Page 15 (1/2)

That hen she saw Tess, lying on her back at the edge of a stony promontory in the foothills of the Dolomites, not far fro was terribly wrong

Tess looked like she was dying--but angels did not die Her wings flailed out unnaturally on either side of her Blood strea on a flat rock beneath her She was alone

She was alone

Arriane was a hundred feet above her in the air, but the dull silver gleam in Tess’s hand was unmistakable

But ould Tess possess a starshot?

Arriane dipped down so quickly the wind roared in her ears She landed on a light-gray boulder a few feet in front of Tess Her wings cast a circle of light in front of her, enfolding Tess’s body in a cool halo of illumination It was easy to see now: The starshot had lacerated the de It wasn’t co now hung by the thinnest strand of eh Arriane--she would murder whoever had done this Then she looked at Tess’s ashen face, eyes barely open, gazing up at her

And she understood

There was no one else to blame This harshest of all wounds was self-inflicted

Only hours earlier, Arriane had been thinking about the purity of an angel’s skin, how nothing ever left a s left permanent scars

Lucifer could do it with the ink of his tattoos

A starshot wound could do it--if it did not kill the angel

Theof--

"Tessriel, no!"

The deht hand and drew it near the wound again, as if intent on aers trembled so badly that the starshot sliced into other sections of the wing, spewing blood froister Arriane’s presence

"You’ve come back" Her voice was as thin as the mountain air

"Oh, Tessriel" Arriane’s hands covered her heart "They will never heal fro to remember you by"

"Don’t say that" Arriane dropped to her knees, crawling to where Tess lay upon the ground "What were you even doing with a starshot? Bartering with Azazel? That isn’t done!"

"It is done when the need is great enough If I cannot have you, I do not want anything at all" Tess griItripped apart, but it did not sever the wing completely "It is harder than you think"

"Stop it!" Arriane yelled, shooting out her hand to grab the starshot from Tess

In a flash, Tess turned the starshot on her "Stay back," she said weakly "You knoill happen if you touch el she loved, covered in the blood that--if she touched it--would work like poison against her

But even knowing that didn’t stop Arriane She needed Tess to know that she was not alone, that she was loved

Theechoed in her ears and ware of Tess, dear, sweet, beautiful Tess, played across Arriane’s eyes as she did the unthinkable:

She lunged toward Tessriel, throwing herself on top of the deuish as Tessriel’s blood seared her It was the singular pain of de into her soul

Blood on blood was even worse

Arriane gritted her teeth, nearly going mad with the pain as she wrested the starshot froernails tore at Arriane’s throat until they broke the skin and Arriane’s own blood began to flow An animalistic howl left Arriane’s lips

Her blood actually boiled as itoff her skin Wherever their blood coly scars knotting up her leg and torso and neck

Still Arriane did not let go

"Now see what you’ve done" Tess’s lips were blue frouish "Even my blood is anathema to yours, and yours to an to drift--"just like they always said"

"Stay still!" Arriane tried to focus beyond the acidic burning; the only thing that hed the two li what to do

"You’reit worse!" Tess shrieked

"Stop! You’ve lost too , but she steadied one hand on the rock and raised her head just enough to stare deep into Arriane’s eyes "You have broken my heart, Arriane You cannot be the one who heals me"

Arriane’s lip quivered "I can I will"

She tore at the skirt of her dairy her teeth to rip the fliht as she wove and stretched the fabric into a clu left wing

She quickly wove another sling, working until her fingers were numb with cold and fear Tess’s body continued to seize, but her eyes were closed, and she did not respond to Arriane’s ads would not do Tess’s wounds needed celestial intervention That would require Gabbe’s help, and Gabbe would be furious--but she was Gabbe, so she would help anyway Tess’s wings would never be the same, but maybe someday she could fly