Archangel's Fire

Chapter 3

3

I squirmed under Lukas’s heavy weight. I couldn’t see anything but the grass beneath me, but I knew it was him.

“Are you insane, Lukas?”

I should’ve known he would come back for me. Ever since we were kids, he made sure that, in his words, I “didn’t get into trouble.” It wasn’t enough to have Big John, under Tovah’s orders, watch after me—at least Big John was sweet enough to make it look like I was capable of taking care of myself.

Hard muscles pressed deeper into my back. “Get off me!”

What the hell was wrong with him? I could barely breathe. “Seriously, knock it—”

A hand brutally clamped over my mouth.

“Be silent,” a stranger’s voice whispered into my ear.

My heart slammed against my chest as I froze, terrified. Oh my god. This was what Tovah and the others had warned me about. Was this the person the girl had been running from? Were there others? What did he want from me?

The stranger shifted, and a rough cheek brushed against my temple as he spoke. “You will be still if you know what’s good for you.”

What’s good for me? What did he mean by that? His free hand moved between us, sliding up between my thighs.

No! Not that! I thrashed against him. Loosening my arms, I reached behind me, clawing at his face.

“Stop it. I’m not going to hurt you. Your crossbow is digging into me,” he growled. He lifted and yanked my crossbow away, tossing it to the side. The moment his weight was off me, I scrambled to get away from him.

“Be still, girl, or they will end us both,” the stranger’s deep voice rumbled as steel arms clamped down on me. “I’m here to help you. We’re at the edge of the boundary and the spell is wearing out. They will see us if you move.”

I had no clue what spell he was talking about, and there was no one else around except for the girl. Lifting my head, I strained to look above the tall grass for her. “Look, mister, I’m not the one who needs help. That girl over there is—”

The moment my eyes adjusted to the glaring light, I realized I’d been lied to my entire life.

I expected to see a field filled with butterflies flittering between the wildflowers. Instead, inches away from the blades of grass where the stranger and I hid, was a vast desert.

It was as if a thin veil had been lifted. A fierce white light radiated off the barren landscape. It was unbelievable.

Spotting the girl, I heard her cry out as she stumbled onto the sand, creating a billow of dust. Sand was everywhere. On her clothes, hair, and face.

When she stood, she turned around, her dirt-streaked face a pale white. I followed her gaze to the line of trees across from one of the desert dunes. Squinting against the light, I watched as the air shimmered between the trees that appeared to be moving.

Those aren’t trees!

An army of black horses filled the entire horizon. They moved in unison, a solid line of defense across the sand. A large cloud of dust billowed behind them, blanketing the sky. The horses were huge, unlike any I’d ever seen. Their red eyes flickered like flames against their inky-black coat, making them look like demon horses.

The riders’ faces were hidden in the shadows of the red hoods they wore. Even if I couldn’t see them, the terrified expression on the girl’s face as they closed in on her was enough to tell me they couldn’t be angels. Then I saw a glint of silver, then another and another, as each of the riders lifted their swords.

“Let go of me.” I squirmed, trying to get out of the stranger’s hold. “They’re going to kill her. I have to help her.”

“There is no saving her. The hunters will kill you, too.” The stranger tightened his grip.

They were hunting the girl! I eyed my crossbow lying only inches away from my finger. If only this i***t would loosen his grip just a little. I couldn’t move. All I could do was watch with horror as the hunters passed us. Every inch of their bodies was pure muscle. Dark eyes peered from beneath their hoods.

The poor girl ran faster. It was no use. There was no way she was getting away from them.

Two hunters broke through the line, carrying a giant net between them. One of them had a black scarf wrapped over his mouth. With ease, they cast the net. It covered her and she cried out, falling to the ground.

Her bloodcurdling screams stabbed at my chest. I couldn’t just lie there and do nothing. Kicking my legs, I tried to get some leverage to push the heavy stranger off me. His body was like steel. I couldn’t move him an inch.

The stranger’s warm breath hit softly against my cheek. His heart beat steady against my back as the girl cried and clawed desperately at the heavy net. It unnerved me that he could be so calm as the scene played out before us.

Scarf Guy and his partner jumped off their horses and moved toward the girl with the same fluid grace as the guardians in the Sanctuary. Scarf Guy pushed back his hood and tugged down his scarf. I gasped. I’d expected to see a monster. He wasn’t. He was striking. Black smudges lined his high cheekbones. His dark blond hair was tied back with a leather strap.

One after the other, each of the hunters pushed back their hoods. They all had the same striking look as Scarf Guy. It wasn’t the ethereal beauty the guardians had. These men had a cold, hard edge. But there was no doubt they were some type of angel.

“This was a fast one,” Scarf Guy’s partner said. “What shall we do with her, Nimrod?”

The stranger stopped breathing. If it wasn’t for the quick pounding of his heart beating against my back, I would’ve thought he was dead. His weight grew heavier as each of his muscles tensed as the largest man, or angel, I’d ever seen emerged from the cluster of demon horses. Nimrod’s large boots sank deep into the sand as he walked to the spot where the captured girl lay. Black hair, so dark it looked almost blue, hung like a silk curtain to his shoulders. The other hunters bowed their heads slightly as he passed. He was dressed like the others, except for a large silver chain across his massive chest, holding his robe together. A shield-shaped emblem hung in the center.

Nimrod’s dark eyes narrowed as he glared at the squirming and whimpering girl. “We do the same to her as we do with the rest.”

“Wait.” Scarf Guy lifted his arm, blocking his partner before he could get to the girl. “We’ve been on the hunt for weeks. Perhaps we could have some kind of reward…for all of us?”

Bile crawled up my throat as the hunters grunted in agreement. I looked over at my crossbow again. Just one shot. All I needed was one. Yeah, they might kill me, but the desire to take down Scarf Guy made me want to risk it.

Scarf Guy crouched, his voice taking on a soft tone. “What’s your name, little one?”

“A-an-annalise. P-please, let me go. I’m not one of them. I swear.”

“We believe you,” Scarf Guy said as he took the net off her. “Don’t cry. There’s nothing to fear. We just want to have a chat with you. Maybe even have a little something to eat. How about that? It’s been weeks since we’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with someone as pretty as you. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Y-yes. Y-y-you just want to talk?”

“Of course. You didn’t have to run like that.” He reached out his hand to touch her. She cringed. “Don’t be scared. Let me check that cut on your cheek. We didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

Nimrod’s face was stoic as his dark eyes watched Scarf Guy comfort Annalise. His expression seemed to harden with each passing minute.

“You just want to talk?” Annalise repeated as if she wanted to believe him.

“Yes.” His cocky grin sent chills down my spine. “And maybe after you’ve had something to eat, we could have a little wine and a little—”

Light gleamed off the blade’s sword as it sliced through the air and across Scarf Guy’s throat. The smile on his face froze even as he fell to his knees. Time seemed to still until finally his head fell forward, hitting the sand with a sickening thud.

Annalise screamed, breaking the silence. Nimrod pushed Scarf Guy’s headless body off to the side and raised his bloodied sword again. I slammed my eyes shut, knowing what was going to happen and not wanting to see. I was a coward, and I hated myself for it.