Chapter 22

Things were going betterthan I anticipated.

After my call, Lacey was about to break the circle, but before she could, Levi came back.

Levi fished regular metal handcuffs from his pockets and advanced on me.

"What's that for?" I asked, retreating.

"We're going to San Francisco."

I glanced at Lacey, surprised. Then it hit me. "Because of the bond."

He nodded. "Unfortunately, I can't go and leave you behind," he had said. If he drove up there and I stayed back, he would hurt.

Great.

He put the cuffs around my wrists, asked Lacey to break the circle, which she did, and lastly, he grabbed my upper arm and dragged me to the car like a criminal.

We rode mostly in silence, and I tried my best to keep my feelings neutral, my heartbeat slow, lest Levi realized what we were planning.

In two hours, we arrived at a townhouse in a residential area in San Francisco. A demon opened the door for us, clearly one of Levi's goons.

"How is it going, Burgin?" Levi asked.

"Everything is ready, sir," Burgin said.

We entered the mostly empty house, and Levi asked Lacey to draw a witch's circle in the middle of the living room for me. Thankfully, while she drew it, he let me use the restroom, and then handed me water and an apple.

"Thank you," I said, disdain dripping from my words and expression.

"It's for your own good, sweetheart," he whispered as he took off my cuffs.

"So, you found this empty house?" Very petty for a demon.

Levi glared at me. "If you need to know, sweetheart, it belongs to a friend. He has been out of the country for over a year now."

I was surprised he had answered me. I thought he would growl at me, maybe bark and snap his teeth.

Like a rabid demon.

Damn, clearly, I was still hating him.

Annoyed, Levi gestured to the circle. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I stepped inside, and Lacey completed the spell.

Damn, I was still trapped.

My agony grew with each passing second as Levi walked through the house, talking to his demons about his plan. I didn't hear much, as he didn't talk about it in front of me on purpose, but I got bits and pieces.

They would set up camp outside the mansion at sundown, and near midnight, when they saw an opportunity, they would create a distraction and invade the house.

Levi had mentioned contacting a vampire hacker he knew. "He'll be able to take care of the security alarm for us."

Lacey also moved around a lot. She checked on me constantly, but she spent most of the time with Levi, though I had seen him shooing her away a couple of times, probably so she wouldn't know the plan's details.

Why? Was he afraid she would tell me? And what I could do from here?

While I was stuck in this circle, I could only worry.

Worry that this move, all of this time to think, had changed Lacey's mind and she wouldn't break this circle.

When sundown was near, Levi halted outside the circle. "I'll be back by morning with your wings."

I stared at him, my eyes full of anger, and didn't say one word.

He turned to Lacey. "You two should have dinner, and … bring some pillows and blankets for Ariella. There should be some upstairs."

Lacey nodded. "Be careful."

He flashed a dazzling smile. "What's the fun in that?"

Then he was out, his demons following him. Two stayed, apparently to watch over us in case the angels or other supernaturals found me.

After we saw Levi's car leaving through the window, Lacey rushed to me. I didn't even have to ask. She worked her magic and broke the circle.

I sighed in relief as I stepped out of it. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"I have to say, for a moment there, I thought you had reconsidered our plan."

She nodded. "I had. But then I heard Levi's plan. He'll waltz in the mansion, search for your wings, and take them."

"That's not a plan. That's a wish list."

"Exactly, and from what I heard, the house is secured with modern technology and dozens of bodyguards. Levi is powerful, but even he has his limitations."

"Don't worry," I told her. "This will work."

She pressed her lips tightly. "Maybe I should come with you."

"What? No. If Levi sees you there, he'll lose it. He'll be reckless and do more stupid shit. No, you have to stay."

Lacey grabbed something from her pocket. "Take this." She deposited a small white pouch in my hand. "It's a bomb. Throw it near your enemies and it'll daze them for a minute. In case anything goes wrong."

A minute was enough for when I found my wings and had to run out of there. "Thanks."

"If I had more time, if I had known your plan, I would have done more for you."

