Shadow of the Sun (Timeless #1)

Chapter 22: Ladies of Darkness

Chill bumps rose on my arms, but it wasn't from the bitingly cold air circling me as we flew through the early morning sky. No. It was the horrifying cacophony below. The images in my head were probably a lot worse than reality, but I couldn't force myself to look. I clutched onto Andrew, my eyes squeezed shut. Andrew was silent, but his lean, hard body tensed around me, muscles lean and hard. Metal crashed against asphalt, ringing in my ears.

Did Soul Stalker finally catch up to us? And why didn't Ehno or Andrew see it coming? Wasn't that what we were here for? To watch the ground for possible attacks? The guilt formed a venomous bubble in my chest. Andrew had been too busy paying attention to me.

"The angels did this. You aren't at fault," Andrew said as we flew over the accident. Heat crept up my neck, part embarrassment, part anger, because he could read me so easily when we touched. My skin glowed electric blue in all the places we touched.

"Put me down," I ordered, trying to focus my mind. 

"No," he said softly.

I took a deep breath and stole a glance over my shoulder to see what was happening beneath us. I gasped, unable to form any kind of coherent phrase for a second or two. Finally, I shouted, "Put me down now!"

"Please." His eyes searched mine, pleading. "I can't. It's too dangerous. Ehno and Lucia can take care of themselves."

I could read the lie and the conflict in his eyes. Of course, he was doing it to calm me down, but it had the opposite effect. Gritting my teeth, I looked down again. Joseph had ducked behind the mangled car, his back against the door, while Ehno and Lucia fought against Soul Stalker, who had apparently acquired backup in between the underground facility and the wreckage site. Two new angels, dressed in white, billowing robes, fought alongside Soul Stalker.

"Traitors," Lucia shouted at them. "You disgust me."

There was a flurry of light, a tiny starburst between them.

If Andrew didn't put me down, so help me I would explode. "I'm not asking, Andrew." My voice went low, guttural. "Put me down. Now."

He took in my severe expression, then lowered, just a bit. A small concession, but one nonetheless. "Stay with Joseph." His facial expression made it clear this point would not be negotiable.

There was a scream. Crackling. Something exploded underneath us, piercing the bitter morning air. My fingers dug into Andrew, and then we dropped so quickly that one second we were high above the trees and the next we were on the ground, behind the destroyed car. The vehicle was cut almost in two. The tires were twisted at a funny angle, and safety glass littered the asphalt. Andrew put me on my feet, and I turned to Joseph, who leaned against the bent door, his head bleeding profusely. It was crimson against his skin.

"Crap, Joseph. Talk to me. You okay?" I crouched and ran over to him. The noise on the other side had become explosive. You'd think a war was being waged in the middle of the street as huge bursts of light and large booming sounds vibrated the ground.

Andrew stared at the two of us for a second. What was he waiting for? "Please—help them."

He gave a small nod, his eyes full of some emotion I couldn't read, and flew toward the chaos on the other side of the car.

Joseph coughed, bringing my attention back to his wounds.

"Joseph?" My fingers flailed uselessly around his injury. I didn't have the supplies I needed to suture his head, so I twisted a bit of his hair over the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding.

"Hey, Gabby," he said in a dazed voice, smiling.

I frowned at his tone. He put his hand to his forehead. "I'm bleeding. Is it bad?"