Steel

Chapter 9

I woke up to the sound of a thud. Feet touching the ground. My hair whipped around my face a little at the gust of wind generated by the impact. My eyes fluttered open, and I winced in the bright sunlight. A shadow crossed over my eyes, allowing me to open them again. 

I inhaled deeply. Ocean. Leather. Blackcurrant. 

Grey. He looked pissed. His dark brows were knitted tightly above his icy blue eyes, which flickered every now and again with the blue flame I knew came with his soul being near the surface. His jaw was clenched tightly, as if he were biting down on his teeth to keep from spewing flames. Massive charcoal wings extended out and above either side of him, the musculature defined in the bright daylight. 

I was in his arms. One of my wings was curled tightly to my side against his chest, the other, limp and dangling- broken. I could feel agonizing, white hot pain radiating up the bone to my shoulder blade. I let out a little gasp at the feeling. My wing was broken. Look-a-like bitch had broken my wing. 

At my little noise, Grey looked down at me, his brows raising slightly as if in concern and pity. "Can you stand?" He asked softly, his breath fanning my face. 

"I think so," I whispered back. 

He obliged, gently squatting down and placing me on my feet. However, his large calloused hands remained steady on my hips, as if afraid I might collapse. My broken wing dragged on the grass, hanging limply to my side while the other folded neatly against my back with only the feathers grazing the ground. Fuck this was agonizing. I had dislocated my wing at Notre Dame and thought that had been painful, but that was nothing compared to this. This pain made me want to pass out. I could feel my soul's power near the surface, my body using it to help keep me conscious and upright. 

We were back at the training pitch, where the group of Angels had gone back to following the training course. This group, of course, included my look-a-like. I spotted her as soon as I looked over at the group. As if she'd felt the daggers I was glaring into the back of her head, she turned around, her green eyes meeting mine. I felt my soul's power flicker when the corner of her lips twitched upwards in a vile smirk. 

That was why Grey had taken me back here. He knew what I wanted. He knew I needed to put her in her place. 

"Puriel," Grey seethed in warning through gritted teeth from behind me. I didn't dare look at him. I know I probably wouldn't like what I saw. He looked pissed off before he saw her, and now- I'd bet money that he looked just like the Angel of Death he was. 

The group of Angels stopped talking almost immediately, all turning and looking at Grey and I. Their eyes went from him to me, and then to my broken wing. My look-a-like, who I now know was named Puriel, took a step forward away from the group. 

"Aw, that looks so painful, Jordan, how did you break your wing?" She pouted, her high pitched voice dripping in venom. 

I felt my soul's power swell in my body like a tsunami, saturating every inch of me with a thrumming electricity that slammed against my willpower, yanking against its chains to be released. I could feel the familiar heat burning at the tips of my fingertips and bleeding up through my veins like wildfire towards my heart. When I felt the power reach my eyes, I lifted my gaze and met hers. 

"I'll demonstrate," I hissed, a slow smirk growing on my lips.

The next moment I was in front of her, my hand gripped tightly around her pulsing throat as I held her a few inches off the ground. 

"Greene, I-" I thought I heard Grey's voice, but didn't stop. 

No. I slammed her back so hard down into the ground a cloud of dust erupted around us from the impact. The ground shook for a moment as she hit the grass, and I listened joyously as I heard the symphony of cracks and pops when her bones shattered on impact. I released my hand from around her throat and stood above her as the dust settled. The grass around us was flattened, and we stood at the center of a mini crater, like a meteorite had hit the ground.