"It's okay. Hopefully, I'll just need this." I fisted the pouch. I glanced at my phone, which had been recharged by Lacey on the car ride here. "It's almost time. I should go."

"Right. The demons Levi left behind are outside, one around the front, the other in the back. Be careful."

I nodded and approached a window in the back, on the house's left corner, where it met the wooden fence that separated the yard from the neighbor's. I opened it and spied out. The demon was across the long yard, looking out into the darkening horizon.

"Wait." Lacey crouched down and touched the tip of my boots. A rush of magic coursed through my feet. "You can jump and run now. No one will be able to hear your footsteps for the next ten minutes or so."

I smiled at her. "Thanks."

Not one for sappy goodbyes, I sat on the windowsill, climbed down, and jumped over the fence. I heard a little squeak as Lacey closed the window behind me, but I didn't stop moving. The next two houses didn't have a fence, so I could run straight through their backyards, until I was at a corner house, jumped another fence, and found myself at the street.

With my phone in hand, I used the map app to guide me out of this neighborhood to a busier street. It took fifteen minutes of fast walking, but when I got to the street, I saw a two-story medical building with two taxis parked in front.

I jumped in one, rattled the address to the mansion, and tried to relax on the thirty-minute drive.

Tricky thing to do.

Five minutes away, I called in. "I'm almost there."

"Good," was all the voice on the other side said.

My hands sweated and my heart thumped. The moment I got there, Levi would know it.

The taxi stopped right in front of the iron wrought gates. I paid the driver, stepped out, and faced the two demons behind the gates. "I'm Ariella."

The gates parted in the middle, rolling on side rails, and stopped with a six-foot gap. Swallowing hard, I walked past the gates. Immediately, they closed behind me.

I tried not letting that affect me as I continued down the stone path that led to the mansion.

Not even five seconds later, I heard his voice.

"Ariella!" I glanced back and saw Levi holding the gate bars, his eyebrows at his hairline. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Four demons appeared from the side of the gates, pointing what looked like taser batons at Levi.

"Step away, demon!" one of the guards said, jerking the taser forward.

Levi bared his teeth at them. "I want to see you try."

The guard pushed the taser up to Levi?—

"Wait!" I called out. The guard stopped, the taser just half an inch from Levi's hands. Damn it. This was not my plan. "He's with me."

Levi tilted his head.

The two demons who had been guiding me to the house stepped beside me. "Are you sure?" one asked.

I sighed, knowing I would regret this. "Yes, I'm sure."

The gate opened again. Levi growled at the guards before walking to me. He came to my side. "What the fu?—?"

"Just … stop it, okay," I whispered. "And behave, or I'll tell them you're not with me."

His eyes darkened and his jaw ticked. I knew this was hard for him, but thankfully, he dipped his chin once, and that was enough.

For now.

We continued following the two demons down the path. It curved around a beautiful garden and opened to reveal a huge three-story stone mansion.

In silence, the demons guided us to the big front doors, through a large, opulent foyer with a giant stone staircase, and a wide archway and into a sitting room with several green velvet couches adorned with golden details, heavy green curtains over the long windows, and a golden fireplace that was taller than Levi, where a fire burned, but didn't emit any heat.

"Duncan will be here shortly," one of the demons said.

Both of them walked out, probably to return to the gates, and left Levi and me alone in that giant seating room.

Levi was in my face, his eyes dark and cruel. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"I'm saving your life," I barked back, trying not to raise my voice.

He scoffed. "Are you serious, sweetheart? Do you have that little confidence in me?"

"I think you were putting yourself unnecessarily at risk for something that doesn't even matter to you."

"You asked me to come with you. You practically ordered me, by summoning and creating a bond with me."

"I did, I know, and I don't regret it, but I hoped it would be easier to get in here. And thanks to the reward on my head, it was."

"What did you do?"

"What I asked you to do. I called Duncan, introduced myself, and said I would like to see my wings one last time before the angels found me."

