Page 7 of Hellish Fae
God, I hate her.
“Your wings are seriously heavy. Maybe I’ve just forgotten how heavy they should be since mine have been gone for six months.”
Six months?He shed his wings six months ago and hasn’t made the final transition into a demon?
How is this possible?
Generally, fallen make it a week before becoming as dark-hearted as I am.
Not that you can compare dark fae to demons. My father would kill anyone who suggested such a thing. Fae are more powerful. Trickier, of course. Crueler by far. But . . . we are alike. In a way.
The light fae will always be the innocent opposites of the dark fae. Demons are so damn similar to dark fae and yet, they’re deemed monsters in my father’s eyes. They’re not blessed by the gods like fea are and so, they’re not good enough for his kingdom.
But the real issue here is why the fuck are these two searching for fallen angels? And . . . what fresh hell are they taking me to now?
It all makes sense when Zav turns down a quiet alley between two tall buildings. The shadows lick at his footsteps, and my dark fae magic stirs to life just from being in so much darkness.
A tabby cat with vivid green eyes peers at us as it paws a sack of trash near the backdoor of Italy’s Finest. Puddles litter the cobblestones, but Damien’s smooth pace never allows his shining black boots to collide with the dirty water.
My entire body hums to life just being here again.
Magic is a prickling thing that I think humans are sometimes aware of. It’s a cold chill chasing down your spine and lifting the hair along your arm. A sense of silence that rings in your ears. It’s the most casual thing that isn’t casual at all if you really pause to think about it.
And I feel those telling sensations crashing into me like a freight train right now.
Ahead, a brick wall coated in heavy spray paint is our destination. This is it. This is the veil between the fae realm and the human realm. I came through that portal three years ago, and I’ve come back a hundred times, usually in the middle of the night, and yes, usually disgustingly drunk.
But it’s never opened for me. Not since my father shoved me out of it without looking back. Some days, I think he did it to protect me from my brother’s violence. And somedays, I think he did it to protect my brother from me.
I feel it now, though. I feel the fae realm calling to me, sizzling through my veins and pressing into my chest, like it needs me as much as I need it. The way I glance toward Damien out of the corner of my eye feels suspicious.
Can he really bring me back? He can take me home?
I want that to be true more than anything. The pounding of my heart feels like I’ve already been let down. It feels like he’s already failed, and I’m fucked all over again.
Zav waits in the darkness and gestures carelessly for Damien to go first. His big white wings ruffle behind him as his cutting gaze slices over our surroundings like he might lash out at that cat if he feels too terribly threatened.
Damien strides forward. Magic claws at my body. His fingers dig into my arm and thigh as he holds me closer to his chest. He takes a single step. And bright white light floods over us, wrapping around us so tightly, it feels like we’ll never be unbound from one another for as long as we both shall live.
When my eyes open, quiet nature is all that surrounds us. Trees as wide as my king-size bed spiral up into the deep blue sky. Their limbs cascade down from above to tickle against my cheek. Their enormous leaves brush against our bodies as Damien walks deeper into my homeland.
Wet tears sting my eyes, and the breath in my chest physically hurts, but I can’t seem to release it. I never thought I’d see this place ever again. Not even when I died. I thought I’d die in that loud Bin of a realm. I thought I’d ruined my chances at afinal sleep beneath the meadowas my mother liked to call it.
I’m here.
I’m home.
3
Home
My head keeps swiveling to take in the long vines and leaves, the moss and the dirt, every minute detail.
“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” Damien whispers.
Then I realize he thinks I’m in awe of the fae. Because he thinks I’m a fallen angel instead of someone who should have been here all along.
I made sacrifices, and maybe it was a stupid, stupid choice to snort demonic remains, but it’s a choice I’d make all over again if given the chance.
