Page 72 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

She needed information, tilting her chin in defiance. “Enough with the tight-lipped man-talk. What’s wrong with the wings?”

He sighed, his muscled arms at his sides. “They have leathery feathers.”

She blinked. “Like a fucking Scourge?”

“Close enough.”

Madeline twisted her neck, trying to see what Dom saw. When that didn’t help, she patted her back, feeling nothing because she couldn’t reach the right spots. “Are you sure?”

Dom nodded, his throat bobbling as though he’d swallowed a boulder.

“No. Not happening. I’m going home. Let’s try again.”

“It won’t work, Maddy.”

“Once. More.” She faced off against the stubborn Immortal, fists on her hips. “Don’t you dare tell me no.”

Dom boosted her into his arms before soaring into the air. Again, they were unable to get through the barrier.

When her skin sizzled hotter, she gritted her teeth against the painful burn. “There must be another way.”

“There isn’t. Only one pathway in and out of Angor.” He hovered in place, his black wings thrashing up and down.

“Something’s wrong with it then. An electrical glitch. Equipment malfunction. Again.”

“No. Your skin is on fire. Besides, I got through without you. And don’t forget the fangs and nascent wings. Scourges can enter Angor, but if they try to escape through the passageway, their flesh fries.”

No. No. Un-uh.

“I am not a Scourge. Maybe my newly acquired bling will go away once you figure out how to get me to Earth.”

Dom remained silent as he floated them to the surface of the shoreline again, letting her slide to her feet.

Madeline crumpled to the sand, her legs folded beneath her ass. “How can this be happening to me? I’m human.”

Dom flopped to the ground, snapping his wings into his spine. “You have all the signs of becoming a Scourge.”

“That’s impossible.” Madeline closed her eyes.Computer Science, Information, and General Works. Philosophy and Psychology. Religion. Social Sciences. Language...

Dom interrupted her calming recitation. “Yet here you are.”

Drawing a deep breath, she slid her lids open. “Your pragmatism is grating on my nerves. I don’t want to be a Scourge.”

Dom’s wings shot out and snapped back into his spine. “Your body doesn’t care.”

“There it is again. Facts. Facts. Facts.” Pausing, she inhaled. Her slight outburst over, she asked, “What kind of Scourge?” She clamped her hand over her mouth. “No. I know the answer. Leech. I’ve got fucking fangs. I don’t like blood. My knees get weak at the sight of it.” Dom, not paying attention to her, looked distracted. “Dammit, what are you doing?” she asked.

He raised a digit. Then he answered. “Contacting the Feard. They’ll join us at home.”

“Give me a few minutes here. I need to clear my head.”

He nodded. They waited in silence.

When Madeline had left the library to walk to her orderly apartment after work, she’d been snatched. Then she’d been thrown into chaos, losing control of her mind, thanks to Praevus. Now, she’d lost control of her body.

She had been safer when her alcoholic mother went on a rampage or invited over unpredictable, handsy visitors. Though she, Fia, and Darya had practiced what-ifs to deal with those perilous situations, they’d never prepared for this kind of event.

Arching her neck, she glanced up at Dom’s expressionless face. Would she become his enemy? As an assassin for the OneCreator, he extincted Scourges.

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