"Wow so we're all hybrids," I mutter.

"Well kind of," Diana says.

"What?"

"I mean I don't actually know who my father was so the hybrid thing is more of an educated guess, don't really know for sure," she mumbles, half to herself.

I purse my lips in annoyance. "That's not the point."

"I wonder how many of the so-called problem angels in rehab were really just hybrids," Daniel comments.

Diana's face suddenly lights up. "That's how we can take down the Council!" she says, jumping to her feet. There is a wide grin on her face as she looks between us. 

My eyebrow quirks up. "Uh, I think we might need an explanation for that one," I say slowly, glancing over to see Daniel just as confused.

"Hybrids are more powerful than normal angels, right? So, we break them out of rehab and have them help us take down the Council!"

Daniel lets out an incredulous snort. "Are you insane? Do you remember how high security was there?" 

"Yes, but I have also seen the strength of your pack. Plus, Ana is probably one of the most powerful angels in the world now that she's got her wings back.

The corner of my mouth lifts. "I'm in," I say.

Daniel turns to me with wide eyes. "You've got to be kidding me," he deadpans.

"Look, it's a chance to get back at the Council for everything they put us through and in the process we can get them off our backs and help all of the angels in rehab live a normal life. They deserve that just as much as we do," I tell him.

He lets out a heavy breath, running a hand through his hair. He closes his eyes and is silent for several moments.

He finally looks up at Diana and I. "Fine," he growls, "Let's do it."

I glance down at myself. "I should probably put on a shirt first."

***

Fifty-three days. That was how long since they took my wings. I couldn't remember how long I was here before that. It felt like years though. 

A sudden screech of the door hinges brought me out of my thoughts. "You have ten seconds to get out on your own before I'm dragging you out," the guard declared.

I continued looking at the wall, waiting until ten seconds had passed before finally turning around.

His jaw was clenched and I could tell he was struggling not to hit me.

The week before I had gotten into a fight with one of his guard buddies and both of us were pretty banged up. It only ended when someone dragged me off him.

He was still in the hospital and the guard knew that. He was afraid of me but, I think he was still more afraid of the Council.

"Let's go," he snapped.

I glared at him as I stalked out of the cell. He walked beside me, leading me through the dark hallways. I noticed his hand hovering above the gun on his hip, fingering the safety every few steps. I couldn't help the tiny smile that played at my lips.

As we approached the end of a particularly long corridor, I could feel the inside of my elbow start to ache. I unconsciously rubbed the circular scars where hundreds of needles had drawn blood over the years.

At the end was a metal door with a passkey scanner. The guard swiped his card across it and the door swung open with a beep and a click. He shoved me inside then quickly locked the door.

I clenched my jaw, looking around at the sterile white room. Two men forced me onto the examination table, strapping down my wrists and ankles with thick leather restraints. They paused for a moment before securing the straps around my waist and neck as well. I was stuck.

A woman walked into the room wearing a clean white lab coat, a stark contrast to her black wings. Her face was stone, completely devoid of emotion. She approached the table with a container full of syringes and mostly empty vials.

One contained a bright purple liquid. She retrieved that one first and filled a syringe half-way.

"What's that?" I asked.

She glanced at me, a small smirk creeping onto her lips. "Well, considering how much you liked torturing people using their own mind, we thought you deserved a taste of your own medicine."

***

My eyes snap open, a sharp gasp escaping my mouth. I let out a shuddering breath as I stared up at the open sky.

It's only been a week since we left the wolf pack, but I can already feel the Council messing with my mind. The closer we get, the worse the nightmares are.

I slowly roll over, taking care not to wake Daniel. The dirt is very uncomfortable, even with the blankets we piled on top of it but he seems quite content somehow. 

I let my eyes roam over his face and bare chest. He is absolutely amazing. Ever since we started on this trip across the world, he has been nothing but perfect to me.

"You know it's rude to stare," he suddenly says, making me flinch back.

I bite my lip when he opens his eyes. "I thought you were asleep," I mumble.

He shrugs a little. "I was, but it's hard to stay asleep when you feel eyes on you."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep," I mutter.

He removes one arm from behind his head and pulls me close to him. I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"The nightmares are getting worse," I whisper. It's even more terrifying to say out loud.

His fingers play with my hair and trail over my shoulder in a comforting way. "I know, I can feel your pain and fear. You shouldn't be afraid though, they aren't going to take away your wings again and I will make sure they don't hurt you."

I smile, the terror in my chest slowly subsiding. "How far are we going tomorrow?" I ask with a small sigh.

"Pretty far, it's only a few more miles before we reach the ocean. But then we'll probably have to fly for quite a while before we can find an island to stop on."

I nod again, relaxing into my mate's warm embrace. His arm curls tightly around me and I instantly feel safer. I know I won't have any more nightmares tonight.

***

"You know, the fact that your whole pack is wolves makes this plan a little more difficult since they can't come with us," Diana groans.

I glance back at Daniel's guards on the beach who wait for a few more minutes before shifting and turning back.

"It's a wolf pack Diana why the hell would there be angels in it?" he growls in annoyance.

She sneers at him and starts obnoxiously mumbling insults under her breath. I shake my head and roll my eyes at their childish bickering. I question whether or not they're actually related more and more every day.

We fly under the cover of the clouds, pausing every hour or so to check for anyone that might be following us. By mid-afternoon we're all dying for something to eat but decide to wait until dark before searching the ocean for food.

"I hate both of you. Fishing in the dark is impossible!" Diana snaps, hovering over the water with an annoyed face.

"Yeah well it was either fish in the dark or risk getting captured," I say and she purses her lips.

"Whatever, I'm starving and I can't see a damn thing," she groans.

I roll my eyes and turn to Daniel who is staring in awe at the water. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I ask, raising my eyebrow at him.

"Yeah you look like you're high!" Diana adds.

His head snaps up. "What no—I'm not high! It's just—," he sighs in frustration, "—if you look closely, you can see the luminescent creatures at the bottom." He shrugs.

I peer down into the black water and realize he is right. There are tiny glowing spots way deep in the water. A smile crawls onto my face and I laugh a little. "Wow, that's amazing," I mutter.

A sudden whistle has me whipping around in time to see an arrow just before it strikes my shoulder. I gasp in shock, and then the pain hits. It tears down my arm and across my chest, scorching every single nerve in its path. 

"Shit we gotta go!" Diana yells.

The world feels like it's spinning, and it takes all of my strength to keep myself flying. I hear shouting above us and force myself to look up. "I can't see them," I say through gritted teeth. 

"They're gone, they just vanished," Daniel says after flying a little higher.

White spots appear in my vision and I feel my stomach turn. My ears are ringing, I can barely hear the yelling around me. Someone grabs my wrist but I can't follow them. A chill runs down my spine and I feel my wings start to falter.

"I think it's poisoned," I mutter in realization. I hear someone yell my name.

I crash into the black waves below and icy water fills my lungs. My body jerks and I try to cough but it only forces more water in. I only endure the agony for a few seconds before consciousness finally leaves me.