Lucanus darted forward, his form towering over me as he pinned me between the railing and his body, his eyes alight with fury as the Quarter burned below us, the flames licking closer and closer toward Solis Court—toward us. I could hear gunshots ringing in the distance, buildings crumbling, and drones rapidly firing upon angels.
“Look at what you’ve done!” he bellowed, his face turningcrimson with fury as he shook me, his fingers digging into my skin until blood began to trickle down my arms. “You’ve destroyed everything! And someone must pay. Someone must answer for what’s been taken from me. If no one comes for you, then you will pay the price. Look! Look at my Quarter . . . at all I’ve worked for,destroyed!”
Luc grabbed my cheeks in his hand, twisting my head to the side as he forced me to stare out over the Quarter, fully seeing the extent of destruction.
I said nothing as I stared at the destruction before me, taking it in. The Wall had collapsed along nearly every section of the Quarter, cement blocks of rubble literally covering the ground in dust-covered heaps. The skyscrapers that lined the Quarter had begun to collapse and catch fire.
Fires burned everywhere throughout the Quarter.
Orange and blue flames chased across any expanse they could.
Screams sounded as shots rang out.
Dust and sand covered every visible surface. Once gleaming skyscrapers now stood in shambles, half destroyed. Skybridges came crashing down in the distance, the sound a horrifying crush of destruction as they obliterated any and everything in their path.
Overhead, I caught sight of a clash of gold and onyx feathers as aerial cohorts attacked each other, feathers and blood falling from the sky. Bullets, laced with affinities, were tearing through the air before meeting their targets in a gruesome display of violence as angels on both sides fell lifelessly from the sky.
I could only stare in horror—unable to speak as I looked over the destruction.
Solis had fallen.
“All the angels you killed—the ones you sacrificed for this supposed power—it was all for nothing.” I spoke the words in a bitter voice as I glared at Lucanus with hatred. “You sacrificedan entire group of angels just to gain control . . . control you no longer have now that your Quarter has fallen.” I stared up at the King of Solis, watching with satisfaction as his jaw clenched. I felt blood slowly trickling down from my temple, as I narrowed my eyes in victory at Luc. “You failed.”
Lucanus towered over me, his onyx wings flaring wide as his arm snatched out, wrapping around my neck in a vise-like grip.
“I didn’tfail.” He sneered the word.
“Look around you,” I retorted. “Your Quarter is in ruins. It has fallen. Your people aredyingfor theirgods. For you.”
“This entire Quarter can burn for all I care. I have more than enough power flowing through me, I will simply start again . . . only this time, instead of settling for the titleking, I will be known as agod.”
I laughed in his face. “You tried so hard—hiding the truth of our history, forcing our hand, making us believe exactly what you wanted us to believe so that you could control us. But in the end, the Remnant still saved those who knew the truth. In the end, I still uncovered the truth. I learned that the light can still shine in the darkness you’ve created. It’s why you killed my father . . . it’s why you started stealing affinities from the Remnant. You think you hold the power—that you think can come back from this, but the truth is, there is only one who can restore Aurelia to its former glory—the Eternal.”
I opened my mouth to continue when I felt the immediate shift. The moment Lucanus’s arms tightened around me, my movements halting as a blade pressed dangerously close to my neck, and my eyes widened in fear.
Terror spiked through me, but I could do nothing to protect myself, with my hands still bound behind me. I felt absolute, sheer terror as Lucanus let out a dark laugh, his blade firm against my skin.
Every muscle in my body tensed as Lucanus pressed against the blade, and a wince of pain slipped my lips as the sharp edgeof the blade nicked me. He spun in a rapid motion, his back against the ledge as he held me before him in protection—as leverage.
I learned why mere seconds later, as large, golden wings filled my vision. The wings expanded to their full width, taking up the entirety of the balcony as the angel landed before us.
Callum.
I stared at the male before me, taking him in from head to toe.
My starbound.
Callum Blackwood stood before us on the terrace, clothed in the black tactical gear I’d seen him wear as a spy, his shirt torn in various locations, his vest covered in dust and blood. Every muscle in his body was taut as he landed before us, wings fanning out over his form, casting his face in shadows. He towered over Lucanus, who still held me hostage. A bargaining chip for his own life despite the supposedpowerhe claimed to possess.
I watched as Callum’s eyes tracked over every inch of my skin, then shifted, tracking every movement, every subtle gesture made by the male holding me hostage.
“If you so much as take one step closer, I’ll slit her throat,” Lucanus commanded as he tightened his hold on me, and I cried out, his fingers digging into the bruises on my side.
Golden eyes fastened onto mine before sweeping across my body, taking in every bruise, every cut—everywhere Lucanus touched me. I watched his eyes flash in anger as he took inventory of every location of my body where I was cut, where my blood was visible.
For a long moment, Callum Blackwood said nothing. He stood there, his jaw tightening as his wings filled the space before us.
Then, he spoke.
