Because one part is painfully correct: we are not the same. I can’t forget it.
For a long moment, Celine doesn’t respond. Then her shoulders dip.
“He wants me dead, doesn’t he?” Her lips quiver, then stiffen. “The wins must have pissed him off. Is he hurting you?” Celine studies my face, squinting as if she’ll be able to see beneath my mask and uncover a bruise if she looks hard enough.
“I’m a contractor?—”
“And I’m his daughter,” she interrupts. “That never stopped him before.”
Malach moves to her side, positioning himself slightly between us. “Don’t do it,” he says to me. “I’m appealing to your honor, Riven. Take me instead.”
“That’s not the solution.” Celine pushes him back.
“There’s no room for hypocrites in my arena,” I say to Malach. “Your time is up, Celine. Come without a fuss, or I’ll take them away again.”
She deflates, hunching in on herself until she’s too small in the oversized shirt. Her fingers curl against Malach’s chest, then she drags them to her hair, combing through the bright red strands and braiding them in jerky, brisk motions.
Once she’s finished, she grabs her jeans from the hearth and puts them on. “Can I have time to say goodbye?”
I shake my head. “Put your shoes on.”
Luca glares at me, his handsome features distorted by anger. “What? We can’t even watch this time? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I suspect we don’t have the time to cover that to your full satisfaction,” I say drily.
“I-I can’t do it,” Alistair hisses, gripping Celine’s upper arms in his. “I can’t let you walk out the door, angel.”
“You have no choice,” I say. “This cabin is surrounded by my guards. If you step one toe out of line, you’ll all be dead in five minutes.”
Alistair turns his head and bares his fangs. “I’ll kill you.”
“Maybe.” I smirk. “But it won’t be today. I have the upper hand and no intention of losing it.”
Alistair tenses to lunge, and Ciprian slides in to block him with his body. “Stop,” he says. “We can’t get separated again. Hold it together.”
Celine laces her shoes and glances between the four of them.
I might as well be invisible. I’ve never let it bother me before, but tonight it stings.
“I’ll come back to you,” she says. “I won’t give up, no matter what. Do you hear me?”
Ciprian drags her into his arms and kisses her, then spins her to face Luca.
“Please, baby,” he begs. “I-I can’t... not without you.”
She cradles his jaw and kisses him softly. “I love you, Luca. You’ve never given up on me and?—”
“I never will,” he assures her, burying his face in her neck as Alistair curls around them both.
“You’ll win, angel.” He dips his lips to whisper in her ear. I can’t hear what he says, which is a relief. I don’t want to hear his goodbyes.
One limb at a time, they detach from her reluctantly.
Then Malach is the only one left.
He stares at her, and she stands taller.
They breathe in sync, each rise and fall of their chests aligned. When Malach speaks to her, it’s in one of the celestial languages. She lifts her hand and locks her thumb with his. As soon as their skin touches, her eyelashes flutter, thick and beautiful against her pale skin.
