his pain,” Penn announced. “Channel it through me.”
“Like I said, it is his to bear alone,” Ray said. “Noble as you both are, he must face this.”
“Do it,” Sam said stubbornly. “If I’m supposed to become some leader to link mankind and all that shit, I need to bear my own weight and burdens. I can do this. Plus actually getting to go to school and being a normal kid might be kind of cool. I didn’t know I would miss that kind of thing until I didn’t have it anymore.”
Suddenly, Ray looked up, and his eyes became a cloudy of gray mist. “They come for the boy, to end this all.” He shook his head, and his eyes cleared to the dark pupils of before. This time his face showed his worry. “Both sides are here for the boy. You must hold them off until I complete the markings. They will not harm me, but I cannot stop them from taking him.”
Penn stood, and a low angry sound left his throat. “Stay here, Hailey. I’ll fight them alone.”
“No, you won’t; we’re two halves of the same whole. Light and dark, and my love is yours.” Hailey set her lips in a firm stubborn line. “I fight with you.”
“Go then. Go!” Ray shouted. “I must begin.”
An inhuman sound filled the air, and Penn knew what it was instantly. “Hell dogs,” he muttered and then turned to Hailey. He kissed her hard and swiftly tasted her lips for what he thought was the last time. Ray the ageless loner might think they were tied, but he felt that he would die that night. He was willing to accept it as long as she was safe. Ray threw a sword, and Penn caught it and handed it to Hailey in one smooth motion. “If they come at you, stay low to the ground and slice the underbelly. They will do down.”
Together they ran outside, and as they moved, Penn pulled the sword from his back. Dry lightning cut across the sky in jagged swaths as they attacked from both sides. The light and the dark had one intention and that was to take Sam out of the picture. They attacked just as Sam’s first screams pierced the air. Hailey dropped to her knees and clutched her chest over her heart as he screamed and screamed. Penn stood above her fighting like a madman until there was a space in the attack where he could drag her to her feet.
Tears streaked the chocolate skin of her cheeks. “He hurts. Oh, he is in so much pain!”
Penn shook her hard. “Nothing matters if you die or I die and they get through to him. Put it aside or use it. Fight for him. Fight now for all three of us!”
She nodded just as they attacked again. She fought her own kind with agility and power he didn’t know she possessed. He didn’t even get a chance to teach her to fight, yet she did so with grace and skill. He fought for her, and anything that got too close was cut down. Hailey was his light, and he refused to let anyone—demon or angel—extinguish that light. All the while thunder rolled, and the clouds twisted and moved in turmoil. Sam’s screams went on and on until Penn too thought he was being tortured and wanted to go to him. While Hailey fought she cried, and he saw her tears fall as brutally as she brought the sword down for a killing blow.
Somehow in the fight they were pushed apart, and Penn fought through the mayhem to get back to her. It seemed all of hell was purged from below to fight. They wanted the bounty on his hand and on Sam’s. Penn refused to give an inch. Even as his body took cuts and bruises, he fought on until there was nothing left. He looked around for Hailey, and while he did, Sam’s screams abated. A crack of thunder shook the walls of the canyon. The angels that were left looked up in surprise and horror before they disappeared—all except one. Penn recognized him as the one who led the attack in the small apartment in New York. He was relentless as he attacked Hailey, coming at her with two swords, and she was driven to the ground under the onslaught. He was an angel from the warrior cast, and there was no way
“Like I said, it is his to bear alone,” Ray said. “Noble as you both are, he must face this.”
“Do it,” Sam said stubbornly. “If I’m supposed to become some leader to link mankind and all that shit, I need to bear my own weight and burdens. I can do this. Plus actually getting to go to school and being a normal kid might be kind of cool. I didn’t know I would miss that kind of thing until I didn’t have it anymore.”
Suddenly, Ray looked up, and his eyes became a cloudy of gray mist. “They come for the boy, to end this all.” He shook his head, and his eyes cleared to the dark pupils of before. This time his face showed his worry. “Both sides are here for the boy. You must hold them off until I complete the markings. They will not harm me, but I cannot stop them from taking him.”
Penn stood, and a low angry sound left his throat. “Stay here, Hailey. I’ll fight them alone.”
“No, you won’t; we’re two halves of the same whole. Light and dark, and my love is yours.” Hailey set her lips in a firm stubborn line. “I fight with you.”
“Go then. Go!” Ray shouted. “I must begin.”
An inhuman sound filled the air, and Penn knew what it was instantly. “Hell dogs,” he muttered and then turned to Hailey. He kissed her hard and swiftly tasted her lips for what he thought was the last time. Ray the ageless loner might think they were tied, but he felt that he would die that night. He was willing to accept it as long as she was safe. Ray threw a sword, and Penn caught it and handed it to Hailey in one smooth motion. “If they come at you, stay low to the ground and slice the underbelly. They will do down.”
Together they ran outside, and as they moved, Penn pulled the sword from his back. Dry lightning cut across the sky in jagged swaths as they attacked from both sides. The light and the dark had one intention and that was to take Sam out of the picture. They attacked just as Sam’s first screams pierced the air. Hailey dropped to her knees and clutched her chest over her heart as he screamed and screamed. Penn stood above her fighting like a madman until there was a space in the attack where he could drag her to her feet.
Tears streaked the chocolate skin of her cheeks. “He hurts. Oh, he is in so much pain!”
Penn shook her hard. “Nothing matters if you die or I die and they get through to him. Put it aside or use it. Fight for him. Fight now for all three of us!”
She nodded just as they attacked again. She fought her own kind with agility and power he didn’t know she possessed. He didn’t even get a chance to teach her to fight, yet she did so with grace and skill. He fought for her, and anything that got too close was cut down. Hailey was his light, and he refused to let anyone—demon or angel—extinguish that light. All the while thunder rolled, and the clouds twisted and moved in turmoil. Sam’s screams went on and on until Penn too thought he was being tortured and wanted to go to him. While Hailey fought she cried, and he saw her tears fall as brutally as she brought the sword down for a killing blow.
Somehow in the fight they were pushed apart, and Penn fought through the mayhem to get back to her. It seemed all of hell was purged from below to fight. They wanted the bounty on his hand and on Sam’s. Penn refused to give an inch. Even as his body took cuts and bruises, he fought on until there was nothing left. He looked around for Hailey, and while he did, Sam’s screams abated. A crack of thunder shook the walls of the canyon. The angels that were left looked up in surprise and horror before they disappeared—all except one. Penn recognized him as the one who led the attack in the small apartment in New York. He was relentless as he attacked Hailey, coming at her with two swords, and she was driven to the ground under the onslaught. He was an angel from the warrior cast, and there was no way
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