Page 105 of Wings of Lies
Up ahead, the dirt road forked into two paths. One shimmered with iridescent light, and the other swirled with darkness. It was a good thing I didn’t have to guess which one was the trip wire. Turning my back on both paths, I waited to see if his highness would come.
Two panic-inducing minutes later, he did, pulling me over his shoulder. He luscelered us through the screen of iridescent colors and into a sweltering landscape of blue-tipped bushes.
“Are you out of your fucking mind, Lucille?” He plopped me on the ground, blue eyes swallowed by flames, seething.
I stood, refusing to let him lord over me. “Obviously not, seeing as we have no raging angels on our tail. I just saved your sorry asses and myself in the process.”
“I had it handled, and you almost got fried by lightning!”
Wouldn’t be the first time.
“Yeah, it sure looked like you had it handled with the knives stabbing into your legs,” I deadpanned, nodding down to his bleeding wounds. If they bothered him, he didn’t let on. Or the rage fueling his fire disguised it.
He took a step toward me. “You are the most infuriating?—”
“Naive, ignorant, stupid, helpless, wimp,” I gestured with my hand, acting unphased, bored. A lie hiding the anxiety I came down from. “Any other insults you want to add to your list?”
He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a long breath. “Why are high-ranking angels after you?”
Apprehension twisted the nausea in my stomach. “I don’t know.”
My mom and I had a lot of enemies.
He opened his eyes, staring at me with an unreadable expression until the planes of his face softened. My heart picked up speed as he opened his mouth, nervous about what words would come from such a gentle expression. But before a sound left his lips, something silver flashed through the air.
I flinched to the side, expecting pain. Only to see Aspen jerk, catching the object. The cool metal tip of a knife poked my ear.
For a second, I thought the angels found us. But when I looked over Aspen’s shoulder, all I saw was Brock standing just inside the shimmering barrier, bruised, bloodied, and vengeful.
When I glanced back at Aspen, I didn’t dare breathe.
The veins in his neck popped from how tightly he clenched his jaw, similar to the knuckles erupting from his tightly squeezed fist. He stared with glowing eyes at the knife he caught millimeters from my tipless ear. A hue of red illuminated his chin. But the more he stared, the brighter his power became, and the glowing scar throbbed. Once fire breached Aspen’s eyes, the scar’s light weakened.
“Aspen?” I whispered, afraid to startle him.
He shot his flaming gaze to mine, and pure loathing ravaged his eyes. I stepped back, and that little movement catalyzed his rage. Hot and powerful fire burst from his hands, turning the knife in his palm to molten metal and extinguishing the rest of the glowing red light.
I took a few more steps back, my exposed skin burning from his heat.
In the next breath, he unleashed his sword and channeled the flames into the steel blade. He plunged his sword into the ground, leaving it to turn to Brock.
The sword flickered before me, a viscous inferno separating me from them. I dared a small step toward it, and the blue flames pulsed, marking the ground in a dark line. To cross would be to suffer the consequences of Aspen’s wrath.
He strode to Brock, hands loose at his sides, no longer covered in his power.
Brock retreated a step. “Prince Aspen, I told her to stay in the carriage. She disobeyed my orders. I told her what would happen if she did.”
Aspen swung. A loud crack resounded through the air as Aspen’s fist made contact with Brock’s face, sending the old male to the ground. He jumped on top of Brock, straddling him. “I told you what would fucking happen if you touched her again!” Punch. “I should kill you.” Punch. “The only reason you’re here is because she ordered it.” Punch. Punch.
Brock tried to retaliate, but Aspen’s fists were too fast, stunning him with the force of his blows.
“Always following your own orders.” Punch. “Insubordinate.” Punch. “Fallen scum.”
Brock sputtered, trying to get out words, but Aspen wrapped his hand around Brock’s neck, leaning close. “I swear, the next time you so much as lift a finger at her, I will obliterate you. And don’t think our queen will mind one bit because I’m protecting her asset.”
Aspen leaned back and stood. Brock heaved himself off the ground, eyeing the flaming sword and me. “I don’t remember youbeing this protective over the otherassetswe brought in,” he spat. A glob of red landed next to Aspen’s boots.
The flames on the sword leaped. I jumped back.
