by Ella Summers
“If word gets out that one of the Dragons is dead and another is missing, there will be widespread panic,” Nyx said.
That explained the First Angel’s need for discretion.
“I will be leaving shortly for Storm Castle,” Nyx said. “I’ll fill in for the two missing Dragons and attempt to stabilize the castle’s magic for now. It is a short term solution at best. That’s where you come in. Your mission is twofold. Firstly, the safe return of Major Doren. Secondly, neutralizing Hugo Darkstorm. The rogue dark angel has set himself up as the Pirate Lord of the Sienna Sea.”
The Sienna Sea was not a sea of water. It was a vast, barren expanse where monsters roamed. Of all the wildernesses of Earth, the feral lands beyond the protected walls of civilization, the Sienna Sea was among the very worst. It was home to some of the world’s most deadly monsters—and to the world’s most vicious outlaws.
“Darkstorm has gathered together outlaw bands from all across the Sienna Sea, uniting them under his banner,” Nyx told me.
“What do we know about Darkstorm?”
“He is a rogue dark angel of the ninth level, a former colonel in the Dark Force of hell. Though he deserted the demons, he is no friend to the gods. Or to humanity. His operation specializes in thievery, assassination, and kidnapping. Major Doren is his latest victim. She is being held in Darkstorm’s fortress, dead center of the Sienna Sea.”
Nyx handed me a folder. I opened it and found a map that marked the location of Darkstorm’s fortress.
“Darkstorm is a powerful dark angel, surrounded by a vast army. Defeating him and rescuing Major Doren might just be impossible,” Nyx declared. “But you seem to have an uncommon ability to make the impossible possible. And you’re no stranger to fighting dark angels. Neither is your partner on this mission.”
“My partner?”
As if on cue, the door behind Nyx slid open, and a bronze-haired angel strode into the room. He was dressed to intimidate in commando pants and a fitted black vest that looked like it had been melted onto his body, cresting every curve, kissing every dip of his muscular torso. I wasn’t petite by any standard, but this angel looked like he could have easily snatched me up and broken me in half with his bare hands.
A shudder slithered down my spine at the thought, even as I reminded myself that I was an angel, a formidable warrior and powerful practitioner of magic. I did not cower before other angels—not even before this beast of an angel.
It was easier said than done. The angel moved forward in a smooth, powerful gait, each step that he took delivered with purpose, every movement of his body calculated, every flicker of his ocean-blue eyes deliberate. His gaze trailed down my body, sizing me up. As his cold eyes met mine, I suppressed another shiver.
His gaze shifted to Nyx. “First Angel,” he said, the tips of his inky black wings brushing against the ground as he bowed.
Unlike Nyx, he wasn’t hiding his wings. Glossy, black, and ethereal, they were both the most beautiful and the most terrifying angel wings I had ever seen.
He was trying to intimidate me. Well, that fit right in with his reputation. I’d never met the angel before, but everyone in the Legion knew his face. It was a face we all hoped we would never see in person. The face of Colonel Damiel Dragonsire, the Master Interrogator, head of the Legion’s very own inquisition squad. The Legion’s Interrogators hunted down rogues, deserters, and absolutely anyone suspected of stepping a toe out of line.
And Damiel Dragonsire was the angel my father had warned me to avoid at all costs.
5
Interrogation
Colonel Dragonsire’s magic pulsed out, filling the space between us, claiming it as his own. A preemptive strike before I tried to claim it myself? Angels were brutally territorial.
But his magic didn’t stop there. It washed across my skin like the rising tide, like a hot silk ribbon slipping over naked flesh, a perfect balance of pleasure and pain entangled inside a single delectable package.
Pulsing harder, more forceful, his magic wasn’t a wave anymore; it was a tsunami. It crashed against me, drowning out all else—silencing my mind, claiming my body, and possessing my soul. He was taking control over me, trying to bend me to his will.
Even as panic rose inside of me, I forced myself to remain still.
