Page 287 of Castings & Curses

This, I knew, and it was always one of the things that pissed me off the most about the short straw. Everything since the time of my birth has been designed to keep me in Hell. Including the clipping of my wings. Only contractors and reapers get to gain therightto fly. It’s something that is earned, something gifted by the fucking assholes up top who get to decide who becomes a Reaper or a Contractor Demon.

So when Roche’s long fingers trace across my shoulders slowly, I don’t expect to feel a shiver, or a slight shake.

She lets out a dark chuckle. “If I would have known all it takes to excite you is to pet your pretty wings, I’d have done it a long time ago,” she whispers.

“It does not excite me. It just… feels odd,” I answer back. I hear a gasp come out of Valory and it’s likely she’s experiencing the same thing, but I don’t look at her. Instead, I look ahead at Mercy biting her lip in anticipation.

Roche massages my shoulders, letting her hands run over my shoulder blades before digging her nails into my skin, and then I feel it. I feel them, my wings pushing against my skin, begging to come out.

Roche whispers in my ear, her lips brushing my skin, and it’s like I’m someone else. I feel a surge of energy coursing through me, emanating from where her nails dig underneath my shoulder blades. It hurts, but it’s a relieving kind of pain.

My body shakes just a little and then I feel all that power, all that energy, ignite like a burning fire and whoosh.

I can feel my wings… unfurl.

Opening up for the first time, stretching.

An audible gasp leaves Mercy’s lips. “Whoa…” she says in awe.

I turn my head to the side to see them. Long, feathery black wings stretch out beside me, practically knocking into Valory, who is staring once again.

“Like what you see, angel?” I ask, feeling cockier than usual at the giant wingspan, which looks pretty badass if you ask me.

She huffs as Matthew presses his fingers into her shoulder blades, which causes her to yelp. The look of pain on her face makes my cock twitch, but then again, that could be from the juice running through me right now. I feel more alive—more powerful—than I’ve ever felt before.

Like I could do anything with these wings.

It isn’t long until the whoosh echoes around us and large, white, feathery wings bump into mine, pushing them back. As if they have a mind of their own, mine bristles from the touch, and I can feel a sensation throughout my entire body as her wings touch me. It’s warm and relaxing, but also makes my cock twitch again and floods my body with… desire.

How strange…

In an instant, her wings retract, sheathing to her back, while mine still remain out for all of us to see and gawk at.

I could definitely get used to this...

“Okay, now that your wings have been unfurled, you need to know how to sheath them,” Matthew says plainly.

“Sheath them?” I ask, concerned about flooding my being. I just got these things, I don’t want to stow them away again…

“Mercy is a lost soul, therefore, she will be invisible to the world below. The two of you will guide her visions and memories to help her find her body, but there will be times when you need to be visible to the world around you in order to help her,” Matthew explains.

Roche is running her fingers through my feathers, and the sensation is strange to adjust to. I can feel it like someone’s touching my skin, like a light tickle.

“You’ll need to be visible, much in the way a Contractor Demon or a Reaper would. To be able to converse and interact with the mortals,” Roche says, her voice full of awe.

“And mortals can’t see you if you are walking around with gigantic wings,” Matthew finishes.

“Ah, yes. God forbid the mortals know angels and demons actually exist,” I grumble.

Mercy’s eyes fall, a hint of sadness in them, and I wonder what she is thinking. She’s remained too quiet for my liking.

“To sheath your wings, you need only to will them shut. Find something to ground you, to pull you back to neutral, so to speak,” Matthew explains.

“Right, makes sense.” Valory nods in understanding, her wings still held tightly together.

The exercise is quick, and I’m able to sheath my wings easily, focusing on none other than my sole desire to get the hell out of HAD, and remain on the surface with unclipped wings for good. The same thing is what helps me unfurl them again, and I grasp onto this quickly.

Valory, however, struggles to unfurl her wings once more, but she eventually does.

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