“Lilith,” Levi said. “Your army’s starting to look mean.”
“Good,” I said, ignoring the fact that his hand was still on my best friend’s thigh.
His mouth curved into a shrewd smile. “Though, if you taught them how tobreathewhile fighting, they might actually live long enough to be useful.”
I arched a brow at his crisp tone. “Noted. Anything else?”
Levi’s gaze flicked back to the ranks, assessing them like pieces on a chessboard.
Meanwhile, I let mine drift to Eliza. She noticed my pointed stare, smiled, then shifted closer to him. My brows climbed higher when Levi didn’t even try to scooch away. In fact, if I wasn’t mistaken, his fingers curled tighter around hers.
Oh yes, we definitely had a love match on our hands.
And as if ready to ruin it—and everything—Calyx suddenly appeared at my side. “Someone needs to teach these hellspawn how to count higher than five. I donotvolunteer as tribute.”
Calyx eyed me for a moment, but it didn’t take long for his attention to stray to their joined hands. His jaw twitched and his eyes flattened. But he didn’t say a word. I, however, had a lot to say. Or rather, ask.
With Levi focused on the army, I caught Eliza’s eye, then subtly jerked my chin in his direction. While she held my gaze, I silently mouthed the word “sex?”
Her eyes went wide for half a heartbeat, and heat flushed her neck and cheeks. She bit her lip, then gave me the smallest nod imaginable.
“Ha! Told you,” Vol whisper-hissed in my ear, practically vibrating with smugness. “They reek of each other.”
I bit back a laugh before it slipped past my lips, so as not to attract a certain angel’s attention.
Wow. Levi and Eliza had slept together. I knew something was going on between them, but I hadn’t expectedthat. Though, I wasn’t entirely sure why. Maybe because in all the time I’d known Levi, he’d never shown romantic interest in anyone. But things were different now. It wasn’t like there was a selection of bachelorettes down here. Everything came in hellspawn form, except for us celestials. And I couldn’t see any of us appealing to Levi. Sirens, on the other hand, apparently did.
Good for them. And good for Eliza. Relationships were hard enough top-side. Her powers made it impossible to know whether someone wanted her for her, or because of her abilities.Down here, though, she’d caught the attention of not one but two, based on Calyx’s murderous expression.
For his part, Levi didn’t so much as flinch. He merely offered Calyx a lazy smile that somehow managed to look both amused and superior.
“Why, Calyx, it looks like you want to hit me,” Levi taunted.
My eyes briefly widened. In all the years I’d known Levi, I’d never heard him talk down to someone like that. Then again, the fallen were a bit of a sore spot for Levi. He considered them to be traitorous bastards. He also hadn’t approved of Calyx’s involvement, knowing that the former scribe would do anything and everything to get whatever he wanted. He was loyal to usright nowbecause we were helping him regain his freedom. But if the tables ever turned, it seemed wise to assume he’d stab us in the back.
“If I wanted to hit you, angel, you wouldn’t see it coming.”
A challenge sparked in Levi’s eyes. “I’d see it.” He stretched out his long legs like this was all beneath him. “I just wouldn’t care.”
Oh, snap. Was this happening? Finally? And here, in front of the entire army? Nothing like showing dissent in the ranks to foster morale.
“Gentlemen,” I said, my tone clipped and slightly venomous. “If you’re both done waving your egos around, maybe we can focus on what’s really important?”
Calyx’s shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t argue with me. Instead, he muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like “feathered bastard,” then turned and stalked off toward the west wall, where Mephisar still sat perched.
Levi watched him go, his smirk never faltering. “Touchy.”
“You’re provoking him on purpose,” I said.
The angel’s eyes widened a touch, as though to say, “Who, me?”
I just rolled my eyes. Someone smite me now—smug angels were the worst.
“Anyway…” Eliza hedged, clearly eager to change the subject. She shook her head and faced me. “We heard about yesterday. You okay?”
“Just peachy,” I said, forcing a grin. “And thank you for retrieving Purrgy and Vol. Hopefully you guys didn’t run into any trouble?”
“You mean other than these two needling each other the whole way?” She tilted her chin toward Levi. “No, it was quiet.”
