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I felt a presence behind me and I closed my eyes,
knowing once I turned around what I would see. I
tightened my grip around the golden handle of the
dagger I now held in my sleeve, afraid it might slip from
my sweaty hand. Now that I was here, now that I was
about to place myself in front of the one I feared, to
save the one I loved, I couldn t think properly. I wrapped
my fingers tighter around the beautiful knife, feeling its
chill through the cloth, like the cold hard truth of what
was behind me now.
Very slowly and deliberately, I stood. Each inch that my
body distanced me from the inert form of my beloved
Garreth felt painful and wrong.
Hadrian s breath whispered on the back of my neck. I
knew he was waiting; he knew he was winning. The
question was, would I allow him to? Was this all for
nothing?
The cold steel in my grasp pulled my senses back to
the surface. I had brought myself here by placing it
through my heart. Was that what I had to do to
Hadrian? How on earth would someone defeat a dark
angel? My mind raced, sorting through possibilities
and coming up empty. This wasn t like any place I was
used to. In the stolen seconds, I allowed myself to think
of the safety of home. I realized how alien home had
been to me and that I had merely waded through life
until now, never really living it. It was Garreth who had
brought me to life. He had shown me what I was
missing by revealing himself to me.
My blood coursed through my veins at lightning speed;
and, with it a fire, something brewing inside me along
with the last of what Garreth had given to me,
sacrificed for me.
Light.
It was white and hot, like new blood brought to life, and
running through me like the night Garreth first gave it to
me, only stronger now that it was mixed with my own.
My inheritance. The blood essence of an Archangel.
That essence was derived from Hadrian s own
existence and now I was going to use it against him.
I spun around to face him. What have you done to
him? I demanded.
Hadrian was silent. Towering over me, his dark wings
quivered tensely as he stared down at me in an
obvious attempt to intimidate me, but I stepped
forward, welcoming the threat. His dark eyes reflected
amusement at my resolution. To my surprise, he
backed off a little, eyeing me curiously as he paced
back and forth across the stone floor, carefully
choosing his words.
Your Guardian, Garreth, was found in violation of
I asked what you ve done to him. I felt shaky, as if I
might collapse at any second, but thankfully, my voice
didn t betray me. To my surprise, I found myself ready
to use the dagger that was so carefully hidden in my
sleeve, ready to start and end this war.
My, my, aren t we agitated today? If I may continue?
Hadrian seemed to take pleasure in my endeavor to
appear fearless. As a Guardian he was not permitted
to enter the human world and cavort as if he were like
the very one he was responsible for. It is unheard of
and places the entire society in danger. Your Garreth
broke many rules because of his selfishness.
Hadrian s black eyes settled on me, keeping me
locked to him.
Garreth said he had permission. It was never done
before, that he was the first. He was allowed to. I
looked away, hiding the fresh tears forming that would
give away my crumbling resolve.
And no other will dare make his mistake in the future.
I ll see to that myself.
You don t care about violations! That s not why you re
doing this! Haven t you done enough? I trembled,
knowing Garreth lay as still as death behind me. You ll
never have your army. You re no match for your
brother, I spat, clutching at straws with which to wound
him.
Ahhh, Lucifer. Garreth was very informative. I may still
have my chance; you see, I have a sizeable army
already. But I can t risk the naïve emotions of another
Guardian such as Garreth. May he be a lesson to us
all, for he is no more.
My heart plummeted to my feet at his words. No more?
The ripping pain inside my heart mimicked what I saw
in Hadrian s eyes.
He can t be&
But I felt the pain endured by Garreth as if it were my
own. I was too late. My heart was being ripped out of
my chest.
Hadrian stepped closer, placing his wickedly perfect
face close to mine. Remember this, Teagan. I am
stronger than my brother. I am smarter than the great
Dark Prince and I always get what I want.
I was momentarily dizzy, blinded by a light that
unexpectedly appeared in the room. Hadrian s breath
was still on my face, warm and soothing, and I leaned
into it away from the chill of the stone chamber.
There is something else I desire, something more
than the power Lucifer holds in his hands. For, without
a taste of it, I fear I am nothing. It is the only way to
ensure my existence.
His voice dripped like sweet honey, touching my soul
with a deep torch. I wanted to look away but couldn t. It
wasn t just his beauty it was a longing he carried in
his dark smile. He touched my forehead with the tip of
his finger, leaving an icy heat across my skin, thrusting
me into a dream that was so real and inviting I couldn t
bring myself to fight it. Slowly, the pain I had felt over
Garreth slipped away from me.
I felt like a ghost watching over myself, and before long
I was in the dark night of my bedroom, listening to the
fluttering that I knew was Hadrian, comforted by the
darkness he shrouded himself in. It was familiar, night
after night, never failing always expected, always
anticipated. In my vision, I realized the fear that always
accompanied his presence was not what I thought. It
was the fear of him not returning to me, of him not
torturing me with the dark eyes that forever watched
me, leaving me alone and breathless with fear.
I felt the air shift around us. Hadrian s hands were on
my face, closing my eyes with lips I had never felt
before. I didn t want him...I... Who did I want? I couldn t
remember anymore. I was floating. He was holding me
and we were spiraling higher, above the stone floor.
His lips were on me, cool and mesmerizing. The
downdrafts of his wings pushed us higher off the
ground, and I pictured what we must look like from
below, the beautiful image of us entwined. It reminded
me of looking up at another image, spiraling high
above me, but I couldn t see what it was. It was a
dream, forgotten now.
Higher and higher we rose, my insides reeling as he
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