When he smirked, the worry I’d felt down in his study began tofade.
I hummed. “Itisprettyimpressive.”
“Pretty impressive?” He snorted. “I’m requesting the same size or larger when I get access to my elysianform.”
Emotion fluttered beneath my ribs. Was that what Asher and Jarod had been discussing?Elysium?
To be together in the land of angels meant I would have to complete my wings, and he’d have to drop more points from his sinner score. Not to mention that he’d have todie.
“Jarod?”
“Yeah,Feather.”
“You’re only twenty-five.”
“Yourpoint?”
“You’re too young to contemplatedying.”
He blew some air from the corner of his mouth. “Because you think I’m going to leave you up there on your own? An angel like you? So beautiful, inside and out? I’m going to be joining you as soon as my rank drops underfifty.”
“How about the day your rank drops under fifty, we discuss myascension?”
He pressed his lips together, then held out his hand. “Comehere.”
I threaded my fingers through his and let him pull me up. Slowly he placed my hand over his heart, cementing itthere.
“Feather,” he murmured, his voice hoarse, “thank you for choosing me. For coming back to me again and again. For your patience and your smiles. For your laughter and even for your tears. Thank you for glittering for me and for kissing me. For allowing me to desecrate your body.” His lips twitched, and I rolled my eyes. “For showing me that wings aren’t always used for flyingaway.”
“Jarod,I—”
“Wait. I’m notdone.”
I sealed mylips.
“This last month has been . . . it’s been—” His pause was brutal, but I kept silent and waited, sensing that sharing emotion was still challenging for Jarod. “What I’m trying to say, and doing a crap job of, is that . . . it’s that I love you,Feather.”
My eyebrowsjumped.
He pressed my palm harder against his chest, and it felt like I was touching the very organ beating there. “Can you always remember that,baby?”
“How about you just tell me everyday?”
His dark eyes glittered even though my skin hadn’t lit up. When his thick lashes lowered and a single tear coursed down his face, catching in his dark stubble, timeslowed.
Stopped.
“Jarod?” I murmured his name across the slender expanse dividing us. “What’s goingon?”
“It was my turn to save you.” His ragged tone made the expanse grow andgrow.
Panic shortening my heartbeats, I curled my fingers to grip something solid. Since I couldn’t reach his heart, I grabbed onto hisshirt.
“I can’t protect you down here,Leigh.”
Beads of rainwater bled from my hair and trekked down my spine. “I can’tdie.”
“For now!” His lids flipped up, his grief smearing intoanger.
