Edvardiel's glory-filled eyes danced with amusement as he watched her stealthily make her way to the door. "Why are you skulking around like that?"

"Who has amnesia now?" Issa asked, pulling at the shutters and peering out the window. "Have you forgotten about Lilith and her demons?"

"I distinctly remember us flying away." He sounded smug.

"We were glowing," Issa said. "Also, I left the fire burning all night."

Edvardiel turned to the fire as though noticing it for the first time, his eyes widening. "You left this burning all night? And they didn't attack?"

"They're probably waiting to ambush us," Issa said, still scanning the snow outside.

Wheels seemed to turn in Edvardiel's head. "Or," he said, "they don't have my wings and they're waiting for me to find them."

Issa frowned. "Why let you out to begin with? Isn't it better to keep you imprisoned so your wings are lost forever? Or better yet, kill you?"

"It's a loose end," Edvardiel said. "Someone could always find it."

She shot him a look. "Who on earth would come up with the idea of looking for angel wings, let alone know that they're the key to Heaven's gates? I'm sticking to my theory that your wings are with Lilith and she's playing with her food."

Edvardiel didn't look convinced. "I don't think so. I think we're missing something," he said. "Something big."

Issa cackled. "Say that again?"

"Say what again?"

"Never mind," Issa said, still chortling. "Let's look for your wings. Where are we going?"

Edvardiel looked at her suspiciously but said, "We're going to the void."

Issa stared. She'd dragged him out of the void, where he'd been imprisoned for over a century, and now he wanted to go back there?

"You've got to be kidding."

"I'm not."

"Why?"

"Because if it is what I think it is, it will give us some clues to find my wings."

"I don't like the sound of this, seraph," she said. "I don't like it at all. The voids are Lilith's most powerful prisons for a reason. They trap you in your worst fears—"

"By accessing your memories," Edvardiel said slowly. "Exactly. I was barely conscious when I fell. The void might help me remember where I fell and what happened to my wings."

"You want to use the void to relive your most traumatic memories?" Issa cringed. "No. Absolutely not." She was not dealing with the aftermath of that. Last night was bad enough.

"I'm not exactly looking forward to it," Edvardiel said. "But there's no better choice."

"That line." Issa shook her head. "That line gets people into so much trouble."

Edvardiel smiled weakly.

"Fine," Issa said. "I'll go willingly on one condition."

"You don't have to come," Edvardiel said.

Issa ignored him. "My condition is that I want to have a turn too."

Edvardiel raised his brows. "Excuse me?"

"You're not the only one with fuzzy memories," she said. "I can't remember a single human memory. Maybe the void can help pull that out of my head."

This time, Edvardiel's eyebrows disappeared all the way into his long hair.

"And…"

"That's two conditions," he interjected.

Issa ignored him again. "And I want to go first."

Silence.

"This isn't a weekend getaway," Edvardiel said finally. "This is a last resort. Dangerous. Life-threatening. Insanity-inducing—"

"That's why I'm going first," she said.

"Issa—"

"So if something happens to me, you'll have to deal with the mess," she said. Then she sighed. "All right, I wasn't being serious. I know we're running on borrowed time. But if we do have time, I'd like to have a turn."

Her voice must've betrayed her yearning because Edvardiel didn't argue.

"Fine." He slowly got to his feet. "Any demons outside? No?" His eyes sparkled with good humour. "Then get ready to fly."


Thanks to those of you who are reading so far, and especially those of you who take the time to comment, you guys make my day and encourage me to keep going :)