Page 24 of Court of Twisted Angels (Cruel Beautiful Angels of Aerasak #1)

24

AZRAEL

T he crowd's roar drowns out my heartbeat as Kyrie stands victorious in the arena. Golden light streams through the crystal dome above, casting her in an ethereal glow. Blood and dirt streak her face, her auburn hair wild around her shoulders, yet she's never looked more magnificent.

"The trials are complete. We have a victor." High Praexa Nathaniel's voice booms across the amphitheater, his three sets of pure white wings spread wide. "Kyrie Kael has succeeded where countless others have fallen."

My hands grip the ornate stone railing of the nobles' viewing box. Pride swells in my chest – I helped create this moment, trained her for months in secret. Yet bile rises in my throat. She doesn't know the true price of these wings, what becoming one of us really means.

The other Praexas gather around her, their wings creating a circle of white and gold feathers. Magic crackles in the air, ancient runes lighting up along the arena floor.

"The wing ceremony will commence with the rising of the full moon," Nathaniel declares. "Let it be known that in twenty-eight days, we shall welcome our second human victor into our ranks."

Twenty-eight days. My chest constricts. Twenty-eight days until they bind her soul to New Solas forever. Until they twist her into something she never wanted to become.

Kyrie's gaze finds mine across the arena. Her green eyes shine with triumph, with trust. My little bird, so fierce, so determined. She's won her freedom, her mother's cure, a better life.

No longer caring about who watches, my wings spread and I push off the ground, landing beside her. I'm not sure how she feels about me, and we definitely need to talk about the soul bonding.

"Do you want to go?"

She looks at me and nods, and I follow after her into the corridors. She walks beside me, head high despite her exhaustion. The same fierce determination that got her through the trials radiates from every step. Her fingers brush against the conduit band I gave her. I wonder if she realizes she doesn't need it anymore.

The silence stretches between us with so many unspoken words. I'm not even sure what to say, knowing now that I have truly betrayed her trust and tied her to me despite how she felt.

But I had to. I hope she sees that.

"I'm going to shower," she says when we reach her room. I nod, uncertain of where that leaves me. She grabs her clothes and then gives me a loaded look. "Will you be here when I get back?"

"Do you want me here?" I don't tell her I can't go far now.

"Yes."

"Then I'll be here."

Kyrie nods, and I watch as she goes. She isn't gone long, just long enough for me to think, to weigh the words I need to say.

She's so beautiful. That's all I can think when she comes back in, her hair falling in waves and her skin glowing. I have to swallow hard, my emotions feeling too hard to ignore right now.

"You were amazing," I breathe.

She turns to me, and there's a small smile on her face. That's a good start. "Thank you." She bites down on her bottom lip and goes back toward her bed. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Yes, you could have."

She shakes her head, crossing the room to me. "No, Azrael, I couldn't." She reaches for my hand and I let her take it. "And I want you to have these."

She presses something into my palm. The world stops. Three crystalline gems rest in my hand, their surfaces catching the light like frozen starfire. The spire stones. The gemstones I've been after.

I stare at the stones, then at her. The raw power thrumming through them could break my family's curse, restore our grace. Now I understand how she brought that tower down.

My free hand moves of its own accord, cupping her cheek. She leans into the touch, eyes fluttering closed for a moment. The gesture breaks something in my chest.

"Little bird..." The nickname catches in my throat. "You didn't have to-"

"You're welcome." She steps back, swaying slightly with exhaustion. "I can save my family now, and I want you to save yours."

I close my fingers around the spire stones, tucking them into a hidden pocket of my tunic. The weight of them burns against my chest, but not as much as the truth I must speak.

"There's something you need to know." The words taste like ash. Gods, I hope she forgives me for this. "To save you…I had us soul bound."

Kyrie tilts in that curious way of hers. "What do you mean?"

"When you fell, you were nearly killed." I force myself to meet her gaze. "And I…couldn't let that happen. So I had the Nashai soul bind us. It's something that is usually only between xaphan, and it can't be undone. It means…we can't get too far from each other. That our fates, our lives, are tied."

I watch her face carefully. I'm not sure what she remembers, and I fear that this will upset her.

But her features soften.

"Azrael." Kyrie steps closer, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "When I chose to come here, all I wanted was to save my mom. I didn't care about wings, I didn't even want to be near xaphan…and then I met you."

I bet she regrets that.

"And you showed me how different things could be." My heart dares to hope, dares to flip at her words. "I know that you had them soul bond us - and I'm okay with that. I'm really grateful that you saved me. But more than anything, I'm glad I'm bonded with you because… I love you, Azrael."

The words hit me like a physical force. Magic surges through my veins, responding to the sudden rush of emotion. My wings snap open, their feathers trembling, casting shadows across her face.

"What?" The word comes out rough, stripped of my usual careful control.

"I love you." Her hand reaches up, hovering near my face but not quite touching. "Not because you trained me. Not because you're helping save my mother. Because you saw me – really saw me – when everyone else looked through me." She takes in a deep breath. "Because you were patient with the girl who was terrified of you and you were kind to the human that others saw as less than. Because of who you are deep down."

"Little bird..." My voice cracks. I catch her hovering hand in mine, pressing it against my cheek. Her skin is warm, calloused from months of training. Real. "You don't know what you're saying. The things I've done-"

"I know enough." Her other hand presses over my heart. The touch sends electricity through my body. "I know you're worth loving."

Something breaks inside me – a wall built over centuries of duty and shame. I pull her closer, until I can feel her heartbeat against my chest. My wings curl forward instinctively, creating a dark cocoon around us both.

For the first time since my family's fall from grace, since the curse began eating away at our bloodline, I feel something dangerous bloom in my chest.

Hope.