Page 2 of Feathers and Scales

“Enjoy your slow journey into Limbo,” he spat and launched into the air. His power held him up as he flew east toward the ocean.

Fear slithered up her spine and created a vise around her throat, killing her in a way the Archfiend never could.

Limbo was fathomless. A prison where she’d never complete her wings and return to Heaven. Scrunching into a tight ball, she shivered.

She had expected him to stay to confirm her death, but he had probably flown away to heal his blindness. If that were possible. She closed her eyes and tried to will herself back to her body. Nothing happened. She didn’t have enough energy.

Her only hope of survival was to hide in a living human’s Spirit Cavity and siphon her host’s energy to heal. Even if she mustered enough strength to run for help, her chances of finding someone in the middle of Acadia National Park were slim. Braving her plight, she looked from the dead human male to his small, open tent, hoping for a solution to her dilemma. Her eyes would mirror his lifeless gaze if she didn’t act quickly.

Tears fell from her fragile hold as she convulsed on the hard ground. Another twinge of agony seared her torso. She wiped her cheeks with shaky fingers. Her hands came away streaked with red spirit energy. Her spirit tie to her human body sent her emotions and sensations, ones she had tried to shove to the side in order to endure her long existence on Earth. But all her suppressed pain and grief burst through the ether, rushing to drown her just as her blood would in her last moments.

Glaring at the sky, she inhaled a shuddering breath and wheezed to the Supreme, who’d punished her, “You know I tried, right? Collecting all my feathers within one human life is impossible. You forced meand my kind to become evil. But you never cared, did you? Just left us here…alone.”

“You’re not alone, child.”A raspy timbre, breezing by with the wind, spoke in ancient Greek.

A smile tugged at her lips as wetness trickled down her cheek. “But I am, Fotios. You’re just a delusion.” She closed her eyes, envisioning a stoic man with wavy brown hair and laugh lines. The face of the father figure and mentor she had cherished—her previous Coheart—the human who taught her countless lessons in life, including one that left an indelible mark: caring for someone only leads to ruin.

“I’m a memory.”

“Correcting me even after your death? Any useful advice?”

“Stop letting your emotions control you and use logic to find a solution. You promised to end your punishment and meet me in Heaven.”

“I will find a way back.”

Her skin prickled. Leaves rustled and twigs snapped behind her, growing louder by the second. Struggling with the pain, she wrestled to roll onto her side. Black dots filled her vision as she fought to stay conscious.

A man emerged within the fire’s glow, similar to how a figure became visible in the light of a laser beam scattering off particles in a mist.

She blinked.I must have lost my mind.

Dirty work boots peeked out from under his dark cargo pants. The slim-fitting T-shirt outlined a broad, tanned, muscular form. His sandstone-blond crewcut matched the trimmed hair of his anchor beard. A strong jawline, symmetrical lines, and refined expression gave him aristocratic yet wild features. His gaze skimmed over the dead camper. Objectively, he was attractive, but there was something else about him, a confidence and presence in the way he evaluated the situation and wasn’t afraid to take charge that, even as she lay dying,held her captive. Piercing bronze eyes gleamed in the firelight, staring right at the wings on her back.

He shouldn’t be able to see me.Weak as she was, she couldn’t project her spirit energy into the visible spectrum. Another Fallen could see her, but she didn’t feel a Fallen’s tingling impression against her mind.

She opened her mouth to speak but coughed. Blood dribbled from her lips, dropping in splats onto the dirt.

He took a hesitant step toward her and lifted his arms in surrender. “Let me help you.”

His voice carried a growling undercurrent, like a guttural whisper from something dark inside him. She flinched.

“I’ll take you to my Healer.” His face scrunched as if saying the words pained him.

Healer?She shook her head but succumbed to another chest-heaving coughing fit.

He bent and eased her onto her back with a gentle nudge on her shoulders.

She hadn’t made her form dense, so she didn’t know how he touched her. But his hands warmed her skin.

“What do you need?” His bronze eyes shone with determination. “My name is Daxton.”

The man’s persuasive baritone tugged on her resolve, and Fotios’s words rang in her head.Iwon’t give up.

Complete numbness swept over her as she lost connection to her mortal body. His face blurred. She had one hope. To heal, she needed a corporeal body. If, by some chance, Daxton wasn’t a hallucination, he would have a Spirit Cavity. She was willing to take the chance this miracle might save her from Limbo.

“Daxton…” Her voice broke. Hoping his spirit was durable, she pressed her hand to his chest.

Warmth seeped into her fingers.