Page 26 of When Monsters Fight
“They’re tracking us,” Jilyana called out from somewhere behind us, her voice muffled by the thunder of wingbeats.
Whatever was on the ground couldn’t get to us as long as we remained airborne, but the chill up here washeightened, burrowing into my skin and lancing into my bones.
Holding on to Gabriel was no longer an issue. My arms were frozen around his neck, legs locked in place around his waist.
“I see movement in the settlement!” Kabiel called out. “Gehennans, I think. They see us. They have weapons.”
“We have to land,” Gabriel said. “It’s the settlement or the wilds.”
We dropped altitude, and my head swam with the need to pass out. I clung to consciousness, battling the darkness that threatened to consume me. The impact of landing jolted me awake.
Voices yelled at us, babbling in a language I didn’t understand.
Gabriel wrapped his wings around me once more, and warmth ate away at the chill that had me in its grip.
“They can’t get in,” Jilyana said. “That must be some kind of barrier.”
My mouth moved against Gabriel’s skin as I spoke “What…what’s happening?”
“Asbeel is speaking to the Gehennans. I think he’s getting through to them. The beasts tracking us are gone. They turned away once we hit the settlement. I think there’s a ward or some kind of barrier around this place to keep them at bay.” He stroked my back, his hand leaving a trail of heat up my spine. “Are you all right? Warmer now?”
“I’m so sleepy.”
“We need to get some food in you.”
“This way,” Asbeel said. “They’re extending hospitality and will show us the way to the bridge tomorrow.”
“I want to see.” I tried to lift my head, but it felt like a boulder on my shoulders.
“Later,” Gabriel said. “We need to warm you up and feed you first.”
I allowed him to take the lead and carry me to wherever we’d be bunking for the night.
Someone babbled in a low melodious voice, and Asbeel responded in a similar tone.
“They’re letting us have their barn for the night,” Asbeel said. “It’s the only building that will accommodate our sizes.”
The creak of a door followed, and Gabriel ducked his head, curling his body around mine to fit through the frame and into a building.
“It’s warmer in here,” Jilyana said.
Gabriel freed me from the cocoon of his wings, and I got my first look at our temporary shelter. The barn was small, the floor covered in sawdust, but there was a second level in the rafters and bales of hay to make a bed with. The air was cold but not icy. Jilyana was right; itwaswarmer—still cold, but not deathly so.
“We can’t build a fire in here,” Asbeel said. “They say it’s not permitted, but he’s gone to fetch us some blankets. Not that we need them, but the females might.”
Jilyana smiled up at him. “I’m fine. I don’t feel the cold.”
“I’ll take them all.” My voice sounded small. Fuck, I was tired.
“Can we get some hot food?” Gabriel asked Asbeel.
The watcher nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.” He ducked out of the building, letting in a gust of bone-chilling air in the process.
I pressed closer to Gabriel, and he rubbed my back again, his huge hand sweeping up and down to warm me.
“Let’s get you settled,” he said. “We’ll take the rafters. Heat rises.” He flew us up to the balcony, which was litteredwith crates and a few sacks. I was still pressed to his chest, my legs locked around him.
He gently grasped my thighs. “How stiff are you? Can you?—”
