Page 41 of Touched By Sin
My ears heat. “I’m sorry. Things are different here in Hell.”
Dariana eyes me for a moment before slamming my locker shut. “Follow me.”
I try, but it’s not easy. She knows these hallways like the back of her hand, and I don’t.
“Where are we going?”
“Away from here.”
“But the lesson?”
“Can wait.” Her small hand finds mine as we step outside into the dark.
Lanterns light the path, their flames surrounded by countless moths. We cut across the damp grass, and she guides me deep into the surrounding woods. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howls as sticks break beneath my bare feet.
Dariana soon grows fed up with her tall heels sinking into the ground, so she removes them and carries them in one hand. There’s a break in the trees, and I gasp as we step out into an open field. The sky is lit up with stars. Too many to count.
“It’s beautiful here,” I whisper, turning in a circle, eyes on the sky.
“Yes,” she says, and something dark and delicious in her voice makes me pause.
I tear my gaze away from the blanket of burning lights above.
Discarding her shoes, her feet sink into the grass, carrying her closer. “Spread your wings.”
I gulp, trapped in her gaze.
“Do it.”
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
“I don’t trust anyone,” I admit, slowly letting my wings unfold behind me.
Dariana’s eyes follow their movement, trailing over my white feathers before settling on my face. Her own wings spread out behind her, black as night. “You’re wise. The moment you trust, you’ll get your heart torn out.”
“I’ve been kidnapped and stolen away to another realm. How much worse can it get?”
She steps closer, the air thickening with something electric and dangerous. “You left Eden, little angel. Monsters lurk in the woods. Don’t tell me the elders didn’t warn you.”
They did, but it only made me more curious. Dariana sees the truth in my eyes, and the smirk on her lips steals the breath from my lungs. “Monsters are dangerous. You should have listened to your elders.”
“What are you doing?” I whisper when she slides her fingers over my eyes to close them.
“It’s time to fly.”
“I don’t know how.”
“Yes, you do,” she replies softly, tapping my temple. “It’s in here.” The warmth of her smooth palm seeps into my skin when she places her hand over my heart. “And it’s in here. The color of your wings doesn’t matter. You were created to fly. All you need to do is trust.”
“You told me not to trust.”
“In others. You can always trust in yourself.”
I can’t think when she’s this close. The memory of how she made my body sing lingers in my mind like an expensive perfume. I open my eyes.
“Follow my lead.” She moves her wings slowly up and down in long sweeps that shift the cool air. “What are you waiting for?” Her warm hands slide lower, over my breasts, before gripping my waist.
