Mated (The Queen's War #1)

Chapter 36

"Maya?" Perci repeated, her jaw dropping out of pure astonishment.

"Who are you?" She asked, backing up. "How do you know my name?"

"Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit!" Perci chanted as she turned away and gripped her hair in two fistfuls. She turned back around to look at Maya's confused face and saw the thick wedding band around her wrist that was identical to the one on Abaddons. The sight made her knees weak. "This can't be happening. You're supposed to be dead."

"Who are you?" Maya whispered, her eyes impossibly wide.

"Four hundred and fifty eight years ago, Archangel Michael burned you alive in front of your soulmate, Abaddon."

"How do you-" Maya started, but cut off when Perci surged forward and hugged her. "Ah!"

Perci moved back at once, having momentarily forgotten about Maya's injuries.

"I'm sorry." She said quickly and retrieved her top. "Here."

Maya took the top and held it against her breasts since she couldn't put it on with her wrists shackled.

"How do you know that story? Who are- wait! What are you doing?"

Perci felt Maya's hands on her wrist as she gripped the links of the chain closest to her shackles.

"Listen, Maya." She looked right into the seraph's eyes so she knew every word she was about to say was sincere. "We don't have time to explain everything that's going on right now. I need to get you out of here and we both need to leave Ascension as fast as possible."

There was a tense silence as the two women tried to read the other, then finally Maya nodded.

"These chains are magically protected. They don't have a key, only the person who put them on me does."

"Let me guess, Michael did that." Perci sighed.

"Yes."

"Is it only seraph power it's protected against?"

"Uh, I think so." She frowned at her.

"Any chance you have the power to create a portal to get us out of here?"

"I can probably get us out of the castle, but I'm weak. My reach won't get us far enough."

"Okay, better to save your strength. We'll find another way out." Perci fisted the chain links and sent a prayer to the universe that what she was about to do wasn't a colossal mistake. "I'm going to do something that might make Michael aware of my presence but I can't think of any other way to get you free."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"I have it in good authority that we make it out of the castle alive, at least until we're being chased by knights that is. So it has to."

"I don't understand."

"Nevermind, I'll tell you later. Okay..." Perci took a deep breath and counted to ten in her mind. "Don't be afraid and don't move no matter what."

After receiving an affirmative nod from the seraph, Perci let go of the stranglehold she'd held over her demon form and let her body explode. Her skin reddened and her nails elongated, but through it all she watched Maya's face pale with fear. To her credit, she didn't cower and she didn't move, but Perci could tell she was desperate to. Her eyes seemed fixated on her horns.

"I'm going to use my demonfire against the shackles. I don't want to burn you, so stay absolutely still."

"Do it." Maya said, her voice quiet.