Nightingale Girl Read Online Free PDF Page B

are not the boys of summer, Sparrow. These are the Hellions! You know what they did to me.”
    “I know. I know. And you’re bad to the bone. I know what your blood is to them. Rubies and jewels to those who are damned. But you’re mine, Meg. And I’m yours. I can tell you’re grinding at the bit to get out of here. At least we can go together now.”
    “I swore on your life I wouldn’t leave.”
    “My life won’t be worth much if I don’t fix this.” His head “tics” to the side, and Sparrow presses his lips together, like he’s trying to control it but losing fast. “Our life won’t be worth anything. I’ll only get worse. Worse than when you found me in Hell, and I had no memories. Teari assured me this is a one-way ticket to madness. If my father had gone, I’d be fine. But he didn’t. This rests on my shoulders now. I want a future with you.” He steps closer. “It will mean nothing if I’m crazy. I will not let this curse taint our children.” His hand falls to my lower abdomen.
    I was pregnant once—thought I could never be again—but Teari fixed me.
    “I want my sister to have a family, as well.”
    The door bursts open, and Nightingale glides in.
    “They’re going to turn him bad, Meg.” Her voice sounds haunted. “They’re going to turn him into a bad, bad man. He needs it to rule, to know darkness and light. They’re going to turn him into a monster !”
    Nightingale never stops circling on her skates. Faster and faster she goes. It makes me dizzy.
    “No,” I say. “No. No. No!” I want to scream and cry at the same time.
    “Night, stop it!” Sparrow shouts.
    “You already have it, Meg. You teeter on the fringes. But Sparrow has only known good and honor. Our kind must learn or suffer the consequences.” Nightingale stops in front of me. “Let him go, Meg. Let him fulfill his destiny.”
    “I can’t have Sparrow turn into one of them. It’s my worst nightmare.”
    Nightingale cocks her head to the side and studies me for a moment. “Take me with you.”
    “No.”
    “Well then, he’s your monster now,” Nightingale replies. She whistles a light melodic trill before skating out of the room.
    “How much time do you have?” I ask Sparrow.
    “I’m not sure.”
    “Hours, days, weeks?”
    He shrugs. “A few days at least. I already agreed to it. They’ll call on me when one of their Hellions dies, and I’ll take its place.”
    I strip off my stupid princess clothing and throw on my last pair of tight jeans and a wide-necked T-shirt. I’ve kept this outfit folded up under my mattress in my father’s Kingdom, waiting for the perfect time. This is as good a time as any to shed my fake Angel skin.
    Sparrow’s eyes widen in surprise at seeing me in my old clothes. I grab my bag and turn to Sparrow. He’s still wearing his Legion issue garb. It will have to do for now.
    “Okay.” I take his hand. “We’re going to get away. Angele Dei, illumina, custodi, rege et guberna. ”
    “Meg—”
    Poof.

A DOLLAR AND A DAYDREAM
    We’re back on the earthen plane, standing on a sidewalk outside a thrift shop.
    Gabriel is going to be pissed.
    “What do we do now?” Sparrow asks after looking around.
    I turn to face him, surprised that I can no longer see his wings. I almost forgot they aren’t visible here. Angels and Demons, their wings and horns and scales aren’t noticeable on the earthen plane.
    “We need a car.”
    “But you can poof us anywhere,” Sparrow points out.
    If these are the last days of us together, of him knowing me and me knowing him, then I want to savor them.
    “I have to conserve my energy in case I need to poof us in an emergency.”
    “Okay.” He smiles, believing me.
    God, I’m so selfish.
    “We need wheels.” I look him over. “And you need something else to wear. You look like Black Ops in that getup.”
    Sparrow tips his head to the side and turns just slightly, like he’s listening to something.
    “Wait here.” He spins, runs