1. Olivia

Olivia

A nsel parks the car close to Silent Lake, on the other side of Veross City, and gets out. It used to be a favorite spot for couples until the bodies of at least twenty women were discovered in the lake and the surrounding woods. There is a cabin on the far end of the lake and I can’t help wondering if someone lives here. I know I wouldn’t be able to sleep well knowing such horrible crimes happened here.

Ansel yells fuck a few times before dragging his palms down his face and pacing around like a lion trapped in a cage. Why is he mad? I’m the one who should be angry.

Diva huffs a few times, so I ask, “Do you think Ansel has lost his mind?” She lets out another huff as if replying to me. I turn in my seat so I can pet her. “You are such a good girl,” I coo, and Diva licks my face.

It takes Ansel a few minutes to calm down, then he sits on the hood of the car, grabs a cigarette from his pack, and starts smoking while watching the sunset behind the tree line.

Diva wants to get out, so I open the back door for her. I remain inside while watching Diva run and sniff around until I get bored and decide to join Ansel in his suffering.

“Have you ever skated on a frozen lake?” I ask as I sit next to him. He’s on his third cigarette.

Ansel takes my hand in his free one. “Not long after Francesca and Reid became my foster parents, Tyson and Rueben brought me here, along with a pack of beer. It was February and cold as hell. Not to mention that it was my first time drinking.” Ansel chuckles at the memory of whatever happened that day. “I got drunk fast. The lake was frozen. So we, being stupid drunk teens, decided it was a good idea to walk on it.”

When Ansel stops talking to take a drag from his cigarette, I try to guess, “The ice broke.”

Ansel nods. “It was so freezing cold I thought I’d die.” He throws the bud of the cigarette into the snow before cupping my cheek with his free hand and pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m glad Rueben pulled me out, because I got to meet you in real life.” His lips caress mine. “You resent me for bonding with you, but I don’t feel sorry. You are mine, Olly. Mine to protect, to love, to fuck, and everything else in between. But fuck, Honey, you shouldn’t have done what you did. You should have talked to me. Or Rueben. Or Tyson.”

My heart races a bit. “I had no other choice.”

“Bullshit. We would have endured anything. For you.”

His breath caresses my skin.

“No, you wouldn’t have. Camila was already dead and you all hated me for it. I was alone, with no one to talk to, so I did what I had to do,” I open up a bit.

Ansel wraps his arms around me and I lean my cheek against his chest. “I won’t rest until your father and brother are dead. Until Carlos and Azael are caught and brought to justice,” he promises me.

The time has finally come. But am I ready? Even if I’m not, I have no other choice. “I think I know a way.”

Ansel tilts my chin to look into his eyes, “Tell me.”

I haven’t told anyone about what I took from my father’s office, but this secret has ruined so many lives. Mine included. If I’m going to start standing up for myself, I need to confide in someone. I wanted it to be him but his hate for me clouds his judgment and he will probably torture me again. The only one I can trust is Ansel. I might not like that he bonded with me, but it is that bond that lets me know that he is not lying to me. This is why I asked him to go shopping with me today. In reality, I wanted to get away from the farm for a few hours to get my thoughts in order.

“I stole something from my family. Something that was passed down from generation to generation. My father would do anything to get it back. Including taking everything and everyone that I love away from me.” He already did that, so time for payback.

Ansel clenches his jaw. “He let Jason do all the dirty work while he went on and lived his life.”

Compared to my father, Jason is tame.

Revealing stuff is still scary because I was beaten so many times while threatened that if I said anything to anyone, there would be consequences and the memory causes bile to rise to my throat.

“Camila and I got curious about hellstars, especially about a rare kind of hellstars who apparently may have powers. My father has a collection of old books; some are about the first days of the Dukes and Lords. I made the mistake of telling Camila about them and it led us to hearing a conversation between Azael and my father.”

Hiding in my father’s office was not that hard. When we were children, Jason showed me how to access a secret compartment behind the bookcases. It was big enough to allow Camila and me to get in. “Azael and my father had a deal.”

My voice trembles, and Ansel rubs my back, comforting me so I keep talking.

“In exchange for an amazing political career, my father promised Azael that he would bring Lords’ children to the medical facility.” I close my eyes. God. My family is so fucked up. Ansel’s hand stills on my back. “Azael was trying to alter the angels, to make them stronger, more ruthless, and for that, he needed women to bind them to the Dukes who accepted to participate in his experiments. But he wouldn’t say no when it came to young Lords.”

