Page 137 of Demonic Cage
Angels with snow-white wings land or crash to the ground, crying out for help with the last their last strength before collapsing. So, this is war. There are no real winners; both sides lose. With trembling hands, I cling to my bag. The only thing on this earth that isn’t foreign. I stare ahead. My dry eyes burn.
I’ve escaped the demon’s cage. I am free. Then why am I not happy?
I slowly look around. The place is unfamiliar, and no one is paying attention to me. The air is thick with the taste of iron-sweet dust drying on my lips. Crying and screaming ring in my ears. I clutch my bag tighter. My broken arm hangs limp. It’s so cold. Can I be cold in this place? It feels like the warmth is seeping out of my bones. The only hot thing is the blood on my neck.
I’m propped against a tree. Alone again. As in Hell, so in Heaven.
My eyelids become heavy folds. I no longer see only reality. Sleep pulls me down.
“Lotte!”
I open my eyes; Lavian is kneeling beside me.
“Don’t fall asleep!” He gently shakes my shoulder, but when I don’t respond, he looks around and signals to someone. “Avron! Come help!”
A red-haired angel crouches next to us, concern in his light blue eyes. He’s uninjured, so he must not have fought in the battle. He takes me in his arms to check my head, and he examines my arm, occasionally tapping my face gently to keep me awake. I just groan in response.
“Lavian. She’s going to die if you don’t use your blood on her.”
The commander’s eyes fill with fear.
“No! My blood will kill her!”
“What do you think has kept her alive this long? She should have been dead already! She has the Demon King’s blood in her. It will protect her from the harmful effects of yours. Besides, she’s half-angel. She’ll survive.”
Lavian bites his lip and looks away for a moment. I moan.
“Please…” I beg Lavian.
The angel looks at me, his gaze pensive. He reaches for his spear and slits his wrist.
The situation feels familiar, but when warm liquid touches my lips, the usual relief doesn’t come. Instead, I scream. Lavian’s blood sears my throat, then burns my chest. The angel jerks his hand away from my mouth, and I explode from his grasp, writhing on the ground.
Lavian cradles my head, trying to pin me down. He’s yelling at the red angel, but I don’t understand what he’s saying.
His blood consumes me. Nothing has ever hurt this much. Every cell in my body spasms, bursts, crumbles. I scream. Ishout Lavian’s name. I want to die with every breath I take. I see nothing but haze. Black spots. My neck stiffens. My body slowly goes limp. I lie lifeless in Lavian’s arms.
“I’m sorry…” the angel whispers, brushing a lock of hair from my eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
The pain slowly evaporates. It feels like a war is raging within me too, and the good must have won because the pain gradually fades. As I look at Lavian’s face, my eyes slowly close.
The last thing I remember is a pair of silver, shining eyes.
I wake up under a soft, white blanket, as if surrounded by protective clouds. My head throbs.
I’m alive.
I smell the sweet scent of bay laurel in the air, white light warming my almond blossom-colored tent. Slowly, I sit up.
The ground is covered with bright green moss, and my hammock is stretched between two trees. It’s a large bed, supported by smaller roots to keep it from moving.
I hear footsteps and Lavian enters. A quiet sigh escapes my lips. It wasn’t a dream. I made it out.
The angel smiles and sits beside me on a chair made of roots. I pull the blanket tighter around myself.
“How do you feel?” he asks, and a tingling sensation overtakes me.
“It’s strange to see you like this,” I admit, “not in my mind, or trying to kill me.”
