Page 81 of Angel Lost

Farrell’s blade whispers against the whetstone again.

I square my shoulders. “Farrell, I came to talk.”

The whetstone stills. The knife turns in his fingers, catching the dim light as he finally lifts his gaze.

Golden slit pupils lock onto mine, unreadable. The firelight makes them look molten, burning with something dark beneath the surface. “Did you?” His voice is quiet, but there’s an edge, sharp as the dagger in his hands.

My stomach clenches again.This could go badly wrong.

I clear my throat, trying to shake the weight pressing on my chest. The whole room is holding its breath—waiting for Farrell to snap.

“I should’ve told you sooner.” The words are too small for what I’ve done. For what I haven’t done.

The new Hand laughs, and Farrell sets his blade down with a deliberate clink. His fingers linger on the hilt.

Behind me, Kai's nails tap faster. Chano, on the other hand, looks like he’s watching a stage play. He drops onto a bench, stretching out, one boot hooked over the other. Absentmindedly, he traces patterns in the dust on the table with one fingertip, like the whole room isn’t one wrong word away from combustion.

Farrell’s gaze flicks toward him, then back to me. “You should’ve.” His voice is calm, but there’s a simmering edge beneath it, like banked embers waiting for air. “But you didn’t. And now you’re here to ease your conscience.”

I open my mouth—

Footsteps slap across stone.

A rebel scout stumbles in, breathless, clutching a crumpled scrap of parchment. His eyes dart from me to Farrell, then back again, like he’strying to gauge whether Farrell’s more dangerous right now than whatever’s written on that note.

Farrell snatches the paper without a word. His eyes scan it, pupils contracting to razor-thin slits. Smoke hisses from his nostrils.

“Your illusion failed.” His voice is low, like the crack before thunder as he faces his new Hand. He crushes the parchment in his fist. “They know it’s not the fae.”

Kai rears upright and violently kicks a chair across the room. It crashes into the stone wall with a splintering crack.

“You used my people as cover?”

Farrell doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t even blink. He just lets the crumpled note fall from his fingers.

“It was necessary.”

“Necessary?” Kai’s laugh is jagged, humorless. “The Angel King spent years grinding us down. Indoctrinating the young, making sure no fae steps out of line. He even forced his own sister to marry my father—the Fae King—just to keep us under control. And you? You gave him an excuse to crack down even harder. My people are suffering, andnowwe know why.” His fingers flex like he wants to grab something—Farrell, his dagger, my throat, maybe. “And you, Lorelei, you knew?”

Chano pushes off the bench, stepping between us. “Kai, my violent friend, let’s not act surprised.” He flicks a hand, sharp and dismissive. “This is Farrell. Tunnel vision and terrible decisions are basically his wholeidiotapersonality. You’d think he’d have learned after tossing Zephyr aside, but no—same shit, different day.” Chano snorts, eyes narrowing. “Lorelei just got caught up in it. Question is, how long before the rest of us get screwed over too?”

Kai stares at me, long, hard, then nods just once. He points his dagger straight at Farrell. “You are just as responsible for crushing the fae spirit as the king himself.”

Farrell pinches the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t do it to put your people in danger. I did it because it worked.” His voice is even, but his knuckles are white where he grips the table edge. “Until it didn’t.”

For a second, I think Kai is going to lunge. I step forward instinctively, tugging Kai’s knife arm down.

“Think it through,” I murmur, glancing at the rebel soldiers around the room as they inch ever closer. “If you go for him, we all know how that ends.”

Kai’s breath comes hard and fast, but he doesn’t shove me off. His eyes stay locked on Farrell. “If one more fae dies because of this, I will hold you personally responsible.”

Farrell finally meets his gaze. “Fair.”

That single word lands heavy in the space between them.

Kai exhales sharply and steps back. He gives a slow, deliberate clap. Once. Twice. A mocking smile flickers across his face, sharp and wrong. His anger isn’t gone, it’s just buried, waiting, coiled tight like a spring ready to snap.

I shift uneasily. “So, what now?”

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