The Falling (Book I)

Forgiveness

Melanie

I could not remember what happened after Rayi shoved me into the back of my consciousness. There was a roaring in my ears that had yet to leave. When I came to, William was standing over me with his knee pressed into my chest. He was breathing hard, the right sleeve of his shirt soaked with blood. I could not tell what he was thinking as I stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Hard to believe that slip of a girl could take almost all of us out." I heard one sniff as the roaring lessened.

I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion. I attacked the Archangels and—mostly—won?

[No, I did. Do not take the credit.] Rayi huffed.

"My Lord." William turned his head toward Joel, whose face was pale with shock. "What should we do with her?"

The words Joel had said before came back, as well as the burning anger. There must have been a shift in my aura because William whirled back on me, one hand grabbing me by the neck and the other placed by my head to maintain his balance. My sternum crunched as he added pressure with his knee, forcing a gasp out of me.

"Do not even think about it," he snarled malignly at me.

The abhorrence in his eyes made tears prick my eyes, my anger vanishing completely. I whimpered pathetically, wondering he would be the one to end me. I hoped he would show me some mercy, even if I did not deserve it.

"...Send her back." Joel's defeated tone made both of our heads snap in his direction.

"What?!" came the collective response from the Archangels, especially Luke. His face was paler—if that were possible—and covered with sweat. The sneer he gave me was darker than before.

Joel sank into his throne, all the unkindness that had been present earlier replaced with moroseness. He repeated, "Send her back to Hell. It is apparent she knows nothing of Dezso's whereabouts or condition. She has shown herself to be too dangerous to remain in Heaven, even as a prisoner. William, you take her."

"Then why not just kill her?" Luke questioned, his white eyes seeming to glow with his indignation.

Joel's eyes met mine before they hardened and looked away. "That would undoubtedly start a war. As it is, we are on the brink for bringing an Optima here. I gave the order out of conniption and for that, I apologize. William, bring her back to the portal in no worse condition than she is already in."

I doubted he was giving the order out of some misplaced fraternal concern for me. He was right, though; when Zane or even Lin learned of what happened to me, they would flood the halls of Heaven with red. Either way, it had not mended my opinion of him. I said, loud enough for all of them to hear me, "A leader should never give a command when his emotions are rampant."

"Why you-!" One of the Archangels, who rivaled the size of the Steel-Toed Angel, took a step toward me before the redhead William stood beside earlier grabbed his arm and shook his head when the former glowered at him.

William got off me before gripping the front of my dress and lifting me. As soon as my feet touched the cold floor, he grasped my bicep tightly and led me out of the room.

We moved quickly through the halls, the stained windows a blur. I stumbled several times trying to keep pace with his long strides as he dragged me to the golden gate. The guards protested when they saw me and realized I had been released rather than executed. I shot them both a dirty look.

There was a flutter and I turned my attention back to William. His wings were outstretched to their full span of thirty feet. They flapped and we left the ground. Once we were out of sight, he pulled me into his arms, holding me bridal style. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck as he dived, his wings pressed flat against his body. My stomach was in my throat and I nearly bit through my lip to hold back my scream of panic. How could he be so used to this sensation?