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chapter 6

❝ I shouldn't have taken the angel's hand ❞

SIX

BLOODIED ANGEL WINGS

✶

'' I'm back with the right tools! '' My apartment was as quiet as if I was alone, but Sicheng was there, sitting in silence and surrounded by a gloomy, dark aura that seemed to follow him wherever he went. There was something about the way that he looked at the world, that made me wonder what kind of things he saw in his past. He had the void eyes of a person who survived through something horrible and he seemed to always be alert and ready to fight, even in a moment like that one, when he was in so much pain that he could barely keep his eyes open.

I used to not mind Paris at night. I liked having a glass of wine with the Eiffel tower shining in the distance and then roaming home past the closed museums. I wasn't scared of the dark subway stations and the homeless people that often chose them as a place where to spend the night and I felt at home in the bustling Latin Quarter. That changed after all of the murders that were happening recently. Looking over my shoulder too much and being suspicious of everyone became my new habit and I always find myself speedwalking down the alleyways without street lamps, instead of taking steps at a regular pace.

They are after you and they could decide to kill you just like they are killing the angels.

'' You are not going to believe the face that the guy at the car repair place pulled when I tried to explain our problem to him! '' I exclaimed, took off my jacket and looked at Sicheng. He was still at the same place where I left him, sitting on my sofa and trying to pull out the broken arrows that were sticking out of both his black wings and tanned skin. I told him to wait until I would come back, but he didn't listen and his hands were completely covered in blood because he kept trying to take out the shards with his fingers. '' It kind of reminds me of the face that you are pulling right now. Oh and I also got you a croissant at a bakery on the way back. It's a little dry because it's from this morning, but it's better than nothing, right? ''

'' You went to a mechanic's place? '' he lowly asked, completely ignoring the croissant that I was holding in his direction.

I shrugged and took a bite of the pastry instead. '' It's the only thing that was open at this hour. The guy that was working there gave me some old pliers and I think that they are going to do the trick. ''

'' Not only you are planning to fix me with car repair tools... You also want to do it with old and rusty car repair tools? ''

I took another bite of my croissant and shook my head in disapproval. '' For an angel, you sure are sensitive. You are even worse than Ten. And that says a lot. I still remember how back when we were still dating, he wanted to go only to the most expensive bars, restaurants and clubs in Paris. He didn't just make my heart suffer, but he also crushed my bank account. ''

Sicheng was reluctant to trust me, but he didn't have anywhere else to go. It was kind of hurtful to hear that you were someone's last choice, but I could understand why. Angels and monsters seemed to have a natural hatred for each other, even if I was still learning about their feud. Almost as if there was something in our blood that was telling us to be wary and not trust a member of the other species.

The wounded angel managed to drag himself to my bathroom, where I turned a chair around and told him to sit down. He quietly obeyed and leaned forward, giving me a good view of his back. Placing his arms on the back of the chair, he rested his chin on them, closed their eyes and let out a sigh. '' Ten is safe, right? ''