Read Online In the End by Alexandra Rowland - Free Book Online Page A

Uneven cracks laced the streets like a spider's web stretched over the asphalt. A few of the smaller boulders – brimstone that had stopped burning – scattered the bigger web of streets that ran through the city. Lucien had been rather uneasy about Lalael going out on the streets, and, the angel thought, demons (like everyone else) were interested in staying alive. So he had gone the other way, to the roof of the building. With greater knowledge of the humans, Lucien might actually know what he was talking about when he warned Lalael not to go outside.
    The power throughout the city was down, so Lalael had trudged up fifteen flights of stairs from Lucien's third floor apartment. The wind whipped his hair in his eyes, and tugged on the strange human clothes – which were stolen.
    They had gotten back to the apartments, and Lucien, after feeding that damn cat, instead of going straight to his room and blockading the door, had cheerfully tripped out the door and up the stairs and looted – yes, looted – his neighbors. The ones that had vanished without a trace. You could tell which were gone, the demon had said, because a certain smoky scent rather like incense lingered around their doorways. Some of the doors stood ajar, as if their occupants had been fleeing.
    And Lucien had asked, from around an armful of clothes and food, “Can't your people manage to go through the end of the world neatly?”
    That had annoyed him, and he had upped the intensity of the Not Speaking to the demon. But then Lucien had shown him to his room, and shoved most of the nice clothes that he was carrying into Lalael's arms with a cheerful, “Don't want to go around wearing armor now, do you?”
    Lalael had his misgivings about the morals of wearing stolen clothes, but he supposed their owners really wouldn't be needing them now. He had to admit, they were somewhat more comfortable than the armor.
    He now sat on the low, wide wall at the edge of the roof. The destruction really was impressive. Most of the windows were broken, the glass twinkling like stars on the pavement far below. Small groups of people wandered about in huddles, fearful and confused.
    “ Heathens,” Lalael muttered.
    “ Not really.” Lalael jumped at the voice. “Thought I'd find you up here.” Lucien sat next to Lalael and dangled his legs over the edge of the roof.  “They're not heathens.”
    “ Those there, they don't believe in the Great Powers.” Lalael protested.
    “ They might believe in a Great Power. You said yourself you only took the ones with compatible beliefs, ones you could use. So ?” Lucien leaned forward to look at a group of people passing on the street below. “They're funny creatures, aren't they? They run in packs.”
    Lalael scowled. "Leave me alone, Lucien."
    “ What?” He looked surprised.
    “ I said go away.”
    “ No, not that. It's just... You used my name. Instead of calling me 'demon'. That was nice. Thank you.”
    Lalael got up, striding towards the opposite wall, stiff and frustrated.
    As he followed Lalael, Lucien asked, “What are you doing?”
    Lalael quit fumbling with the buttons on his shirt for a moment to point forcefully at the ground with two fingers and mutter, " Limada ."
    "Ah," said Lucien with a blank look. That was even more infuriating – Lucien didn't react to anything, even this, the worst curse word Lalael knew. "But I told you going down to the streets was dangerous." Oh, so it was just that he was an idiot who didn't know when he'd been insulted.
    Lalael turned, scathing. "No, I was telling you to –  Danama ! You're a demon! You'll kill me in my sleep!” Lalael continued wrestling with the buttons. “I don't like your kind, I don't like your danama-na cat, and I don't like you, so stop trying!”
    The angel threw his shirt at Lucien's feet and unfurled his wings with a snap of displaced air.
    “ Lalael, that's not a good idea, remember –” But whatever Lucien might have said was lost in the