Damsel[ed]: Some Rescue Required (#2 of the Damsel[ed] series)

Epilogue

Poison.

Smoke twists over the burning capitol. I can see it from my perch, out in the abandoned apartment I fell into earlier, protected in Heaven's arms. My eyes are bleary, burning with soot, the phantom reek of my father's aura burning in my nose. Dad promised to take the girl-hero back home, and though he doesn't have a great history with heroes, I know he'll do just as he says. So, I watch, crouched on the crushed roof shingles. Gray slats, faded and chipped from sun and weather, are stacked up one on top of the either. I scramble up them to get a better view, massaging my temples. 

The thing about having wings is that you, yourself, are a bit birdy. That means raptor vision, and though mine is less than crystal after losing my powers to Angel what feels so long ago, I can scour the city. And I do.

Cars are starting to show on the streets, mostly cop cars and fire trucks and ambulances, sirens blasting red and blue. I squint down at the people, though there aren't many out in the open. Lights are on and curtains thrown open, fluttering gently in the new, soft breeze.

Just weeks ago it felt like winter. Now, sweat trickles down my neck and through the soft cotton of my shirt. Two figures stumble through the maze of back alleys, and I watch. A guy with droopy cat ears and a small, curly-haired girl in a tattered black wrestling shirt. She glances both ways and scoops him up in her arms. She isn't in love with him. Can't be. Her hand on the back of his neck, his arms dangling limply. I rub my head, the pressure behind my eyes like an explosion. Images twist and blur with a ghost outline, and I watch her shoot up. In an instant, she's a blur. In an instant, she's gone.

But she'll be back. My eyes flutter shut, warm blood streaming down my throat. I don't bother wiping it away. Heaven will be back, and so will Angel, and Gatsby will never be the same.

My arms dangle over the broken edge as the city sleeps. Sunlight glitters off the steel buildings, gleaming against the perfect sky like shards of broken glass.

Angelos will be captured and used.

Gatsby will be studied and toyed with.

Heaven will love me. Does love me. Will become an ally and, consequentially, destroy her friends.

And as I roll a charred feather through my bloodied fingertips, I wonder if any of this fight is worth it at all. Yet, all the same, I know I'll see it to the end.

***

And this was supposed to be the light book. 

I really have to thank you guys for reading. This is the longest thing I think I've ever written and have used it to experiment with my storytelling techniques. Flashbacks, dual Povs, third person, adult  povs, villain povs. This book needs some serious editing, but I'm so glad to have written it and even more grateful to you guys for being along for this crazy ride. 

With that being said, I plan on finishing this series with a third and final book, but I would also like to write a prequel about the earlier heroes and the villians in their primes. Which one would you like to read first?

P.S. Do any of you guys make covers? I'm going to need one. Name a payment and I'll be happy to oblige!

xMichelle