1. CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

SERA

I'm gagged and bound, a blindfold over my eyes.

Why?

Crap, did I blackout at some underground sex club?

Did I forget the safe word?

Wait…I don't have a safe word, and I don't go to sex clubs— unfortunately .

A voice hisses into the darkness around me, and I recognize it with ease.

That motherfucker.

Someone else speaks, and I freeze—it's Ahnou, my best friend's mate.

The Anubis is one of the most honorable beings I've ever encountered.

He'll put a stop to…whatever the hell this is, and then I'm going to fry the balls off of one stupid Teraphim.

It's interesting how I went from a sex club to a BBQ in the span of sixty seconds, but my brain works in wondrous ways.

Content in plotting my revenge, I simply wait until I'm set down on a soft surface.

But my patience dries up when Ahnou doesn't remove the ropes.

I squirm, lashing about in frustration until a voice— his voice—cuts through my agitation.

"Stop acting like a human."

The disdain is enough for me to forget myself, and I obliterate the blindfold and ropes in a flash of light.

My eyes adjust to the faint glow drifting through the French doors that lead to a balcony.

It's nighttime, but judging from the strange star patterns, I'm no longer on Earth.

I'm in The Veil.

Across the room sits a certain asshole, his majestic wings draped casually over the back of the leather chair he's sprawled in.

Like it's a throne, and he's some king.

The sight of him sets my anger aflame once more, and I open my mouth to pour gasoline on the fire, but nothing comes out.

Ugh, I'm still gagged.

Why am I still gagged?!

My Seraphim light should've incinerated the damn thing.

As if reading my mind, the Teraphim grins, a wicked curl of the line slashed across his beak.

In the shadows, the smirk appears even more sinister, and I want nothing more than to smack it off his face.

"Left your gag, I see. Strange, that. Maybe you subconsciously want to be silenced."

That's it—he's dead!

I growl, and the Teraphim chuckles. "My, my, aren't we easily riled up."

Ripping the gag down, I scowl so hard that my teeth grind together.

"Where's Ahnou?"

"Who?"

"I heard him! What did you do to him?"

"Nothing. He left to return to his mate and cubs."

"Just you wait! He's going to tell Fern, and then your ass is grass!"

"Mhmm, is that so? That's an interesting Earth saying, by the way. Why will my ass be grass, exactly?"

"Because Fern's the lawnmower—you know what? It's not as cool as it sounds when you have to explain it. Why am I here?"

"You know why. It's time you stopped fighting your destiny and embraced who you are."

"A murder? Because the only thing I feel like embracing is the knife I use to stab you with."

"It's interesting. Usually Seraphim aren't so…bloodthirsty."

"I'm special," I drawl with a fake flutter of my eyelashes.

"If by ‘special', you mean ‘pain in the ass', then yes—you are very special."

"I hate you!"

"Noted. Now rest up, angel. We have a big day tomorrow."

Ender rises out of the chair, stretching his wings, and I pout with envy.

The stupid, feathered mass on my back never does what I say.

"That's because you haven't practiced with them. Babies must crawl before they walk."

"Did you just call me a baby?"

Can this jackoff read my mind?!

"Yes."

He leaves with a smug expression, knowing that I have no idea which question he answered.

Knowing it'll consume my thoughts.

Knowing it'll get under my skin.

Knowing…

Stop, Sera.

I'm not letting this assclown dig deeper into my psyche than he already has.

I stew for a moment longer before stomping over to the French doors.

Throwing them open, I launch myself onto the wrought-iron rail with determination.

That man isn't keeping me against my will.

By some miracle, my wings do what I tell them, spreading out wide on both sides of me.

They spread and spread, fluffing upward until the curve of the right wing smacks me in the back of my head.

I growl, glaring at the offensive appendage cursing my days.

You have one job!

Someone off in the distance, I swear I hear a chuckle.

Crap, time to wrap this up.

With a deep breath, I push off the rail. For a moment, I'm suspended in the night air.

And then I'm free-falling.

It's not an enormous drop, but a second-story balcony is still a second-story balcony.

I will my wings to flap—the very tips give a flutter—and I scream as I crash into the ground.

Hard.

If the sound of my collision doesn't alert a certain kidnapping a-hole, then my groaning definitely will.

Pain radiates through every bone in my body, akin to when I first got my wings.

Flashbacks of the night whip through my head, an endless stream of agony and blood.

There's a harsh sigh behind me, but I'm too far gone in my own misery to care.

Gentle hands roll me over, pushing my heavy mass of white hair from my face.

Ender swims into view through my tears, but instead of the gloating expression I expected, he looks…

Worried.

"I was serious about crawling before walking, angel. Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Obviously, I was trying to escape!" I hiss.

"That was a spectacular fail."

Gods, I despise this man.

He picks me up like I weigh nothing—like my ginormous wings are dainty, little things—and carries back inside the house.