His magic lashed against my back. Pain blossomed up under my skin.
I gritted my teeth, even as my instinct to fight back rattled against the boundaries of my self control. I couldn’t fight his siren magic. It was too strong. Like quicksand, the harder I fought, the more I would become tangled inside his spell.
Seductive promises whispered in my ears, assuring me that this would all end if I only succumbed.
I couldn’t do that either. Neither fighting nor surrender was the answer. I had to endure. That was the only way.
The magic crashed against me once more—like a goodnight kiss—then it was gone. The sudden empty vacuum left by its departure left me dizzy, dazed. I stepped to the side, catching myself before I fell off balance. My vision cleared, and I almost wished it hadn’t. The two angels were staring right at me.
“She did well,” Nyx commented.
Colonel Dragonsire watched me, probably still waiting to see if I’d crash flat on my face.
“You pushed her a bit too hard, Colonel,” said Nyx.
He folded his arms across his chest. “That’s my job.”
“Indeed it is,” she agreed. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get started.”
“You were testing me,” I said, trying to keep the accusatory tone out of my voice. I tucked my hands behind my back, my pulse pounding hard and angry inside my clenched fists.
Nyx smiled. “Of course. I had to be sure.”
“Sure of what?” My body still burned from the aftershocks of Colonel Dragonsire’s magic. It felt like a thousand tiny explosions buzzing under my skin.
“That you are strong enough to resist the mind control of an angel’s siren magic—or a dark angel’s. Congratulations, you passed. You and Colonel Dragonsire will journey together to the Sienna Sea.”
I wasn’t thrilled to be working with the angel who’d just tried to rob me of my own free will, but I didn’t say a thing. The Legion didn’t let you pick your partners—or your enemies, for that matter.
“You are to rescue Major Doren and bring in Hugo Darkstorm,” Nyx continued. “Alive if possible, dead if necessary.”
The First Angel was usually adept at hiding her emotions, but there was no missing the fire in her eyes, nor the agitated swirl of her black hair. She was clearly upset that the dark angel had killed one of her angels and taken another one of her Dragons prisoner.
Colonel Darksire and I bowed to Nyx. She nodded at us, then pivoted smoothly on her heel and glided out of the room, the bottom of her cloak swirling at her heels like fog kissing the ground.
As the door swooshed shut behind her, I turned warily to the Master Interrogator, my heart hammering in my chest. It wasn’t his angelic good looks that sent my pulse into overdrive, but rather the cool, calculating way that his gaze slid over me. Like he’d pierced my defenses and was seeing through to my soul. Like he could read every wicked thought I’d ever had and he was now sorting through them under the microscope of his magic. Like he was trying to determine if I was a traitor, whether he should strap me down for a round in his infamous interrogation chair.
Responding to my fear, sparked by my panic, my wings burst out of their own volition. Damn it.
Damiel Dragonsire wasn’t just the current head of the Interrogators; he’d created the organization. He lived and breathed distrust.
Logically, I knew I’d done nothing wrong. I’d always been a loyal Legion soldier. I’d always done everything that was expected of me and then some. There was no reason for me to cringe under Colonel Dragonsire’s unblinking gaze.
But somehow logic did not penetrate the fear that the heavy shadow of his presence had cast over me—like a mouse fro
zen under the shadow of a hawk.
No, I’m not a mouse. I am an angel.
I cleared my throat, standing up tall. “I’ve heard so much about you, Colonel.”
“I’m sure.” His eyes were cold, his voice detached.
“I hope you live up to your reputation.”
Gold flashed in his blue eyes. “I assure you, I always live up to my reputation.”
I took a step back. “I meant your battlefield reputation.” Not his reputation for chaining other Legion soldiers to the interrogation chair and ripping apart their secrets. “You have taken down more dark angels than anyone else at the Legion. That experience will prove useful against Darkstorm’s forces.”
“Yes,” he replied with an utter absence of modesty.
