“Thank you.”
That is what I expected. He will say it is for me, for what I will bring to his leadership when I pledge my allegiance to his ranks. But I’m not fooled. He’s curious to figure out why the Creator gave me a human soul mate. A human I’d known and been around all my life. I’d always understood bonds to be undeniable, and ours feels that way now, but why didn’t it before? Why did it take her near death for the bond to click so strongly? I check the clock on the wall. First period ends in two minutes. “I promised her I’d be back in time for our next class. I don’t like leaving her alone.”
“I will meet her.”
My wings bristle at his command, and I swallow hard. He isn’t using his abilities on me, but he could. He could compel me to do his bidding any time he wants. It’s what makes this all so damn difficult. “Eventually.”
My pocket vibrates. Father cocks his head, his eyes following as I pull out my cell and answer.
“Zara?”
“Is Viv with you?” Zara asks breathlessly through the phone.
“What? Why?”
“Breckin, I’m aware of your reputation. You don’t play by the rules, but Viv does, and if you—”
“What the hell are you talking about, Zara? Where’s Viv?” I interrupt.
“She was called out of class, and she never returned. I grabbed her stuff and went to find her in the office, but they acted as though they had no idea what I was talking about. I figured you’d bribed them or something, since neither of you are in chemistry, where you should be.”
“I had a family issue and had to leave campus. She was probably worried and is on her way here. I’m sure it’s nothing. I need to go.”
“Okay, but—” I end the call, shoving my cell in my back pocket and looking at Elias and Father.
Sebastian has her. She wouldn’t have left campus. A growl rips through my chest as I swing at the nearest lamp, the glass shattering as it hits the wall.
Game of Survival
Vivienne
I can’t breathe. We fly at such a pace, I cannot find a way to take in air without it being forced into my lungs. My eyes burn, and my skin pulls from the pressure being exerted. It’s like the force of a roller coaster, but infinitely more powerful. I tuck my head into Sebastian’s leather coat, hating the inferred intimacy, as I hang on with every ounce of my strength, praying he doesn’t drop me from the sky to my death.
When I fear my body will be ripped apart by the wind, we slow, and his arms loosen.
I scream.
Opening my eyes, I cringe and duck as we fly through the dense forest along the rocky slope of a mountain. Are we still in Havenwood Falls?
His arms release me, and I slip. “No!” My hands and arms hold tighter, my legs stretching around his. “What are you doing? Don’t drop me, please!”
My head jerks back, his fingers digging into my scalp.
“Can’t you fly, pretty one?” His blue eyes shine as he laughs.
I peer over my shoulder at the ground below. Rocks. Jagged, loose, snow-covered boulders cover this section. I beg, tears pouring from my eyes as I climb his body, working to maintain my hold. It’s no use. My muscles tire quickly, my sweat-covered palms slipping as we weave between trees. The moment my legs lose their connection with Sebastian, I anticipate the fall. Closing my eyes, I whisper Breckin’s name. I picture Mom sitting at home, wondering what happened to her only child. I picture Zara and all my friends—will they find my body? Will I be another missing person like Heidi Bennett?
My eyes meet Sebastian’s. “I don’t want to die. Please?”
A smile graces his supernaturally perfect angelic face as he grasps my wrists and pries me away—as simple as plucking a piece of lint from his shirt—dropping me.
I have one moment to scream before I land hard and roll, coming to a stop when my arm cracks against a snow-covered rock. The snap of bone in my forearm sends pain throughout my entire body. The sound vibrates in my teeth. Biting my lip so hard I taste blood, I scramble into a ball and search the sky. Where is he? Where did he go?
The swoosh of wings is nearby. I push to my feet and run.
Tripping over limbs, tearing through bushes, and slipping on ice, I play hide and seek with an angel in the sky. His laughter trails me, and his shadow mocks me, never straying far from where I am. My toe snags a limb, and I pitch forward. I twist in time to save my arm from impact and slam head first into a thick pine. Warmth oozes down my face as white flashes behind my eyelids. It hurts. My broken arm, my weak legs, the throbbing in my head. Red drips to the white snow, and I lift my hand to the wound.
“Breckin?” I whisper his name, praying against all hope he hears me as the reaper lands.
Sebastian’s shadow blocks the sun. His mottled gray and cream wings remain fanned out, like any moment he’ll take off again. He’s proud of what he’s done—victory wreaths his face. But what is my cost?
“I knew you were special the moment I was sent to reap you. Death’s orders are always the same, but for you . . . they were different. Your blood told the story. It has been thousands of years.”
“What do you want with me?” I drag myself backward, my hand searching the ground for a weapon as I go.
“Had he left you to me, your soul would be free. I never considered doing anything but my job.” He walks forward, keeping his distance as I push backward. “But he is the son of an angel,” Sebastian says with distaste. “He interfered. He broke the laws, and he opened my eyes to what you are. What you can be.”
Bile rises, burning my throat as the world spins. “What am I?”
The question barely passes my lips when snow flies, and Breckin lands, his body crouched before me. The muscles in his back flex, ready for a fight as his wings stretch out, taking up twice the space as Sebastian’s.
“You,” Breckin peers over his shoulder, “are my soul.”
He scans me, verifying I’m relatively unscathed before focusing on Sebastian. My shoulders shake with relief. Using the tree at my back, I work into a standing position. Dizziness swamps me. I clutch the pine, my face pressing against the rough bark as I work to remain on my own two feet.
“You dare take her from me?” Breckin growls. “This will not end well for you, reaper.”
Breckin leaps into the air, throwing himself at Sebastian, a flash of movement to my already blurry vision. The ground shakes, and thunder-like sounds echo through the forest as their bodies connect. Sebastian soars backward, twists, then launches at Breckin.
They fly through the forest, breaking branches and tumbling trees like dominos. Tangled limbs land on the snow a few feet from my position. I cringe as Sebastian punches Breckin, but Breckin returns the punch as though it was nothing. Back and forth they struggle. They’re indestructible beings, fighting a cage match neither looks to win.