Page 170 of Fires of the Forsaken
“This is Gabriel,” Seruf said. “Our oldest Fallen.”
Hang on…
My brain was running a little slow, but the gears started grinding.Gabriel.
Wasn’t that the name of a prominent angel?
My insides soured. “He’s a Celestial. Or hewas.”A Fallen Celestial…just when I thought I’d seen all the weird shit this world had to offer.
Seruf’s eyebrows shot up. “Very good.” She gave my lips another affectionate tap. “It’s quite fascinating to watch you think—do you realize you verbalize your thoughts?”
Aw hell.I needed to start super-gluing my lips together.
Seruf grinned and leaned a little closer.
Yeesh. Did she wanna kill me or kiss me? I was getting some mixed signals.
“I’ll not kill you,” Seruf murmured.Because (surprise, surprise) I hadn’t kept my thoughts to myself. “But you’ll also not receive another kiss from me.” She winked.
“Another?What are you…?” I trailed off as another shadow moved through the streets, behind where Gabriel stood. Green eyes peered at me through the smoke.
Cheriour.
My racing heart hit the brakes. Hard.No. No, please. Stay away!
“Anyway, Gabriel…” Seruf turned.
ThankfuckCheriour was quick. He scuttled out of her line of sight.
“Do you understand now why I reacted as I did?” Seruf asked Gabriel. “Look at her, my dear. Do you know who you nearly killed?”
Cheriour’s shadow shifted again, crouched low to the ground.
Go away!I bit my lip, hard, to make sure I didn’t start pleading out loud.
Sure, Cheriour was a phenomenal fighter, but he was alone. And already wounded. He didn’t stand a chance.
I couldn’t,wouldn’t,watch him die.
I had to do something. Fast.
But what? Seruf stood right on top of me, her bony hips pressed against mine. I didn’t even have enough room or leverage to bitch slap her. Besides, there was the fact that she was, y’know,not human.
Cheriour shuffled closer, still down in an almost animalistic crouch, his knife clutched in his right hand.
Do something!My mind screamed, even as I dug my teeth into my tongue.What are you good at? Talking.Start freaking talking!
“Where’d you get that dress?” I blurted.
Seruf’s brow furrowed. “Pardon?”
“That dress.” I dropped my gaze, letting my eyes travel over the gauzy material. “It’sgorgeous. I mean, I wouldn’t be able to pull it off. Clingy dresses aren’t always flattering on us curvy people. But you’ve got the body for it! Hmmm. So where’d you get it?”
Seruf stared.
“Where I come from, this is a compliment,” I blathered on. “It gives people a chance to show off. Especially if they’re bargain hunters. Like, ‘oh, I found this at the thrift store and it’s adesignerdress.’”
Seruf’s nose crinkled in befuddlement. Gabriel stood behind her, eyes still down. Neither of them had noticed Cheriour.