“We should be going—”
“What happened in the Battle at the Black Forest?” he cut in.
I blinked. “The Battle at the Black Forest?”
“That’s what I said.”
Was I only imagining the impatience tinting his tone?
“In the Battle at the Black Forest, I rescued Colonel Beastbreaker from the Dark Force,” I said, I hoped calmly. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but Colonel Dragonsire sure excelled at making people feel guilty. “It’s all in my report.”
“I read your report.”
Of course he had. Colonel Dragonsire certainly wasn’t the type to take on a partner before doing his homework.
“Your report was very well-written. Complete, logical, and perfect.”
“So what’s the problem?” It was hard to speak past the hard lump of panic in my throat.
“It was too complete. Too logical. Too perfect. A soldier with only five years’ experience in the Legion could not have produced such a spotless report.”
“My father is an angel. He’s been assigning me reports to write since I learned to read and write.”
“I am well aware of who your father is,” Colonel Dragonsire replied icily, waving his phone at me. My last mission report was displayed on the screen. “And this report reads like it was written by General Silverstar.”
“Like father, like daughter,” I said pleasantly.
Truth be told, Dad had looked over my report and edited it before sending it off to Nyx. At the time, I’d told him that he was just being paranoid, but maybe he’d been right after all. Well, how was I supposed to know the Master Interrogator would get his hands on my report and dissect it line by line?
“Tell me what happened in the Black Forest,” said Colonel Dragonsire, undeterred. “Now. Unfiltered and unedited.”
I didn’t want to believe that Dad—and pretty much everyone else at the Legion—was right about Dragonsire. No one was truly a “soulless, sinister, psychotic son-of-a-bitch”. Everyone had some redeeming qualities. They really did.
But right now I was having a hard time seeing the good side of Colonel Dragonsire.
“I led Captain Walker and his forces through a tunnel into the Black Forest, where the dark angel Leon Hellfire was holding our angel Colonel Beastbreaker. We engaged Hellfire’s army and freed Colonel Beastbreaker.”
“And how did you free Colonel Beastbreaker from a cage that responded only to dark magic?”
“I…” I frowned at him. “Is this about my impersonating Nyx?”
The First Angel had confirmed that my actions hadn’t broken the rules, but perhaps the Master Interrogator considered what I’d done to be the greatest sacrilege. Nyx was, after all, not only an angel; she was a demigod.
“Answer the question,” Colonel Dragonsire said. “How did you free Colonel Beastbreaker from a cage that responded only to dark magic?”
I folded my hands behind my back, hiding my sweaty palms. Gods, the man knew how to make a person nervous. Even a perfect saint would fall to pieces beneath that hard glare. Nyx certainly hadn’t made him Master Interrogator based on his good looks. And he was good-looking. If only he’d smile once in a while…
“I shifted myself into Nyx and engaged Leon Hellfire in single combat,” I told him with a slight smile.
“Continue.” He did not return my smile. Must have been worried it would humanize him.
“I knew of Hellfire’s history with the First Angel,” I said. “I thought that when he saw her, he would hone right in on her. I figured such strong feelings would not fade quickly. Luckily, I was right.”
“Luck.” He bit out the word like it was poison. “But it wasn’t luck at all, was it?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Angels do not beg.”
Apparently, the Master Interrogator didn’t appreciate social niceties.
“Thank you for the advice,” I said flatly.
His face was impassive. It appeared he didn’t appreciate sarcasm either.
“Luck cannot be repeated with such unwavering accuracy, time after time, year after year,” he said. “That is not luck, Cadence Lightbringer. It is perfection.”
Something about the way he said that last word told me it wasn’t a compliment. His next words confirmed my suspicions.
“The daughter of an angel. And an archangel, no less. Destined for greatness. Trained to perfection.”
I’d heard these words before. As the young child of an angel. Later as a Legion initiate. And then throughout my career. Greatness. Perfection. Words uttered out of jealousy.
