Cassius turned, his eyes horrified as he reached for my back, and pulled out a single purple feather dripping with red.
"And now…" Sariel pushed me to my knees in front of Genesis. "…we begin."
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Genesis
I'D NEVER BLED SO MUCH IN my entire life. Just when I was about to pass out, Aziel appeared by my side and told me to drink. Whatever he brought me tasted funny. I tried to jerk away from him, but I was too weak from blood loss.
I heard Ethan's voice. My heart soared. He was there.
And then Sariel turned and offered a sad smile, almost as if he was apologizing for having made over a hundred different small cuts around my arms and neck.
It had happened so fast the pain didn't even register for the first minute, and then everything stung like a hundred fire ants had all bitten me at the same time.
"Genesis…"
Ethan had eyes for me and only me. I wanted to yell for him to stop because something wasn't right. Something felt very wrong. Cassius moved away from Ethan toward me, maybe to help, maybe to finish the job. When I saw Ethan stumble forward…
I knew.
Things were about to get a lot worse.
Cassius swore, pulling a feather from Ethan's back.
"Now we begin," Sariel said in a calm voice, picking up his pace as he stalked towards Cassius.
Confused, I watched as Ethan fell to his knees and reached for me, his face ashen, his eyes black.
"What did you do to him?" I yelled.
"Simply making him… a bit more human." Sariel shrugged, stopping directly in front of Cassius.
Cassius clenched his fists, his stance predatory. "It's been a while… Sariel."
"Father." Sariel shrugged, "And apparently I've been a horrible one… neglecting my children. Then again, you know all about being a father, don't you… son?"
In a flash, Cassius had his hands around the angel's neck. He threw him against the wall.
Sariel simply shook his body, his wings elongating to at least seven feet across. "I see I've touched a nerve."
"Ethan." Cassius growled. "Get her out of here."
Ethan shook his head then slowly stood and stumbled toward me. When his hand touched mine, it was slapped away by chains.
Aziel laughed. "No, no. The vampire watches. This concerns him, after all."
"Be silent." Sariel sneered, waving his hand at Aziel.
"Did you think you could bring the balance all on your own?" Sariel laughed mockingly, making my ears ring with its loudness. "Did you think that you were strong enough to shield all the immortals and humans alike from your sin?"
Ethan reached for my hand again, tugging me close to him.
My head slumped forward on his chest.
I didn't know if it was my blood getting all over him or his getting all over me. But I felt safe — finally.
Until Aziel lunged for me.