His palm skated over my hair. “Asher promised to come at the very lastminute.”
The lump that swelled inside my throat turned solid as rock. “Good. He can burn my wingsoff.”
“He’ll do no suchthing.”
“Jarod,I—”
His hands curled gently around my biceps and pressed me away. “Listen to me. You’ll go up and make a home for yourself. For us. And no white quartz everywhere, all right?” His lips flexed but slackened almost as quickly as they’dbent.
I inhaled a long breath, trying to ease the cramping in my chest. “Is your rank really seventy-two?”
Henodded.
“I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but you can’t take your own life. People who commit suicide, their souls . . . they’re notcollected.”
One of his hands drifted off my arm to set on my jaw. “Don’t worry. There are plenty of people who’d line up to put a bullet through myskull.”
Ishuddered.
“Pardon, ma plume.”Forgive me, myfeather.
I swallowed, and my saliva slithered around the receding lump. He was going to make it. “Don’t expect me to forgive you when you show up at my door. I’ll let you in, but I might not talk to you for days. Monthseven.”
“As long as you make love to me, I’ll accept yoursilence.”
I glowered at him. “I might make you wait forthat.”
His mouth softened into a smile. “You know I hate to be keptwaiting.”
I sighed, and the air in my lungs seemed to fill up the entire room. “I can’t believe you didthis.”
His smile turned sheepish, then pained. “I can’t believe I did iteither.”
I decided to push away my annoyance and anger. Fighting wasn’t how I wanted to spend our last hours on Earth. “Kiss me, Jarod, and don’t stop until Asher pries me out of yourarms.”
His face dropped toward mine heartbeat by heartbeat, so slowly I thought he’d never reach me before I would have to leave. When his mouth touched mine, my body sparked and smoldered. And my wings . . . they spilled out of my back unbidden the same way they’d sealed to my bonesunbidden.
Chapter 60
When Asher cameto collect me, I wasn’tready.
Then again, who is ever ready to have their heart split intwo?
I tried to stay strong but failed miserably. When my fingers slipped out of Jarod’s for the last time in who knew how long, a cry tore from my lungs and filled his bedroom. He turned away right before Asher cloaked our bodies in angel-dust to make us invisible to the guards in the courtyardbelow.
The proud line of Jarod’s shoulders slumped and then his body began to tremble like my own. I wanted to be angry again, because anger beatmisery.
Asher’s brow grooved, and I was glad for his guilt. Glad for his silence. I couldn’t stomach talking to him rightnow.
Maybe I’d stay mute until Jarod ascended to show how violated I felt that the archangel had acted against my wishes. Since when did archangels listen to the wishes ofsinners?
The archangel curled an arm around my waist and sprang into the dead sky that contained no moon or stars tonight, just steel clouds and needles of rain. I closed my eyes as we soared over Paris, as the wind and rain flogged my hair, turning it into an orangesquall.
When we reached the guild, he set me down and drew the door open. I didn’t look behind me as I entered. I neither possessed the will nor the desire to set my gaze on all I was leaving behind. As I forded through the Atrium, I pulled the scent of Jarod into my tender lungs—mineral, musky, and sweet. So very sweet. My heart—what was left of it—disintegrated further, the beats clattering to the floor likecrumbs.
Crumbs to lead my sinner tome.
The Fletchings who’d been out and about stopped to watch, gazes wide with envy even though I felt like a prisoner being led to her execution. How I wished I could pull my wings off and offer them to one of my peers so I could run back out into the soakingstreets.
