The latter was a decree. Well, she could eat a salad, but the former? No, it was better to avoid a shower with him. Besides, she had to do twenty more minutes on the elliptical. She planned to be a goddess—nah, scratch that—but damn fabulous on her wedding day!
* * *
Fire crackled in the hearth, the sounds loud in the quiet library. But Echo barely heard the sputter, her eyes glued on the aged parchment of angelic runes spread out on the desk in front of her.
The first time she’d looked at it, the thing had drawn her in as if it would pull her into its magic. Most times, studying about her divine ancestors was a pain in the ass. But for some reason, classes on understanding how angelic runes worked fascinated her.
She ignored the usual goosebumps spreading over her skin and the peculiar sensation snaking through her every time she touched the scroll and peered closer at the sigils.
“It reacts to the divine blood that runs through your veins,” Lore reiterated.
What the—? Her gaze snapped up. How the heck did he know how she responded?
As he strolled to the French doors, the recessed lights overhead glinted off his deep red hair hanging about his shoulders. He stopped and stared through the glass panes at the snowflakes floating down to the ground, his hands clasped behind his back.
Unlike the archangel, Michael, who appeared utterly lethal in a devilish sort of way with his dark hair and shattered blue eyes—Lore had an ethereal quality about him, a golden glow that sometimes shimmered through, despite his six-foot span of sunset-hued wings being hidden.
Probably because he was divine.
And annoying.
The by-the-book angel didn’t believe in missing a lesson, and he’d insisted on an earlier one since he had something important to attend to, doubtless some heavenly duties. Whatever those were.
“This particular scroll belonged to Zarias, your direct ancestor,” he continued, still staring through the glass panes. Yeah, the leader of the Watchers. “The rune that speaks to you…claim it.”
What the—what? Her heart thumped in excitement. “How?”
He pivoted, and even with the distance, his eyes glinted like metallic green razors. “Must I do it all for you, human? Use that intelligence you’ve supposedly been blessed with.”
Echo scowled. If she killed him, would anyone miss him?
Gritting back her irritation, she opened her mind and concentrated on the symbols…
One moved as if rising out of the scroll to hover above it. Without thinking, she touched the glimmer, and it coasted along her arm, disappearing into her skin. A light buzz heated her blood, and she gasped. Moments later, it faded.
Whoa, that was unexpected! She glanced back at the scroll. But the spot where the angular markings of the rune had resided now appeared like a faded print. What the hell?
A shadow loomed over her. “What have you done?”
Worried now, her gaze flew to Lore’s unreadable, slivery-green eyes. She really, really hoped she hadn’t destroyed or vanquished the rune to oblivion. “I was concentrating on the runes, and one came off the scroll and just…disappeared.”Into me.
“There is hope for you yet, Healer.”
“I’m so sorry! I’ll try and find it—and wait—what?” Her eyes rounded as she stared at the difficult angel in front of her. His expression remained nonchalant as if nothing moved him. Ever.
“It’s in you now. It’s a Locator sigil. When you feel the pull of a torn veil on your psyche, it will aid you in finding its whereabouts, though it won’t always be straightforward. Instinct should be a good guide. Trust it.”
Several months ago, there’d been a rip in the mystical veil protecting this realm from supernatural evil, and she hadn’t known. She’d been restless, feverish, wanting to keep moving, only she hadn’t been physically ill, but emotionally—the symptoms had intensified because she hadn’t answered its call—until Aethan had revealed its location.
So she understood exactly what Lore meant. This would make it so much easier to do her job.
She grinned. “Thank you!”
“Shore your excitement, Healer,” he said, strolling to the window again. “And work on understanding what it is you’ve just inherited.”
“Will I get more of them?”
“You aren’t worthy of the rest. They will come to you as the magic deems fit.”
“And you’re a pain in the ass.” But nothing could dim her excitement.
“Name-calling isn’t going to make you stronger,” he said dispassionately and faced her once more. “Now, call upon the Locater rune and hone it by looking for things lost. You need to know how to use it…”
She barely heard Lore as she searched her arm around the spot where the rune had disappeared but found no imprint, just unmarred, honey-brown skin.Darn. She so wanted to crow to Aethan that she had mystical ink like his Gaian sword. But how could she brag when there was no evidence?
Her shoulders sagged, her elation deflating a little as the clock on the mantel above the fireplace chimed five times. Echo looked up. “Crap, I’m gonna be so late!”
She shot up from the desk. “Lore, can we continue tomorrow?” Not waiting for his answer, she bulleted out of the room and sprinted for the rec room. Blaéz and Darci would be waiting. They had the wedding rehearsal to work through, then dinner with Darci’s family in Westwood.
Man, this was going to be such an exciting evening.
