The Angel by B.C. Burgess

Author:B.C. Burgess
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult Paranormal
Publisher: Bandit Publishing

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

The second floating morgue arrived three days after the first, descending toward the lawn as Quin wrapped up a third breakfast with the forgetful angel, who recognized the sad shift in the atmosphere the moment the mind search entered his head and alerted him to the arrival of his friends’ dead bodies. He’d already revealed their fate to Layla, having mentioned the meeting with the other Northwest Families while omitting Meckenzie’s outburst, so he didn’t have to explain the colors haunting his aura. As soon as he told her the volidom had arrived, she jumped to her feet and rushed to take over the task of cleaning their mess.

“Go,” she insisted, taking dishes out of his hands. “I’ll get this. My grandma’s on her way over to help with the kids.”

He stayed put as she set the plates on the counter, and he still stood there when she turned back, his soles glued to the cold tile as he grasped for the fortitude to ferry the departed to their final resting place.

Recognizing his struggle, Layla halted in front of him, searching his soul with ultraviolet eyes. Then she reached up, taking his cheek in soft fingers for the first time since she woke from the dead.

“I wish I knew how to help.”

His chest expanded with warmth as his sore throat tightened, and he gently covered her hand with his palm, holding her fingertips to his flesh for a few more seconds. “I wish you knew how much you have helped… how much you’re helping now.”

“Just this?”

“Yes. This.” Maintaining eye contact, he took a risk and kissed her palm. “Thank you.” Then he lowered her hand and let go. “May I come back over when it’s done? Help you put the kids down for a nap?”

“Of course. We’d love that. Right, Benz?”

Still licking syrup from his fingers, Benzio gave a distracted nod. “Yes.”

Quin managed a smile as he kissed the toddler’s head. “Knowing my family’s waiting for me will help tremendously.”

And it did. The notion kept his spine straight and his heart beating as he made his way onto the lawn, where he met with other locals, trading sober greetings before hatching plans to unload the ship and deliver the bodies to their covens. But his resolve was tested when he watched Caitlyn disembark the volidom, her face older and her colors darker as trauma carried her into a tearful reunion with her family.

Meckenzie wasn’t there, but several magicians from her coven had arrived to retrieve their lost loved ones, and as a longtime lover and close friend to Dahlia, Weylin planned to accompany her home. He and Quin boarded the volidom together, but then they split up, and Quin’s sinuses stung as he approached the youngest soldier on the ship. Staring down at Nevyn’s slight features – his cheeks robbed of color, his eyes robbed of light, and his heart robbed of rambunctiousness – caught Quin’s breath while threatening tears, but he choked back the emotional response so he could help the kid’s family carry him home.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.