It was silly, but I bristled. “I’ve never failed amission.”
It wasn’t like me to boast, but I wanted him to stop looking at me like I was the naivest angel in the human world. I strode ahead of him into the square room filled with bright white light. When he joined me, the space, which was no larger than an elevator shaft, suddenly felt snugger than ashoebox.
He held his palms out, and I glided mine on top. His skin bled fire into my hands, whisking away their clamminess and replacing it with a pricklingburn.
He murmured words from the celestial tongue that made lilac smoke gather and twist around us. Tightening his grip, he snapped his wings, and we rocketed up into the beam of elysianlight.
Chapter 6
When we reached Guild 7,a perfect replica to the one I’d just left behind, two women were already waiting for us by the Channel, probably warned of our imminent arrival by Ophan Mira. They greeted me succinctly before lavishing Asher in attention. They were clearly there for the Seraph and not an insignificantFletching.
Wait till I become his wife . . . Whoa.My snark made my even strides falter. Where had this confidence comefrom?
Asher glanced at me through the curtain of golden hair that framed his face. “Are you okay,Leigh?”
I stared at him wide-eyed, praying he couldn’t discern my delirious thoughts. “I’m fine. Thank you, Seraph.” And then I turned my attention toward the blonde with apple-green wings. “Ophan Pauline, could you show me to a free bedroom so I can put my things away,please?”
“Biensûr. Suis-moi.” Even though she spoke in French, my brain automatically translated her words.Of course. Follow me.“Don’t forget to speak our language while you’re here. It’ll make Parisians a lot moreaccommodating.”
I committed this to mind. Before leaving, I turned to Asher. “Thank you for the lift,Seraph.”
“The pleasure was all mine, Leigh.” His incandescent smile replaced the concern that had wafted over his features at the mention of Jarod’sname.
As I trailed Ophan Pauline down a grid of quiet hallways, I looked up at the strip of elysian sky burning with stars, the only other source of light beside the fire-veinedquartz.
She led me into a bedroom similar in design to mine but smaller—four bare quartz walls, a domed skylight, an en suite bathroom, and two queen-sized beds made up with white linens. “How long do you think you’ll be staying withus?”
“Depends how my missiongoes.”
She pressed on one of the walls, and a closet door popped open. “Myriam ascended last month, so this room is yours for as long as you needit.”
“Thank you.” As I walked over to the bed and set my bag on it, I felt her stare at me. I glanced over my shoulder wondering what warranted the attention, since my wings were magickedaway.
“Your hair color is very . . .different.”
Different was never a compliment. “Just like my wings,” Isighed.
“What color arethey?”
“Silver.”
“And?”
“Justsilver.”
Her lids pulled up higher. “Can I seethem?”
I magicked them intoexistence.
She circled around me taking them in. I hoped the color, or lack thereof, would keep her gaze away from my feather shortage. “Incroyable. I’ve never seen a Fletching with pure Verity wings before. You must be one heck of a pure-blood.”
“Or the angels who made me used up all the color on myhair.”
She smirked. “Do both your parents have pure Veritywings?”
“I don’tknow.”
“You’ve never seen theirwings?”
