Wingless

by Taylor Lavati

  This is going to be harder than I thought. My breathing starts to pick up when I think that I can't win this. Hare seems so weak and child-like that I thought it would be obvious I'd take the win, but now it's not. I have to focus more. Just as I'm about to move to the side and grab him from behind, my eyes travel from the ring to the side, where I see Luke step into the room.

  His face is blank, but interested. His eyes widen, yet do not show any worry. Having him in the room makes my adrenaline rocket into the air. I don't like him watching me fight. This is exactly what I didn't want. I can hardly focus on Hare, knowing that Luke is focusing on me.

  Hare takes the golden opportunity awarded to him from my distraction and punches me square in the nose. I can feel the bone break, hear it crack, and blood shoots out from my nostrils. I grunt and almost fall backwards, but I compose myself, the pain nothing to me right now. I block out everything around me and go on the offensive.

  I step towards Hare and grab him around the neck and use all of my weight to pull him down with me. I'm better on the ground anyway. He falls on his back and I roll to my side to maintain the hold I have on him. He uses his feet to pry me off him and with each kick, my thigh throbs out, but I never let go.

  "You thought you'd win. Huh, angel?" Hare goads me on, his words chopped up with his heavy breaths.

  "I still can," I grunt out as I try to wriggle my way out from underneath him. I try to grab hold on his shoulder, but the sheen of sweat on him makes it slippery. I grunt again when I can feel myself start to lose the fight.

  "Stop!" Luke calls out, making everyone stop and stare. The room stills as everyone obeys his command. "Don't move," he says, as I'm about to crawl out from under Hare. "Do you see how he has you behind the back with your legs pinned down?" Luke asks me.

  "Yes," I whisper out, still holding onto Hare.

  "Instead of panicking, use your left leg as leverage and push your pelvis up." I do as he says and push as hard as I can. The position works, because Hare's arms aren't long enough to hold onto me. I get out of his grasp and spring up while Hare is still lying on the ground, vulnerable.

  "You do this every day and you'll be a hunter in no time," Luke tells me approvingly.

  I vow to do just that.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Watching Eyes

  Damn.

  The Demon slips behind me and grabs me hard around the waist. I try to wriggle free, but the thing has its claws digging into my sides. I can feel blood start to drip from me. I reach back and try to punch it in the face, but just as I move it nails me right in my unblocked face, right under my lip. Luke strips the Demon from my body and flings it against a nearby tree, saving me. The wood shatters and splinters, and a limb falls down from the top of the tree.

  "Thanks." I nod at Luke.

  "You can thank me when we're done," Luke says, smiling at me. I nod again, and we both spring into action towards the Demon. He's starting to move on the floor, lifting his head to face us since he found his second wind of strength.

  Luke and I both know it's useless, since we're about to take him down. We've become the ultimate hunter team in just a little over a month. We've taken down Demon after Demon and in record speeds. We're pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

  I wipe a little trickle of blood off my face and follow Luke to the Demon. Luke grabs him off the ground, but it makes the Demon spring to life again. I swear these guys are like cats—nine lives and all. The Demon bends at the waist and ducks out of Luke's grasp, twirling to the side to dodge him.

  Luckily, I'm right behind him and can stop the Demon before he gets too far away from us. I whip my arm out and clothesline the Demon so that his neck gets right in the crook of my elbow. He grunts and falls to the ground, clutching his neck like it's about to break of. If I had anything to do with it, it would.

  "Nice one, Angel," Luke says, fhgh-fiving me over the Demon's body. Luke grabs the Demon's neck and right before he's about to finish him off, the Demon speaks to us. The voice takes me off guard.

  "Please, don't kill me," he begs. This is the first time a Demon has actually begged for its life. Its voice is dark, hollow, and raspy. "I'm sorry. I'll go back to the Lower Veil and serve you the right way."

  "No," Luke says sternly, and then snaps his neck so hard that he's able to decapitate him in the single motion. I turn away, hating this part of hunting every time. I'm not sure if it's the blood or the pure torturous nature of it, but I've come to hate the ending. Luke makes quick work of calling in another crew and getting them to clean up our mess. I stay with my back turned until Luke comes over to me.