“Why?” Ansel wonders.

Why indeed. I have asked myself the same question many times.

I let go of Ansel and frown while trying to remember everything I heard that night. But the place in which Camila and I were hiding barely let sound in and I missed most of the conversation.

“The other part of the conversation is fuzzy but it was something about hellstars.” I frown, then add, “I think.”

I take Ansel’s pack of cigarettes from his pocket. There is one cigarette left and I bring it to my lips. “Can you light it for me?”

Ansel quirks an eyebrow. “Since when do you smoke?”

I shrug. “Camila and I got curious one day,” I explain while Ansel pulls out his lighter and lights the cigarette for me. “Our curiosity is what got Camila killed.”

What led to me losing the man I loved. I take a drag from the cigarette and cough. “This shit is strong. It will fucking give you cancer and make you die,” I warn him.

Ansel laughs. “Are you worried about me?”

I take a few smaller puffs, trying to get used to the smoke being in my lungs. “I was worried for you, Rueben, and Tyson all these years. The drugs helped me not remember. They made me forget, too—my friendship with Levi, or how you took the time to do maintenance on my bike, or how Rueben liked candies, or that Tyson is the best at COD and he always beat us.” I bring the cigarette to my mouth. “The worst part about remembering is knowing that I’ll never have that happiness again. Or that life. Knowing that my soul is forever scarred. That I lost so much.”

Tears blur my vision.

Ansel pulls me into his arms. “I’m going to fucking kill your father and brother for what they did to you. To all of us.” He cups my face and forces me to look into his eyes. “I’m sorry for failing you. Despite knowing you came above everything else, I ran from my duty, and I’ll regret that all my life. But I’m ready now. Anything you ask of me, I’ll do.”

What duty is he talking about? Whatever it is, maybe I can use it to make it work in my favor.

I take a drag from the cigarette and hold the smoke in my lungs. “Good, because we are going to the Catacombs to retrieve what I stole from my father,” I say before kissing Ansel and filling his mouth with smoke.

Ansel growls against my lips and lifts me up by my ass while inhaling the smoke. My legs wrap around his waist. “The Catacombs?”

He sounds worried and he should be.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid,” I joke.

The Catacombs are a place of eternal suffering. I’m scared too, but I survived it once.

Because Camila was with me. The demons worshipped the ground she walked on and barely paid any attention to me, which worked in my favor.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t,” Ansel replies. “But why the Catacombs?”

“To retrieve what I stole,” I repeat myself.

Ansel blinks. “You hid it in the Catacombs? Must be worth a lot.”

I shrug. “If my father wants it, then what better place to hide it than a place full of angry demons?”

“You are something else,” Ansel exhales softly, releasing the smoke. “I’m intrigued, but also shitting my pants. But fuck. I’ll follow you to Hell and Heaven. To the end of the world and back.”

I don’t know what comes over me but I ask, “Do you love me, Ansel? Do you truly love me?”

“I’ve loved you long before I knew your name. But our love is forbidden,” he says, before passing the smoke back to me, his lips kissing mine softly.

Forbidden?

My soul quakes.

Not that I love Ansel but no one will ever deny me things. Never again.

“I allow it,” I declare before handing Ansel the cigarette; he takes a drag and hands it back to me.

“Even if you wouldn’t have wanted me, you are stuck with me. You are not only my love and obsession, the thing I crave the most in this entire world, but you are the one I’m bound to protect,” Ansel leaves no room for arguing.

It is not the first time Ansel has said something similar.

I press my mouth to his and we kiss like starved people before I pass the smoke back to him. I’ve never done something like this before, but it makes my clit throb. Fuck. I think I want Ansel to fuck me.

Something is wrong with—

I stop the thought right there. Tyson said there’s nothing wrong with me. He might have been awful to me, but he is not a liar. At least in that moment, he was being truthful to me.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a man who is bonded to me. Who loves me. Right? There’s nothing wrong with wanting a man who eats my pussy like it’s the best thing he has ever tasted. Right? Because the orgasms Ansel gave me were out of this world.

When we return home, I’ll rock his world, I decide.

“Protect me?” I huff. “You have a long way to go,” I tease him as I grind myself against him. “Especially if you want to earn my forgiveness. Because right now, I don’t want to be bonded with you,” I let him know how I truly feel.

“But you want me to fuck you,” he points out.

