“Are you afraid of being burned?” Halo asked.
“Yes,” I replied honestly.
“You’re smart. You should be.” Halo smiled again, but it seemed different than before. Less cocky. More melancholy. “Brave, too. I think the last people to stand so close to me were my own parents.”
With a curious glance, I said, “Why didn’t you put the fire away when the Knight asked?”
The melancholy disappeared, and his expression was defiant and coy again. “Why should I? Just because he told me to? Just because I have something that he doesn’t?”
“None of the Knights have magic,” I said. “Otherwise they don’t let you in.”
Halo watched me warily. “Let me guess. You want to become one?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t read his expression. He continued to watch me, like a cat, until his interest faded. He extinguished the fire in his hand. I watched it disappear into a puff of smoke.
“I like you, Kass. Meet me here tonight at midnight. Okay?”
The shortening of my name made my cheeks flush pink, and I hoped desperately that he didn’t notice. But the smirk on his lips proved otherwise.
* * *
“Kass. Wake up.”
The familiarity of the voice melting together with the last remaining scraps of my dream made me groan. When I opened my eyes, I saw the face of the omega in my dream again - only a few years older, and definitely not as happy to see me.
Great,I thought bitterly.I can’t even escape Halo when I’m asleep.
I brought a hand to my spinning head as I sat up. Above us was a canopy of evergreen trees, and the scent of pine needles was thick in the air. A chilly wind whistled through the trees, and Halo shivered. I realized he was still wearing half a shirt, for whatever reason.
Without thinking too much about it, I slipped the jacket off my shoulders and handed it to him without eye contact. “Wear this.” Before he could argue, I asked, “Why’s your shirt ripped, anyway?”
Halo muttered, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Yes, I would, actually,” I said. “I know you’re angry with me - and I’m angry with you, too - but I still would like to know why you’re prancing around half-dressed.”
Halo frowned and moved his shoulder away, like the conversation was entering uncomfortable territory. “If you won’t shut up about it, then it’s because I ripped it myself. Angel needed a change. Didn’t have anything else with me.”
Suddenly I felt bad for pestering him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Halo set his jaw, not looking at me. “It’s fine. It’s not the first time you’ve been a dick about something when you didn’t know the whole story.”
My sympathy quickly transformed into annoyance. “If you’re talking about youratrocity, then - ”
“Yes, I am,” he snapped. “And it’d be great if you stopped calling it that, after four hundred fucking years. You’re still so hung up on it.”
“Halo,” I said slowly, “you killed someone.”
The words seemed to sink heavily into the air around us. The birds in the trees went silent, and the wind stilled.
“Just let it go already,” Halo muttered. He stood and began walking. I had no choice but to follow him.
“Because that’s something you can really forget about,” I said sarcastically.
Halo whirled on me, his eyes furious as he jabbed a finger into my chest. “Stop. I’m serious. I don’t want to talk about this.”
I didn’t flinch. I met his gaze. “You never did.”
