“What are you doing?” I hissed as we rounded the corner and began the mad dash for the exit to the library. “Get out of here! I can maybe talk my way out of this, but there’s no way you can.”
He didn’t sound winded in the least from our run as he argued, “No way. You need to get out of here. I’ll distract them if it comes down to it. I can shapeshift into someone higher up, such as your dad, to throw them off.”
Seriously, we were fighting over who was going to cover for whom? This was ridiculous! Also, I loved how he just casually confirmed that he could change his entire appearance, as if that was a power I’d ever heard of an angel actually having.
“As if my dad would ever be caught dead in that dirty uniform! Why are you so stubborn?” I growled back.
“Pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think, Little Star?” he mused, making me roll my eyes. “Plus, you have a death grip on that dagger and I need it.”
Shit, I’d already forgotten about that damned weapon. Something inside of me rebelled at the thought of giving it to him. It wasmine. Not his.
We finally reached the library doors, and he held his hand out for it.
“Take it from me,” I demanded, wincing at the thought as I held my hand out. “I can’t let go of it myself. There has to be some type of spell in action to maybe make it impossible for the thief to ditch it so they’re caught?”
I was reaching with that theory, but nothing else made sense.
Shouts sounded nearby, and panic began to set in within me as he glanced outside. “No time to figure that out now. Get out of here, now!”
Indecision plagued me, and I hated to admit that a large part of it was the fear bubbling within me at the thought of him getting caught. There was still a lot to be said between us, and I wasn’t ready to give that chance up.
My thoughts must have been written all over my face because he took a moment to reach out and caress my cheek with his free hand. Suddenly, his eyes shifted, the skin becoming more youthful as the green of Gabe’s eyes shone through. My breath caught in my chest. “This was never supposed to be your mission. This is all on me. Now get out of here and I’ll find you when it’s safe. Take the dagger and book with you, so I know it’s safe if something goes wrong.”
I didn’t have time to disagree, curling my arm around the book he pressed to my chest as his face dipped down. The warmth of his lips pressed against my forehead for a fleeting moment, and my toes curled.
“I’ll never regret our night together, Little Star. Remember the promise I asked of you.”
His whispered words left my feet nailed to the floor as he suddenly turned and let his wings out, darting through the castle toward the northern post out back. That sounded way too much like a final goodbye, and I refused to accept that. It felt like there was so much left unsaid and unresolved between us. This couldn’t be the last time I saw him.
“Shit!” I hissed to myself as the gravity of the situation slammed back into me. I needed to get these items home, right fucking now. The weight of his trust hit me square in the chest as I ran through the long halls.
Cutting through the side hallway that I knew led to the side of the castle, I burst through the doors and launched into the sky, breathing out a thanks to the gods for the heavy cloud cover tonight. I noticed winged figures dotting the sky, heading toward the castle and banked left to attempt to avoid the majority of the angels who were on a direct trajectory to the front door. Unfortunately, I needed to cut through that way to get home, so it looked like I’d be taking a massive detour tonight.
Flying higher than the majority of our patrols, my energy levels began to tank as I soared around the long way—I had to come to my house in the opposite direction of the castle in an attempt to avoid where the droves of army members would be. I estimated my position to be just on the border of the Southern Forrest now. My heart practically leapt into my throat as I descended to confirm my location and spotted a white and gold uniform floating in the sky beneath me.
Immediately, I shot back up into the sky, but I heard their command for me to stop and knew they’d heard my wings beating. I had nowhere to hide the book or dagger, so I couldn’t risk being seen. Darting through the sky, I forced myself to sink back into the maneuvers Ronan had taught me years ago. After realizing I wasn’t the best at combat, he shifted his focus to teaching me defensive and escape strategies instead. I could kiss him on the mouth in gratitude for it as I quickly lost the unknown angel in the clouds, daring a glance back to ensure they were gone.
I didn’t let up, keeping a fast, grueling pace for twenty minutes as I headed north toward my home in the upper ring. Darting down, I made a beeline for my balcony, marked with overgrown greenery that snaked around the stone railing. I didn’t risk stopping until I was inside with my doors slammed closed behind me. My eyes drifted shut as I tried to focus on my breathing to calm my racing heart.
My head hit the door as I sagged against it and fell to my ass, dropping the book and dagger in the process.
“What took you so long?”
I jerked forward, startled, and my eyes flew open.
Gabe lounged in all of his glory on my bed, back in his own body as he stared at me. He didn’t even fit in my bed, feet thankfully dangling over the edge since his dirty shoes were still on. It would have been an amusing moment if not for my incredulous thoughts.
“How the hell did you get here so fast?” I asked, not giving him a moment to answer despite his mouth opening as I tacked on, “Are you sure no one followed you here?”
Gods, if he was followed, my life was over.
He scoffed before pushing up to sit on the edge of the bed. Holding a large hand to his heart, he leveled me with a look of dramatic pain. “You wound my ego, Little Star. There’s a reason I was the one chosen for this mission instead of the thousands of others in the Rebellion.”
Thousands.Holy shit.
With a grumble, I pushed to my feet after grabbing the book and dagger. “Here, take them,” I urged as I walked over to him, stopping between his spread legs with the items extended between us.
His fingers brushed against mine as he took the book and dagger. I bit down on my lip at the loss of the weapon and forced myself to take a seat on the bed next to him. Staring at my now empty hands, I muttered, “So, care to give me some answers about yourself now?”