But not when Colonel Dragonsire spoke them. He wasn’t jealous of my success. He was suspicious.
“You’ve leveled up at a rapid rate, reaching the rank of angel faster than anyone ever has in the history of the Legion.” His body loomed over me; his words echoed in my ears.
“Are you accusing me of something?” I asked, certain that he was.
“I would never accuse someone without hard proof. Right now, all I have are suspicions.”
“What kind of suspicions?” I was almost afraid to ask, but I had to know. So I could counter those suspicions. So I could assure him—assure the Legion—that I had done nothing wrong.
“I suspect you of cheating the system to quickly level up your magic.”
For a moment I did not respond. Could not respond. I wanted to ask him if he was joking, but the look on his face assured me that he was dead serious.
“It is not possible to cheat the system,” I said calmly. My pulse was pounding against my skin. “Not that people haven’t tried to find a way to cheat. But the Nectar is pretty cut and dry. Your body can either absorb it, and your magic grows stronger. Or you are too weak, and you die. There is no cheat, no easy way. There’s only training and a lot of hard work. Being the daughter of an angel, I might have a slight edge.”
“You are not the only Legion brat currently serving in the gods’ army.”
Propriety kept most people from calling me a ‘Legion brat’ to my face, but not Colonel Dragonsire.
“While the others have performed above average, not a single one of them comes anywhere close to matching your rapid upward trajectory,” he continued. “Your victories are almost too easy. Take, for example, your victory in the Black Forest.”
“Colonel, I can assure you that had you been there, you would not consider that victory in any way ‘easy’.”
“I questioned Captain Walker.”
That was foreboding.
“During your retreat, he was hit by an enemy spell, which temporarily knocked him out.”
That ‘temporarily’ had me worried. I’d thought Captain Walker was out like a light.
“He was fading in and out of consciousness for several minutes, so his memories are fuzzy,” said Colonel Dragonsire. “But he did recall something quite unusual. Do you have any idea what that could be?”
I said nothing.
“No?” He arched a single eyebrow at me. “According to Captain Walker, you were hit by multiple enemy spells, including a few cast by the First Betrayer Leon Hellfire. And yet, not only did you not lose consciousness, you carried Captain Walker to safety and used your magic to collapse the tunnel on the
Dark Force soldiers who tried to pursue you. After that, you ran through the long tunnel for over a mile, carrying Captain Walker the whole time, until you reached the Legion forces on the other end. An impressive feat for someone who’d been hit by at least thirteen enemy spells. I don’t know of anyone at the Legion who can take such a heavy beating of dark magic and still remain standing, let alone run a mile through a tunnel with another soldier on her back. Captain Walker is not a small man; he is a heavy load. And so I require an explanation for this seemingly impossible feat.”
“I do not believe in the impossible.”
His hard eyes continued to bore into me.
“I train hard, Colonel.” I struggled to keep my cool. I’d been accused of a lot of things, but never treason. “That training includes building up my resistance to magic. So, yes, I can take more of a beating than most soldiers.” I leveled a challenging look on him. “But even I cannot withstand as many hits as Captain Walker described.”
“You’re claiming he is mistaken?”
“Well, as you said yourself, he was barely conscious at the time.”
Colonel Dragonsire frowned. It wasn’t a smile, but at least it proved that he was capable of emotion.
“I don’t buy it,” he declared.
“Of course you don’t. You are paranoid.”
“That’s my job.”
Yes, everyone knew about his hunt for traitors hiding in our ranks. Ever since the Legion lost a few angels to the demons, paranoia had been running wild.
“I am serving the Legion’s best interests,” I asserted. “Saving Colonel Beastbreaker was not staged, and it certainly wasn’t easy. It was pretty much impossible.”
“You have a reputation for making the impossible possible. Some think it’s a gift, a higher power.” His voice dropped to a harsh hiss. “I consider it suspect.”
I scowled at him. “What, so I’m just manipulating everything to make myself look good?”
