Both of them looked at me like I’d gone around the bend. I covered my face with my hands, but felt them poking around the edges of my thoughts. They saw the moment when Imriel had called me sister. To my complete mortification, at least one of them saw the way I’d used Mike Oxbig on Revel’s golden knob.
I sobbed. “Rumple. You’re my brother. We can never fork again.”
“I’m not your brother,” he said soothingly. “I am the First of the Celestial Children. The Maker of All pulled my material directly from the ether long before she created my siblings.”
“But Arabella… she’s in me, too.” I wanted to hide under the universe’s largest rock. How had I not put this all together before now?Because you were horny, Feather. Because you cared more about getting some of that girthy shadow dick than doing what was decent. And the tail, and the tongue. And those horns,too. You just wanted to get nasty with all those sexy, smutty, pokey bits.
Although those parts were made of the void, and I knew I wasn’t related to the void at all, so maybe if we did want to mess around again, we could just use the extra appendages to?—
“Feather!” Rumple yelled. “Didn’t Arabellatellyou she was different? Unique? She was also made of a different core material. Created to be a Great Sacrifice from the beginning.” I felt my blood pressure start to go down. Shehadsaid something like that. “Not related,” he insisted. “I swear on Esther.”
I relaxed entirely. That was a vow I knew Rumple would take seriously.
Gavriel was sneering at us both when we finally turned back to him. “Are you two done? Can we finish trying to figure out a plan?” Rumple sighed, and sank deeper into the other love seat, nodding for Gavriel to go on.
“I’m listening,” I said. “For now.”
For an instant, Gavriel’s expression was aggrieved, just like the old days. It was so fun to annoy him. “Where were we? Ah yes, we have to assume the creatures know everything about Sanctuary. They had thousands of years to pry open Seraphiel’s mind and explore. So they will know all the back ways and hidden passages. We don’t have much hope.”
I got up and started to pace. “Pfft. You tell me about hopelessness when you’re waiting in a line for the port-a-johns at an outdoor music festival in New Mexico, after you’ve had four beers and an extra-large lemonade. A hundred and fifteen degrees in the shade, and seventy desperate women in line in front of me. I know hopelessness. And this isn’t it.”
I grabbed the soul knife I’d left on the table. “Let’s list our assets. We have a soul knife,” I began, and then Gavriel pulled another one from his belt. “Two soul knives! That’s a good start.”I looked around the room. “What about the powerful feathers and stuff?” I pointed to the mobile.
“We need to leave Gavriel’s feathers here, love. For one thing, the energy balance he’s achieved is nothing short of miraculous. And dangerous, to be honest, if we try to dismantle it quickly. This space is protected from anyone with ill intentions, or who doesn’t know the password. If something goes wrong, we might be able to return. So we’ll leave the box and the mobile as they are. A backup plan.”
I tapped my chin, thinking. “Okay, so a plan B and two soul knives. Nothing else? Don’t we haveanything?” I made a strangled cry when they both shook their heads. “This is impossible. If only we had a wheelbarrow, or something.”
“We have glitter,” Rumple said sardonically. “Lots and lots of glitter.”
“Of course!” I shouted. Everything clicked into place, at least in my mind. “So, here’s the plan…” I sketched it out. They both stared, in awe of my genius, I assumed.
I assumed wrong.
Gavriel spoke first. “That’s the worst plan I’ve ever heard. We’ll all die within seconds.”
“Will we, though?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. I had fashioned a cot sheet into a fresh, improvised toga, and it kept slipping down, exposing the tops of my breasts. Distraction was going to play a large part of this plan, and I thought this was an effective way of demonstrating that. Gavriel was sure having a hard time not staring at my tits.
When I said so, Rumple snorted. “You might be right, little one. They will never see it coming. No one ever would.”
“Because it’s unimaginably stupid,” Gavriel stated, then almost fell to the ground, whimpering in pain.
Rumple kneeled to help him up. “What is it, Gav? What happened?”
I knew. “Sucks to have that vow on your wings when you want to be a giant basshole to me, doesn’t it? Cruelty, friendship. Which side ya gonna pick?” His shocked eyes met mine. “A true friend, like Sunny, doesn’t ask why when the poop starts to pile up. They just ask what kind of shovel, how deep a hole, and who’s buying drinks after.”
“I’ll make us all glitter cocktails if we can get out of this alive,” Rumple mused, grabbing the enormous glitter sheet-bag.
Gavriel still looked like he’d been smacked in the head with a two by four, so I took him by the hand and placed a gentle kiss on his palm. “It’ll be okay, Gavriel. You’ll see. I’m not as smart as you, and I’m not as strong. But I am one thing that has always worked to my advantage.”
His pretty brow furrowed in thought. “Creative?”
I gave his hand another kiss for that sweet thought. “No, babe. I’m unpredictable.”
Chapter 25
Feather
It only took a half hour to prepare. My strength was waning by the minute, so I was in as big a hurry as anyone. If I was feeling weak, I knew Mik and Ry had to be at least as bad, no matter what they’d sounded like in the dream. I missed them desperately, and getting back to them wasn’t at all a sure thing.
