Page 82 of Lost Feather
He hummed for a moment, then muttered, “Wait until I signal for you.” He lifted himself into the air, the winds buffeting him slightly, and flew around the corner, over to Hope. She handed what looked like a sword over to him—what in the blazes did they need a sword for? Did they think enemies or demons were going to come rushing through the gate when it fell?
I gulped, wondering if that was exactly what might happen. I really wasn’t working on enough information in this place.
Hope flew down the corridor across the other side of the gate, and I waited a few minutes until Righteous lifted a hand, waving me out. He held the long sword by his side and watched the gate as I approached. “Stay there,” he ordered, pointing to a spot a few yards away. The wind from the gate blew my hair around my eyes, and I struggled with it until I saw a large, golden hand holding out a strip of cloth.
“Thanks,” I murmured, using it to tie back my hair. “You keep hair ties in your robe?”
“Itismy robe,” he said, not looking at me. I glanced down and saw he’d cut the fabric off the edge of his sleeve. That was unexpectedly kind.
I let my eyes follow the lines of his form, taking in the white robe that clung to his muscles, the glimpses of dark leather trousers that peeked out, and the sandals.Oh my holy hand grenades!I covered my smile with my hand. He was wearing those high gladiator sandals that laced all the way up to his knees again. I couldn’t help but remember the dream I’d had of the nest.
I smiled wistfully at the memory, then shook it away, refocusing my attention on the gate. The screaming had lessened slightly, and I heard Righteous humming low.
“It likes that,” I said softly. “The music.”
He kept humming for a while before replying. “Sanctuary used to be filled with music. We would play together in the evenings, and sing.”
“I wish we still did.”
“It’s not necessary. Keeping the balance is what matters,” he said, but he sounded like he was repeating something he’d been told.
“What kind of heartless bassholes think music’s unnecessary? Why not just outlaw happiness entirely? Or smiling?” I snorted. “Probably why there aren’t any puppies up here. Or vibrators. Or—”
“Why do you curse so strangely?” Righteous interrupted. “You make up silly words. Are you trying to make people misjudge you? You are far more intelligent than you pretend.”
I shook my head at his sort-of compliment. “I never take on smut I don’t have to,” I answered. “Even a little bit hurts when you carry around as much as I do.”
His hissing breath wrenched my attention from the swirling gold and gray of the gate. His eyes were turbulent, stirred cauldrons of molten gold. “But you did take on smut you didn’t have to. You took mine, Scrap. Didn’t you? Even though it’s not supposed to be possible…”
“I’m an impossibly unique soul,” I quipped.
His gaze beat down on me with a strange, magnetic heat. “You are indeed.” And then those cruel lips curved upward in a slow, soft smile that did something peculiar to my heart.
It’s not time to make googly eyes at Ry-Ry, Feather. It’s time to find your moment.Resolute, and only halfway wishing I could stop time and steal another kiss from Righteous, I stared back at the gate.
A few minutes passed, and a face flickered past in the gate, the same man I’d seen my first day in Sanctuary. He looked shocked to see me, and then he was gone. Something in me wanted to jump up and race to him… but I wasn’t ready. I didn’t even know how to make this sacrifice.
“What’s wrong?” Righteous asked. Well, more or less demanded.
“Have you ever been attracted to something you shouldn’t be?” I closed my eyes for a second. “Something that could hurt you, if you get too close to it?”
His silence went on a bit too long, and when I glanced up, a deep blush had covered his neck and cheeks. “Why would you ask such a thing?” He cleared his throat. “Your marking, on your neck. You and Mikhail…”
“Yeah, we merged.” I jumped up, reaching high to pound on his back as he seemed to have some sort of coughing fit. “You okay, Ry-Ry?”
When he could speak again, he choked out, “I knew he mated you… but you merged? How was that even possible?”
I chewed at my lip and fought back a smile. “Well, you see, Righteous, when a Mommy angel and a Daddy angel love each other very much—” I burst into laughter at the stricken expression on his face, and for a moment, the room went silent, the wind dropping to nothing, and the gate… humming.
“You have something, just there.” Righteous leaned close, plucking a feather from my hair. “One of mine.”
“Can I have it?”
His eyes went wide, the pupils dilating. I had a feeling I’d just committed another accidental offense. But he nodded after a moment, and I picked it out of his fingers and tucked it into my pocket. A souvenir of Sanctuary. It seemed like the right sort of thing to take with me. I closed my eyes, mustering my courage.
For some reason, it felt like the moment for my big move was here. “Ry, they were asking for someone to make a sacrifice. To go into the gate. How are they going to do that? Whoever ends up volunteering, what will they do?”
He straightened, his eyes on the gate as it slowly began changing and swirling again, growing more shadowed. A soft sobbing began near the top. “I was here when the last few dozen Angeli walked into the gate. It was heartbreaking to watch, especially when bonded Angeli chose to go in together. They were separated, as only one could enter at a time, and the mate still on this side felt their partner being unmade, I suppose. But they joined them seconds later, so it wasn’t… too bad.”