  "Sorry. You know I just hate that…" my voice trails off.

  "Hey," he coos, wrapping his big arms around me. I lean into his chest, seeking comfort, and let him hold me. He bends down and rests his chin on my head, rocking us side to side. A few second later, the cleaning crew comes and starts to move behind us, taking the body away and removing the blood.

  "I'm okay," I tell Luke, mustering up enough strength as I can. I push him back and look up at him. He smiles at me and then bends and presses his lips against mine. After a month of being together, I'm still not used to his kisses. My mind fuzzes, and all I can think about is his soft lips massaging mine and the burn deep in my gut that only seems to intensify the longer we're together.

  "Want to get some food?" he asks me.

  "Like a date?" I ask back, wiggling my eyebrows.

  "Yes, a date. Like we've been doing almost every single night, Miss Sarcasm." He plants a wet kiss on my cheek, smacking his lips together. We walk together hand in hand to a restaurant a few blocks away. It's a pizza place, since it's my favorite food that I've tried thus far.

  "So, how's everything in the sanctuary?" I ask him as we settle into our booth. I grab the menu and peruse it quickly, debating whether to try something new or get my usual cheese slice.

  "Busy. More and more unruly Demons and Nephalem are springing up left and right." Luke drags his hand through his hair and sighs like he's overworked.

  "Why is that?" I ask him. "I mean, of course, we don't really know. But do you have any ideas as to why more are escaping?"

  "Unrest," he answers, shrugging his shoulders. Before I can question him further, a waitress comes over and takes our orders. I decide on something new and get a Hawaiian slice and a large Pepsi. Luke grins across the table at me.

  "What?" I ask back, embarrassed.

  "You're just so beautiful. My little Angel."

  "You know, I hate it when you all call me that. I'm as much an Angel as you are," I counter back.

  "Please, Annie. You're as pure as they come."

  "Explain my killing Demons then."

  "You and I both know that they deserve it," he says back. Luke pretends to be a bad guy, but he's far from it. He's as good as they come. It's why we're good together, a perfect fit. Sometimes, Luke calls us matching puzzle pieces. Of course, he says he's the black piece and I'm the white. Whatever that means.

  Our food comes, and the table falls into complete, comfortable silence. The pizza is to die for. It's sweet and salty and filling. The perfect match. It's my new favorite type of pizza for sure.

  After we're done, Luke pays, since I still have yet to come into any money. I have a secret stash at my apartment that Micha gifted to me, but I refuse to touch it. I don't want his help just as much as he didn't want to help me.

  Luke takes my hand and helps me stand from the table. He brushes his finger along my chin and it hurts a little when he moves up to my lip. I must have a lingering bruise from the fight with the Demon.

  We step out from the diner, Luke's hand lingering on the small of my back. Surprisingly, he lifts me up into his arms and twirls me around. I gasp at first, but it soon turns into a giggle that we share.

  He places me on the ground, but doesn't waste any time. He kisses my lips with a random burst of passion. I'm completely taken off guard. I giggle into his mouth as he assaults me and lashes me wi
th his tongue in a way that only he can.

  It's thrilling, the effect he has on me. I completely lose myself in his kiss and revel in the comfort he brings. I wrap my arms around his neck and give myself fully to him.

  Someone clears his throat beside us, and we separate like we've just gotten in trouble. When I look up, I honestly think I'm seeing a ghost or am dreaming. I have to blink to make sure my eyes are seeing straight. Luke just looks between myself and the man before us, confused.

  "Hello," Luke breaks the silence first. "Can we help you?" he asks, grabbing my hand possessively.

  "I need to talk to you, Annie," Micha says with a stern voice. The fact that he's trying to command me right now infuriates me. He left me here to rot. Why is he even checking on me now? It's been a month.

  "No," I answer back. His face instantly falls like I've just told him his Guardian has passed.

  "Please, Annie. It's important," he pleads with me, clutching his hands to his chest.

