Page 142 of Wings of Lies
“She pushed you away, and you hit your head on the wall,” I whispered. I glanced at Aspen.The small blue-eyed boy was Aspen.That’s who she wanted me to save.
Oliver jerked up, eyes puffy with tear streaks on his cheeks. “How?—”
“I have the power to dream-walk into memories,” I admitted. “I saw that one before you tackled me in Damatha Forest.”
Stricken, he stared at me. “How is that possible?”
Aspen moaned. I jerked my head around, pushing Oliver to get off me so I could return to Aspen. I moved to crawl back to him, and Oliver grabbed my arm.
“What are you doing, Lucy? He’s the enemy. We need to bind him or run or kill him or something! I could hit him again, but it’ll take the last of my juice after hitting both of you when you shoved in front of him like a lunatic!”
“No! We’re not killing him or binding him and leaving him here.” I shoved Oliver’s hand away. “But we might need to cuff him. The bounty hunter had some. Go search his clothes.” There was no way I was going near that male. I shuddered, crawling over to Aspen as Oliver rifled through the dead angel’s stuff.
I reached out to Aspen, about to touch his face, when he snatched my hand, jerking me toward him. My ribs screamed, and I whimpered. He immediately let go of me, only to grab me again.
“Fuck,” he spat as he fought against the glow. “Lucille, you need to leave. Cuff me and run.”
Oliver stepped next to me, jangling the cuffs in his hands. “I agree with the princeling, except I’m not sure why?”
I ignored them both, scooting closer to Aspen. “Let me touch you. It’ll help,” I said, pressing my hand against his face.
Aspen clenched his fists. “It won’t work. Not after what the Nephilim did.” He flung his head back, crying out as every muscle in his body tensed. I wasn’t even touching the rune, yet I felt the searing electricity attempting to take over. “I’m not supposed to remember my mom’s murder. It’s her failsafe. Anytime I tried, the rune would attack and weaken me until I forgot and obeyed again. But you made me remember the wholefuckingthing, and it’s battling me,” he said through gritted teeth.
“So, what do we do?” I asked, putting my thumb on his rune. It shot into my hand, sending a path of unbearable heat through my entire arm. I screamed and let go.
“Stop touching me, Lucille!” he said softly before snapping at Oliver. “Put the damned cuffs on me, Nephilim.”
With wide, puffy eyes, Oliver glanced at me and then back to Aspen, trying to understand the situation but failing miserably.
“Do it! Before it’s too late,” Aspen bellowed, flames flashing in his irises.
Startled, Oliver dropped to the ground and locked his ankles together, then pocketed the key. “Now what?”
“Now you take Lucille and leave,” Aspen moaned like the cuffs that took away his power made the struggle worse.
I grabbed for his fist, but he pulled out of reach. “I’m not leaving you here.”
“I can’t promise you what I will be like when it takes over. You need to go.”
“No.”
“Luci—” His eyes rolled as he fell back, writhing on the ground.
I snapped my gaze to Oliver as he retched into the grass. “Why did you do that?”
“How many people has he watched get murdered?” he moaned as he grabbed my arm, lifted us off the ground, and pulled me away. I almost jerked out of his hold, thinking he was about to run with me, when he said, “I’m just getting you away from the stench of my stomach acid. Relax. I’m buying us time to make a plan.”
Defeated, I gingerly sank to the ground. “What kind of plan, Oliver? I have no idea what to do or where to go anymore.”
He looked at me funny. “What do you mean? We’re going to Magda’s.”
I scoffed, wincing as I unlocked my cuffs and handed them to Oliver. “Here. That’s how you reach your sister. They’ll allow you to cross their border, but it’ll suppress your powers. I don’t need to go to Magda’s anymore. The memory of why I was taken returned. My mom poisoned me. She’s working with Marcus. She doesn’t need to be found.”
Oliver stared at the cuffs, quiet. Then he took a step back, refusing to accept them.
“Oliver?” I asked, surprised. “Take them. This is what you’ve been dying to find. Go get your sister back.”
“You’re right. For ninety-five years, I’ve been trying to find a way to Melanie.” He lifted his gaze from the cuffs. “But we made a deal. We’re going to Magda’s, then you can give me the cuffs. Your mom isn’t working for Marcus, Lucy. You need the rest of your answers.”
