Page 40 of Angel Lost

It’s not real. None of this is real.

It feels real.

I’m yanked to my feet. Frank hauls me against him—too close. So close, I feel it. His dick, hard against my back. Disgust curdles in my gut, but I bite it down.Stay controlled. Do not demand more from the boys.I let just a trickle of aether pool in my hands—weak, restrained—before lashing out. He curses, shoving me away, and I hit the ground, hard.

He laughs then, a sound of pure evil. “Fine. Have it your way. You’re clearly not broken enough yet.”

Frank grabs my arms. And I hear it again. The sound I never, ever want to hear. The sound of water running, while Frank chuckles.This fucking illusion.There wasn’t even water here, only seconds ago.

Slowly, he lowers me down. No. No, no, no. Water creeps up my legs, my body, up my neck, my chin. I fling my head back, taking in short gulps of air. Water splashes up, stinging my nostrils. Frank’s hideous weight on top of me, he holds me under, squeezing the air out of me.

And I’m back there. Back in my foster carer’s backyard, being punished again.

“Ready to behave yet, Skinny?” His voice is muffled by the water.

Defiantly, I shake my head, and he pulls me up slightly, allowing me a snatched half breath before plunging me under again. I fight the urge to inhale. I’m not that terrified child. Not anymore. I have aether now. I can fight. But not too much. Not enough to give myself away.

I pull just a thread of power from the bond, just enough to strike. A sharp burst of magic slams into Frank’s chest. He staggers.

Not far enough.

My feet slip, and icy water closes over me again.Stupid cuffs. Stupid bond.Panic flares. My fingers scrape against the void where my strength should be. I reach deeper, tug harder. Desperation sets me on fire as I yank at the tether, dragging every ounce of aether I can back to me.

Too much. That was too much…Not full power, but still, dangerous.Get a grip.

Then, the air shimmers—just a flicker, a ripple at the edges of my vision. A low hum vibrates through my bones. And they appear.

My allegiance. Kai.

Are they really here? Is this reality?

Warm hands haul me from the freezing water, bodies closing in, forming a circle. They’re all here. All in the Angel King’s grasp. Fuck.This is my fault.I couldn’t even survive the threat of a dead man without calling them to me. It’s Naeve’s death all over again. My fault.

The darkness fades, and suddenly an angel stands in front of us, his wings out, a circlet of white gold on his head.

“Come to me, Lorelei,” the Angel King commands.

“No.” It’s out before I can stop it. Around me, the boys bristle, moving closer, blocking his view of me. “I want to stay with them.”

I peer around Chano’s shoulder.

The king clenches his fists. “You would deny your king for your allegiance?”

“My Aeternum, too!”

The king’s fingers drift to the handle of the scepter at his waist, and he mutters an incantation so low I can’t catch it. I don’t understand what he’s done until I hear the sound of wings. Slowly, I look up.

A squad of angels in full armor descends. They don’t pause, don’t hesitate. They attack.

Chano roars, throwing himself at the two angels closest, Farrell and Zephyr team up against another couple, and Kai beelines for the one coming straight at me. I grasp for my magic. Nothing. These stupid cuffs.I rub my wrists frantically, the skin raw. But they won’t budge. I palm my knife instead and leap after Kai, slashing wildly.

The angels heal so quickly, and the boys are tiring. I hit out in frustration, burying my knife in the fleshy part of an angel’s wing, and he screams. The shriek tears at my eardrums, blood trickling down my cheek, but…that’s it. Their weak spot.

We swing into a rhythm. I attack the wings, damage them, then get out of the way and let the boys clear up. It’s working. We’re—

Zephyr yells, panic lacing his voice. I crane my neck. There. He’s cornered, three on one. I scramble toward him.

A thin, sinewy hand clamps down on my wrist and I’m dragged into the side of the king.

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