I sniffed, and his eyebrows knittedtogether.
“I’m okay. Let him in. I should get back to the guildanyway.”
“Jamais de la vie.”No way.“You’re not going back there, Feather. Nottonight.”
“Ja-arod,” Tristan singsonged. “Come on, man. Let mein.”
“Stay. Please,” he said, his toneurgent.
“I’m not going to vanish through a Channel. You made sure of that.” I tried to smile, but the aftermath of shredding my wings was still rippling throughme.
“Fuck that. I want you here. With me. Ineedyouhere.”
Warmth spread through me. “Okay, okay. I won’t go home.” I smoothed the furrows from his brow with myfingertips.
“I’m coming in,” Tristan warned. “Hope she’s decent . . . Or that you’re willing toshare.”
Jarod muttered, “L’enculé,” before giving me one last fleetingkiss.
The door soaredwide.
I sensed Tristan’s eyes onme.
“Well, well,” he said in a voice that was so chirpy it sounded like he’d awakened from the longest and greatest nap of his life. “If it isn’t the stray I found on yourdoorstep.”
Jarod’s body firmed up so fast it felt like I was sitting on concrete. “Don’t you ever fucking talk about Leigh likethat!”
I straightened my hunched spine and peeked over myshoulder.
Tristan raised both his palms. “Pardon, Jarod. It was meant as ajoke.”
“Ask for her forgiveness, not mine,” Jarodgrowled.
“I’m sorry, Leigh,” he said, his gaze roaming over my mottled face. “Everythingokay?”
I nodded. Everything was okaynow.
Another figure appeared behind Tristan—Muriel. “Jarod?” Even though she didn’t attach any other words to his name, I sensed she was asking him if he was allright.
“Mimi, can you take Leigh upstairs?” I must’ve gone a shade paler, because he added, “She’ll stay the night in my oldbedroom.”
Muriel retied the belt on her cashmere robe. “Viens, ma chérie.”Come, mydarling.
Was I really staying the night in Jarod’s house? I’d never slept anywhere but in guilds . . . Then again, I’d never done a lot of the things I’d donetonight.
As I reached Muriel’s side, Jarod said, “I’ll be up as soon as I can.” His expression was so full of worry that I wanted to run straight back into his arms and tell him I was truly all right, that I’d never been this all right. Instead, I held his gaze andsmiled.
He didn’t smile back, but his breathing seemed to evenout.
As Muriel closed the door, I heard Tristan say, “Had to yank a few fingernailsout. . .”
That sentence was like a cold shower, waking me up to the fact that the man I’d just ruined my wings for did terrible things or ordered others to do them on his behalf. He might share my kin’s blood, but Jarod Adler was noangel.
I touched my lips as nausea rose, making my stomachcontract.
What had Idone?
What was I stilldoing?