  "It's okay," Luke tells me, nodding his head. I look up into his chocolate eyes and try to convey that I really don't want to go. "I'll meet you back at the sanctuary later." He bends down and kisses me. I'm not sure why, but I wrap my arms around his neck and deepen the kiss. I shut my eyes and moan and revel in Luke.

  "Have fun with the Archer," he whispers in my ear before retreating down the block. The frigid air follows him.

  "What are you thinking?" Micha steps close to me. His voice is angry, harsh, and vindictive.

  "Why are you here?" I ask him back, frowning at him. I grab onto his forearm and tug him down the sidewalk with me. People from within the pizza shop watch us with expectant eyes, so I stop in the alley, where we can speak in private. "Talk," I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest.

  "I've been watching you. Despite the fact that I'm not allowed to intervene, you gave me no choice. You're out of control!" He throws his hands up and starts pacing around the alleyway. His words ring in my head when he says that he's been watching me. That first week, I was miserable. Alone. I needed him. He had to have seen that.

  "I don't need you."

  "Let's go." He grabs me around the waist and lifts me into his arms. I yelp as I'm taken off guard from his aggressiveness. Despite the sun being up, he lifts into the sky and flies us two blocks down to my apartment.

  He lands in the alley besides the stone building and drops me onto the ground. He doesn't even wait for me as he slams the door against the wall and storms into the foyer. I mumble under my breath at how asinine he is, but follow.

  I envy him as he flies up the stairs and I'm left stomping up each step, huffing and puffing. I kind of forgot how much the Angels hurt me over time. In just a month, I've moved on to bigger and better things. Micha being here only reminds me of how much hurt they've caused me.

  He raises his hand and the door opens in front of him, despite the fact that I locked it just this morning. I walk in and slam it behind me. I'm now livid at the way he's acting. Not very angelic, if you ask me.

  "What do you want Micha?" I ask him, stopping in the entryway. I don't want to get any closer to him than I am now.

  "You're killing Demons, Annie!" he yells at me. "What is wrong with you?" he asks, keeping his voice angry, yet softer.

  "I found the Nephalem, and they're helping me on Earth. Something you can't say." I stare at him, trying to drive the point home. "It's not like I'm killing humans. They're Demons, Micha. It's what I wanted to do in the Veil anyway."

  "You're tipping the balance. You're starting a war that you can't finish."

  "What are you talking about?" I wave my hands around, a trait I've picked up from spending too much time with humans.

  "That guy you're seeing. He's bad. Don't you feel it?"

  "What are you talking about?"

  "If you'd open your naive eyes, you'd see that he's no good for you. You're supposed to be blending in and instead you're killing people."

  "Not people, Demons. They deserve it."

  "How do you know that?"

  "Luke told me."

  "Does he tell you what the Demon did? Does he tell you why they deserve to die? Or do you just blindly kill Demons for no reason?" His questions make me think. I don't really know why we're killing them. But the fact that they're a Demon is reason enough. I don't want Micha filling my head with his questions, making me doubt my actions.

  "I don't care. He loves me and he's there for me." I stand tall.

  "He loves you?" Micha chuckles from his spot in the living room. "God, Annie. What happened to you?"

  "Like you ever even knew me," I growl back.

  "I thought I did. I thought we were friends. This person in front of me is not the Annie I liked."

  "Shut up! Shut up!" I cry out.

  "You're a murderer, and yet you defend yourself."

  "Leave!" I yell at him.

  "No."

  "Fine, then I will!" I walk right past Micha and slam my bedroom door shut behind me. I collapse on the bed and try to hold in my anger and frustration and sadness. I hate Micha. I hate the Angels. I'm not a killer.

  Luke sends me a text that wakes me up the next day. It reads that there's a new Demon they're trying to track. He wants me by his side. Immediately, I spring up in bed and throw on what I deem to be appropriate fighting clothes. I twist my hair up into a ponytail and wash my face, so I'm out of my meditative slump.

  I tiptoe out of my bedroom into the living room. I'm praying to Rem that Micha has left me alone. I just want to forget about everything he said and move on. He doesn't know what he's talking about. How could he? He's an Archer from the Veil. Earth is different.

