glance up at Dragan who studies the girl intently, as if he’s attempting to remember the curvature of her face.

“I must have access to the entirety of her body in order to proceed,” I say.

Dragan frowns, but faces his henchman. “Thoradin, turn your back.” Thoradin does as he requests and Dragan looks over at me.

“Aren’tyougoing to turn your back?” I ask him with a teasing smile. I must admit I enjoy baiting him.

“No. I’m in charge of keeping tabs on you, to ensure you don’t do anything to her you shouldn’t.”

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