Page 21 of Fallen
Ryan and Jason cut off the path, which would’ve taken them right past the sisters. With quick glances over their shoulders, Ryan and Jason sidled along the gray stone wall of a small shed, disappearing around the corner.
“What are you little creeps up to?” Deftly, I landed on the slate roof to peer down at the tops of their heads.
“Did you get it?” asked Jason.
Ryan’s hand slipped into his front pocket, and he pulled out a blunt. “Yep. Old Snuffy put it right where he said he would.” He placed the joint between his lips, fished a lighter from his other pocket, and flicked the wheel. The tip caught and the acrid scent of weed wafted in the air.
“That old fucker would do anything for an extra buck or two,” Jason said with a snicker.
Ryan blew out a cloud of smoke and rested the back of his head against the stone of the building. “Of course, he will. Have you seen his clothes? He’s worse off than we are. I heard he lives in a tent and couldn’t find a job until Father Martin gave him a chance.” With a nod, Ryan passed the smoking blunt to Jason.
“You know what would be funny?” Jason took a long drag, exhaling the smoke slowly as if savoring the sensation.
“What?”
“Tricking Mole into smoking one of these”—he passed the joint back to Ryan—“can you imagine getting her high and then dumping her somewhere she can’t escape?” An ugly bray of laughter punctuated the sentence. “Maybe her imaginary angel can fly her back home.”
The blood in my veins froze and my heart stuttered. For a moment, I reeled from the foreign sensation. Not much moved me enough to want to lash out with pure anger, but the thought of them corrupting Anna and putting her in danger sent my ether everywhere at once, darkening the sky and pulling every visible shadow toward the boys.
I cannot tolerate these little bastards any longer.
With tremendous effort, I willed the icy anger deep inside and dropped my invisibility.
“Hello boys.” I blinked to stand directly in front of them, giving my power full rein to curl and frame my body, knowing exactly what they saw: a fallen angel, wings outspread, outlined in obsidian shadows writhing around his body and creeping forward.
“What thefuck?” Jason’s mouth hung open, giving him the look of a dumb cow.
The blunt sitting between Ryan’s index and middle finger fell to the grass. He began to run, but he only made it a few feet.
“Stay.” My shadows curved around his body and yanked him back in place next to his friend. I dropped every veil I normally kept in place, revealing my true face and form, letting the violet-black fire I hid inside wreath my head. The flames licked my skin lovingly.
“Well…” With a lazy flick of my fingers, I forced gags of ether into their mouths. “Don’t you two make a fine picture. Another year or two and your souls will be mine to claim.”
Jason frantically shook his head.
“No? But you want to be the big, bad men who scare and torment girls, yes? My world—Hell—is filled with plenty of men like that. Some even work for me as a reprieve from their torture.”
Ryan’s eyes widened, and tears coursed down Jason’s acne-riddled cheek.
I mentally loosened the gags of shadows in their mouths. “You may speak.”
“We didn’t do anything wrong.” Ryan’s gaze moved to Jason’s, then whipped back to me. A visible shiver ran through his body. “If it’s the weed, we’ll never smoke it again, I swear.”
“I do not care about the fucking marijuana, you thick-headed brute.” I lunged toward Ryan and fisted the front of his shirt, pulling him off his feet and lifting him in the air.
Jason sobbed and squeezed his eyes shut.
“If youeverlay a finger on Anna, if you ever speak to her in an uncivilized manner, if you ever evenlookat her the wrong way again, I will personally rip out your intestines and hang you from the rafters of this church. Do you understand, you little ass?” I hissed, my hand shaking with my restrained fury.
“Please don’t let this be real,” whispered Jason, keeping his gaze closed. “I’m just having a hallucination, bad weed, or a reaction, or—”
“Oh, I assure you it is most real.” I dropped Ryan to the ground, and he reeled backward, only staying upright because he fell against the building. Flicking both of my wrists with a snap, I summoned two thin whips. “And just so you do not forget my command, here’s a little something to spark your memories.” The ether whips cracked through the air, each landing on a boy’s cheek, leaving a thin black wound.
Jason’s eyes opened in terror and Ryan cried out. Both clutched their faces. Ryan’s shoulders shook.
“Do I make myself clear?”
“Y-yes.” Ryan whispered, all pretense at bravado gone.
