Page 165 of Wrath

All those times I got sick and thought it was nerves…

My strange cravings…

My mood changes…

Panic pulled me under like a riptide, and I suddenly couldn’t breathe. The air felt stale and sticky, and every lungful burned. This couldn’t be happening. No, no, no.

But the truth of Peter’s statement sat in my heart like a poisoned blade.

“No,” I breathed, stumbling back another step.

“Your baby will make the perfect weapon.” Pure avarice glinted in Peter’s eyes. “A creature that embodies both the darkness of a nightmare and the gentleness and kindness of a human with angelic memories. The perfect juxtaposition.”

I felt the color drain from my cheeks at his words and accompanying smirk.

“If you won’t give it to me willingly, then I’ll have no choice but to cut it out of your dead body.”

“I’d like to see you try.” A figure moved to join us, splattered in blood and grime.

Her brown hair was braided away from her face, and bruises marred both her cheeks.

“Davia.” I stared at the human woman, stunned, but she merely gave me a passing glance before focusing on Peter.

The angel’s lips curled. “You bitch. I suppose I should’ve expected you to be here.”

Davia smirked and moved to stand beside me. “Long time no see, Gabriel.” She gave him an unimpressed once-over. “Your new form is… Well, it’s not hideous, at the very least.”

Peter bared his teeth. “What are you doing here, Lilith?”

Lilith?

Lilith?!

My heart stuttered with warning, and the acrobats in my stomach went from doing somersaults to performing back flips.

No, that was impossible. Lilith was a demon. Davia was a human and someone I considered a friend. Peter must’ve been mistaken.

But Davia smiled in a way that had chills careening down my spine.

“I thought you were smarter than that, darling,” Davia cooed, venturing a minuscule step forward until she was partially in front of me. “Did your time in the dungeons cause you to lose a few brain cells?”

“I fucking knew you did it on purpose!” Peter’s eyes flared with rage.

Abruptly, Davia’s playful tone from only seconds before evaporated. “I knew that if I didn’t help you get to earth, you would ask someone else. I figured the best way to contain you would be to lock you away.”

“And how did that work for you?” Peter spread his arms in either direction. “I’m free. And I want what I’ve come for.”

Instinctively, I placed my hands over my belly, unable to wrap my head around the fact that life currently grew inside of me. It sounded too surreal to believe.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that to happen.” Davia took another step closer.

“And you’re going to stop me?” Peter threw his head back and laughed. It was a harsh, grating sound that felt like sandpaper against my skin. “You can’t kill me, love. The treaty won’t allow it.”

“That may be true.” Davia sighed heavily, as if this entire conversation bored her. “But it doesn’t mean that I can’t stop you in other ways.”

Then, before my very eyes, the human I had come to consider a friend changed. Her brown hair turned darker until it resembled polished onyx stones, and her skin paled significantly. Her legs grew, as did her torso, and when the transition finished, I stared at someone else entirely. Someone powerful and dangerous and exuding unbridled anger.

Lilith.

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