DEATH BRINGER NOVEL

Chapter Nine

The four winged figures sat on a raised platform, there were no lights in the room, it was so dark and Grace had begun to shake.

Luke stood at her side.

“Is this her?” one of the angels on the end demanded. Grace squinted into the dark, trying to make out anything, all she could really see was the silhouette of their wings.

“Yes brother, this is the human,” Luke answered, he stood with his feet hip width apart. He spoke casually but there was something tense in the set of his shoulders.

“Good, kill her and be done with it then,” he ordered, Grace stiffened. Eyes shooting to Luke, she shifted from one foot to another, preparing to attempt to run. She didn’t know how fast angels were but she wasn’t going to stand here and wait to be killed.

“Actually brother, you’ll find she belongs to me, she took another human life before she tried to kill herself. Her place is in hell,” Luke countered. There was a beat of silence.

“That is very true,” the male second from the right agreed.

“You can have her soul, but her human life must end to balance the scales, once that is done, her soul is all yours,” the angel on the left agreed finally. His voice was rough and unfeeling, they were discussing death like other people might discuss the weather.

“Of course, brother,” Luke answered, Grace continued to study him. Had he really just agreed to kill her and damn her soul to hell for the rest of eternity. His mouth seemed to turn upwards in the dark.

Before she had the sense to spring into motion and attempt to flee for her life, Luke grabbed her arm and hauled her backwards. She fought him, pulling at the arm he held.

“Wait! Please, wait!” she begged, pleaded with anyone that might listen. With no effort at all, Luke picked her up and threw her over a shoulder. His broad hands gripped her legs and her torso was pinned between his softly-glowing left wing and his back.

She pounded on his back with her arms, kicking her legs at him.

When the elevator doors appeared again and pinged open she only fought harder.

Once they were safely inside and the doors had closed behind them Luke dropped her. Her knees barked in pain as she landed.

“Jesus, when did you turn into a wildcat?” Luke put his hand on the back of his neck and rubbed, he pulled it away to find blood there from where she’d clawed him. Grace stared up at him, teeth barred. “What? Death not appealing to you anymore?” he demanded.

She had been ready to die only a few days ago. It seemed like months. But things had changed. Azriel had reappeared, she realised she wasn’t crazy and things between them had been… different.

“Of course not. You have no idea what happened. I wouldn’t have been ready to die then if the situation hadn’t required it,” she gritted. How dare he? How dare he assume he knew her or what she had endured? Azriel barely even knew and he had known her years. “So this is it? Your big plan was to kidnap me and then kill me?” Grace snarled.

Luke ran a hand through his platinum hair.

“Had I not kidnapped you, you’d already be dead,” he bit out. At that Grace paused, even her anger seemed to turn icy in her veins. “It was so easy to believe me to be the bad guy, but if any of the others had found you, they’d have killed you on site. Every breath you have taken since has been because I have allowed it.” She considered.

“Do you intend to allow me to continue to draw breath?” Grace asked carefully.

“Not as a human, no. My brothers were very clear, your human life must end."