“I think we both have some stories to share, after I see Mikhail. And I need to see himnow.” I lifted an eyebrow, and he let go of me, rubbing at the back of his neck.
“That’s true. Hop up?” He held out his arms, and I steeled myself not to respond to his voodoo fingers again. It wasn’t hard, since my heart was breaking at the thought of my Growly in pain.
In seconds, we were in the air, and in less than a minute, landing in the corridor outside the Maker Hall. I pulled away from Righteous and ran for the main door to yank on the handle, expecting it to open. But it was locked, and I muffled a whimper. When Mikhail had made me his soulmate, I had been able to open his locks without doing anything… but now, I was no one again.
Ry shot me a look, gesturing for me to follow him around to the hidden entrance. “The Guides have been pestering Sunny to let him come to meetings, but he’s not strong enough.”
“How… How long have I been gone?” I hoped he would say days.
“Weeks,” he murmured. “About six weeks. I’m glad you’re back.” He knocked on the narrow door that led into the Hall, then opened it, calling out for Sunny.
“Hey, Ry, you’re back early. Is Hope singing at the gate? Any word—Feather!” Sunny’s face, lined with exhaustion and worry, shifted the instant her eyes fell on me. Before I knew what was happening, she’d shoved me and Righteous back out into the dim corridor, closing the door almost all the way behind her.
“What—” Ry began.
But he subsided as Sunny glared at him and hissed, “Can a High Angelus have a heart attack? Want to find out?”
Then Sunny turned that glare on me. Emotions flickered past like an old-fashioned movie. Shock, disbelief, wonder, anger, confusion, joy, and then… her features settled on hurt. Her mouth worked for a moment, then she said, so softly I almostcouldn’t hear her words, “You left me. You said you were my ride or die friend.”
“Birch,” I corrected, my heart aching. “I’m so sorry, Sunny. I thought… I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“The right thing is almost always the hard thing,” Righteous murmured behind me. I cringed to hear that now, knowing how much my sacrifice must have hurt Sunny and Mikhail.
More than I’d imagined.
I reached for her with one hand. “Please, forgive me. I promise, I’ll never leave without telling you again.”
Her lips trembled as she grabbed my hand. “You’re not even going to the bathing chamber without me again.” Then her arms were around me, squeezing so hard that I wondered if my atoms were as tightly packed as they should be. She pulled back, wiping her face.
“No freckles?” I blinked, stepping back. “Wow, Sunny. You got taller. And shinier. You’re perfect!” Her brown-bronze skin glowed from within, and pulsed with an ethereal light.
“Perfectly pure,” she said, admiring her own pristine arm. “I’ve been taking care of your mate for you. It’s good for the complexion. He says I could ascend if I wanted. I will as soon as High Angelus Gavriel gets back.”
“Can I see Mikhail now?” I bit my lip. “I… I need to explain, and apologize.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You can’t upset him. He almost died.” I nodded. “Do you love him?” she asked baldly.
I stammered for a moment. For some reason, Sunny’s eyes went to Righteous, standing behind me. I could feel the heat from his body, he was so close.
“If you go in there, it needs to be because you want him. Want to be with him.”
“I thought you didn’t approve of me being his mate,” I said quietly. “I thought it was some sort of heresy.”
“That’s when I believed you were a Novice.” She smirked. “Look at you, Feather. I’m not sure what you are now, but you’re no Novice.” I stared down at my own arms, wondering at the silvery-gray glow. I hadn’t bothered to really look at myself before. As I watched, I saw swirls of color—silver, charcoal gray, and flecks of gold—swimming underneath the skin. Moving, like the landscapes in the gate. Or like the screaming faces in Rumple’s skin.
“Stop that,” I whispered to a swirl of color on my forearm. And to my shock and consternation, it stopped. My skin, or whatever it was underneath there, stopped moving. I blinked up at Sunny. “That can’t be good.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but Mikhail’s voice, weary and thready, called out, “Sunny? Was that Righteous?” I gasped. He sounded frail.
Sunny held me back with a hand on my chest. “Do you love him?” she repeated. “If you do, I’ll let you come in. But be prepared.”
I nodded. “I do love him. Even when I was unmade in the gate, and on the other side when…” I stopped, not sure if I should share Rumple’s secrets with anyone. Or at least not yet. “Even when I was lost, I wanted him.”
Sunny nodded. “Remember that. Tell him that.” Then she knocked on the door, calling out, “You have a visitor, High Angelus.”
“A visitor?”
I turned to ask Ry if he was coming in, but he’d vanished. Sunny pushed the door wide, and I stepped into the place where I had spent months torturing myself with a soul knife, suddenly realizing that torture had been nothing compared to what I was feeling now.