It's huge, what I can make of it, like a medieval castle crossed with a dark, gothic mansion.

Fitting, considering he resembles a plague doctor.

The foyer leads into an open area centered before a grand staircase.

I wait for the prick to huff and puff up them, but he moves down a long, wide hall instead.

To my right, rows of windows look out into the night.

It hurts to glance left, but all I can spy are closed doors every once in a while.

Finally, we come to the end of the hall. Ender curls me into his chest and enters.

I splutter against the pain and indignation, thrashing in his arms.

In petty retaliation, the Teraphim dumps me into a pool of glowing water.

It's deep, sucking me down, and I clamp my mouth shut around the scream pouring out.

Anger lances through the throbbing discomfort in my body, spiking my adrenaline.

But as I attempt to swim to the surface—no easy feat with the monstrosities on my back—I notice something.

The shimmering liquid cocooning my body soothes my aching limbs until I almost believe I didn't just fall from a second-story balcony.

Tranquility overtakes me, and I feel like I could float to my watery grave.

Unfortunately, the beaked douchebag ruining my life won't let me die in peace.

He hauls me to the surface, spluttering and spitting.

"Feeling better?"

"I hate you."

The words are low, nearly a whisper, but spoken with the utmost conviction.

Ender just tuts, like he's used to people saying it to him all the time.

"Hate is just the flipside of love. They're both two halves of the same coin, angel. Can't have one without the other."

I blink, trying to process his words.

Did he just insinuate that I love him?!

"Are you off you freaking rocker, or just in severe denial?"

"One, I don't have any rocking chairs to be off of. Two, if anyone in this situation is in denial, it isn't me . Now, let's get you out of these wet clothes."

My fiery retort withers on my tongue, my entire mouth going dry.

"Wh-what?"

"Strip."

His command snaps my spine until I stand ramrod straight despite the weight and pull of my wings.

"No. I am not stripping for you."

"I wasn't asking—in general or for your opinion. Now, strip ."

"Make me," I seethe, not caring that I just lit a stick of dynamite with my words.

He stalks to me in two steps, his sightless gaze boring into mine.

His eyes flash red and warmth licks across my skin.

With a yelp, I realize he's used whatever magic he has to vanish my clothes clean off of me.

Before I scream, run, kick—anything—the Teraphim pushes a towel into my hands.

It's huge, fluffy, and black. I quickly wrap it around me.

Even though Ender is blind, I swear he can see into my soul.

And if someone can see that, they can definitely see your nipples…and other things.

The Teraphim's lip quirks. "What other things?"

"Ugh, I knew it! You can read my mind!"

"Never denied it, angel. Now, get dry. I have some pajamas for you to change into."

"What kind of water is this," I ask, hitching a thumb back to the grotto-like pool.

"Veil water."

Ender doesn't elaborate—probably just to piss me off—and waits while I get dry.

Once I'm done, he hands me a bright red nightgown. It's silky and damn near translucent.

"I'm not wearing this!"

"It's this or naked, but what does it matter since I'm blind ?"

His question sends unease flooding through my body.

"You can't see, right?"

"Blind as a bat, as humans so quaintly put it…but that's the thing. Bats can actually see as well as you, but they've adapted their vision to be more than just using their eyes. I can't see, but my other senses have evolved so that I'm able to experience my world beyond viewing it through my eyes."

He doesn't elaborate, and I bite my lip, trying to understand the complexities of his answer.

Knowing Ender will just keep speaking in riddles, I turn and yank on the nightie.

The silk flows down me like a waterfall, the scarlet hue vibrant against my dark skin.

A growl echoes around the room, and my wings flare at the sound.

"Time for bed."

Ender's voice is clipped, leaving no room for the argument already on my lips.

He grabs my elbow, all but dragging me away. We emerge into a cavernous room with a giant bed situated in the center.

Black satin sheets and a mountain of pillows cover the atrocious thing.

My steps halt as the Teraphim tugs me harder. I stumble after him, swearing and egging Ender on.

To his credit, the dickhead doesn't rise to the bait, just tosses me down on what I assume is his bed.

He reaches over for something while I damn near froth at the mouth, and then I hear a click.

Blinking, I look down at my wrist, now shackled to the bed.

Rage consumes me, and I let out a shriek and flash of light, but when I calm, the restraint remains.

Ender smirks. "Sorry, angel, you can't use your magic to melt these. They're Veil Chains."

Of course, I have no idea what the hell ‘Veil Chains' are, and that just pisses me off more.

"Time for bed—no more running for you."

I open my mouth to snarl at the audacity of the bastard before me, but he sighs again.

He whispers something in a language I don't know but somehow do.

It slithers across my skin and wraps around my heart.

My world slowly darkens, and I know Ender's put me to sleep.

I scream in my head at the Teraphim, hoping his ears burn as I make us both a promise before my world goes black.

I'll have my revenge.