Page 156 of An Unexpected Ascension
“I’ve seen the acts of Hermes, Briar. He deserves every bit of what’s been given to him.”
Will’s gaze hardens on me, and I match his rage, only for a different reason.
“How dare you?” I whip. “How dare you say something so horrible? Yes, he’s done some questionable things, but you don’t know him. You don’t know the torment he’s lived through, the treachery, the despicable torture at the hands of the Gods.” My voice raises with each word. “Damn you!”
I rise to my feet, the swell of fury inside of me pumping my blood so viciously I’m forced to erect.
Will only crosses his arms, standing by his words.
I don’t bother saying anything to Jesse and she doesn’t bother saying anything to me.
“I wouldn’t wish for you to endure a minute in the presence of those monsters! I can’t even believe the bitterness in your heart!”
“I’ve seen him damn our neighbors, Briar. I’ve seen him ruin families, tear them apart and?—”
“You’ve seen him follow your God’s orders and nothing more! He merely obeys the wishes of those arrogant beings. He’s done nothing but fight for justice since he’s passed the gates of Hell.”
“He’s brainwashed you.”
Throwing my hands up in a fit of anger, I cry out in frustration. As my arms fall back to my sides, fingers wrap around my wrist.
My gaze darts to the bed, Lynx’s eyes meeting mine. There’s an urgency in them; one I was hoping he’d wake with.
“We—” His voice cracks and he clears his throat. “We need to go.”
I nod.
“Will, I won’t bother trying to change your mind. I came to warn you and say goodbye. I don’t know if I’ll make it out of this war, but if I do, I know I won’t be back to Heaven.”
His lips tighten in a thin line. I bring my gaze to Jesse. She only frowns, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ears, uncomfortably.
Lynx sits up in the bed, the blanket falling from his chest, pooling around his waist.
“Oh, can we borrow some clothes?” I ask a bit awkwardly.
Chapter 54
The Demon
As I shove my foot into a leg of the pants William Andrews has begrudgingly lent, I thank the Devil for the relief my muscles now feel. Each movement before this was laced with a blinding agony.
Dressed in jeans and a simple white T-shirt, we leave without so much as another word to the angels Briar calls friends.
“How are you feeling?” she asks with a quiet hesitancy as we walk down the street towards the Market.
I roll my shoulders back, straightening my spine.
“Physically, great.”
She winces.
“And your soul?”
She watches me carefully, searching for any hint of the man I was hours ago, but I refuse to let him show. The pity she fights is worse than anything I’ve been through already. Her soft features, worried eyes, the tension in her muscles at the anticipation that I’ll tell her I won’t ever recover. Perhaps I won’t. The torture I’ve endured the last six months has burrowed so deep into my soul that it’s changed me. For better or worse is yet to be known.
I keep my gaze forward, my steps even.
“Lynx.” Her small hand wraps around my forearm, halting me.
