Page 51 of Fated Angel
Kalisha strides past the boxes and furniture, stopping to look up. “Huh. I thought they were like lip-gloss, just there to make the place look pretty.” Gabby nods to the others, who quickly follow, their faces pinched with fear. She wonders how many are afraid of heights. How many are worried what could be waiting for them on the roof. And how many have smelled the smoke…
“I’ll go first,” Gabby says, conscious that the threat is now before them, not behind them.
Without hesitation, she ascends the spiral staircase, two lines of heat blazing down her back as her wings prepare to unfurl.
She reaches the final steps and leaps, twists through the cupola opening, and lands on the roof ready for battle.
But the threat she faces isn’t one she can fight with her speed and determination to protect.
Because there’s no one on the roof.
Because the danger is the very academy they’re standing on.
A pall of smoke fills the air, thick and acrid. Gabby's heart clenches in dread as she realizes the source of the ominous plumes—a fire rages below, devouring the once-grand halls of the academy.
"Please no," gasps Maya, her eyes wide with horror. "Not the academy…"
Gabby's wings twitch nervously as she surveys the chaos unfolding below. Flames lick hungrily at the windows, casting flickering shadows across the courtyard. But that isn't the only horror that met Gabby's eyes.
Everywhere she looks, a battle rages between the cult and the forces of good. Dark figures clash with celestial beings and witches and Order members, their weapons gleaming in the firelight as they fight with bloody determination. The air crackles with energy as spells are cast and blades clash, the clang of metal mingling with the roar of the flames.
And Gabby can’t see Colt amongst the mayhem of blood and smoke.
Her breath catches in her throat as she realizes the enormity of the situation. The academy’s burning, innocent lives are at stake, and the forces of darkness seem unstoppable. A flicker of doubt threatens to extinguish the flame of hope within her.
There’s overwhelming odds.
And then there’s overwhelming odds…
“Gabrielle,” boom seven voices in unison. “Bring us the Spear. This is your last opportunity before every life is lost.”
20
Colt
“The bastards can wait!” Colt shouts, swooping down to land beside Gabby. “Let’s get these people out of here, then we can worry about the Grigori.”
“One step at a time,” Gabby says, taking a calming breath as she lays shaking hands on his chest.
He covers her hands with his, offering a gentle squeeze before he turns to the people on the roof.
“I’ll go last, make sure everyone else makes it!” Maya says, her face set in a determined, if not terrified, expression.
“Thank you,” Gabby says, giving her a quick hug before pulling Kalisha into her arms and hugging her too. “Kalisha, I’ll take you first. You know the grounds pretty well, right? We’ll fly you to Colt’s cottage where you can regroup and flee from there. We still have a big battle on our hands.”
As if to prove the threat all around them, the sky booms and a bright white light fills the night, battling the glow of the fire below. Colt quickly grabs another student and takes to the sky with Gabby and Kalisha right behind him.
Time is of the essence, now more than ever. Somehow this feels different than all the other times Gabby and Colt have fought the forces of evil. It feels different than Heaven, different from Hell. It feels like…the end of days.
As Colt lands and sets the student down, he watches Gabby’s every movement. As soon as Kalisha is out of her hands, he grabs Gabby and kisses her passionately on the mouth.
“I love you, Gabrielle. If you know anything you need to know that.”
“I know,” Gabby whispers, leaning in and kissing him softly back. “We’re going to be okay.”
“I just need you to know that if we fail?—”
Gabby cuts him off with a finger to his lips, a smile dancing on the corners of her own mouth. “We’ve faced the apocalypse before, Colt. Together, nothing can stop us.”