I want to forget everything that has happened to me and start a new life, but alas, I can’t have everything that I want.

“What I want is to discover who I really am. If I actually want to fuck you or not. To be your bonded or be single for the rest of my life. Just because I get wet doesn't mean I want to drop my panties for you.”

He groans. “I figured. This is why I’m holding back, but you are making this difficult for me.”

I take a long drag from the cigarette. “Men usually fuck me without asking if I want it or not. It’s refreshing to see you are actually not like that. That someone is actually listening to me. It has never happened before.”

He used to listen to me.

Ansel has me stand. “Olivia,” he swallows hard. There is pity in his eyes.

Breathing becomes hard. I hate the way he’s looking at me. I never wanted anyone’s pity.

I jab my finger in his chest. “Don’t you fucking dare, Ansel. I’m not broken. The abuse I endured doesn’t define me. What I did was out of love and if you fucking dare pity me for one fucking second, this is over. I’ll break the bond right now and leave to a place so far away you’ll never find me.”

The pity quickly vanishes from his eyes and is replaced by love and respect. I feel like I can breathe easily again.

He pulls me into his chest. “You’re fucking amazing.” The tip of his finger traces a scar on top of my hand. “Badass. My woman is fucking badass! She might be a butterfly but she’s a deadly one!” he yells, making Diva howl. I giggle but it still sounds off, so I cut it short. His mouth falls open. “Laugh again,” he demands.

I shake my head. “We need to go. The night is almost here and we have to return to the farm before the others start looking for us.”

“You don’t trust them.”

I sigh. “No. I don’t know if I should trust you because of….”

“Because of?” Ansel tries to find out.

Stars start to appear in the sky. I finish the cigarette. “Of the way you all treated me when you found me in the forest. And after that. If you want my trust, you need to earn it. So far, all you’ve accomplished is to prove that men are awful and I’m better on my own.”

“Olly. I’m sorry for kicking you. I know that actions speak louder than words but let me show you that I mean everything I’ve told you so far,” he pleads.

Ansel is in pain but fuck, so am I. For years, I’ve lived with pain. And I’m not referring to the physical kind, but the kind that destroys hearts and shatters souls.

“You claim you love me, but you showed interest in me only when I was healed enough to be fucked. Is that my only purpose on Earth? To be fucked by men and have my holes filled with cum?” I question him.

Ansel runs his fingers through his hair. “Your purpose is for me to love you. I’ll earn your trust even if it takes me years.”

I sigh. “Trust is hard for me, especially after the foolish thing Camila did. Which was why we fought. If I had reacted differently, she would still be here.”

“Hey, hey, it’s not your fault,” Ansel tries to console me but I know better. We get in the car. After Diva hops into the back seat, Ansel starts the engine. “You never told me what you stole from your father.”

I put my hand on his thigh. I don’t usually seek physical touch for comfort, but doing so helps me calm my nerves so I can put order to my racing thoughts. “The night Camila and I overheard him talking to Azael, we found something in the place we hid. An old wooden box. Camila opened it.”

I tried to stop her, fearing my father or Azael would realize we were in there, but she went ahead and did as she pleased. She had a habit of doing that. Maybe because everyone spoiled her. Including me.

Ansel turns the car to the left and gets onto the highway.

“What was inside?”

“Two daggers. They shone when Camila touched them and that’s how I knew they were important. That they were meant for her. So we hid them. The Catacombs were Camila’s idea. Out of all of us, she was the smartest.”

Ansel drums his thumbs on the wheel. “Even smart people make mistakes.”

I look out the window. “Are you talking from experience?”

“Yeah. The fact that I ignored my duty the first chance I got, leaving you to fend for yourself, shows how stupid I am. I can’t get on my knees fast enough to ask for forgiveness.”

Diva barks as if she agrees with Ansel.

Despite my body being clear of drugs for some time, it still feels as if I have brain fog. “I really don’t understand what you mean by your duty.”

Ansel glances at me. His reflection shows in the window. “I thought you already accepted what you are but it looks like I’ll have to explain some weird shit to you.”

Does he know I’ve accepted the darkness inside me? How is that possible?

“Weird shit? After what I just told you?” I can’t help questioning him because I need to learn what he knows.

“Trust me, I saw and heard a lot of messed up stuff. We’ll talk once we get back to the farm and the others see the videos,” he says.

I nod. “Don’t forget what you promised me,” I remind him.

Ansel puts his hand on top of mine. “I’m here if you ever need to talk to me about…anything.”

