Page 43 of Fallen: Darkness Ascending, Vol.1

The angel was a seraphim, younger than Simiel and Cadriel.

I could sense it. I locked him down, ducking under the swing of an angel blade and sliding across the floor on my knees.

There was no sound, only the unyielding desire to see that angel’s death on my hands.

I popped up, leaping across the few feet that separated us, and drove my fist through the angel’s chest.

It was warm, wet, and oh-so-sticky. Movement, flailing, and disregulated hummed near my fingers. I circled them around the dying pump, tearing it from the angel’s chest. I held it there in front of his face, his beating heart, and took a bite, spitting the excess blood back in his face.

Pain roared through my side, and I looked down to see a flaming blade piercing me from behind. The cry that left me was more animal than anything else, and I yanked myself off the sword, turning around to face my attacked. I didn’t even have my blade with me, but I didn’t care.

“Abomination! You will be eliminated in his name. By the power of G?—”

Clamping my bloody hands around his face, I stabbed my thumbs into his eye socket, pushing and pushing until I felt the squishy orbs pop. So much screaming, and I wasn’t going to stop until every last fucker in this room was dead.

“Faith!”

My name. It was my name somewhere distant, and I couldn’t understand.

Another threat? Spinning, all I could make out through the blood and gore and fury that wouldn’t let go was the vague shape of an angel.

It was all I needed to so I took off for it, clawing at the throat for another taste of grace.

“Faith!” The word was garbled now. “It’s me!”

Something was there. Wait. I knew that voice. My stomach lurched, and I released my hold, blinking several times while struggling to think straight.

“Simiel?”

He sagged, working to catch his breath. “Hey there, hot stuff. Fucking hell that hurt.”

I’d tried to kill him. Shit . “I…Fuck, Simiel, I’m so sorry. I didn’t?—”

He stood up taller, patting me on the shoulder as he got me to turn around. “Eh, don’t worry about it. Angelic rage. We’ve all been there. Especially that one. Who I was trying to keep you from killing.”

I focused on where Simiel pointed, watching Cadriel help Xath up. He had slashes across his arms, and I couldn’t even remember attacking him. Guilt crowded by being, but then I looked around. It was a horror show, bodies littered the floor, and I could only pick out one still twitching.

Angel. Oh, no. He’s not getting out of this. I want them all.

The rage soared again, and I rushed to the angel, squirming on the floor like a worm, a pathetic attempt to save himself. I summoned my blade, throwing it down into his stomach where it would come out the other side and pin him to the floor.

Apparently, I was very strong like this. Convenient .

“You. Your entire fucking lot!” The angel screamed, gripping at the sword to try and pull it free. “You will leave us alone. If I see so much as a fucking feather again, I will devour every ounce of grace left in heaven. Do. Not. Fuck . With. Me.”

Babbling cries through gurgles and sobs, that’s all this asshole was anymore.

But the angel was still there, still alive, which meant he could communicate with heaven based on what Xath had told me.

I locked him down, noting in the back of my head that he was an archangel.

Then, starting at his feet, I mentally pulled at his flesh, yanking it from the fat and sinew and muscle beneath it.

“Ahhh!”

“Scream all you want. But what you should be doing is telling heaven that this is a suicide mission. What you should be doing is telling all of your fucking buddies that I will do the same to them if they come looking for us. Mutually assured destruction, fuckbag. I don’t kill all of you, and you don’t come trying to kill me and mine. Understood?”

More and more inches of flesh tore free of their home, and I kept going, up the legs, over the hips, to the stomach. It was all going, and this piece of holier than thou shit was going to scream his understanding to heaven while I fucking flayed him.

“I’d send that message, angel .” Xath stood over my shoulder, smiling down at the sight. “You only have a few seconds, and Faith’ll just bring you back and do this all over again if you don’t.”

That was an incredible bluff. But who knew? Maybe I really could if I put my mind to it. Simiel and Cadriel stood behind me on either side, adding to the collection of sadistic sneers that sent the angel off into the hereafter, or wherever the fuck they went .

Through the screams, his eyes flickered, scanning back and forth like he was dreaming, and I ripped his flesh from him up to his chest now, traveling down one arm and then the other.

“It’s done!”

Eyeing Xath, I trusted his judgment on whether or not the angel was lying. He nodded once.

“Good.” I leaned down, staring into the eyes of the last remaining angel. “You didn’t die for nothing.”

With that, I finished the job, tearing the last of his skin free of his body. Flayed and run through with my sword, the angel twitched a few times before finally bleeding out. It was done.

I turned around, roaming my stare over my fallen in all their vicious glory. “Get this place cleaned up.”

“Don’t you think we should relocate?” Cad asked, their brows knitted together.

“No.” I clenched my jaw, sending the sword away as my energy waned. “This is our home. And I think we’ve made a pretty clear demonstration about what’ll happen if they try this shit again.”

“I’ll fucking say.” Simiel was scooping me against his chest in a flash, licking over my bloody skin. “So fucking hot.”

“They will send more.” Xath cocked his head, his brows up as I regarded him. “It’s not in their nature to stop.”

Pulling him and Cadriel around Simiel and me, I met Xath’s stare with a smirk. “Then I suppose we’ll be eating like kings for a while.”

He laughed, and stillness returned to the safe house. I had no idea when they’d be back or if we could hold them off for eternity. But we were going to fucking try.

Together.