“I’m Luke,” he calls, his deep voice echoing throughout the massive room. He quirks his head to his left.
“I’m Jessenia,” the female says in a chipper tone. A beat of silence passes between them. Luke pierces the other male to his far right with a lethal gaze, clearing his throat.
“Oh, right. I’m Nial. I’ve been working here for the last several thousand years. My greatest strength is that I know how to detect lies, my greatest weakness is—”
“That’s quite alright, Nial. No need to bore the Guardian to death.” Annalise presses her lips together in a tight smile. She raises her hand and waves her fingers in an interesting pattern, conjuring a glass goblet filled with an icy liquid that materializes in mid-air. She holds the glass up to her lips to take a sip and releases a breath, tossing the glass behind her. This time, it disappears in mid-air.
Nowthat’sa cool trick.
“What? Just sharing my elevator pitch. I’m getting rusty in my old age.” Nial smirks, tossing a quick wink—so fast I nearly missed it myself, and I always catch a good old-fashioned wink—just beyond me. I turn my head, following the line of his sight and landing on a face whose eyes are already on me.
Cleo. Her features, petite and soft, contrast heavily with her intense brown eyes and grimace.
“Let’s begin, shall we?” Luke interrupts.
“Let’s,” I say in complete confidence.
I’ve got this.
Five
Cleo
Acurrent of chills spreads across my body. The air is different right now—it’s thicker, less predictable. I glance to my right at Matt, Kai’s mentor, to see if he can sense the change or if it’s just me. His brown eyes remain fixed on the Archangels, his brown hair perfectly styled, and tan arms resting at his sides.
Unlike me, goosebumps aren’t covering his arms.
Heavens, what on earth is going on with me?
I school my features, folding my arms and standing straight, awaiting the Archangels to speak.
Luke gazes over at us and says, “You may be seated.”
Finally.If I kept my knees locked any longer, I would’ve collapsed. I sit down on the intricate hand-carved bench perpendicular to the thrones and scan the Archangels. Nial’s eyes linger on me—he is one of the few beings who knows how to get under my skin, and tonight, he’s doing it well.
In the corner of my eye, I spot Kai glancing at me, too.
Pull it together,I whisper, attempting to enter his mind for the first time. I know he mind spoke with Iris’s partner multiple times, so I figure it’s worth a shot to see if we can communicate similarly.Stop staring.
A moment of silence passes between us, leading me to believe my attempt to enter his mind was feeble.
And if I don’t want to stop?his voice interrupts.
So, it worked. Interesting. To be fair, I haven’t attempted to mind speak with another angel before this, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
I turn my attention to the Archangels. They’re currently sorting through their documents, following basic judgment protocol by making sure they follow the proceedings in the divine order.Now isn’t the time for jokes.
Who says I’m joking?
My stomach drops, but I continue watching the Archangels as if unaffected.
You’re always playing, Kai.
Nial clears his throat, pinning me once again with his amber eyes, attempting soulsight. After his failed attempt, he rolls his eyes. “We keep our judgments simple—”
“And efficient,” Luke adds. “Only the purest souls are offered the chance to be Guardians—”
“Therefore, we exert atremendousamount of trust in our Guardians and those who watch them. During your judgment, your word is as valuable to us as all the riches in the realm,” Annalise chimes in. “We trust you will share your experience in its raw, purest form—”
