chapter 19

Out of the corner of her ear, she heard a startled sigh, looked up, and saw the vampire alpha hurrying to hide behind the back of the sofa. Here he is. The one who caused Ethan to fall to the demons. Frightened, no trace of his former self-confidence. Ready to pray to God or Satan in order to be saved. The alpha tried to escape through the window, but Penny, usually like any person who cannot even follow the movements of vampires, was now faster. She pinned the alpha to the floor, pressed her knee on the back of her neck, and pierced her neck with a machete blade. It was no more difficult to do than stick a knife into a piece of meat.

I had to spend a few seconds wiping my face, body and hands with a curtain found in the corner. There's no need to get Ethan dirty. His face and body were already covered with bruises and bruises, but his bones seemed intact.

Ethan was as light as a feather - Penny was even afraid that he was not real, that it was just a mirage. Well, she really can't take in her arms an adult man who weighs twice as much as she does?.. Ethan reacted to the touch with a painful moan. A wave of rage rose again from within, Penny looked around, wanting to destroy every demon involved in Ethan's torment, but the surroundings were empty, only flakes of ash flying in the air.

Penny held Ethan close to her and finally tried to calm down a little. Now that Ethan was safe, Penny could afford it. It was quiet around, not a single shot was heard, only human voices were heard from the corridor. The light that had occupied the room was fading, and Penny, looking behind her, was surprised to see something huge and white, like an iceberg. It took time to realize that these were wings. With snow-white, hard-looking flight feathers that look like daggers.

As people's voices approached, Penny could hear Rick's call and Sean's response. He should have gone out to meet them, but the thought of bringing Ethan back to the people who had almost let him die made everything inside rebel.

Then Penny narrowed her eyes and looked through the shattered window. I squeezed Ethan harder. I folded my wings so that they became as small as possible, ran away, jumped out - and took off.

***

The world from above seemed small and defenseless. Penny saw the dark figure of Corinne, who, as always, was "standing on the stirrup," and somewhere in the distance was their camp, where the Bishop would force her to explain herself and suspect her of all mortal sins. Penny decided to go in a completely different direction. The air was blowing through her hair, it was cold, and Penny wished she had brought a blanket from the motel to wrap Ethan in. It was night, the first stars appeared in the sky.

They flew to their destination for about an hour, and Penny felt that she could fly for a very long time, almost indefinitely. But something else was much more important. She circled around in search of a place to rest and chose an island of sand as soft as a sleeping bag, fenced off on three sides by rocks. Right in front of him, a few paces away, the surf roared. Once there was a city beach, and now everything was wild here. Penny sat up, hugged Ethan, who had never come to his senses, and placed his head on her chest. She closed her wings around him to protect him from the wind, and closed her eyes, trying to warm and lull Ethan to sleep.

A few hours later, when the dawn rays had already turned the water pink, the body in Penny's arms tensed. Ethan jerked, trying to break free from the tight grip, wheezing, but Penny only hugged him harder.

"Hush. Hush, it's me, it's Penny. You're safe, everything is fine, everything is gone. I'll take care of you," she whispered into Ethan's hair.

Ethan froze, tried to get up, Penny supported him, helped him turn and look at himself with exhausted eyes with red burst capillaries. Blood gathered under his nose, and his forehead was bruised.

"See? Penny asked quietly. "It's me, everything is fine. It's all over.

Ethan looked at her as if he saw a ghost in front of him. He tried to raise his hand, but it failed, and Penny found it herself and squeezed her fingers.

"I'm here, it's really me. You're safe.

Ethan suddenly went limp in his hands, as if all his strength had been drained from him. He buried his nose in Penny's neck and froze, breathing quietly and shallowly.

Penny didn't know how long they had been sitting like that. Ethan, clinging to hers, and Penny, cradling him in her arms. The sun was rising higher and higher, seagulls glided over the sea, their cries filling a space that had previously consisted only of the whisper of waves. Ethan, who seemed to have dozed off for a while from fatigue and pain, shuddered.

"What is it?" What are these sounds?

"See for yourself," Penny tucked her wings behind her back and helped Ethan around.

He was silent for a moment, leaning back on Penny's chest and breathing steadily, and then said:

"I thought the sea was smaller.

Penny laughed, burying herself in Ethan's hair. She felt so good that she wanted to cry and sing.

"You're laughing, angel," Ethan said, and judging by his voice, he smiled. "I thought I would never hear it again. I tried to remember your laughter there and couldn't. It was a pity to die.