S

  I keep running down the line of the tire tracks.

  I see headlights.

  I found her.

  She looked okay, except her feathers were matted together like they were soaking wet, but covered in twigs and leaves.

  What did they do to her?

  She was pinned to the front, her face held to the side.

  "Release her.  Immediately."  I demand.

  All heads snap towards me.

  "Just take it.  We'll put it to sleep on the way." One of the armored figures says, his posture suggesting he was afraid.

  I didn't like how they called her 'it'.

  No one was taking my Mate anywhere.

  Moon glances in my direction, squinting.  They must have done something to her eyes.

  She keeps stuggling side to side, a few of the armored figures advancing on me.

  I still have her belt in my hand.

  She was going to break out any second.

  "Catch!" I say, tossing the belt to her.

  Several of the figures try to catch it, but miss.

  The figures holding her arms let go when she jerks free.

  She sees it in time, snatching it out of the air, instantly ripping one out of the sleeve.

  She spins around to the ones that held her moments ago, growling.

I realized the five in front all had syringes in thier belts. Only one had it in thier hand.

  Five were behind her.

  I corral them to the headlights, just by snarling with my claws out.

  I guess being next to a 9-ft-tall man while you were 5-ft really intimidates some people.

  They cooperate, backing to the headlights without me saying anything.

  She had both blades out now.  They were all smart to put thier arms behind thier heads.

  "Who are you?" She asks, her tone dangerous.

  I scowl behind her, giving them a clear message.

  Try anything, I kill you all.

  None of them say anything. I guess we scared them a little too much.

  I could see them underneath thier helmets. One looked like he was going to soil himself.

  I hear weak banging from the back.

  "Give me the keys." I order, towering over them all, spreading my wings to make me look larger.

  Not one of them bats an eye.

  "I don't think I was being clear enough." I glance at her, and she gets the idea.

  She aims her dagger less than a centimeter to the left of one of thier helmets, her blades sinking all the way down to the hilt.

  This truck had at least three inches of protective steel around it.

"Now, she can aim a little to the right if none of you cooperate.  And her blades can go through anything." I smile, most of thier eyes wide.

The one in front of me shakily gives me the keys from his back pocket.

  The keychain had about twenty keys on it.

  "None of you move." I warn, ny eyes flashing black.

  They jump back a little.

  I walk behind the truck, the wheels nearly as tall as I was.

  I smiled a little. I was still taller.

  A large padlock was holding chains and a door shut.

  I finally pick out the right key, inserting and turning the key into the lock.

  It pops open, and I tug off the chains.

  I swing open the doors.

  The sight makes me want to puke.

  "Moon, you have to come see this." I stammer.

  I hear a few words from the front, and I hear leaves crackling beneath her feet.

  She glances inside, her face going pale.

  "We need to get them out of here."

  I nod.

  I hoist her up into the back, then I climb in.

  I was careful not to touch the clear syrup on her feathers.

  I would be stuck, too.

  I mean, I love her, but I don't want to be physically attatched to her. That's just weird.

  Chains were lined against the wall, ten angels tied up with ankles and hands bound.

  All of them were extremely pale, bones peeking through thier skin.

  All had dirty bandages wrapped around thier chests, some with more blood coming from the back than others.

  I could see syringe holes in thier necks.

  Some were laying on others, trying to keep warm.

  Now I knew why there were 21 keys.  Two keys for every angel. One for the main door.

  When they saw us, they cowered away, crying.

  But after we told them we were going to help, they calmed down.

  Moon quickly started cutting the chains off, while I helped them up and out of the truck.

  None of them spoke to us as we worked.

  They just stared blankly.

  Only one of them had enough stength to stand.

  The others sat on the ground.

  They all looked... Dead.  No life. No reason to live.

  What happened to them?

  A second door was in the back.

  But it was locked with a finger pad.

  I pressed my finger to it, overriding the system.

  The lock clicked open.

  I pull open the heavy door, and I gasp in disgust.

  "Moon...." I stammer, pulling her to me after we got all of them out of the truck.

  She looks.

  "Oh my god..." She falls on her knees.

  It was ten pairs of wings, hung up on hooks.

  They Disattatched them.

  That's why they had the bandages on thier backs.

  Moon coughed as she kept looking, finally regurgitating.

  I was about to.

  I pulled a pair of wings off one of the hooks, walking out.

  One angel's shoulder blades glowed.

  I removed the bandages, touching the ends to the wound.

  A blue glow surrounded the cut, re-connecting wings with angel.

The angel looks at me, eyes not gazing up at the sky anymore.

  They were alive again.

  Moon hands me a next set.

  I keep putting sets back on till all of them have thier wings back.

  They are all still weak, but they looked much better.

  They weren't deathly pale, thier bones sinking back into thier skin.

  They looked alive.

  I helped Moon down from the back of the truck after we finished.

  She looked angry. Very angry.

  "I'm going to kill them all." She growls, starting to walk to the front.

  I grab her shoulder.  "We don't know if they're the ones who did it. They could just have been transporting them. We can't spill innocent human blood."  I say, turning her towards me.

  She nods. "You're right."  She rubs her eyes.  "Who would have done this?" She asks, eyes still radiating anger and pity for the angels we just recovered.

  "Let's find out."

  So, we start questioning the ten angels.

  They all have the same answer.

The Empress did this to us.