Caged by Damnation (Caged #2)(17)

She waved towards Izzy and I wondered if she thought of Izzy as less than alive, because I was fairly sure she was living. I could see Izzy's chest moving with each breath, puffing the faintest mist of breath against the night air, though her lack of movement and voice had me worried.

Death glanced away in a manner that reminded me of Maye when she was attempting to control her anger. When he looked back at Willow, he emphasized each individual word, "I ... said ... I am Death ... not Life." His hands reached up to grasp his hair and pulled, as though the pain from his scalp would help him regain control of the situation.

"I told you I couldn't give her back her life unless you wanted a zombie walking around town! I had limited choices." His eyes were wild. "I tried to explain before, but you wouldn't listen. Life is fire, earth ... all the things I am not."

Willow attempted to cut him off, but he silenced her, placing his palm against her lips. "She is still your Izzy, she is just ... different. She's not human anymore, and she will take some time to regain her memories." As Death neared the last of the sentence, his voice softened and he removed his hand.

Everyone watched Izzy, waiting for a sign that she knew who we were or what she was. The gauze-like substance she was wrapped in twitched again and I walked forward cautiously, afraid that I might spook her, but she barely registered my approach.

"Iz...?" Her eyes locked on mine and she looked down to notice the jacket I held in my hands. I wasn't sure that my coat would fit her, but I didn't have anything else to offer.

She studied me before reaching a hand out to take the jacket, allowing me to see that she wasn't wearing gauze; it was wearing her! She pulled the jacket to her chest and the gauze opened to reveal her human body, exposing her not-so-human wings.

The wings extended out to a twelve foot radius. Transfixed by their movement, dancing in the wind, they lured me inward, obscuring the world, until all I could see was their delicate beauty.

We were all vulnerable to the song of purity that was Izzy's wings. As they swayed, a strong sound rose with them, beginning as a murmur that I almost believed to be my imagination, and building towards a searing passionate song that spoke of life, death, and rebirth. The song painted a vision of souls entwined, as they strove towards the light or dark. A vision of pain, one of being torn from the beauty of the afterlife, slashed through my abdomen, leaving me breathless.

Izzy's eyes had grown throughout her display. The cat-like slits were larger and terrifying. She had moved closer until she stood a few feet in front of me. Recognition still escaped her, and her lips opened to join in the symphony of her wings. The whites of her eyes glazed over into pure fire, causing me to think of both the flames of Hell and the fire that warmed a hearth. I saw the beginning and the end in her eyes.

I moved forward until Izzy hissed loudly and her hand snapped towards my face, claws extended. I didn't have time to maneuver away from the weapons my best friend was aiming at me, but Death blocked Izzy's assault. He moved in a way that seemed effortless. Gently, he pressed his palm against Izzy's chest, but she flew backwards with the strength of a tsunami.

I was shocked by Izzy's animalistic nature. She crouched low and hissed at our group, snapping like a viper intent on spreading her poison. She was a creature trapped in a group of foreign humans, who she thought were threats.

"Iz, we're not going to hurt you. Just ... just calm down." I spoke slowly and softly, but it had little effect on the bird-like creature that had taken over Izzy.

Death held his arm in front of me, barring my attempts to move closer to my friend. "She doesn't recognize or understand you yet," he said. He made an effective barricade since I had no desire to touch Death.

"Explain, please." Willow planted herself directly between Death and Izzy. Her narrowed eyes, clenched jaw, and crossed arms were enough to tell everyone she meant business.

Death stood motionless, his eyes darting back and forth between Izzy and Willow. When I stepped back to give them space, he dropped his arm and relaxed. Unbuttoning the top three buttons on his white cotton dress shirt, he refused to look Willow in the eyes.

"I don't have power over life. You know the human myth about Mother Nature?" Willow nodded, while the rest of us exchanged baffled glances, and Izzy crouched near the edge of the trees. "It's not entirely a myth. The world is created in pairs, one action to balance another. Life and Death are essentially two sides of the same coin, but we only control the aspects that cause our side to land heads up."

"I still don't get it." Willow eased away with a wary expression. She forgot her back was turned to Izzy and jumped away when her movement was met with a sharp hiss.

"Mother Nature isn't a physical being, but an insubstantial energy that creates life. Occasionally, we collaborate and create something that is both life and death, though only in rare cases." He shrugged and nodded at Izzy. "Think of her as an infant who is fully capable of killing. For Izzy to live, she needed to be reborn. She's a phoenix. Every time she dies, she will be reborn from her ashes. She is still in the jetlagged stage, but she will regain her memories soon."

Perplexed, I walked over to a tree near the Hellhounds, far enough from Izzy that she wouldn't view me as a threat, and sat down against the trunk. A phoenix? I wasn't sure how to take this news, but at least Izzy was alive.

Aria moved away from the Hellhounds to crouch near me while Death whispered anxiously to Willow. "Are you okay?" Her brow was furrowed and she seemed genuinely concerned.