ritual fighting stance.
The horses whinnied and the cows began to bleat as if they could sense the tension, the brink of something bad.
What happened next, Arriane did not intend—but she also could not help it: Her wings responded to the call. They bloomed out from her shoulders in a rush that felt so innately good, she let out a heedless cry of joy. But in the next moment she choked with regret to see them billowing out at her sides.
Tess beat her great golden wings, and her body rose. She hovered in the air for a fraction of a second before she lunged down, tackling Arriane. The two of them rolled to the floor of the barn.
“Why are you doing this?” Arriane cried, gripping Tess’s shoulders, straining to hold her back as they wrestled.
Tess had a fistful of Arriane’s long hair. She jerked it backward to look Arriane in the eye. “To show you I would fight for you. I would do anything for you.”
“Let me go!” Arriane did not want to fight her love, but her wings felt the old magnetic pull toward the eternal foe. Arriane screamed out in pain and slapped the face she’d only ever wanted to dote on.
“Once you join me,” Tess fumed, pinning Arriane’s hands to the ground, “he will accept you. He will accept our love.”
Arriane shook her head, cowering beneath her lover. She was afraid of what Tess would do next, but she had to tell the truth.
“It’s a trick.”
“Shut up.”
“A trick to get me down there. One more soul is all he wants.” Arriane strained against her lover’s grasp, against her own leaden wings, which cast sparks each time they brushed against Tess’s. “Lucifer is a merchant,” she shouted over the din of their brawl, “staying in the market after sundown just to make one last sale. As soon as I joined you—”
Tess froze, her flushed face an inch above Arriane’s. She let go of Arriane’s hair, unleashed her from where she was pinned to the ground. She cupped a hand to Arriane’s cheek. “So you’ll consider it?”
There was so much heat in Tess’s blue gaze that Arriane’s heart melted.
“I can remember the first time I said goodbye to you,” Tess whispered. “I was so afraid I’d never see you again.”
Arriane shivered. “Oh, Tessriel.”
How could she resist one final kiss? The fight dissolved as her head lifted toward Tess, whose whole face changed. Love flooded back in, filling the space between their bodies until there was no space between them. They threaded their fingers through each other’s hair, limbs entwined, and held each other close. When their lips met, Arriane’s whole body ignited with frustrated passion. She drank her love in, never wanting to break from this embrace, knowing that when it was over …
They
would be over.
Her eyes drifted open and she gazed upon her true love’s peaceful face. Arriane could never really think of Tess as a demon. Never.
She would remember her like this.
Without her realizing it, her lips had pulled away from Tess’s. Her heart was heavy, cumbersome, and sad.
She sat up slowly, then rose to her feet. “I—I cannot join you.”
Tess’s eyes narrowed and her voice grew shockingly cold, the way it did when her pride was wounded. She didn’t get up from the ground. “You’re a fallen angel, Arriane. It is time you realize it and come down from your altar.”
“I am not that kind of fallen angel.”
I am not like you
. “I fell because I believe in love.”
“That’s a lie! You fell because Daniel dragged you and me and everyone else down with him.”
Arriane flinched. “At least Daniel’s brand of love doesn’t require that one person betray her nature.”
“Are you so sure of that?”
The question hung in the air. Arriane walked to the trough against the far wall and added feed and a bucket of well water to the horses’ bins. She heard Tess sigh.
“I believe in Daniel’s cause,” Arriane said. “I believe in Lucinda.”
“Wrong again, you were
assigned
to them.
The horses whinnied and the cows began to bleat as if they could sense the tension, the brink of something bad.
What happened next, Arriane did not intend—but she also could not help it: Her wings responded to the call. They bloomed out from her shoulders in a rush that felt so innately good, she let out a heedless cry of joy. But in the next moment she choked with regret to see them billowing out at her sides.
Tess beat her great golden wings, and her body rose. She hovered in the air for a fraction of a second before she lunged down, tackling Arriane. The two of them rolled to the floor of the barn.
“Why are you doing this?” Arriane cried, gripping Tess’s shoulders, straining to hold her back as they wrestled.
Tess had a fistful of Arriane’s long hair. She jerked it backward to look Arriane in the eye. “To show you I would fight for you. I would do anything for you.”
“Let me go!” Arriane did not want to fight her love, but her wings felt the old magnetic pull toward the eternal foe. Arriane screamed out in pain and slapped the face she’d only ever wanted to dote on.
“Once you join me,” Tess fumed, pinning Arriane’s hands to the ground, “he will accept you. He will accept our love.”
Arriane shook her head, cowering beneath her lover. She was afraid of what Tess would do next, but she had to tell the truth.
“It’s a trick.”
“Shut up.”
“A trick to get me down there. One more soul is all he wants.” Arriane strained against her lover’s grasp, against her own leaden wings, which cast sparks each time they brushed against Tess’s. “Lucifer is a merchant,” she shouted over the din of their brawl, “staying in the market after sundown just to make one last sale. As soon as I joined you—”
Tess froze, her flushed face an inch above Arriane’s. She let go of Arriane’s hair, unleashed her from where she was pinned to the ground. She cupped a hand to Arriane’s cheek. “So you’ll consider it?”
There was so much heat in Tess’s blue gaze that Arriane’s heart melted.
“I can remember the first time I said goodbye to you,” Tess whispered. “I was so afraid I’d never see you again.”
Arriane shivered. “Oh, Tessriel.”
How could she resist one final kiss? The fight dissolved as her head lifted toward Tess, whose whole face changed. Love flooded back in, filling the space between their bodies until there was no space between them. They threaded their fingers through each other’s hair, limbs entwined, and held each other close. When their lips met, Arriane’s whole body ignited with frustrated passion. She drank her love in, never wanting to break from this embrace, knowing that when it was over …
They
would be over.
Her eyes drifted open and she gazed upon her true love’s peaceful face. Arriane could never really think of Tess as a demon. Never.
She would remember her like this.
Without her realizing it, her lips had pulled away from Tess’s. Her heart was heavy, cumbersome, and sad.
She sat up slowly, then rose to her feet. “I—I cannot join you.”
Tess’s eyes narrowed and her voice grew shockingly cold, the way it did when her pride was wounded. She didn’t get up from the ground. “You’re a fallen angel, Arriane. It is time you realize it and come down from your altar.”
“I am not that kind of fallen angel.”
I am not like you
. “I fell because I believe in love.”
“That’s a lie! You fell because Daniel dragged you and me and everyone else down with him.”
Arriane flinched. “At least Daniel’s brand of love doesn’t require that one person betray her nature.”
“Are you so sure of that?”
The question hung in the air. Arriane walked to the trough against the far wall and added feed and a bucket of well water to the horses’ bins. She heard Tess sigh.
“I believe in Daniel’s cause,” Arriane said. “I believe in Lucinda.”
“Wrong again, you were
assigned
to them.
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