Page 29 of Wicked Angel
“I’m going,” Lacey said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
“Me too,” Abbie said. “So with me, we need at least two doses,” Abbie said. “I might be able to work with that.”
Levi frowned. “I’m sure more of our friends will want to come if we ask.”
“Let’s see how much I can get done with this first,” Abbie said.
I nodded. “I hate to push it, but we don’t have much time.”
Abbie nodded. “Right. I’ll be going back to the Great Eternity Hall right now. I’m sure Maggie and Gwen will love to help with this.”
“And me too,” Lacey said.
Abbie smiled at her. “Of course.”
She opened another portal for her and Lacey. I almost went with them, but I knew I would just hover over their shoulder, make them more nervous, and wouldn’t help at all.
When the girls were gone, I let out a long sigh.
Levi stepped in front of me and wrapped his big arms around me, pulling me tight against him. “I can feel your tension, sweetheart.”
“I can’t help it,” I said, my cheek pressed against his chest.
“I know.” He kissed the top of my head. “Just remember, you’re not alone anymore. You have me and you have all of your friends.”
I squeezed him harder, thankful for his words, for his warmth, for his strong, stable presence.
13
The warehouse had becomea familiar second home over the past few days. Levi and I had settled into a rhythm, training every morning, pushing each other to our limits, making sure we were ready for whatever waited for us in Elysium.
I had just finished a particularly grueling session with my Celestial sword when the warehouse door creaked open, letting in a thin stream of sunlight. I lowered my blade, sweat trickling down my temple, and watched as Almae and Keeran stepped inside.
“Don't stop on our account,” Almae said, a small smile playing at her lips. “It's been a while since I've seen an angel wield a sword like that.”
I sheathed the blade, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand. “Just trying to stay sharp. We don’t have much time until we infiltrate Elysium.”
“Speaking of which …” Almae frowned. “Any news on the elixir?”
Levi expression was grim. “It's complicated. Abbie and Lacey are working around the clock, but the lilies are proving more intricate than anticipated. The magic is ancient, layered. It's not something they can rush.”
It had been a lot more complex than we had hoped for. Lacey and Abbie had recruited Hazel, Anna, and Brita to come help, and they also had called Lavinia and Thea at the DuMoir Castle, asking for any ideas.
So far, nothing was working.
“That’s not my area of expertise, but if you want, I can come take a look,” Almae suggested.
Keeran nodded. “Same.”
“That would be great, actually,” I said, a sliver of hope twisting itself around my chest.
“But we’re not here for that,” Keeran said.
I tensed. “What happened?”
“One of my scouts found something interesting,” he said, shifting his weight. As the Warlock Lord, Keeran had scouts and spies working around the country, around the whole world. “Something we stumbled upon while searching for information on Rhodes.”
“And on Sarki,” Almae added.
