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For the first tie’s broken back

"We have to get out of here," says Moe Her voice is clear and full of purpose

I look up at her in surprise Before I can stop myself, hope blooms inside me She sounds full of authority and confidence She sounds like a hters to safety

She sounds sane

Then she says, "They’re after us"

Hope shrivels and dies insidea hard lump where my heart should be I don’t need to ask who "they" are According toas I can re responsibility for her girls

I nod, taking the weight of my family responsibilities back on uiding Paige toward the exit when a loud crash from behind the double doors stops theels ca whether to check it out

I can’t think of a good reason to waste ti bothersto unravel it to see so I haven’t had tiht be i…

The blood

The angels had blood all over their gloved hands and in front of their white sery with Raffe

Another crash co over and crashing into another

I’ before I know it

As I near the double doors, a body crashes through it I only have a second to recognize Raffe hurtling through the air

A giant of an angel sla about the way he ht have been handsome once, but now his vicious expression dos spread out behind his are covered in dried blood where fresh stitches hold theh there is blood on his back, it’s his sto fas

One of theh the feathers A notch exactly like the one I cut on Raffe’s wings

My brain tries to reject the obvious conclusion

The giant angel stands between h My mom stands frozen in terror as she stares at him Her cattle prod shakes in her hand as she holds it out toward the giant It looks al

A low bang ru, closely followed by another, then another Each bang gets louder ThisNow there’s no doubt in my mind that the attacks have started

I frantically wave at uy used She finally gets it and scae

I’iant will stop them, but he doesn’t pay them any attention He reserves all his attention for Raffe

Raffe lies on the floor, his face and muscles contorted with pain His back arches to try to keep fro the concrete floor Below hiiant bat wings

It looks like a film of leather stretched out over a skeletal structure that looks es are razor-sharp with a series of ever-growing hooks; the sest hooks are at the wing tips They remind me of sharp scythes

Raffe’s back drips with fresh blood as he turns around painfully and pushes his droop over him as he moves, as if they are not yet under his control He shoves one behind hiht shove my hair out of my face His arash where one of the hooks catches his flesh

"Careful with that, archangel," says the giant as he stalks toward Raffe He says the word "archangel" with nize his voice It is the voice of the Night Angel who cut off Raffe’s wings the night we h I aa, Beliel? Why not just kill s onto me?" Raffe weaves a little on his feet They must have just finished the operation, els left

By the look of the dried blood on the giant’s back, it doesn’t take a genius to tell they had worked on hih I’th yet

I liftto be as discreet as I can

"Killing you would have been el politics You re tier still, now that you have those wings" Beliel grins, but his expression stillfroels"

He turns toward the exit, stroking his new feathers "Run along nohile I show off my new acquisition No one below has feathers I’ll be the envy of hell"