A sharp pain starts in my heart. “There’s no need.”

Ansel drives in silence until we reach the city. “I won’t kill your father nor your brother. Neither will the others.”

I drag my gaze to him, trying to make sense of what he is saying.

“You’ll take their lives. Your wings are no longer broken, but whole.” He tells me.

“You say the strangest things,” I say before telling him where the secret entrance to the Catacombs is. “I don’t want anyone to know what we’re up to,” I add when he raises his eyebrows.

While Ansel drives, I reveal more things to him.

Twenty minutes later, Ansel parks the car near an old cemetery. Staring at the tombs, he says, “Suddenly, I have a bad feeling about this.”

I give his thigh a light squeeze. “I’ve already been there once and nothing happened to me. We’ll be fine.”

Ansel resigns to his fate. “Right. Diva, stay here and guard the car until we return.”

Diva growls, clearly not happy with Ansel, so I pet her. “We’ll be back quickly. And then I’ll give you the rest of my hamburger.” Diva licks my hand and Ansel and I get out of the car.

“What now?” Ansel asks.

The cemetery is dark, silent, and creepy as hell. I point to an old crypt. “There’s a secret tunnel inside. Which leads….”

“To Hell,” Ansel grumbles.

I press my lips into a thin line. “I thought Lords were not afraid of Hell. Didn’t you make a pact with Lucifer when you received your demon?”

Ansel squeezes my hand. “The pact is with Cain.”

Lucifer, Cain, same thing.

We head inside the cemetery. Ansel wraps an arm around me while putting the other one on his holster.

The wind rustles some branches and Ansel swears under his breath.

“Boo,” I whisper in his ear.

“Come on, let’s get this over with. I just keep having this feeling that something is wrong,” he grumbles.

I press my lips together before saying, “You really are scared.”

Ansel tenses up. “Not for me, but for you. The demons in the Catacombs might not like me, and I might not come out alive. But I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

He sounds so sincere that I want to believe him.

We enter the crypt.

“What is that supposed to mean? That the ones in the Catacombs won’t like you?”

“I’m…different from the other Lords.”

“Oh, I know that,” I say. “Your eyes are not the same shade of red as those of your blood-brothers. Do you want to wait for me here?” I joke because I know Ansel won’t leave me alone.

Ansel’s hold on me tightens. “Hell no. I would gladly let those demons tear me apart if that means I’ll keep you safe.”

I roll my eyes. He’s so dramatic. “I don’t think that will be necessary,” I say.

Luckily, no surprises await us in the crypt and I show Ansel where the secret traps are. Camila and I had quite a hard time trying to figure them out. It takes around half an hour of carefully walking to reach an old metal door that guards the entrance to the Catacombs. I press my palms to it and it opens. We enter. A shudder runs down my spine.

The door closes behind us.

Shit.

I forgot how awful this place is.

The Catacombs are completely dark, no light filtering in. There’s one theory that the Catacombs are endless—or so the legends say—and guard the entrance to Hell. The Blood Lodges and other places were built above them to prevent people from finding a way to get inside. Because once inside, it’s almost impossible to get out. The demons living here have to let you out. Good luck with that. There’s a reason why this place is called the Catacombs.

Old bones snap beneath my feet.

It’s so cold in here that I wrap my arms around myself. The only feelings I have are those of misery and absolute despair. My instincts are screaming at me to run. I swallow hard and take a step forward.

Something brushes against my legs. “Mortals, you made a huge mistake by coming here,” an evil voice tells me.

Ansel starts to scream as if he’s in great pain.

“Stop! Don’t hurt him,” I say to whatever demon is hurting Ansel. I reach out my hands and try to find Ansel in the dark, but all I can touch is the air. “He is my bonded.”

A pair of red eyes appear before me. “You’re back.”

Ansel keeps screaming.

I recognize the voice of the demon speaking to me. “I came to retrieve the box I left here years ago. And I would appreciate it if you left my bonded alone.”

Ansel screams a few more times before he finally stops.

“You left something, yes, but you also stole something from us—something that didn’t belong to you. It was our duty to guard it. And for that, you will die. Unless you bring it back.”

“No!” Ansel roars.

I keep trying to find Ansel. Where is he? “It was my friend who took it, and for that, I’m truly sorry. As for returning it, I’m afraid it’s impossible,” I try to reason with the demons. “The seal was broken, as I assume you already know.”

