Kai bows with me.
They all nod and say in unison, “Our pleasure.”
I hesitate to take the first step, then look up at him.
“I’m with you.”
I stare at the white opal spiral staircase centered behind the thrones and take a step toward it. Once we reach it, we begin ascending, side by side. One foot in front of the other.
Just pretend you’re dancing, Cleo. Everything is always better when you’re dancing,I say to myself.
One-two-three-four.
Five-six-seven-eight.
I gaze down and can still see the Archangels below us.
Kai is only looking up.
One-two-three-four.
Five-six-seven-eight.
Again, my eyes drift downward, but now I can only see the building’s arched roof.
His gaze remains fixed on what lies ahead.
One-two-three-four.
Five-six-seven-eight.
Looking down again, I can see all of Eloras. It looks magical.
He hasn’t looked down once.
One-two-three-four.
Five-six-seven-eight.
I gaze down again, and now, only clouds and the dome separating our realms consume my vision.
He intakes a sharp breath.
I glance at him, then follow his eyes. I can’t quite see what he sees yet, but as we climb higher, a figure’s silhouette comes into view.
Kai hooks his arm around my neck and kisses my forehead in a tender embrace.
The figure is dressed in clothes similar to Kai’s—a collared shirt, cream-colored trousers—and has a large set of classic white wings that outstretch wide—they’re even larger than Kai’s.His tan skin appears to be glowing. As we get closer, I notice deep smile lines and crinkles around his brown eyes.
Brown eyes that we’ve shared since the day I was born.
My instincts tell me to run and never come back—that I don’t deserve to be in his presence.
But the tears brimming in his honeyed eyes tell me otherwise.
“Dad?” I take a small step toward him. Kai follows my lead, staying behind me. My dad extends his hand toward me, but my gaze falls down to the ground, and I flinch away instinctively. “I’m so s-sorry.”
For the first time since New York, I’m trembling. I thought I could do this. I thought I could face him, but the guilt, shame, pain—it’s flooding back to the surface and eating me alive. I can’t do this. I don’t belong here—
