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Elias eases his car forward, blocking the street, not giving me a way to drive in that direction. I hit the brakes again and shove the gear into drive. Annoyance rushes through me, and I swing my attention back to the road in front of me. But it’s too late.
I don’t have time to slam the brakes before a heavy body hits the windshield, cracking it. Rolling forward, the man tumbles down and off the hood, landing on the street. I thrust the car door open and hop out. I knew this shit would happen. All I wanted was to get away from Elias and return to my devils. Now, Andre forced my hand by hypnotizing this guy into thinking he is some sort of angelic soldier. This is all so messed up.
I don’t bother paying attention to whether or not Elias approaches us and rush around the front of the car to where the man lies on his back. His features twist in pain, and a tear seeps from the corner of his muddy brown eyes, disappearing into the graying hair on his temple. I kneel beside him and trail my gaze over his body, looking for signs of blood and trauma.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, trying to keep my shit together. Maybe he’ll be okay. People survive worse. It was just a tap. “You should’ve stayed out of the way.”
The man blinks his eyes, staring up at the sky instead of at me. Golden light grows brighter with the all-consuming coconut fragrance of Andre. I don’t look up, but I know he meanders closer, cautiously, treating me like the wild abomination his brethren think I am.
Andre sighs. “Raven, I tried to warn you. Once a man is—”
“Lucifer’s slut!” Ramming his hands into my chest, the man shoves me hard, knocking me off balance.
I scream in surprise, the strange haze in the man’s eyes freaking me out. He acts possessed, but it’s obviously nothing demonic. Either way, he’s terrifying all the same.
“I cast you away from the presence of grace and into Hell,” the man says, tackling me. Light glows from his eyes and crawls over his face as if something illuminates him from within. His fingers warm around my throat as he squeezes, cutting off my airway.
And then I hear it.
Elias’s raspy voice chants something from behind me in a language I’ve never heard. Goosebumps prickle over my skin, and I open and close my mouth, trying to gasp for air that won’t come. I writhe and move, fighting against the man’s hold as Elias continues to chant the strange words from somewhere nearby.
Shadows crowd my vision. My already tired body grows weak. Giving up fighting, I let my arms thump to the ground and close my eyes. This is pointless. Heaven’s army will send me to Hell before my devils can save me.
Fuck. This can’t be it.
Like the Higher Power finally answers one of my silent prayers, the man’s grip on my throat eases away. I remain frozen and confused, wondering why he didn’t end my life. My eyelids turn red with the brilliant glow of Andre strolling closer. It’s now that I realize he might’ve stopped the man, or at least distracted him. But then...I also don’t hear Elias chanting either.
Snapping my eyes open, I inhale a sharp breath. My throat burns, and I cough and roll onto my side. From his spot hidden beneath the shadow of a tree, I spot Elias’s gray eyes sheening with tears. He clutches his chest, his brows low on his forehead. I realize what has happened with one look at him. It wasn’t the Higher Power or Andre intervening. It was Elias succumbing to his sickness which stopped his chant.
Scowling, I watch Elias gasp a deep breath, making him wince in pain. It doesn’t stop him from moving his mouth again, and once more, his eerie chant drifts through the night. I brace myself at the low groan of the man and roll, moving out of the way fast enough that he misses grabbing onto me again. I scramble to my feet and peer around. Andre blocks the street going one way, and Elias’s car and the man stand in the way of my other escape route.
“Stop! Please, I don’t want to fight!” I yell, clenching my hands into fists. “You have to stop!”
“Go to Hell, Satan’s slut!” the man hollers, rushing me.
Swinging my fist, I use all my strength to punch the guy in the face. My hand explodes in pain as my fist connects with the man’s jaw. No one ever mentioned how much punching someone like this would hurt, and I wish I’d have slapped him instead.
At least my punch was enough to knock the crazed, overzealous man on his army of God mission away. He flails his arms like pinwheels, trying to steady himself, but he can’t. He trips over his feet and falls face-first toward the sidewalk. My stomach twists at the sound of his head smashing against the curb. Covering my mouth with my hand, I gawk in shock as blood pools in the gutter, dripping from the man.
He doesn’t yell or try to get up.
He doesn’t move.
Elias stops chanting and the glow of Andre’s wings fades away. Silence fills the world around me as if time stops. My whole body trembles as I try to process what happened. I was only trying to protect myself. I never wanted to hurt the man. He was only here because he was nice enough to stop and help me.
Tears burn my eyes, and I shuffle closer, peering at the man like he’ll wake up and try to attack me. I nearly hope he does. But still, he doesn’t move. His back doesn’t rise and fall with his breathing. Blood stains the ground.
“Fuck,” I murmur, nudging his rigid body with my toe.
“I’m sorry, Raven. It was his time. There was nothing you could’ve done. He was meant to go to everlasting paradise.” Andre’s soft voice trickles to me, and his glorious light illuminates the world again, bathing me in a stinging glow.
I inhale and exhale a few deep breaths, trying to get my anger under control. Is he for real? He speaks as if it wasn’t his fault for getting in the way of the car. He doesn’t even mention the fact that Elias was chanting something that I’m nearly fucking sure put Heaven right into the man to turn him into one of God’s warrior followers. And it pisses me off. I can’t believe he just pulled the “it was his time” bullshit. Because it wasn’t. It shouldn’t have been.
Whipping my head back, I peer up at Andre and clench my jaw, forcing my mouth to stop trembling. “You’re crazy! How was this supposed to be his time? This was your fault. Had you not gotten into his head, he’d be alive. You should’ve just left me alone.”
I swipe a stray tear from my face, hating how much my eyes water despite me not wanting to cry over this man and in front of this angel. Unfurling his wings, Andre flaps them once, sending a gust of coconut scented air over me. And then he reaches out and touches my shoulder, his own eyes watering like mine.
“Perhaps it was my fault,” Andre admits, sighing and drooping his wings. “I shouldn’t have come here, but I heard your yells. I heard your call for help. I’ve seemed to grow in tune to your voice and it brought me here. It was like you responded to my own prayers for answers of what to do.”