“You have doomed us all. And for that, you’ll pay the ultimate price,” the demon tells me.

“No, no,” Ansel says.

“Silence the Heartless,” another demon says.

The what? “I’ll gladly die, but I need you to hold onto that thought until I send my father and brother to hell or whatever place the Dukes go when they die,” I try to explain.

“You can’t kill her! She’s a hellstar!” Ansel reveals one of my well-guarded secrets.

I feel more demons gathering around me. Why did Ansel have to speak?

“Indeed she is. But she still has to pay the price for taking the Dybbuk box from us.”

Great. Now all the demons in the Catacombs know.

“It was my friend, Camila, who took it. I wanted to return it, but…all hell broke loose, and she…died,” I try to explain what happened. “Look, I only need the daggers I left here so I can make some things right. When I return with them, you can do whatever you want with me. Azael is stirring up something bad and he needs to be stopped.”

The demons are silent as they are thinking, but not Ansel. Oh no, he has to open his mouth and speak some more.

“You can’t kill Olivia, she is a Warrior hellstar.” I’m a what? What’s a Warrior hellstar? Ansel keeps speaking. “You can’t kill me either since I’m her Guardian, but you can punish me for whatever Olivia and Camila did to wrong you.”

The air leaves my lungs.

Ansel is my what?

What’s a Guardian?

A murmur spreads in the Catacombs.

“Guardian…”

“The time is near…”

“Heartless are never Guardians,” a demon says. “They are—”

Ansel cuts the demon short. “My…heart was specially put inside me for Olivia. You can take some of my blood so you can see my past and know that I’m telling the truth.”

I grip Ansel’s hands hard. He has a lot of explaining to do when we get out of here.

A few moments of silence follow, and then, “Very well.” Ansel is yanked away from me. “The Heartless will pay the price instead of his mate. He will lose his wings. Maybe his heart , too.”

“No,” I whisper. They can’t leave Ansel without his heart. He’ll die.

Ansel starts screaming again.

Blood roars in my ears.

“No!” I say louder.

The sound of bones snapping and breaking is louder than Ansel’s screams.

Tears run down my face.

I can’t bear losing more loved ones.

“No,” I whimper.

“One wing down. Three more to go, Heartless. We are going to have a feast tonight.”

I start to vomit. They are tearing Ansel apart, limb by limb.

How many wings does Ansel have?

Four. The demons said four.

When my stomach is empty, I search for Ansel. “Where are you?” I ask.

“Stay where you are,” Ansel grunts as demons laugh.

I should never have brought him with me. He warned me, and I mocked him.

“Two wings down, two more left. Look at how much blood you are losing. You might not make it, Heartless.”

“Leave him alone,” I scream.

Ansel’s screams start to die down. He can’t die. I won’t let him!

“Stop!” I sob when I finally find Ansel lying on his stomach and I cover him with my body. My clothes become soaked with his blood. Demons try to snatch Ansel away from me, and I hold him tightly because I know that he will die if I let go.

“Stop.” I breathe hard.

The demons try to push me away.

Anger rises inside me. Ansel might have been shitty with me, but he doesn’t deserve to die like this.

“Stop!” I yell as hard as I can.

Light erupts around me. Black figures retreat in the shadows.

“She’s not just a Warrior hellstar. She is the one destined to lead her sisters into battle when Armageddon begins.”

While I don’t know what to make of what the demons just said about me, I know that if I don’t act fast, I’ll lose Ansel. And fuck if I’ll let anyone else take people I care about away from me like Jason and my father did. In the past, I thought I had no choice other than to submit, to use my body as a bargaining chip, but now that I have tasted freedom, I won’t let anyone cage me again. If I want something, I have to fight tooth and nail for it. Starting now.

Light still comes out of my body. I look like a human torch. Like an angry human torch. Bring it on, fuckers.

I slowly rise to my feet. The demons retreat even deeper into the shadows. Looks like they’re afraid of my light. Who would have thought that? I take a step forward. Ansel grabs the hem of my coat. I remain with him, wanting him to know that I won’t leave him. He has lost a lot of blood and I’m afraid to leave him alone, even for a moment.

“That’s right, motherfuckers,” I snarl while my fingers curl into my palms, not wanting the demons to know how scared I really am. Because not being scared would be so dumb of me. “If you don’t want me to destroy your little home here, you better do what the fuck I tell you to!” I say it loud and clear.

The demons keep arguing.

