“Anyway, there’s a party this Friday. We have parties often in this realm, but we don’t often welcome active Guardians. Wouldn’t want to distract them from their mission, you know? The party is in the main courtyard’s atrium. You should come. It’ll take your mind off things.”
“Dude, you already know I’ll be there.” Kai claps Matt’s back again. “Thanks for inviting me. I’ve been needing a release. This will be awesome.”
“Sounds good. Just let me know if you need anything else before then. I’ve gotta get back to the new recruits downstairs, but I’ll see you then,” he says, stepping toward the entrance, then meeting my eyes. “Hope to see you there, too. It’s been a while.”
I shake my head, flashing him a half-hearted smile. “I’m good.”
He shrugs and grins, leaving the chamber and shouting over his shoulder, “Worth a shot.”
I get back to work, keeping my head down.
“Why not go to the party?” His voice interrupts my rhythm from atop the ladder on the far side of the room.
“I have other plans,” I say nonchalantly, tucking a strand of dark hair behind my ear and glancing back at the sparkling artifacts before me.
“It’s a shame—you’re like my only friend here. It’d be fun to see you out of your element for a change,” he says, sighing.
“We both know I’m not your only friend here. Everyone loves you.”
He presses his tongue against his cheek, then mumbles, “Well, you’re the only friend I want to see at the party.”
I drag my gaze back up to meet his from across the room and arch an eyebrow.
“Fine, partying definitely doesn’t seem like your thing.”
“Because it’s not.”
He gives me a knowing grin I don’t particularly like. I suppose I don’t hate it either, though. Why does his smile have to be so infectious?
He extends his arm upward to reach for more books. Without meaning to, I catch myself staring at the definition of his arms and taking in how fit he is.
“So, do angels drink at these parties?” he asks, interrupting my train of thought again. I nearly physically shake my head to snap out of it. This time, I’m glad he interrupted. The last thing I want to do is ogle his strong arms.
“Um. Yes. Angels drink at the parties. The drinks aren’t quite drinks, though—they’re lighter and taste crisper. More airy. They do, however, alter the brain in the same way alcohol does,” I answer as I walk very carefully back to the main table, cautious not to step on any of the items decorating the ground, and add another note in my journal regarding the transparent crystal I just held—a reading sphere from the fourteenth century.Utterly fascinating.
Kai claps his hands, nearly stumbling off the ladder and dropping the book in his hand before grabbing hold of it again.I stifle a laugh at the sight of his clumsiness. It’s almost… endearing.
He lets out a sigh of relief. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I’ve never been much of a drinker, but damn, I could use a drink right now.”
I’d say he’s probably earned that much.
We continue sorting through items in silence for the remaining hours of the workday. It’s funny, he strikes me as the type who would prefer to fill silence with the sound of his own voice, but instead, he seems fine with the silence—comfortable, even. I guess I haven’t fully figured him out quite yet. Throughout the day, angels enter the archives and attempt to browse the collection, only to realize it’s currently a lost cause.
I step just beyond the entrance point to the balcony at the top of the staircase, glancing through the large windows at the sunset beyond the library’s walls. Beams of soft light filter into the room, speckling the bookshelves on the level below us. The vast room’s golden sheen is cathartic, really.
“Golden hour at its finest,” a hoarse voice whispers over my shoulder. I elbow him in the ribs instinctively, spinning toward him. He bends over, clutching his rib cage and exhaling with a laugh.
I lift my chin at him, beaming. He quirks a brow, still gripping his stomach.
“Well, shit. That’s the first real smile you’ve worn today,” he says, shaking his head and smiling with his eyes. “You’re a demonic little angel, aren’t you?”
I wave my hand dismissively. “Workday’s over. You’re dismissed.”
He tilts his head. “Dismissed? I’m yourcoworker, not youremployee. We’re practically equals now in the eyes of the Archangels.”
I roll my eyes, descending the stairs and summoning my wings back to spread them as wide as possible to serve as a barrier between us. He ensures the entrance to the archives is closed before trailing behind me.
He’sinfuriating.
