She turned her head, their faces mere inches apart. "When you talk to Him again, tell him I love it."
"Yeah." He smiled and looked back to the sunset, her silver eyes too distracting. "Or you can try telling Him yourself. You're pretty good at the praying thing, you know."
"Not as good as you, Sin." She turned back to the sunset.
This close, he could see the creases around her eyes that signaled a grin on her face. Spending time with her reminded him of how often they were distracted by things that didn't matter. Full lips and beautiful faces paled in comparison to the appreciation of simple happiness. She took delight in things he'd long ago started to take for granted.
When the sun was just a sliver, Sin whispered in her ear, "Look up."
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Beside him, Rissa tilted her head back, and Sin looked up with her. The sky was a vibrant purple quickly fading to deep blue. The few scattered clouds burned fiercely in crimson and scarlet, a few veins of orange still lingering. While they both watched, the sun finally gave in for the night and the last traces of warmth left the sky, leaving behind only a deep, mesmerizing shade of blue.
"It's even more beautiful than I'd imagined," Rissa breathed.
He watched her eyes blink, the reflections of city lights and the night's first stars glinting like pin pricks in the silver. "Magical, huh?"
"And it's like this every night?" She shivered slightly as the temperature began to drop.
"Similar," Sin said, wrapping his arms around her. "Every sunset is different."
She tensed at his embrace. "Sin? You aren't supposed to touch me."
"I'm also not supposed to show you twilight, and you told me on the first day that touching you is often useful. Does it bother you if I keep you warm?"
"No." She stepped back against him. "I don't want to leave yet."
"I have all night," he promised, smiling at the top of her head. "Rissa?"
She tilted her head enough to see him. "Yes, Brother Sin?"
"Why do you wear the veils?"
She looked back at the sky. "Because of the enhancements. We're modified for efficiency, not appearance. OutLink has warned us that our clients will find our appearance disturbing." Her answer sounded rehearsed.
"Yeah, but why do you wear the veils around me? Even when we're alone?"
Her answer came back a little too fast. "Why do you wear gloves around me, even when we're alone?"
He sighed and rested his chin on the top of her head. "Because I'm ashamed of my cybernetics. They remind me how close I came to failing." He chuckled softly. "I've never told anyone that, Riss. They all think it's because of the first precept—and that's part of it—but mostly it's the memory."
"Did it hurt?"
"A lot, but the worst part was looking down and seeing my arm was justgone.The entire outside was missing, my bones just hanging out there, blood everywhere. I've seen a lot of blood, but none looked as red as my own." He sighed. "For a moment, I stopped thinking about my angel. When I realized my back was broken..." He paused. "Sorry."
"Were you scared?" she asked softly.
"Terrified," he admitted. "God, Riss, I thought I was done, you know? Three bombs went off, and we didn't know how many more were out there. I couldn't walk. George was down, knocked out by the blast, and I couldn't move him. I thought I was going to lose my first angel."
"You've never lost a client?" she asked, shocked.
He wrapped his arms a bit tighter around her. "Never. I've been shot a few times, and everyone knows about the bombs, but I've never lost an angel." He turned her a bit. "See the moon rising?"
She made an appreciative noise and tilted her head back against his shoulder. "I wish I could do this every night."
"Me too." He reached up for the loose strand of hair, guiding it back under the veil. "You never answered my question, Princess."
She didn't need to be asked again. "I don't want you to see what I look like. That's why I wear the veil around you."
