to give his orders to attack Heaven. Why hadn’t
he sent them off yet? How much longer would he keep them
there?
“ Don’t you understand?” he
asked, taking a step forward. Kali took an involuntary step back,
then cursed herself for letting him intimidate her. It was
unbelievable, and she hated to admit it, but she feared him at this
moment. The dark snarl that crossed his features wasn’t the
expression of an angel. It was the expression of a monster. He
didn’t care about any of them, or how many lives he’d destroy in
this pathetic attempt to rule Heaven.
He wasn’t the angel she’d
thought he was at all. She didn’t know what he was.
“ You’re right, Adrian,”
she snarled back, glaring at him and ignoring the fear in her
heart. “I don’t understand how anyone would follow you on this
mission.” She had to keep him talking. Seraphine had to have reached
Michael by now, and Kali had to keep Adrian and his group busy
until the two of them returned with the hosts of Heaven. They
couldn’t let this fight get back to her home, or let Adrian’s
followers get to the humans. If they did, they would murder
hundreds of unsuspecting avenging angels.
“ You’re smart, Kali,” he
muttered, taking another step toward her. This time she refused to
move back, though every part of her being was telling her to run
away. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she tried to keep
the fear from showing on her face. “You’re strong. Beautiful.
Perfect. Why, if He’d created such perfection already, would He
make something so flawed? Why would He give them what we deserve? He has
chosen them over us. I would never make that kind of mistake. Those
mistakes only opened the other angels’ eyes to the truth. When I
rule, I will treat the angels as they should be treated. Surely you can
see the wisdom in that reasoning.”
He looked so casual,
discussing the imminent deaths of thousands of angels and humans,
his hands out to his sides and a smile on his face, but the
irritation in his eyes shone through. Once more he moved forward,
and now there was less than a foot between them. Where was
Seraphine? Kali’s lungs felt like they
couldn’t get enough air, as if they were being cut off by the panic
building in her chest. The girl needed to hurry, or Kali was going
to be done for.
“ I am smart, Adrian,” she replied,
narrowing her eyes and closing the gap between them with one small
step. He grinned and laughed as if amused by her attempt to prove
that she wasn’t intimidated by him, but she growled back. It was
time for someone to stand up to him, and she was as likely a
candidate as anyone. “Smart enough to know my place. Maybe it’s
time you learn yours , because it’s not on the throne of Heaven. No real leader
would kill his people just to further his own selfish
agenda.”
“ A few must be
sacrificed,” he said without any emotion. Disgust for the being
she’d once considered her friend rolled through her. How could he
be so callous about the lives of his own kind? And where was
Michael? Her gaze shot to the clouds for just a moment. Come on Seraphine , she
thought . You should be back by
now .
“ And your own followers?
They’ll die too,” she hissed, pushing past her hate and motioning
to the army he had gathered. She knew that he didn’t care about
their lives, but she had him to keep talking. She expected Michael
and Seraphine to show up at any second, and couldn’t keep her eyes
from darting between Adrian, his followers, and the angry storm
clouds as they argued. The faith she held for them to arrive was
diminishing by the second, and every time lightening shot out above
her head, her heart raced, hoping it was the angel light of the
cavalry. But all that followed was the rumble of the thunder
shuddering through the sky.
“ Again,” he repeated
slowly, not even flinching at the idea of his army being
slaughtered, “sacrifices must be made for the greater good. It’s
that simple.”
he sent them off yet? How much longer would he keep them
there?
“ Don’t you understand?” he
asked, taking a step forward. Kali took an involuntary step back,
then cursed herself for letting him intimidate her. It was
unbelievable, and she hated to admit it, but she feared him at this
moment. The dark snarl that crossed his features wasn’t the
expression of an angel. It was the expression of a monster. He
didn’t care about any of them, or how many lives he’d destroy in
this pathetic attempt to rule Heaven.
He wasn’t the angel she’d
thought he was at all. She didn’t know what he was.
“ You’re right, Adrian,”
she snarled back, glaring at him and ignoring the fear in her
heart. “I don’t understand how anyone would follow you on this
mission.” She had to keep him talking. Seraphine had to have reached
Michael by now, and Kali had to keep Adrian and his group busy
until the two of them returned with the hosts of Heaven. They
couldn’t let this fight get back to her home, or let Adrian’s
followers get to the humans. If they did, they would murder
hundreds of unsuspecting avenging angels.
“ You’re smart, Kali,” he
muttered, taking another step toward her. This time she refused to
move back, though every part of her being was telling her to run
away. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she tried to keep
the fear from showing on her face. “You’re strong. Beautiful.
Perfect. Why, if He’d created such perfection already, would He
make something so flawed? Why would He give them what we deserve? He has
chosen them over us. I would never make that kind of mistake. Those
mistakes only opened the other angels’ eyes to the truth. When I
rule, I will treat the angels as they should be treated. Surely you can
see the wisdom in that reasoning.”
He looked so casual,
discussing the imminent deaths of thousands of angels and humans,
his hands out to his sides and a smile on his face, but the
irritation in his eyes shone through. Once more he moved forward,
and now there was less than a foot between them. Where was
Seraphine? Kali’s lungs felt like they
couldn’t get enough air, as if they were being cut off by the panic
building in her chest. The girl needed to hurry, or Kali was going
to be done for.
“ I am smart, Adrian,” she replied,
narrowing her eyes and closing the gap between them with one small
step. He grinned and laughed as if amused by her attempt to prove
that she wasn’t intimidated by him, but she growled back. It was
time for someone to stand up to him, and she was as likely a
candidate as anyone. “Smart enough to know my place. Maybe it’s
time you learn yours , because it’s not on the throne of Heaven. No real leader
would kill his people just to further his own selfish
agenda.”
“ A few must be
sacrificed,” he said without any emotion. Disgust for the being
she’d once considered her friend rolled through her. How could he
be so callous about the lives of his own kind? And where was
Michael? Her gaze shot to the clouds for just a moment. Come on Seraphine , she
thought . You should be back by
now .
“ And your own followers?
They’ll die too,” she hissed, pushing past her hate and motioning
to the army he had gathered. She knew that he didn’t care about
their lives, but she had him to keep talking. She expected Michael
and Seraphine to show up at any second, and couldn’t keep her eyes
from darting between Adrian, his followers, and the angry storm
clouds as they argued. The faith she held for them to arrive was
diminishing by the second, and every time lightening shot out above
her head, her heart raced, hoping it was the angel light of the
cavalry. But all that followed was the rumble of the thunder
shuddering through the sky.
“ Again,” he repeated
slowly, not even flinching at the idea of his army being
slaughtered, “sacrifices must be made for the greater good. It’s
that simple.”
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