Page 73 of Saints & Sinners

A few Riftkeeper’s glanced suspiciously our way, but we kept moving, pretending we belonged when we didn’t. One man in particular—a tall figure with a scar across his cheek—watchedme, his gaze unnervingly sharp as I forced myself to look away.

Then, just ahead, I saw it. Not Aaron but a cherub trapped in a small cage, his wings bound with barbed wire. A group of Riftkeeper’s stood around him, laughing as one of them poked at him with the end of a spear and taunted him with threats.

I took a step forward, instinct driving me to desperately help. Hunter quickly tugged me back, but it was too late; one of the sellers had spotted my reaction and grinned.

“You want this one?” he sneered at me. “A cherub’s fun for a while, but I’ll tell you what—I’ll get you an even better one if you kill this little prick.” He nodded toward the weakened cherub. “Go on.”

I froze, horrified, and my gaze flickered to Hunter. He shook his head at me right as the seller’s grin faltered. Hunter didn’t give me a chance to respond before he grabbed my arm and dragged me away. He steered us deeper into the crowd, brushing past a few young people and others much older.

I felt sick. Utterly sick.

The cherub’s frightened face was now etched into my brain, and I struggled to keep up with Hunter’s pace. The factory was a never-ending place; everywhere we turned, there was something going on. Torture, drinking, more torture and screams.

“Help me,” someone croaked from one of the cages; she was missing an eye and an arm. “Help me, please.”

I washelpless, blinking away tears as we went past her. Her working eye followed us in despair, and I turned to Hunter. “Why can’t they fight back?”

Hunter’s jaw tightened as he looked ahead, taking me through busy sections. “The cages are made out of something that weakens them.”

“And what’s that?”

“Umbra Alloy. It’s a dark metal that comes from hell itself and is a weakening substance to demons and any other Celestialbeing, including Ascendants.”

So, it was like kryptonite but for Celestials...

“That doesn’t make sense,” I said. “How would Riftkeeper’s be able to acquire something from hell?”

“The same way, they also have Celestial weapons. Some demons will provide it for them in hopes of something in return.”

I swallowed the acidic taste in my mouth. “Like protection?”

He didn’t give me a proper response right away, but eventually, he nodded before we passed another row of cages and came to a stumbling stop as a wiry man with beady eyes blocked our path.

His eyes went from Hunter’s to mine, making Hunter push me into a protective stance behind him. “I’ve never seen you two around here before,” the Riftkeeper said, the suspicion in his voice practically palpable.

Hunter kept his expression impassive. “We’re new,” he replied. “We’re just here to look around. See what there is to fuck around with.”

The Riftkeeper didn’t look convinced; in fact, he sized me up once more, almost like he saw something in me that he recognized. He tilted his head and made a whistling sound with his lips, summoning a few more Riftkeeper’s who were now closing in around us.

A glacial fear settled in my chest, its coldness pressing down until every breath felt like I was inhaling shards of ice.

Hunter looked over his shoulder at me. “Bambi?” His voice was so low that only I could hear it. “Duck.”

I didn’t need him to tell me again as I dropped to the floor without hesitation, and he sprang into action. His fist connected with the nearest Riftkeeper, sending him stumbling backwards before he swiftly took a dagger from behind his waistband and used that to stab another. Chaos erupted around us as Riftkeeper’s shouted, some lunging toward Hunter, others goingfor the prisoners.

I scrambled to my feet, dodging a Riftkeeper’s grasp as I tried to get back to Hunter. But bodies crowded around us, and before I knew it, I was shoved to the side, my vision blurring as I was pulled deeper into the crowd.

“Hunter!” I shouted, but my voice was swallowed by the uproar. Panic clawed at my throat as I fought my way through, desperate to get back to him, but everywhere I turned, there were more Riftkeeper’s, more cages and more eyes that looked all too eager to find out who or what I was.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I searched for Hunter’s familiar figure in the mess of faces, but I didn’t get far as rough hands grabbed my arm, and I spun around to see a man looking at me with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

“What do we have here then, a wannabe Rifter?” He held onto me as I tried to yank myself free and struggled. He pulled my sleeve up, revealing the Riftkeeper mark, before giving me a crooked grin. My stomach churned with dread and disgust. “Or a Celestial?”

I mashed my teeth together, his touch burning my skin. “No,” I hissed. “Human.” I spat at him then, making him let go of me as his hands went up to cover his face. I didn’t wait to see what would happen as I turned and legged it.

But I was only able to get so far before I was pulled back by my hair. A ragged scream tore from my lips as the man from before came into view. He looked pissed, my spit still gleaming across his face. He threw me to the ground, and I coughed and gagged as my hair got in my mouth. A throbbing sting radiated through my head at where he’d roughly grabbed me from, and I tried to force myself to stand, but the Riftkeeper was already on top ofme, grinning.

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