Black.
Axel cursed beside me. “That explains everything and nothing, all at once.”
“You don’t say.” The words were a slow drawl on my lips as I studied the markings from a distance. “We need to get inside one of those marking rooms and see what’s actually happening.”
“And what, exactly, do you think you’re going to find?” Axel muttered from beside me with annoyance. “It’s not like the markings can be tampered with. They quite literally come directly from the heavens—from Aeternus himself.”
“I don’t know, Pierce,” I bit out, his last name a snap on my lips. “But I can safely bet we won’t find anything standing here in the stars-damned shadows,” I finished as I pushed off the wall, heading toward the center temple.
Sticking to the shadows, we moved silently past the throngs of unmarked angels anxiously awaiting their markings. It pained me to see so many of the citizens of Solis Quarter willfully following a quintet of gods, as they were led astray from the Eternal. But I also knew that the Remnant had been spreading word of the Eternal—warning the citizens of Solis to turn away. That they’d helped those who chose to believe in Aeternus escape outside the boundaries of The Wall.
With a shake of my head, I cleared my thoughts, focusing on the back door to the temple, the one that was currently unattended, as we approached.
Axel pulled out the lock gun, passing it to me as I fastened it to the keypad and lock, listening for the barely audible whirl ofpower before it broke the seal on the door without triggering any alarms.
“We’re in,” I muttered under my breath as I cracked the door open, pushing out my vitas affinity to sense whether there was anyone in the hallway. I was careful not to extend the power fully—Elion’s warning stark in my mind—as I checked for any life on the other side of the door. When I couldn’t detect any heartbeats pounding in the near area, I opened the door further, slipping into the High Temple, Axel close on my heels.
“If the maps Elion gave us are still correct, there should be a stairwell close by,” Axel stated as he began moving to my right. We quickly tested the doors, careful not to leave a trace behind as we cut through the hallway with ease.
I thanked the Eternal that all temples in Aurelia adhered to the same respect, not allowing cameras to be used on sacred grounds. We could slip through these halls without having to hack and wipe video footage. Not that we didn’t have to worry about hidden triggers and alarms, but I would take those over swiping surveillance footage any day.
“Let’s check the marking rooms first,” I said, my voice low as we silently crept through the stairwell that was surprisingly devoid of angels.
“Not the library?” Axel questioned from beside me as we rounded the corner, taking the steps two at a time.
“No,” I ground out as I stopped on the third floor, pausing to listen through the door for any incoming sounds. When the hall sounded empty, I turned the handle to the door.
“I want to watch what happens during their ceremony—compare it to what happens during ours.”
“What are you hoping to uncover?” my second inquired as we slipped through the door, keeping to the shadows.
“I’ll let you know once I figure that one out for myself.”
“Brilliant,” I heard him grumble under his breath as we began to approach the first door on the floor. “Sure, Cal. Ofcourse, Cal. I’ll follow you into the temple based on nothing but good vibes and dreams to go off of. No, there’s not a thing wrong with that plan.”
“For the love of Aeternus,” I ground out as I glared at the male. “Just shut the ever-loving-fuck up and let’s get through this door undetected.”
“This door?” He gestured toward the frosted glass door before us. “But how can we be sure this is the right room? Is it giving off a certain feeling? Is itcallingto you?”
“Are you done putting on a show?” I demanded. “Because if so, I’d love to get a move on and actually finish this missiontoday.”
He chuckled before he closed his eyes, resting his hand against the door’s keypad as he went to work detecting the code. I stayed silent, hand on the gun resting against my waistband as I scanned the hallways, ensuring we were undisturbed if we were to get into these rooms undetected.
I heard the lock spring free, and then the door slid open by itself.
“Stars-damn.” Axel’s voice was a low grunt, then a soft flare of gold peeked through the sleeves of Axel’s shirt as he called on his affinity. I felt the moment his shield went up, surrounding us, should there be anyone on the other side, waiting to strike.
After a moment, the golden hue of light faded, his eyes snapping open as he sent a grin my way. “All clear.”
And we entered the room.
I could tell the moment we’d entered that we were too late. The male in this marking room was unconscious, strapped to a chair, his markings already emerged on his forearm.
“How is that possible?” Axel bit out under his breath.
“It’s not,” I replied as my blood began to boil. “At least, it shouldn’t be.”
But we’d both seen it. We’d both see the mark on the angel inthis room. Only, it hadn’t been a mark like we’d expected. It was nothing like our own Marking Day in Aurum Quarter.
