Falling ~Book Three of Winged~

1721

Etheriel

I shut the car door loudly and start toward a metal, slightly rusted door. I need to see her. I need to know that she is safe. Dominic, Malachai, and Nathan walk along with me and right before I reach out Dominic stops walking and his hand goes to the sigil burned into his skin.

"What's wrong?" I ask urgently and his eyes flicker to me, his eyes are lost.

"She's gone again." He whispers and I quickly wrap my hand around the doorknob and pull open the door with a loud creak. We flood into the warehouse and look around. The whole place is empty except a chain hanging from the ceiling and a plastic bag sitting against a wall. I walk toward the bag and open it, finding boxes of medicine and an opened bag of cough drops. Is she okay? Is she sick? I want to be with her. I look over to see Dominic approaching the chain hanging from the ceiling. He stops a couple feet away and examines the floor before looking up at the chain, slightly bundled up. His eyes then shift toward a set of buttons on a remote hanging on the wall near me. His eyes darken and he looks back down at the floor. Malachai walks over at him and looks down at what he is looking at. Malachai then glances at me and nervously runs a hand through his hair.

"What?" I ask.

"He chained her up and hung her from the chain." Malachai replies and leans down, looking closer at the floor. "She was on her tip toes for a while before being suspended in the hair." He gestures to some dust of the floor. "The dirt was shifted from her struggling to keep her toes on the ground." That angel is torturing her... He stands back up and reaches up touching the chains. "Hmm..." He says quietly.

"You feel that too?" Dominic asks and Malachai nods, his hand dropping back to his side.

"He transported her to a different realm."

Trinity

"Trinity!" I open my eyes to Etheriel's voice and see his face above mine.

"Etheriel?" I croak, feeling sore all over, like I tumbled down a flight of stairs. He stares down at me concerned. I smile so happy to see him finally. I slowly sit up and my smile drops immediately. I'm back in 1721.

"What happened? You suddenly passed out. You scared me." He says and gently puts the back of his hand on my forehead. "You're a little warm." He says.

"I was back in my time... I didn't disappear? You remember me?" I recall him saying that when I get pulled out he would forget about me like I would have never existed.

"I obviously remember you... You were out?" He questions.

I nod. "The angel... He's sick and wanted me to help him and then he tied me up..." He listens intently. "Then sent me back..."

"He must have dropped you right when he took you so I couldn't forget." He says then carefully helps me up. My body sways and Etheriel catches me before I tip over. "You okay?" He asks.

"Just... a little... tired." I yawn and talk barely coherently as my days without actual sleep catches up to me. He nods, looking down at me slightly confused.

"Here," He lets me lean against him and starts leading me down the street, "You can stay at my home for the night, although you'll probably disappear before morning." He says and I don't say anything, just barely nodding my head so he knows I heard him. He stops at a house and unlocks the door with a key before pushing the door open and leading me in, softly kicking the door so it doesn't slam, but still shuts behind us. He leads me past a fireplace and to a spare room. He sits me on the bed and I immediately slip under the thick wool blankets, passing out while watching Etheriel shut the door, glancing back at me once.