Page 288 of Castings & Curses

Well, this may be a piece of cake after all.

CHAPTER16

Mercy

I’m still not entirelysure how any of this is going to go because there are so many questions I have, but as Roche and Matthew arrange the angel and demon around me, I know there is no time to be curious.

Endor slips an arm around my waist, which causes me to blush. I know crushing on a demon isn’t the smartest thing to do, but hell if I can’t help it.

Though, I suppose it’s not really him doing anything to stoke the desire intentionally. He just happens to be hot as sin, warm, protective… It’s not something anyone has afforded me before, except maybe Miles.

I try to recall the memory, feeling like it is on the edge of my mind, but I come up against a wall.

But why can’t I remember…

Another touch circles me, this one much softer, more delicate. Valory’s not as warm as Endor, but the feeling of relaxation and peace overcomes me, and I feel like if I shut my eyes, I could take a long, well-deserved nap.

“No, no, no. No sleeping on the car ride down,” Endor teases me, his voice edged with sarcasm, but also humor.

“Descent will be quick, but you may experience some disorientation upon your landing,” Matthew says, his eyes on us.

Something about the way he looks at Valory, then at me… makes my skin crawl. There’s something familiar about the way his gaze lingers, but I can’t quite place where or why...

What does it say about me that I trust the demon more than I trust the angel?

“Understood,” Endor answers solidly, and I catch Valory looking back at Matthew, a look of determination on her face, and then, a cold breeze surrounds me.

Valory’s wings stretch out around us, one behind Endor and me, and the other in front. The air chills my skin, and without thinking, I crawl closer to him, needing warmth. My mind tries to make sense of the sudden jolt, the sudden terror that floods me at that one word.

Cold.

Everything is so cold.

But before I can even grasp the wisps of my own thoughts, Endor’s wings stretch around us—his long, soft, black feathers curling around me, battling against Valory’s, and the air becomes much more potent.

“Close your eyes,” Valory whispers in my ear as my fingers grab on tightly to Endor’s shirt. “And hold on tight. We’re ready for takeoff.”

Endor’s deep, sarcastic voice soothes something inside me, and I don’t think twice. I listen to both of them. After all, what choice do I have but to trust them. They’ve both given me no reason not to, and if what Matthew and Roche said was true… I’ll need to trust them with my life.

Trust they will help me find my body, and then...

My mind goes blank as the thrust of the atmosphere moves against me, against us, but I still feel it as it shakes me. Though their wings protect me from the harsh wind, the chill. When the deafening sound of breaking the barriers stops, my ears ring and I feel lightheaded, and suddenly, sleep seems like a really good idea. Against the warmth of a sexy demon, it’s too hard not to fight, and I give in.

“Good night…” I mutter as I let slumber overtake me, and the last thing I hear is Endor cursing.

CHAPTER17

Valory

“Fuck,”Endor curses as Mercy goes limp, her fingers letting go of the chunk of his shirt.

I move forward, my wings breaking her fall as if they have a mind of their own. “She’s out,” I say as I cradle her in my wings. “The trip must have been too much for her,” I mutter.

Surprisingly, he lets her go, looking me up and down as I pull her close. Her breathing is shallow, and her coloring slightly paler than it was in Heaven. I brush a strand of dark hair from her face and look up at the brooding demon before me.

“No shit, Captain obvious,” he grumbles, and I can’t help but feel incensed.

“What is your problem, huh? You’ve had an attitude since you strolled into Heaven this morning and—”

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