Angel of Fire - Chasing Destiny - Book Three ***COMPLETE!!!***

On A Wing And A Prayer

Chapter 24

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words refused to come. Repeating my vows at a time like this seemed like such a waste, especially since we had precious few moments left to form the ultimate bond to unite our powers before all hell broke loose. Growing impatient, it seemed impossible that nobody else had noticed the shit storm heading our way.

I was happy to burst their little ceremonial bubble.

Nodding to Courtney, I met Vycandor's inquisitive gaze. "What she just said." I paused expecting her to complain that I wasn't following tradition or whatever, but she got with the program real fast when I pointed up. Following her eyes, everyone sucked in their breaths at the same time.

Everyone with the exception of me, of course. I was too busy trying to figure a way to get the entire group to safety. We were seriously about to be outnumbered. By a lot.

"Vycandor take off your shirt and jacket," Courtney commanded in a harsh voice.

"Fat lot of good that's going to do at a time like this," I scoffed.

"Chaos, you're just going to have to trust me."

Vycandor did as he was told. Looking wickedly seductive, he removed his full-length black leather trench coat first, then ripped off what was left of the high collard black shirt and tossed it to the ground. Now all he had on was a pair of impossibly tight black pants that only served to accentuate his heavily muscled legs. Somehow the blueness of his skin perfectly matched the aqua blue color of the lake.

I was still staring at him in a daze when Courtney addressed us both. "Good. Now I need the two of you to unfold your wings."

Vycandor mirrored the shocked expression on my face. Clearly he was the last to know that he had wings. Just as Thomas had done in front of me, Courtney unfurled her own set of white, dove-like wings and fanned them briskly back and forth as if needing to be stretched. Following her example, Vycandor did the same. The only exception being that once unfolded from beneath his shoulder blades, his wings weren't white. Or even dove-like. Instead the long feathers were completely engulfed in frosty blue flames.

"Chaos, your next," Courtney demanded. When I didn't reply right away, she snapped her fingers in my face. "Earth to Chaos. Hello?" Only when she thought she had my full attention did she continue. "The eternal bond between two angels is not complete until you join your wings together as a show of unity."

I glanced up to see the Angels of War closing the distance between us. We were almost out of time.

"But I don't have my wings," I argued. "Serenity cut them off. Probably because she knew I would need them."

Courtney placed her hands on my shoulders, using her otherworldly energy to spin me around. With my back now facing her she gasped as if seeing the deep holes between my shoulder blades for the very first time.

I wriggled out of her hold and turned to glare at her. "Like I said, no wings. So I guess that means you'd better come up with Plan B, huh?"

"I don't make the rules, Chaos," she began. "To gain more than you seek, you must be willing to lose everything." I watched in horror as she took turns reaching behind her back to rip off her own wings before I could say or do anything to stop her. The feathers shriveled up and turned to ashes in her hands. "You know, it never ceases to amaze me how angels always believe that wings give you freedom, when all they really do is enslave you. Wings give you the power to fly, yet you have no free rein. You think you can rebel, yet you stay and fight. You feel like you are free to love, yet that same love wraps you up in chains. Even when you are being lifted up, you do not realize that you are really falling – spiraling downward from which there is no return. In the end when it seems as if all hope is lost, you don't let go of love. You think that somehow finding your destiny will set you free. You forget that it makes you a prisoner of your own choosing." Courtney reached out with blinding speed and captured me by the wrist. Turning my palm face up, she traced the outline of the sigil on the tender flesh of my forearm. "Eventually time passes," she added so softly that I barely heard her, "and you forget that you are marked. Marked forever with a reminder that you belong to another that has been stolen from you."

Suddenly I wasn't so sure if she was talking about me, or herself. The only thing I did know with any certainty was the fact that the Angels of War were damn near on top of us. If she didn't noodle up and spit out her cockamamie idea to save our asses, and soon, I was going to have to beat it out of her.

As if reading my mind, Courtney's watery blue eyes glanced up at the swarming army of death for the briefest moment before landing back on me. "One may tolerate a world filled with demons for the sake of one angel."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Waiting for her answer, I raised the burning energy inside – threatening to launch it at her in exchange for making me stand here and listen to her yammer on in circles. Even though I knew I couldn't hurt her, at least I would feel better.

"Your wings are waiting for you," she whispered, and then she was gone.