I turn off the light. Willow snuggles closer and settles her hand over my chest. “Is this all right?” I ask.
“It would be better if you were holding me,” she says softly.
Anything she wants, I will give her. Especially when she’s touching me. Wrapping my arm around her, I press a kiss to her hair. “It has been a very long time since I have shared a bed with anyone.”
Willow yawns, the sound so utterly content, I expect her to fall asleep within seconds. But before I can drift off myself, she jerks up with a little gasp.
“Wait. Earlier, when you were talking about the Garden of Eden, you saidAdamstarted the whole thing? Did he really?”
I chuckle. “Yes. Yes, he did.”
NINETEEN
Willow
Every time I turn around, I expect to see Hannah. I woke with her voice in my head more than once last night. All those pretty words, the smooth tone…it was like she was right there. Next to me. But every time, Gabriel was there. His warmth chased her away.
My exhaustion and fear leave me jumpy. The train platform is too crowded. Too loud.
Gabriel carries our suitcase in one hand but keeps the other arm around my waist. Probably smart, as I’ve thought about running away more than once since we left Sinclair and Zoe’s apartment well before sunrise.
I can see Kunchin ahead of us. The yeti is almost seven feet tall and very hard to miss with his snow white fur. Though supposedly, his perception filter keeps humans from seeing his true nature. Sin and Zoe are driving across the country in one of Sin’s many cars. He refused to risk Zoe coming face-to-face with another member of the Fae ever again.
They’ll stay close. If any of AURA’s people come for me, either my compliment of protectors will stop them, or Gabrielwill do his amazing travelthingand bring me back to Sinclair’s penthouse immediately.
Somewhere behind us, Maddox and Killian keep an eye out for anyone suspicious.
A strange sensation settles over me. My skin tingles lightly. “What’s happening?” I hiss under my breath.
“Just a spell,” Killian says over the small Bluetooth earbud. “Anyone using Fae glamor is about to have a very bad hair day.”
I almost laugh. Sinclair’s brother-in-law has a great sense of humor. Then again, I think a lot of jokes sound better when delivered in a British accent. Gabriel wasn’t amused at my observation, though. His shoulders have been hiked up close to his ears all morning.
I don’t know why he’s jealous. We can’t have a future together—he’s an angel and I’m…cursed—but I care for him. I think he feels the same. He keeps calling medeliciae. Darling. But he refuses to kiss me again. In this moment, that’s all I want. One kiss to make me feelaliveagain. To make me feel like…me.
The Blade’s call is getting stronger. Yesterday’s soft song, the gentle tug on my soul, has turned into a vise, getting tighter and tighter. It fills my ears, filtering through the sounds of conversation, of traffic on the freeway, of travel. If we don’t get moving soon, I’m afraid what will happen next.
My whisper floats close by. Not close enough to touch, but close enough both Gabriel and I can see her. Her emotions are so clear over our fragile bond. Fear. Resignation. A hint of excitement. She wants this, even though she’s still terrified.
“Willow?” Mad says over the call. “There’s something beyond your right shoulder. Ahead of you. What is it?”
“That’s my whisper. You can see her?” I glance up at Gabriel. He doesn’t seem surprised.
“Only a shimmer of light,” he says. “Nothing more.”
“Fuck me.Youcan see ghosts?” Killian asks. “Why areyouso bloody lucky?”
“Because he is part angel,” Gabriel says. “At least that is my assumption. And she does not like being referred to as a ghost. I made that mistake once. I will not make it again.”
My whisper gives him a nod and moves a little closer to us.
“Sinclair can’t see her,” Mad says.
Gabriel scans the crowd for threats as we approach the sleeping car. “Sinclair is part demon. That cancels out his angelic side.”
“It does not work that way,” Sin mutters. “Iusedto be welcome in the celestial realm. I still would be if not for Seraphiel.”
His tone holds a lifetime of pain. There’s so much about this world I don’t know. Did another angel have anything to do with what happened to Zoe?
