Ella Summers [Summers - Angel’s Flight (Legion of Angels Book 8)

The old saying is true. Knowledge really is power, especially when angels and gods play the game.

The original Immortals, masters of magic, once reigned over every world in the known universeuntil they suddenly vanished. The gods and demons have been fighting over the remains of their fractured empire ever since.

Millennia later, new angel Leda, a soldier in the gods army, is recuperating from her transformation. Her recovery is cut short, however, when a curse strikes New York City, a spell targeted directly at the Legion of Angels. Even as the Legions soldiers succumb to wrath, jealousy, and fear, the beasts on the plains of monsters are growing in numbers and power. And the longer Leda and her archangel lover Nero investigate these phenomena, the closer they come to the ancient secret that destroyed the Immortalsand that now threatens to tear the Earth apart.

Angels Flight is the eighth book in the Legion of Angels series.

F aris stood before me, his armor shimmering in the light that streamed in from my apartment window, his mouth curled into a superior, godly smile. The people of Earth knew him by many titlesthe God of Heavens Army, King of Sirens, Slayer of Demonsbut to me he was also something else. He was my father. Not Dad or Daddy or anything that would imply warm, fuzzy feelings. I wasnt even sure Faris was capable of any. I harbored no delusions about my origin. I was a product of war, not love. Faris had created me for one reason and one reason only: to be his greatest weapon, a warrior who possessed both the gods light magic and the demons dark magic.

You think you can trust Nero Windstriker? Turning away from the glass window that looked down on the city of New York and all its people, he glanced back at me. Then ask him why he interviewed you the day you came to this office to join the Legion of Angels. Ask him why he oversaw your training. Or did you think its common for an angel, the head of a Legion office and a large territory, to concern himself with a lowly initiate?

I opened my mouth to rebuff his words, but that protest died on my lips. Honestly, it was strange that Nero had overseen my initiation training. Id been too enamored with him to see it back then, but now that Faris pointed it out, I couldnt deny that he had a point.

There is much more going on here than you know, child, Faris told me. And Nero Windstriker is entrenched neck deep in it all.

And with that said, Faris vanished into thin air.

You will be hearing from me, his voice echoed, filling my living room.

As the echoes faded, Nero reappeared beside me, standing precisely where hed been the moment Faris had spelled him away.

Whats wrong? Nero asked, stepping toward me.

I just stared at him. He looked no different than before. His hair shone the same shade of caramel; his hard, unyielding emerald eyes had the same magic-charged glow. He still wore black leather armor, a suit that perfectly hugged every muscle in his body, a body built for battle, honed over the centuries.

In every way, he still looked completely like my Nero, the archangel with whom I shared my apartmentand my heart. And yet, there was something different about him. Was my mind playing tricks on me, brought out by Fariss words? Or was I simply seeing the real Nero for the first time?

Leda? Nero took my hands.

I withdrew.

His brows drew together. What did Faris do to you?

Its not so much what he did, as what he said.

He threatened you.

It wasnt a threat. It was a warning. I took a deep breath, then met his eyes again. About you.

He folded his arms over his chest, his face impassive. He told you not to trust me.

I braided my sweaty fingers together. Nero, why did you interview me the day I applied to join the Legion of Angels? And why did you take charge of my initiate class? Angels do not train initiates.

I watched and waited for Nero to respond.

Faris is trying to isolate you from everyone who cares about you. So he can control you.

I know he is, I said, frowning. But thats not the answer to my question.

The answer is complicated.

My heart thumped erratically. My whole life, everything I knew and felt to be true, was in danger. It was at the brink of collapse. Is that a refusal to tell me?

No, he said cautiously. I have no secrets from you, Leda. Ive wanted to tell you this for a while, but I thought you might react badly.

Whatever it is, I can handle it.

Ok, so that was not at all true. If Nero told me hed been manipulating me all this time, that he didnt really love me, that I was just a tool to him, just as I was to Faris I took a few calming breaths. No, I couldnt handle that.

But I didnt think it was that at all. The love in his eyes, the caring caress of his hand, the concern in his voicethey were all too real, too true.

Good or bad, I have to know, Nero.

Very well, he agreed. The night before you walked into this office and applied to join the Legion, I had a dream about you.

You had a dream about me? I blinked in confusion. But we hadnt met yet.

No, we had not, he said. But in my dream, we knew each other very well. I had very strong feelings for you, feelings that felt completely real, that didnt fade away when I awoke. I had never experienced such strong feelings, so much love for anyone, even in real life. And in this dream, I felt so much love for you that I couldnt shake the feeling.

A happy ache in my heart replaced the sad, heavy ache. What exactly happened in this dream? I winked at him.

He chuckled, deep and dark. Nothing like that, Pandora. In my dream, we fought side-by-side, united against a great invading army. You were an angel.

That must have piqued your interest.

He brushed his hand down my cheek. You always pique my interest.

I smirked at him. I dont get it, Nero. This sounds like a great dreamwell, minus fighting the impossible army. Why did you think I would react badly?

Because of what we were fighting for: to protect our daughter. He watched me closely for my reaction.

Ourdaughter? My voice cracked.

In my dream, she looked about seven or eight years old, and the world had gone to war over her, he told me.

Why did we need to protect her? Who was after her?

Everyone, he said. She already had wings, Leda.

She was a child angel? A born angel? Which meant she was unimaginably powerful, to have enough magic from birth to be born an angel. My anxiety returned, bringing all-out panic along for the ride. But it was only a dream, right?

Neros mouth tightened into a hard line.

Right, Nero? I asked, my voice barely breaking a whisper.

The day after my dream, your application form crossed my desk, he said. I recognized your name. I had to know if you were the same Leda. When I walked into that office where you were waiting, I saw the Leda from my dream staring back at me. I knew right then that my dream would come to be.

You believe you saw our future in your dream?

Yes, I do, he confirmed.