within their depths.
“You have to let me go. I’m dragging you down,” he told her.
“No fucking way,” Jeremiel muttered.
“Yeah, what he said,” Charmeine said, outraged. Her fingers
tightened around his bicep.
“Let go of me.” Haniel tugged again.
“What are you doing? Stop it,” Charmeine begged. She hung on,
digging her fingers in even harder. It hurt.
“I’m holding you back. You have to get there. They need the
shield,” Haniel said, gritting his teeth. It wasn’t like he wanted to
fall to his death. “I’m a liability.”
“Shut. Up.” Jeremiel wrenched him closer, anger in his movements. “I
am not letting you fall, you damned idiot.”
Haniel tried to pull away, but he only succeeded in wrecking their
flight. Charmeine gasped, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Stop!”
He went limp, not wanting to take them down with him. To his
shock, that proved successful where his more active attempts to get them to let
go failed. His body was loose enough that he simply slipped through their
fingers. His stomach gave a sick flip, and then he was falling. He closed his
eyes, holding their faces in his mind’s eye. He wanted them to be the last
thing he saw on this Earth. When something grabbed his leg, spinning him in the
air sickeningly, he thought he’d struck a cliff. His eyes shot open
instinctively. To his shock, it was Jeremiel who’d grabbed hold of his ankle.
“You fool!” Jeremiel shouted angrily. “I’m going to kick your ass
from here to Castle Archangel for this!”
Charmeine swooped down, incredibly graceful, and wrapped her legs
around his waist, boosting them back into the air.
“Let me go!” Haniel cried out. He’d already accepted what had to
happen.
“I choose you, you idiot,” Jeremiel said.
Haniel froze. He couldn’t be…
“I choose you, Haniel.” Jeremiel looked to Charmeine. “I choose
you also, Charmeine, shield to my soul, balm to my heart. Where you go, I
follow. Where I am, you will be. Where we are needed, we will go, bulwark for
our People, safeguard for the innocent, as God wills.”
Haniel couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The bonding ceremony was
sacred. He couldn’t believe Jeremiel was doing this.
“I choose you, Haniel, shield to my soul, balm to my heart.” Charmeine
said, shockingly.
How does she know the
words? Haniel
wondered, and then he realized it was all instinct.
She glanced at Jeremiel. “And I choose you, Jeremiel. Where you
go, I follow. Where I am, you will be. Where we are needed, we will go, bulwark
for our People, safeguard for the innocent, as God wills.” Charmeine’s voice
broke on the end and tears streamed down her face.
Jeremiel gave Haniel a shake, breaking him from his frozen
astonishment. “Say it!”
Haniel sucked in a breath and gave in. He loved them, more than
life itself. He was willing to die for them. He wanted to live for them even
more. “I choose you, Jeremiel and Charmiene. You are the shield to my soul, the
balm to my heart. Where you go, I follow. Where I am, you will be. Where we are
needed, we will go, bulwark for our People, safeguard for the innocent, as God
wills.”
A sudden clap of thunder shook the air and he cried out as energy
flashed through him, burning long dead nerves. Oh my God, what’s happening? he wondered a split second before his
right arm burst into white flame so bright he couldn’t look at it. He turned
away, screaming, but then everything stopped. They stopped falling. The pain
disappeared. The wind stilled, but it didn’t matter because when he opened his
eyes and reached out, his new wings stretched out behind him in a multicolored
wave of brilliance.
Haniel wasn’t ashamed to admit that he cried as he felt the wind
in his wings for the first time in over two years.
Chapter Ten
“Almost there,” Jeremiel said, pushing a little faster.
Charmeine didn’t reply. She didn’t have the energy to speak. She
had to concentrate too hard to keep
“You have to let me go. I’m dragging you down,” he told her.
“No fucking way,” Jeremiel muttered.
“Yeah, what he said,” Charmeine said, outraged. Her fingers
tightened around his bicep.
“Let go of me.” Haniel tugged again.
“What are you doing? Stop it,” Charmeine begged. She hung on,
digging her fingers in even harder. It hurt.
“I’m holding you back. You have to get there. They need the
shield,” Haniel said, gritting his teeth. It wasn’t like he wanted to
fall to his death. “I’m a liability.”
“Shut. Up.” Jeremiel wrenched him closer, anger in his movements. “I
am not letting you fall, you damned idiot.”
Haniel tried to pull away, but he only succeeded in wrecking their
flight. Charmeine gasped, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Stop!”
He went limp, not wanting to take them down with him. To his
shock, that proved successful where his more active attempts to get them to let
go failed. His body was loose enough that he simply slipped through their
fingers. His stomach gave a sick flip, and then he was falling. He closed his
eyes, holding their faces in his mind’s eye. He wanted them to be the last
thing he saw on this Earth. When something grabbed his leg, spinning him in the
air sickeningly, he thought he’d struck a cliff. His eyes shot open
instinctively. To his shock, it was Jeremiel who’d grabbed hold of his ankle.
“You fool!” Jeremiel shouted angrily. “I’m going to kick your ass
from here to Castle Archangel for this!”
Charmeine swooped down, incredibly graceful, and wrapped her legs
around his waist, boosting them back into the air.
“Let me go!” Haniel cried out. He’d already accepted what had to
happen.
“I choose you, you idiot,” Jeremiel said.
Haniel froze. He couldn’t be…
“I choose you, Haniel.” Jeremiel looked to Charmeine. “I choose
you also, Charmeine, shield to my soul, balm to my heart. Where you go, I
follow. Where I am, you will be. Where we are needed, we will go, bulwark for
our People, safeguard for the innocent, as God wills.”
Haniel couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The bonding ceremony was
sacred. He couldn’t believe Jeremiel was doing this.
“I choose you, Haniel, shield to my soul, balm to my heart.” Charmeine
said, shockingly.
How does she know the
words? Haniel
wondered, and then he realized it was all instinct.
She glanced at Jeremiel. “And I choose you, Jeremiel. Where you
go, I follow. Where I am, you will be. Where we are needed, we will go, bulwark
for our People, safeguard for the innocent, as God wills.” Charmeine’s voice
broke on the end and tears streamed down her face.
Jeremiel gave Haniel a shake, breaking him from his frozen
astonishment. “Say it!”
Haniel sucked in a breath and gave in. He loved them, more than
life itself. He was willing to die for them. He wanted to live for them even
more. “I choose you, Jeremiel and Charmiene. You are the shield to my soul, the
balm to my heart. Where you go, I follow. Where I am, you will be. Where we are
needed, we will go, bulwark for our People, safeguard for the innocent, as God
wills.”
A sudden clap of thunder shook the air and he cried out as energy
flashed through him, burning long dead nerves. Oh my God, what’s happening? he wondered a split second before his
right arm burst into white flame so bright he couldn’t look at it. He turned
away, screaming, but then everything stopped. They stopped falling. The pain
disappeared. The wind stilled, but it didn’t matter because when he opened his
eyes and reached out, his new wings stretched out behind him in a multicolored
wave of brilliance.
Haniel wasn’t ashamed to admit that he cried as he felt the wind
in his wings for the first time in over two years.
Chapter Ten
“Almost there,” Jeremiel said, pushing a little faster.
Charmeine didn’t reply. She didn’t have the energy to speak. She
had to concentrate too hard to keep
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