"You did what?" his voice rose, along with his temper.

What I didn't tell him was that first Lacey had called one of his demons back in Houston to find out Lars's phone number. She then called Lars, told him she had the angel everyone was after, and she would only proceed if she spoke directly to Duncan. Reluctantly, he gave us his boss's number and I spoke to him.

Duncan was interested in getting a peek at me, the fallen angel who was causing a mess in the supernatural world, before I was captured and killed by my own kind.

"I have to ask two things," he had said. "One, aren't you afraid I might take you for the reward? And two, what was it that you did that has the angels running around like cockroaches?"

I thought for a second and decided that I should be as honest as I could. "I'm not afraid you'll hand me over for the reward, but that you'll keep me there along with my wings." I hoped he didn't know I didn't have my magic, otherwise he would certainly try. "As for what I did … I saw something I shouldn't and they want to silence me."

That seemed to spark his interest, and he promptly gave me his address and told me to come this evening. When Lacey was about to break the circle in the cabin, I thought I would have to steal Levi's car and come to San Francisco by myself, even if it caused him pain.

Fate smiled my way, though, and Levi brought me here.

Now both of us stared at each other, ready for a fight.

"I knew I would be granted entrance that way," I said.

"Entrance, sweetheart, but no way to get out." He cursed under his breath. "This is a trap. He'll keep you here."

"Then, we fight our way out."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "That's exactly what I was trying to avoid."

"A fight? But you came ready to attack!"

"Without you! So you wouldn't get hurt!"

My heart squeezed; Levi was worried about me. That second ended and I remembered that if I got hurt, Levi could feel it, and that would make it harder to fight.

He didn't care about me or my wings or my magic. He only cared about himself. About getting the wings back so he could go back to his life.

"Right. I forgot you get hurt when I do."

"What?" His eyes rounded. "You think I'm worried about me?"

"Aren't you?"

He opened his mouth, but his gaze shifted to the archway.

A man with short blond hair and an impeccable indigo suit walked into the room. He looked at Levi for a few seconds, then turned his hazel eyes to me.

"Mr. Kensington, I'm Ariella. Nice to me?—"

He raised his hand. "I know who you are and I don't believe we talked about you bringing a guest."

Rigid, Levi stepped closer to me, his hand on my back. "I couldn't let my girl walk into a stranger"s house by herself."

His girl? Was he serious?

Duncan slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Drop the act, Leviathan. I've heard about you and your reputation, and I know Ariella is not your girl. Though, I must say, I don't know why a higher demon is accompanying a fallen angel to my house."

"I asked him to come with me," I said, before Levi spewed out more nonsense. "We have business between us, and I was nervous about coming alone."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I see. Well, should we find your wings?"

"I would love to," I said.

"Follow me, please." Duncan turned on his heels and moved into the foyer.

Levi glanced at me, as if I could read whatever he was trying to tell me. I shook my head and followed Duncan. He was on the first step of the wide stone stairs. Halfway to the tall ceiling, the stairs opened to a ledge and became two—one going to the right, the other going to left.

Duncan took the stairs to the left; Levi and I followed him. The stairs led to a hallway that was as wide as my entire apartment back in Crosby. We walked by many archways to big art collection rooms and some closed doors.

With each step, my stomach turned and my chest tightened increasingly. I was within range of my wings, my precious wings that I had missed so damn much. I had to fight not to sprint past Duncan and find them myself.

A hand slipped into mine and gave it a little squeeze.

I glanced at Levi, but he was looking ahead, his attention on our host and his guards, who were certainly just around the corner. He had probably sensed my nervousness, my excitement, and he had held my hand.

I frowned. Damn, he was one confusing demon.

At the end of the hallway was the tallest, most ornate archway of all, but we couldn't see anything beyond it, just darkness.

Duncan paused a couple of steps from the archway. "Ready?"

"Yes," I said, my voice slightly trembling.

The lights came on, revealing a room with a large glass case right in the center, like an armoire.

Inside it were my wings.

And they were black.