  Unfortunately, as I try to be as quiet as possible and move around, he catches me. "You've forgotten that I don't sleep." He grabs me around the waist and spins me around so we're face to face.

  "I didn't forget." I narrow my eyes on him. "I simply wished you left." I push past him into the kitchen and run the sink. I reach up above the sink and grab a glass. I fill it with some water and quickly gulp it down. Despite the fact that I don't need water, I love it. It gives me energy or, at least, I convince myself that it does.

  "Why do you hate me?" Micha asks. He actually sounds hurt, and the pain in his voice surprises me. I turn away from the sink and look at him. His blue eyes captivate me.

  "Why do you think?" I ask back, with less snark in my voice than before.

  "I did what I could. I had to obey rules."

  "Exactly!" I yell at him. "That's all you do. You don't think for yourself."

  "Really? I'm here, Annie. It's out of protocol and against the rules, but I'm here because I care what happens to you."

  "Why?"

  "I just do."

  "Well, I have to go." I push past him again and reach for the door. But his hand on my elbow stops me. I turn and glare at him for stopping me. "Let me go," I tell him.

  "No, you can't leave."

  "I can do whatever I want. You have no control over me anymore. Let me go."

  And he does.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Double Trouble

  I run as fast as my legs will take me down the stairs. I don't bother looking behind me. I just pray that he'll let me go. I don't want to see him anymore. I don't want to feel sorry for him. I hate him, and I want it to stay that way. I have to keep reminding myself that a month went by before he checked up on me. He abandoned me and this visit doesn't make up for it.

  I push open the foyer doors and a whoosh of warm air blows my hair around. I keep running through. I make it around the corner of the first block before I stop. I turn and lean against the side of the building, trying to catch my breath. I wait to see if Micha will follow, but after a few moments, he still hasn't come by.

  When I'm positive that the coast is clear, I walk and dial Luke so I know where to meet him.

  "Hello?"

  "I'm on my way. Where are you?" I ask him.

  "Demon last spotted at Meadow and Eighth. Meet me there," he say
s and then hangs up the phone. I'm farther away than I thought, so I run. It's dark, so not many people pay attention to me.

  I make it to the intersection in record time, but Luke is nowhere to be seen. I walk up and down the street twice to double check, but he's not here yet. Maybe I made it faster than I thought.

  "Boo."

  I jump back, scared, and clutch my heart. Luke laughs whole-heartedly from beside me, and I slap him on the arm.

  "You scared me!" I yell at him.

  "I couldn't resist," he jokes with me. "Let's go." He takes my hand in his, and we run together down the road. I ask questions, but as we run, he stays silent, focused. Finally, at the second street down, we spot two Demons. They're larger than the average Demon and just the sight of them makes my adrenaline spike.

  "One each?" Luke shrugs his shoulders at me. I nod, and we both spring into action. I leap towards the smaller of the two—although only about a hair separates their heights. He grins, and it looks simply evil.

  The Demon lunges for me while I lunge for him, so we collide together mid-step. He grabs me lower than I expect, and I'm thrown backwards, off balance. My head hits the ground hard. Dots erupt behind my eyes and blackness emerges on the edges of my vision.

  But the Demon doesn't wait around for me to toughen up. He attacks while I'm vulnerable. He kicks my stomach hard with his right leg. My ribs cry out in pain. He lifts me up, grabbing me around the neck and tugging it upwards. I struggle to breath, my breath catching in my throat. He slams my head on the concrete so hard, I can hear it crack.

  He's about to strangle me to death when he's suddenly ripped off of my body. I gasp for air as I try to comprehend the Angel before me. Micha clutches the Demon to his chest and squeezes him so hard that he collapses against the pavement.

  Micha looks me square in the eyes. Tension and adrenaline ripple out from Micha towards me. While maintaining eye contact with me, he bends down and rips the Demon's head from his body. I don't dare look away from him. I just stare at him as he tosses the head to the side like a rotten apple.