Covenant by Sabrina Benulis Page B

time, wandering aimlessly. Then I was grabbed and thrust into a new body just like my old one. Remade. Oh, that couldn’t be the end of it though. I had to escape and crawl out from under that huge tree in Memorial Park—out of Hell. On my hands and knees, tunneling and crawling, rolling around on the snow once I reached the surface, learning how to breathe again. It was awful.” Nina hugged herself, shivering. “And then I heard someone familiar calling me here—to this building. And I saw you dancing. Was it you, Angela, who brought me back?”
    Nina has a new body just like the old one. She’s a Revenant, a person resurrected from death through Lucifel’s power. Sophia’s body is exactly the same—just a machine that can be destroyed over and over again, only to come back for the next round. This means . . .
    Angela glanced over her shoulder at Camdon, who stared at Nina with undisguised elation.
    This means . . . I found the real snake Sophia was talking about. Camdon is helping Lucifel. Why?
    What could she do now ?
    Angela’s mind raced. She turned to Nina, and back to Camdon again, trying to think and think fast.
    He’d already started stalking in Sophia’s direction. A hot fear raced through Angela.
    That’s it—Lucifel blackmailed him into making an exchange. Camdon gets Nina, and as part of the bargain Lucifel gets Sophia. Damn it!
    It was too late. Sophia simply couldn’t move fast enough. She took two fearful steps backward and dashed for the room’s exit, but Camdon grabbed her by the waist. The terrified screams of the crowd began. Noise and movement thundered throughout the Mansion.
    Angela’s left hand burned all over. Beneath her glove, the Grail throbbed, slowly and dreadfully blinking open its great Eye. A deep shudder ran through her and up into her body.
    How dare you, her mind hissed inwardly. You’re not taking her from ME.
    She tore off the glove and raised her hand at Camdon.
    He shouted in terror and raised his own.
    A searing red light flashed throughout the room, illuminating the farthest corners. A great portal opened up behind him, some kind of vicious cut in the fabric of reality. Camdon screamed fearfully as Angela strode toward him. Her entire being was now focused on grabbing Sophia and crushing Camdon like a fly if the need arose.
    â€œ Te libero, ” he screamed even louder. “ Te libero .”
    I release you.
    Angela was almost on top of him as three enormous snakes burst from the portal.
    She never had a chance.
    The largest of them wrapped itself tightly around Angela’s body, pinning back her arms, and squeezed.

Nine
    Sophia had been right about everything. Yet somehow, I still couldn’t accept the truth: that the wheels of fate would forever turn, whether or not I agreed. —A NGELA M ATHERS
    Angela gasped for breath. Her ribs would snap like twigs at any second. She screamed hoarsely, already suffocating under the weight of muscle and scales. Her ears buzzed, her vision swam, and every time she struggled even an inch, the snake squeezed tighter.
    The cold screech of a crow sounded outside, crying in warning.
    Angela recognized that sound .
    Sudden hope rushed into her.
    It can’t be—
    A crushing weight knocked Angela and the snake to the ground, rolling with them.
    Angela shut her eyes, groaning with pain. Her muscles and bones still hurt from her fall with Janna, and now they sang in agony again.
    Suddenly—she could breathe.
    Angela threw off the snake’s now limp and bleeding body. She rocked to her feet.
    Troy, the beautiful but nightmarish Jinn, stood in front of her.
    The snake regained some life, and Troy pounced on it again, biting it viciously at the head with her pretty mouth filled with sharp teeth. Her great sickle-shaped black wings thundered blasts of air that mixed with the portal’s screeching wind. The phosphorescent yellow eyes of