“Where do you land on the scale?” Kallie asked curiously.
“I got the wings and I can throw a harder punch than most supes, but that’s about it,” Chancey said.
I took an irritated breath. “I don’t care if he’s the Pope—”
“Deacon,” Chancey corrected.
“— of his stupid church. He needs to die.”
“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” Chancey pressed. “The Warden can’t be killed. He’s too strong.”
“How do we know if we’ve never tried?” I challenged.
Chancey scoffed. “If you’re gonna kill him, you only get one shot at it, pal.”
“So we’ll make it a good one,” I insisted.
Fabric rustled as Chancey crossed his arms. He sounded curious as he said, “All right, smart guy. Let’s hear your ideas.”
“We cut his heart out,” I offered. “How’s he going to get around without a heart? He may be immortal, but angels still need blood to function.”
I got excited at the thought of doing it myself. It’d give me some damn satisfaction to rip it out of his chest and squeeze it in my hand as I listened to his demise.
Chancey gave a cold laugh. “You thinkthat’sgoing to stop him? Angels heal at an incredible rate. That’s not enough.”
“He’s not just going to grow a second heart,” I said.
“Oh, he’s not?” Chancey replied sarcastically.
“I’m sick of sitting around doing nothing,” I growled. “If you don’t want to help, fine.”
“Charlie, you can’t go after the Warden alone,” Kallie argued. “Even if you could kill him, his allies will go after you. The only reason we’re still alive is because the Warden knows what we are and wants to use us. But his friends? They won’t hesitate to kill you. Even without your inferichite bracelet inhibiting your powers, a demigod would have a hell of a time standing up to an angel army.”
“So we just bend over? Is that it?” I asked.
Chancey sighed. “Let me show you something, Charlie. Oberi, if you would.”
I felt through the bond as Oberi shifted into a Fire unicorn. I nervously got to my feet. “What are you doing?”
Relax, buttercup. He’ll be fine,Oberi said.
“Buttercup?” I balked.
I heard the sound of hooves clattering against the ground, then a hard impact. A squelching sound came, like a noise like flesh being forcefully sliced open.
“Gah!” Chancey let out a pained cry. Kallie gasped, and Marcus gagged.
“What the hell!” I ran over to Chancey and Oberi, and my hands landed on them both. Oberi had her head bent.
My stomach clenched when I ran my hand up her horn. It was sticking straight into Chancey’s chest! Oberi hadimpaledhim. Warm, sticky blood coated my hands as it gushed out of Chancey’s chest.
“What have you done!?” I yelled.
Chancey sucked a breath as he took a step away from Oberi. I felt her horn pull out of his chest, and I heard the sickly squish of his flesh. Chancey grabbed my hand and placed it on the bloody gap inside of him. Something soft pulsed underneath my fingers. I realized that I had placed my hand into a hole inChancey’s heart.
“See?” Chancey asked in a strained voice. “The wound’s already healing.”
He sounded like he was in a lot of pain, but he was right. My fingers entered the hole in his chest, and it felt like the threads of a torn t-shirt knitting itself back together.
