Page 108 of Where Angels Fall

They’re real. Warm, solid arms holding me.

“Angel,” he rasps. His voice is raw and wild, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.

I can only imagine what I look like, crimson staining my white dress and my skin. My hair is matted with the stuff.

My hands fist into his jacket as everything fades at the edges.

“Ash,” I’m crying. Ugly, raw sobs heaving out of me. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

His head shakes, hands cupping my cheeks as he takes me in. He’s looking at me as if he’s also unsure if I’m real or not.

“I never should have chosen my father over you. Never. I love you, Ash. Only you.”

His lips crash against mine, so warm and real, before his forehead falls against mine.

“You’re here,” he whispers. “You’re here, and I love you.” His lips press against mine again, and it feels like heaven. “I love you. I love you; I love you. My sweet, perfect angel.”

Tears run down my face, collecting rain and blood with them. But then I hear a voice that has me freezing.

“You have your girl back now,” Zeke grits, obviously thrown by the fact that his bargaining chip escaped. “Now give me the drive.”

Ash hardens in my grip, his body turning to steel before me. His head slowly turns to the side, hate burning in his eyes as he regards Zeke.

“The drive?” His words are predatory, unleashed fury vibrating behind each word. “You want the drive?”

He stands, his powerful hands gripping me and helping me stand with him, stabilising me the entire time. Like he knows the injuries I have.

“You brought me to the grey zone to do business. But I think you’re forgetting one very intrinsic detail of the grey zone,” he growls, one hand clutching me tightly.

Zeke’s eyes are dark, glaring at us both.

“You hurt a Devil. You violated the order.”

“She’s not a Devil,” Zeke grits out. “No rules were broken.”

Ash goes to open his mouth, but a voice speaks over him.

“She certainly is,” Kai announces, standing on my other side. “She’s ours in blood, spirit, and flesh.”

The look Ash gives his second fills my heart with pride. And then the sound of a bullet rings. It feels like the world moves in slow motion as Zeke falls to the ground and Ash scoops me in his arms, covering me from the bullets that begin flying.

If one caught me now, I’d be okay with it. Because I have my Devil again. And he loves me.

Chapter 34

Ash

My heart is broken and finally put back together simultaneously. She’s in my hands. I can feel her under my palms, soft and sweet in my grip. I can hear her, her soft, pained breaths and her whines of pain. I can smell her, her vanilla and honey scent barely hanging on, covered by the smell of blood and rust. My nose skims along her skin as I inhale her scent, trying to make this feel real.

But I can also see her.

And what I see makes me feel a very fucking bad feeling. Like I want to murder every single person who has laid eyes on her.

Blood soaks her from head to toe. Her usually bright blonde hair shines red, along with her soaked-through clothing. Her eyes shine with a slightly unhinged look; so much adrenaline and pain sparkle in those deep eyes. Deep purple bruises mar her under-eyes.

In her hand, she still clutches a knife, refusing to let it go. Her other hand grips me like I’m a figment of her imagination that might just slip through her fingers.

The feeling is mutual.