Essence of the Angels (The Starlight Chronicles #2)

Chapter Thirteen

Lucy's POV

Enough time had passed for it to be nightfall when we finally arrived at the Sacred City—and my legs felt like they were about to drop off. Nightfall on the sun was an interesting concept in itself—it didn't get dark, but my body's internal clock still recognized when it was time to sleep and rise. I figured it had something to do with the magic in the air.

Neo found us an inn to check into for the night, and I was exhausted. I couldn't wait to eat something then pass out. I'd even skip eating if my stomach hadn't been growling so badly.

The inn had a variety of elixirs that angels were drinking. I didn't know what was more interesting—the elixirs sparkling with metallic tones or the angels themselves. Just as Ivan had said, the angels of the Sacred City were different from those at the sanctuary. These ones seemed to have an entirely different appearance—their skin was near black, but not in the fallen angel way. It was a smooth, beautiful onyx, that seemed to shimmer with undertones of dark gold, and their wings were a creamy golden color, like they'd been tanned from the rays of the First Star. Every single one of them looked intimidating and fierce—giving off a sense of having carried centuries of secret fighting knowledge and just waiting for an excuse to cut off our limbs.

A few angels stared at us, probably wondering who we were and what our business in their city was. We must have been a strange sight—a descending fallen angel, a half angel, an ex-angel, and the Starlight Princess, all gathered in a little inn sharing an extra-large basket of bread that we'd carried with us. We sat closest to a small fire so that we could toast our Earthly food rations.

Once we'd cooked our bread and melted butter and garlic through it, I ripped into it, starving. Kyra ate just as eagerly as I did. Neo was slightly better behaved, and Andrew nibbled at most. We finished the whole basket in less than ten minutes.

Neo boiled us tea as well, and I was thankful; my throat was especially parched after all that walking, and I'd finished my sun-altered water hours ago. As we waited for it to brew, I noticed that Andrew and Kyra were talking again, across from us. They seemed completely oblivious to us, and I was quite surprised that Andrew had opened up again so quickly after what had happened earlier. He'd ignored us for hours until Kyra had started talking to him, and now, they were back to talking as if they'd always been friends.

Neo caught me staring.

"I'm not the only person who thinks this is weird?" he asked lightly, eyeing them as he leaned closer.

"I just don't get it," I replied quietly. Neo poured my tea and passed it over to me. I sipped and watched the two of them as they grabbed their own cups, and they exchanged a small smile.

"Is it just me, or do they seem sort of . . . close?" I murmured to Neo, frowning.

"It's not just you," Neo confirmed. "I'm as lost as you are."

I shook my head quickly. "They barely know each other," I hissed. "He's a centuries-old angel. What on Earth would he have in common with her?"

Neo shrugged, stirring his tea. "I mean—this is just a guess—but they do have the same essence running through their veins. They're both technically half angels at this point."

I detected a hint of sarcasm, and a feeling of realization came over me. "Oh my God," I whispered, my eyes darting back to them briefly. "You don't think . . . there's some kind of bond thing going on, right?"

Neo didn't reply immediately. "I think it's weird that they're close," is all he offered, and my heart plummeted.

It wasn't that I thought lowly of Andrew, but Kyra was my little sister, and I didn't want this life for her. I wanted to find a way to cure her of this accidentally contracted angelism. I wanted her to go back to her once normal life and have that again. What would happen to her if she got caught up with Andrew, of all people? He was one of the oldest angels in the entire universe!