“The price was not entirely paid. The Heartless still owe us his last two wings. Otherwise, you both will die here.”

“You do realize that my balls are bigger than yours and I have the power to destroy this place!” I challenge them. The demons snarl at me. I snarl back louder than them. “You’ll bring me the daggers and the wings you took from my bonded. You have five seconds to do so!”

Ansel grunts in pain.

“I’m going to patch you up,” I tell him. Then I start counting. “Five! Four! Three!” I quickly say. The demons hesitate. “You think I’m bluffing?” I call forth the darkness inside me.

The daggers and Ansel’s wings appear in front of me. The light grey feathers are splattered red with blood, and bones are sticking out. I feel sick again. They look beyond repair. If I can repair them.

I pick up the daggers. They are around fifteen inches long, have a simple blade, and have salt and pepper diamonds encrusted in the hilt. The diamonds shine as my fingers touch the daggers. Normally, I would stop to think about what this means, but right now, I’m a bit busy wanting to annihilate these stupid demons for hurting Ansel. Only I have that right.

“It was you all along. You hold the power to doom us,” is whispered around me.

I narrow my eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“We were wrong about the other hellstar. We thought she was the one destined to defeat Ophyr, but it was you all along.”

Are they talking about Camila?

“Your friend was a Conductor, her powers mirrored yours, tricking us. But by accepting the darkness in your heart, you opened a door for the Heartless Ones to try to corrupt your soul.”

Who the hell are the Heartless Ones?

The door to the Catacombs opens. I put the daggers in the loops of my pants.

“Leave and never come back.”

“Gladly,” I huff.

I grab the wings with one hand while yanking Ansel up with the other. He can barely stand on his feet, and blood is still running down his back. I put his arm around my shoulders, and we start walking. “No one will ever manipulate me again. Not even these Heartless dudes, whoever they are.”

“You’ve bonded with a Heartless.”

“And?” I ask.

“You still don’t understand what you’ve done. Light and darkness don’t mix.”

“They do now,” I say.

Ansel and I get out, and as the door starts to close, one last thing is said to me. “Look next to the sea; that’s where you’ll find what was hidden from you.”

Why do they have to speak in riddles? Is it so hard to say what they really mean without sounding like some overbearing fae lord?

As soon as the door is closed, I make Ansel sit and put the wings next to him. “Let me look at your back.”

The light retreats back inside my body, and I grab the small flashlight that I used when we first entered the crypt and point it at Ansel’s back. His jacket and t-shirt are shredded to pieces, and I help him take them off. When I see the extent of the damage done to him, I feel like vomiting again. Skin and muscles are torn all the way to the bones. It looks so unbelievably painful.

He is still bleeding but not as badly as before. Is he running out of blood? What am I supposed to do in that case?

“It’s okay,” Ansel tries to comfort me. “All will be well.” He collapses onto his stomach. “Some Guardian I am. Failing you left and right,” he whispers before his eyes close. He mouths, ‘sorry.’

“If you are sorry, don’t leave me here alone! I swear I’ll bring you back just as I did with Rueben, and I’ll fucking kick your ass before I kill you with my own hands.”

Ansel chuckles, letting me know he is still alive. “My…um, demon will help with the healing,” he says, sounding so weak. “But I’ll need to sleep a lot after.”

Thank God. Or Lucifer. Or whoever got Ansel and me out of this mess.

“This is such a bloody mess—no pun intended,” I sigh.

Ansel snorts.

“What’s a Guardian and why do I need one? And most importantly: what’s a Heartless?”

“We better get to the car before I fall asleep,” Ansel says.

He’s deliberately avoiding answering my questions. That’s fine. I’ll ask him again once we are at the farm. I help him stand, and we walk. His legs tremble and he groans in pain, and I know we need to hurry.

It seems an eternity before we make it back to the car. Diva scratches the window, wanting to get out. I drop the wings on the snow and look for the car keys in Ansel’s pocket. Once I locate them, I unlock the car. Diva barks impatiently.

“Yeah, I know we were gone for a long time, but you have to behave,” I tell her as I open the passenger door and get Ansel inside. He passes out as soon as his ass hits the seat.

Some blankets are next to Diva, and I grab one that doesn’t have a lot of her hair on it and drape it around Ansel. Not knowing what to do with the wings, I throw them in the trunk, then I get behind the wheel. “I haven’t driven before, but it should be easy.”

Right?

My fingers tremble as I start the car. “Please, don’t let me have an accident.”