Page 31 of Fallen Angels

“The time has come,” he announces, even though no one seems to understand what the fuck he’s going on about.

“What?” Dragan asks, sounding extra perturbed. It’s the tone he’s adopted where Baron is concerned and has everything to do with his jealousy, I’m convinced.

“The time for what?” I ask.

Baron doesn’t respond other than to push his sleeve up, revealing the glowing red sigil on his forearm. He then digs his fingernails into his skin, before smearing the blood over the sigil where Pyre marked him. Baron’s eyes go white, appearing just like Pyre’s. The voice that echoes in our ears isn’t Baron’s.

“You managed to escape,” says the disembodied voice. “I was beginning to think I would have to stage an extravagant rescue.”

“We’ve evaded the soldiers, but it won’t be long until Variant’s men hunt us down,” I respond with little amusement. I’m not in the mood for mockery from a disembodied spirit.

“They won’t follow us into this forest,” Dragan says.

“You have my protection in this woodland. Set up camp for the night,” Pyre continues, speaking through Baron. “I will find you.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

EILISH

The Forest in the Sky

At the mere thought of Cambion receiving a vision of that hideous event between Variant and Anona, where I was forced to watch…

Thank God, he didn’t catch a vision of the evening the following night, when Variant’s face was buried in my pussy and my orgasm was all-encompassing. Even the thought of that event makes me shudder with humiliation, rage and self-hatred.

What Cambion knows is bad enough and I suddenly feel ill…

Cambion knows I fingered myself as I watched Variant take Anona, but how much did he see? Does he know I watched Variant kill her? It was pretty obvious Cambion hated me before, but what must he think of me now?

He must think you’re the most disgusting, wicked creature in the history of disgusting, wicked creatures,I answer myself.

To the untrained eye, it must have looked as if I was enjoying myself. Why else would I have…?

I can’t even finish the thought. The memory of Variant and Anona makes me nauseous enough as it is, and now realizing Cambion witnessed everything that happened…

Strangely, Cambion seems concerned about me, but I’m sure I’m simply imagining that concern. There’s no way he could be concerned about me. Not after witnessing what he did.

But you didn’t enjoy it!I inwardly yell.You were forced into watching them and you were forced into touching yourself!

Do you think it appeared that way to Cambion?I respond to myself.And, if it had, what are the chances he even cares?

Shame and something much darker churn within me as I squeeze my eyes shut.

Flumph lands on my shoulder and pushes my hair out of my face. He doesn’t ask any questions and I’m thankful for his silence, but worry is present in his eyes. I don’t want that worry to become pity, so I smile in spite of myself.

Dragan hasn’t said much to me since we left the palace. He watches me closely, unflinchingly, as though he’s afraid I might suck the life out of him with just one glance. But, more than that, every time Dragan looks at me, there’s anger in his expression—it colors his eyes and tightens the corners around his mouth. I don’t understand his anger.

I sit on a large crag of stone with my forehead against my knees as I bemoan my very existence. No matter what I do, it seems I make a mess of everything.

According to Pyre’s announcement through Baron, we’ve decided to make camp for the night and then we will wait for Pyre to reveal himself. I’m sure Variant’s men are searching for us by now. Dragan and Cambion made it sound like no man in his right mind would enter this forest, owing to the hideous things hiding in every shadow, but I have yet to witness any of those hideous things. Pyre said we had his protection in this woodland—I suppose that’s the reason nothing has tried to devour us yet.

Regardless of Pyre’s protection, Variant will want us back.

Especially you,I think to myself. I can’t argue my own point because Variant is absolutely taken with me. Well, maybe “taken” is the wrong word. He’s definitely “interested” in me though, but I know it would simply be a matter of time before that interest would fade and he’d rather see me dead.

And he knows about your wings…

I don’t know how he knows. Maybe it was the blast that happened after he murdered Anona when I thought he was going to force himself on me.

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