Tarnished Wings Book Three

By Crymsyn Hart

The Devil has finally come to collect his dues. Cassie tries to run from his wiles, but finds him as irresistible as all the tales she has heard. Soon she is under his spell and the longer she is, the more she loses her soul. There is only one way for Cassie to retain her wings and save her soul. Will she discover it in time, or will Lucifer claim her for his bride?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Purple Sword Publications
• Release date: Aug 11, 2010
• ISBN: 9781936165353

Crymsyn Hart

Crymsyn Hart is a bestselling author of Erotic Romance. Her worlds are filled with luscious vampires, gorgeous gods, quirky witches, and everything else that goes bump in the night. Hell, there is even a delicious cheesecake god floating around, but if I were you I wouldn’t eat his brownie cheesecake. Crymsyn worked as a psychic for many years in Boston while attending Emerson College. She graduated with a BFA in Writing, Literature, & Publishing. When she gets bored, she sneaks away to local cemeteries and coffee shops to find peace and quiet. Granted, graveyards might be a great place for the dead, but she still has to listen to their chattering. It can get annoying when all you want to do is write, but she can tell you quite a ghost story. Crymsyn shares her life with a small zoo, two playful puppies and her hubby Mark. If you come after dark, you’re more than likely to find her snuggled up with a gory horror movie, or a bloody vampire movie. Crymsyn has a collection of Living Dead Dolls and five bookshelves overflowing with books. Of course there's always room for more.

Book preview

Tarnished Wings

Crymsyn Hart

Published by Smashwords for Purple Sword Publications, LLC

www.PurpleSword.com

TARNISHED WINGS

Book Three in the Tarnished Series

Copyright © February 2010 CRYMSYN HART

ISBN 978-1-936165-35-3

Cover Art Designed By Anastasia Rabiyah

Edited By Traci Markou

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used.

Chapter One

I stretched my wings, feeling the softness of the breeze stroking each individual feather. The silence of the grave was now my home. For over two years, I’ve been ferrying souls between this world and the next. My nature allows me to bend reality and drop souls to Heaven and Hell. I try to steer clear of the Lower Realms. Lucifer has an unofficial edict: Whomever can capture me in his realm must bring me to him immediately.

So I stay away.

It’s hard, you see, being what I am. A Goth girl turned hybrid. A celestial mishmash of angelic and demonic with a twist of humanity. That was the most important piece of my soulful puzzle. I had a soul.

Once upon a time, my name was Cassie Winters. I had a doting family and a great sister. Life changed with a demonic kiss. The symbol of forever was branded next to my eye. An ankh so they could trace me through eternity. An angel condemned me and a demon blessed me. Together, they gave me a choice. A tarnished choice to go with my tarnished soul.

Time passed. My sister died in a fruitless war. My suitors came demanding I choose between the two of them. How do you pick between two beautiful creatures that have captured your heart? Honestly, you don’t. I loved them both. I couldn’t and still can’t choose, so I made a third decision. I became a hybrid, a cocky angel and a sweet demon with a touch of soul, all the while giving identical parts of my very essence to the ones I loved. How was I supposed to know that was a no-no in the universal realms? Angels had no free will and only an echo of a soul. Demons had a choice and an understanding of humanity, but never did they fall in love. It was against all universal law. Then again, so was I.

I perched myself on the file-thin line of gray slate, staring at the fine grain of granite in the tombstone across from the weathered sentinel I crouched upon. It’s still blank. Sometimes I think I should summon my power and put my name on it. To all who are mortal, I am dead. A little more of me dies the longer I am away from humanity. Funny for Death to think that. Then again, whoever thought of the Angel of Death being named Cassie? At least the whole Goth persona goes with death.

The breeze caught my hair. Of late I’ve noticed my sunset hair is streaked through with night. My skin is chrysanthemum white. My eyes used to be green, but now they change with my mood. No matter how I appear, humans see Death in the guise of their making. To some I am a hooded skeleton. Others perceive me as pure angelic beauty. Very few see the actual me. It is a blessing to see the true face of Death. There are only two beings who see me for who I truly was. My lovers. My suitors. The ones who have equal parts of my soul and heart.

Tristan. The angel who almost became human and died because he couldn’t handle the burden of his soul. It was blasphemy for a divine being to suffer the weight and emotion of a soul. In the end, he decided to be reborn as a Warrior Angel. I thought I’d never see him again, but where would an angel be if the Almighty didn’t answer her prayers?

Then there was Daniel. He was Lucifer’s second-in-command. He was the original serpent in Eden, tempting Eve to eat the Apple, and she was his first love. Once Lucifer discovered Daniel had seduced Eve, he washed his hands of Daniel, giving him free rein to reap havoc whenever he wanted. That was how we met. Tristan had been pursuing him and my sister slammed into them. Metal had wrapped around their forms and I was killed in the car wreck. Both beings pulled me back from death with a bet. Win her heart and get my soul. Hence my first choice.

You’re becoming predictable.

Blinking from the blinding glare of sun on the snow, I saw Harvey sitting cross-legged in lotus position on the raised tomb next to me. He was dressed in the red robes of a Buddhist monk, bald head and all. He was my Yoda-wannabe spirit guide. Since I had a soul, it appeared I needed guidance once in a while.

Hey, Harv. What’s been happening in Nirvana these days?

Not much since we have a new Angel of Death flying the skies. We have a whole influx of new fish. I’ve had to install a few new koi ponds. Vegetation is overtaking The Path of Enlightenment, but I’m not complaining. I’m here because I sensed your sadness across time and space. Come on, Cassie. I can do my Yoda impression again, if you want.

I cracked a smile. The first time he appeared before me, doing his hunched over impersonation of the Star Wars character, I nearly lost it. No, that’s quite okay. I chuckled. The bones cracked in my jaw. The loud pop made me jump. There was no pain. It was only my exterior face