I cut and slice the angels closest to us while other people attack single angels in groups large enough to overwhelm them. Raffe’s Watchers fought while we were helpless. Now we fight while they’re debilitated.

We’re working together as a team, Raffe’s group and my people. We bridge their weaknesses and they bridge ours. We’re a weird, ragged, mismatched group compared with the perfectly formed, powerful, beautiful angels, but we’re still beating them back.

Adrenaline is pumping through my blood, and I feel like I can fight ten of Uriel’s angels. Screaming my head off in a war cry, I run for the next squinting angel who is shielding his eyes.

Raffe falls to the ground wrestling blindly with two angels who are working together to hold him down. I stab my blade through one’s back, and Raffe kicks off the other.

I feel like we have a real shot at beating them back with all of us working together.

But the glorious elation ends too soon.

The cloud of spectator angels begins coming down on us, hard and fast.

Chapter 64

64

It’s not surprising that the spectator angels are jumping into the fight now that Raffe and his Watchers are defending humans against other angels.

As the spectators begin diving, the fog around them begins churning. The angels falter in their flight and look around.

A cloud of locusts bursts out from the fog surrounding the angels.

I search the chaos for a glimpse of my sister but don’t see her in the swarm of wings and stingers.

A bloody body drops from the center of the locust cloud.

There’s a heart-stopping moment when I can’t see any details. I want to shut my eyes in case it’s Paige. Instead, my eyes are glued to the body as it falls.

I can’t see anything until the body gets close enough. When it does, there’s just enough time for me to see who it is.

Iridescent wings flutter in the wind. A scorpion tail. A white streak in flowing hair.

Then he smashes onto the asphalt.

I can breathe again.

Paige. Where is she?

In the sky, the swarm of locusts closes in on the angels. Paige sits regally in the arms of a locust followed by the rest of the swarm.

We all stare. Paige is covered in blood. I hope it’s mostly White Streak’s. She drips blood from her mouth. She’s chewing something.

I don’t want to think about that. I’m careful not to look too closely at White Streak, who lies broken on the bridge.

The old leader is dead.

I can’t get my mind around it. My baby sister – queen of the locusts.