“Last chance,” Bishop growled, getting to his feet to stand in front of me, as if trying to block me from any harm. “Can you hear me? Or has the hunger taken your mind completely?”

The man was back on his feet and he surged toward Bishop.

Suddenly the golden dagger was in Bishop’s hand and he arched it toward the man’s chest where it met its mark. I clamped a hand over my mouth to stop from screaming. It had all happened so fast.

A high-pitched screech that didn’t sound human escaped the man’s throat as Bishop yanked the blade back out. The man fell hard to his knees.

“Samantha, get back!” Bishop grabbed hold of my coat sleeve and pulled me away so there was a dozen feet between us and the monster who’d just attacked us.

The kid we’d been following also leaped by us, just as a swirling black vortex appeared out of absolutely nowhere. Even in the dark of night, this was even darker, a pitch-black hole hanging in the middle of the air about four feet in diameter. With its appearance came a horrible whirling sound, like a tornado, so loud it made it nearly impossible to think.

It felt as if a powerful vacuum was drawing us into it. The three of us slid forward on the pavement toward the vortex. I just stared at it with wide eyes, terrified. Bishop kept a tight grip on me to keep me from moving any closer to it, his rubber-soled shoes braced against the ground as an anchor. I reached out and took hold of the other kid’s arm.

The man with the black eyes was closest to the vortex. I felt his gaze bore into me for a long, horrible moment. Finally, the man hissed out his last breath and slumped backward.

The very next moment, it was as if the vortex literally reached out and yanked him back into the darkness. One moment the swirling, thunderous darkness was there, the next it shrank away and disappeared, leaving nothing behind but silence.

My heart thundered in my ears as I stayed exactly where I was for a few seconds, not moving, not breathing. The kid next to me was staring in shock at the space where the black hole had just been.

“What the hell was that?” he managed to ask after a moment.

“That,” Bishop said, “was the Hollow.”

Chapter 18

The kid stared at him. “You killed that guy and he got sucked into a big black hole.”

“Pretty much,” Bishop confirmed.

“And you’re supposed to help me?” He shot a glance at me. “What about you? How can you be so damn calm about what just happened?”

“Do I look calm?” I gripped my hands together to keep them from shaking. “I guess I’m only screaming on the inside right now.”

“What’s going on?”

Bishop eyed the boy. “Show me your back.”

“What?”

“Do it,” he snapped like a pissed-off drill sergeant. Whatever small amount of patience Bishop had had earlier had all but disappeared.

The kid glanced warily at the knife Bishop still held. “Yeah, okay. Whatever you say. You really want to see my back so much? You got it.”

He turned a little and pulled up his shirt enough for me to see there was an imprint of wings on his dark skin—and it was just like Bishop’s and Zach’s mark.

A third angel.

“Crazy tattoo, right?” He pulled his shirt back down. “I can’t remember much of anything lately, but I have no idea what would have possessed me to get something like—”

He gasped as Bishop sank the dagger into him. I watched in horror, not expecting it to happen so quickly. I hadn’t even had a chance to catch my breath.

The kid dropped to his knees and looked at me with confusion on his pained face. “I thought you wanted to help me.”

“I’m sorry,” I choked out. It was all I could think of to say. All that I could say.

The boy fell all the way to the ground and let out his last breath.

I braced myself, thinking for a moment the vortex would open again. I jumped when Bishop touched my arm.

“Why doesn’t the Hollow open again? He—he’s dead.” I couldn’t look at the body.

“It’s not the same as a true death. The ritual is specific and the dagger knows the difference. Think of it like an invisible shield surrounding each of the team members, protecting them when they entered the city—enough to fool the city’s barrier. It also blocks their memories and any abilities they have. This dagger cuts through that so their true selves can be returned.”

The dagger knew the difference?

It could cut through the shield. Natalie thought it could also cut through the barrier surrounding the city—if it was in my hands.

“Okay.” I just nodded, stunned. “Talented dagger. Does it talk, too?”

“Not recently.” He gave me a half grin and wiped the dagger off on his jeans before sheathing it. He crouched down next to the kid to check his back again. “Maybe Heaven felt that reinforcements were needed already. It’s been a week since I arrived. That was as long as I was originally given to find the others.”

I just stared back in the direction where the entrance to the Hollow had been. It wasn’t something I ever wanted to see again. Natalie had returned from that—from somewhere that was supposed to be one-way only.

“That man was the type of gray you’ve been telling me about,” I said, my voice shaky. “The ones you can’t reason with, who have no self-control when they feed too much.”

“That’s right.” He rose to his feet again. “There’s no coming back from that.”