Mated (The Queen's War #1)

Chapter 32

Perci wasn't sure what she expected to see when she came out the other side of the portal and into Ascension, but she had hoped she would've been surprised at the environs. Instead, everything appeared just as she imagined it would be. Light sandstone and white buildings, greenery everywhere she looked, crystal blue skies marred only by a smattering of fluffy clouds. It was all too idyllic.

The area around the portal was situated in what appeared to be a small park in the middle of a ring of tall terraced houses. Large trees with silvery leaves blocked most of the view from her height but she could still see the domed glass roofs beyond. The portal itself sat inside a metal pavilion where lush pink roses entwined around the pillars.

Appreciating the truly beautiful city would have to wait however, because more pressing issues were beginning to make themselves known. It was only a matter of time before someone came through behind her, and she needed to be well out of sight before then. With that in mind, Perci heaved her burden higher so she could descend the few steps into the grass. She looked around to see whether there was anyone around, but other than a few people in the distance that probably couldn't see her, it was deserted. Nikolas had been correct with his information.

She chose not to waste more time waiting for a better opportunity and half-carried the bloody knight around the back of the pavilion and almost dropped to the ground in relief when she saw the shadowed corner of the park. A few of the trees had grown together in a cluster and the thick trunks had enough space between them where she could stash the seraph easily.

It took precious minutes to heave his heft all the way to the trees, but she was thankful that the injured immortal was barely conscious since he seemed to have no idea what was going on. Only once Perci pushed him into the gap did he stir and before he could raise his head to look at her, she brought her elbow down on his head, hard. He passed out instantly.

The longer grass did wonders to hide the body from view from passersby, but Perci didn't have time to make sure. She quickly stripped off her metal armour and wiped off as much of the blood from her skin as she could. For the most part she just produced a smeary mess on her arms but it would have to do for now.

Since everything had been going relatively smoothly so far, Perci gave herself a moment to rest and breathe. She'd made it through the seraph stronghold in one piece and was at the heart of the enemy's territory. Now, she just had to hope that Abaddon had fulfilled his side of the plan and Cerberus was either already here or on his way. They'd decided it would be too obvious for both of them to enter Ascension at the same place, so Cerberus had been whisked away to a portal on the other side of the country that should have transported him to a wilder area just outside of Elysia. Supposedly, Lucan's familiar should have come through the portal days ago and she kept her fingers crossed as she left the park that he was lurking in the city somewhere.

Perci approached one of the narrower walkways between the ring of terraced houses and only just managed to reach its shadows before the sound of voices coming through the portal reached her ears. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed it. Ahead, she saw that the path came to a crossroads and indecision made her pause. Aimlessly wandering the city wasn't a great plan by any means, but until Cerberus found her, she was shit out of luck. However, she couldn't stay stationary just in case someone came across her who was clued in to her identity.

With that in mind, she continued walking with an unhurried pace down the streets and tried not to be affected by what she was seeing. Whilst she understood that the majority of seraph were good people and others merely following their leader, it was difficult to see all the evidence of normalcy. Each house and home she walked past showed her glimpses of a seraphic life that she hadn't been exposed to. It made the idea of hurting anyone who threatened her life twist up her insides.