Page 116 of Not Today, Satan
The grin drops from my face.
Which means he’s in danger. Ferus will tear him to shreds.
“I told you they have tracking. But also, not the time.” I push myself to my feet, ignoring the pain that clambers up my leg, and draw my sword. “Look, I appreciate you wanting to help, Nate, but get out of the way. I’ve got this.”
But he’s already charging at Ferus, my mother’s bow in his grasp. He shoots an arrow and misses by a mile. He shoots another, repeating the useless process.
I groan and resist the urge to roll my eyes.
Ferus sneers and grabs for the dagger I mashed into his chest.
Smoke billows from his palm, and he hisses before wrenching the blade from his flesh. He charges Nate, who now fumbles with an arrow that’s twisted in the bow.
My eyes widen. Angel weapons can’t kill me, but they sure as here can harm humans.
“Nate!” I run forward and draw my wings to their fullest size. I wrap Nate in their feathers as Ferus attacks, pulling him into me and shielding both of us from the blows.
My mother explained that the gold in my wings comes from my angel side, but what I haven’t counted on is how much of my father is in them as well. I expect them to shield us from the angel weapon the same way my skin protected me earlier. But the dagger slices through my feathers, and pain screeches up my shoulder.
I swear, then push Nate behind me as one of my wings plunges into the fires below.
I let out a howl that’s more animal than human.
Pain and anger redden my entire body. I’ve lost so much in my life. Seventeen years I could have spent with my mother. A father who’s far too existent in the human world while being mostly non-existent in mine. The ring—the only thing he’s given to me, even if it was for selfish reasons. Nate, almost twice. And now a literal piece of myself, surrendered to the flames below.
I stare in horror as the gold in my wings glints one last time, then winks out in the flames. Blood drips down my shoulder and puddles indigo at my feet. My entire body sways at the sudden loss of weight on my left side, and Nate grabs me by the waist to steady me.
“You okay, Dev?” he whispers.
I swallow and blink back tears for what feels like the fiftieth time in this fight. I swore I wouldn’t let Ferus see me cry, and I intend to keep that promise. I can mourn everything I’ve lost later. But first, I’m going to stop Ferus from taking anything else from me.
I lift my head and hold my sword in front of my chest. “That’s it, Ferus. I’m ending this.”
“You keep saying that, Princess.” He snickers. “You talk big, but you’re too weak to do anything about it.” He raises my mother’s dagger, still searing his flesh with a sizzling sound. “You’re out of moves.”
“Am I?” A grin tugs at my lips. “Try me.”
LIV.
We advance on each other. He slices at me, but I dodge his blow. I spin behind him and thrust with my sword. He ducks, and we continue to circle one another.
It takes me a few minutes to get used to the missing weight from my left shoulder, but I adapt soon enough, using the weight of my sword to create balance.
I strike again.
He moves away, but not far enough, and my blade slides across his skin below the rib cage. He lets out a blood-curdling shriek and dives at me again. He’s forgotten that my mother’s blade can’t hurt me, so it bounces off me when he stabs at my already bleeding shoulder.
For some reason, Nate’s fiddling with the damn bow again, and he manages to release an arrow that bounces off the ground and stabs Ferus in the leg.
“I got one!” Nate calls, his voice thick with pride.
Ferus rips the arrow out of his calf with a roar and stumbles toward Nate.
“Oh, shit.” Nate’s eyes widen, and he takes off across the bridge. He stumbles over one of the wooden boards and flies toward the edge.
It’s like everything turns into one of those slow-motion sequences in the movies he loves as I helplessly watch him fall. My heart stalls in my chest, and I hear myself call his name from somewhere far away. He manages to catch one of the boards with his fingers and stops himself from tumbling into the river below.
I exhale in relief, but Ferus is already on him, raising the dagger to slice off his fingers.
