I sat up a little straighter. “And?”
Her lips twisted. “Itdidn’t.”
Not surprising. What was surprising, though, was that the guild wasn’t abuzz with my misconduct. Were the archangels and Ishim keeping it under wraps since it stemmed from theirmistake?
“What happened last night,Leigh?”
I sighed, then covered her hand with my own. “So much, Celeste. So much happened lastnight.”
As I recounted the awful night, her expression puckered andscrunched.
“Are you disappointed in me?” I asked when she still hadn’t spoken a word and I’d finished speaking all ofmine.
Her lashes hit her brow bone. “Disappointed? Are youkidding?”
“I challenged our system and criticized an archangel.” I didn’t regret what I’d done but regretted the hostility that had limned thediscussion.
Celeste’s gaze slickened. “You’re asking the girl who grew up challenging the system if she thinks you did something wrong? Leigh, I’m—I’m so proud ofyou.”
I squeezed her hand, which had turned rigid against my knee. “Then why do you look like you’re about to burst intotears?”
“Because . . .” She tugged her lip into her mouth. “Because your big, stupid heart might just cost you your immortality.” She sniffed, and tears coursed over her freckles. As she stole her hand from under mine, she said, “And I don’t want to lose you.” She scrubbed her face, but instead of whisking away the wetness, she spread it. “And if they kick you out, then I’ll leave,too.”
I pushed some hair off her shiny cheeks. “No, you won’t. You’re going to complete your wings. Especially if I can’t. Someone has to go up there and call them out on their erroneousmanagement.”
Surprisingly, my attack on the celestial system didn’t cost me a feather. Maybe, the Ishim were taking pity on me, or maybe, they’d moved my soul to the department of unsalvageableitems.
I kneeled and hugged Celeste, resting my chin on the top of her head. “Thankyou.”
“Forwhat?”
“For not calling mecrazy.”
She let out a pulse of air. “Youarecrazy. But so am I. Welcome to the dark side, Leigh. I have to warn you it can get sort oflonely.”
I smiled and smoothed out her soft hair. “Not anymore. We’re together now, so notanymore.”
She pressed harder into me the same way I imagined Jarod had curled into Muriel. We didn’t need many people in our lives; we needed one, and I had my one. A scrawny fifteen-year-old with a heart ofsteel.
Chapter 30
After deliberatingfor another hour what was to become of me—Celeste was convinced nothing would change, that the angels for all their egos and rules wouldn’t kick me to the human curb—I’d sworn my friend to secrecy, afraid that siding with me would get her in trouble. Then I’d collected the money I owed Jarod from OphanPauline.
As she came out of the office by the guild’s front door, I studied her expression to figure out whether she’d been informed about lastnight.
“Please don’t tell me I still have tomato sauce on my face.” She scrubbed herchin.
“What?”
“You’re looking at mefunny.”
“Oh. Sorry.” I lowered my eyes to the yellow bill she placed into my hand. “There are no sauce stains on your face,Ophan.”
“Thank Elysium. That would’ve been embarrassing. Especially considering Seraph Asher stopped by thismorning.”
“Hedid?”
“Oui.”
