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Zach’s agony jerked Simon out of the darkness.
Warmth touched Simon’s cheek—familiar warmth. His eyes opened, and he saw a soft, pure light, pushing back the darkness.
Zach—
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
Shock stilled him as he recognized the power. Power he had only seen edging Zach’s aura. “Who are you?”
“I was like him, once. Your precious Zachariah. But my fall to mortality did not go as planned.”
“What—have you done to him?”
“A friendly warning.”
Simon reached for the light. The invisible restraints bit into his wrist. “Damn it—”
“Hold still, Simon. The pain will ease, if you keep still.” The light moved, revealing what trapped him to the floor. Black chains, laid over with—he recognized the spell now. A binding, cast specifically for him, to tie his ability to see power to the chains.
“How—”
“I learned much over the years, from the monsters I kept safe.” A tendril of light brushed across the chain, like a finger touching it. “The moment you tried to step through my barrier, I knew what you were. You will be my way to the life I deserve.”
“Not happening.” Simon wrapped his fingers around the chains and yanked. That light brightened, hovering over his chest. Pain shot through him, headed right for the knife wound that had killed him.
He tried to twist away from the pressure that threatened to crack his ribs. His tormentor slammed him back to the floor, and the shackles bit into his wrists and ankles. The binding spell tore at him until he wanted to scream to relieve the agony. Pain drove into his chest, cold and hard, just like the knife blade. A presence held him down, pushing that pain deep.
“I have waited long for my freedom. I will not let it go now.”
With a final, vicious thrust, the weight disappeared.
Simon didn’t know how long he had blacked out, but when awareness returned, he waited, silent, in case that presence hovered, ready to torture him again. The still, breathless air told him he was alone.
His body cramped at the pain surging through him. He’d never expected to feel pain again after dying, and that absolute was ripped to shreds. He figured the twisted, trapped soul of a fallen angel could be just as plausible.
And this twisted soul wanted what Zach fought so hard for—a mortal life. Simon knew he was pegged as the angel’s new vessel. He planned to do whatever it took to keep that from happening.