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The night air was a crisp bite as they crept under the trees, sneaking their way to the back of the stronghold itself The wings inside Holly’s chest, they pulsed, the sharp edges shoving brutally hard against her skin

Holly had touched angelic wings—Elena’s mostly

The Guild Hunter had offered the contact so that Holly could overcos It was probably only Elena who could’ve helped her conquer her throat-choking fear—because it was Elena who’d found her, rescued her Holly’s brain was ie As a result of her deliberate tactile experience, she knew that while angelic wings were powerful, they weren’t sharp Ellie’s feathers had been silky soft under Holly’s fingertips

Whatever it was that lived in Holly, it wasn’t natural

So

She couldn’t help her jump

Yowling, the black cat ran off

“Da the sentries were accustomed to the feline sounds and wouldn’t pay them much mind, she carried on, Venom a dark silhouette in front of her He took theht side She sahy once they got closer—the back door was heavily guarded, but there were high s on the side

Not all of those ere closed

The structure of the stronghold also uards on the door couldn’t see the s fro security sweeps in the sky that could prove tricky

She and Venom made it to the ithout proble Heat emanated from him, his flesh very much warm-blooded despite theto reach the ?” she whispered, as the first accessible one was at least two floors above ground level “UnlessI heard you can slither up walls”

His grin told her he’d caught her own and knew she’d meant no insult His snakelike tendencies were a part of hi the one aspect of his nature and not the rest And Holly was fascinated and compelled by the whole

“Depends on the wall” He ran his hand over it “This one is extree Even the sea in ter surface If ere at ho his pack, he took out a coil of rope with a four-pronged hook on one end “Here’s where we need some luck, kitty”

Acid green filht “Wait” His arid muscle under her touch, his skin wars in the air were at an optimum distance

He threw

The hook caught on the ledge of the open , and when he tugged, it held “Go”

Grabbing the rope, Holly tried to remember the lessons she’d had She was no expert, but one of the hunters as friends with Ashwini liked cli and Holly ith him soht she was a badly Made vampire, but that didn’t matter Demarco was fun and unco

The proble so slippery, she had to rely on her upper-body strength and her thighs to get herself up She could do it—thanks to her training schedule over the past four years—but she felt like she’d gone through the wars by the tie and into a well-lit passageway

Pressing her back to the wall the instant she was inside, to avoid being silhouetted against the light, she ht The rope went taut a second later Veno up the rope and putting it back into his pack before her heartbeat eased from its frantic tattoo

Agony speared Holly’s chest without warning

She could see that this place was as beautiful as she’d iht into raindrops that cascaded over the deep blue carpet patterned in cream and jewel red But the beauty was lost on her, her reen

She couldn’t stop her head fro to the left “That way”

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Holly’s body wanted to go through the wall that stood between her and her destiny

Taking her hand, Venoainst her ear “We have to go down the hall and find a way to get to that wing of the house We can’t afford to crash about and get caught—the angels and vaerous powers”