Page 149 of Finders Reapers

In the distance, I watched as the guys got out of the Camaro and stood on the road. I scrambled back, kicking up dust.

I knew he couldn’t understand me, but I still scrambled and begged, lying through my teeth.

Oriax cocked his head to the side. He stopped walking, studying me like an interesting bug that he had found on his shoe.

“What did you say?” He blinked slowly.

His nostrils flared as anger sparked over his features, a match to dried tinder. “Enochian.” He spat as he flew towards, his wings propelling him so fast that the air boomed around him as he broke the sound barrier.

I heard the guys in the distance. Screaming my name.

I held up my arms to protect my face, prostrate on the ground as the winged asshole descended on me.

Dust flew to the air, forming a cloud around us. I felt the air part as his leg swung. I flinched and tensed as I waited for him to make a connection. No matter how many times Oriax swung and hit, he never made contact.

“I don’t give a fuck if you’re protected by Mara’s magic, Drude!>He shrieked in the same flowery language that had stolen my voice. Chest heaving, Ollie stood back, his fists clenched.

Oriax kept his eyes fixed on mine.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” Ollie warned, speaking English this time.

“I did nothing to you,” I told him.

“You ripped my arms off!” He screamed.

The dust began to part, rolling away on the stagnant wind.

A blade sliced through the air, barely making a sound. Ollie’s arm snapped to the side, snatching at the blade and holding it an inch from his ear.

Fletcher.

Colorful, immature, beautiful Fletcher. His sweatshirt and jeans had shifted from pastels to the same black as his scythe, and his hood had clouded his face, showing only endless darkness. I recognized his clothes, even if I could no longer see his face.

Fletcher wrenched his blade from Ollie before swinging the staff and attempting to knock the fallen angel's feet from under him.

I took the distraction and pushed myself to stand, bolting for the car as if the hounds of hell were on my feet.

Jamal sat in the driver's seat, attempting to connect two wires together. I had no idea how he had done it, but Ollie had managed to kill the Camaro.

Maddox and Rome had joined Fletcher. All three wielding blades as long as their bodies as they danced around the angel and took swings.

I knew what they were doing.

They were stalling for time.

They were trying to save my life.

I tried to reach into the part of myself that had burst free and torn Oriax to pieces the first time, but she was nowhere to be seen. If a sound could accompany my eternal struggle, it would be the windows error message, twanging away as I pulled a constipated face as I tried to summon my inner demon.

Maybe I had imagined things, or maybe Ollie had truly lost it. Perhaps I wasn’t a Drude. I wasn’t even a very good Reaper.

I turned my back on Jamal and watched as Maddox swung and clipped Oriax on the shoulder.

Rome followed up his swing by catching the angel on the back of the head. Fletcher delivered a blow to the ankles that sent Oriax to his knees. All three looked triumphant until Ollie looked up and snapped his wings again, knocking all three to the ground as he spun in the air and took flight.

Oriax opened his arms wide.