“Why are we going to see the oracle? Are you trying to get rid of that curse on your hands again?” Kataya demanded as she merged into the traffic.
“No. This isn’t about me.”
“Then who?”
“It’s about…” She sucked in a breath. “Reynner.”
Brenna leaned forward from the backseat. “You mean, he’s cursed with something similar”—she gestured to Eve’s hands—“likethat?”
“Not exactly.” Dammit, how did she even begin to explain?
At a red light, Kataya halted and both her friends fixed her with curious looks. Eve cleared her throat and said, “We all know that supernatural things happen, right? I mean, we know that since…” She wiggled her scarred fingers in response.
“Yeah. So?” Kataya stepped on the gas when the lights turned green. Though she kept her attention on the road, her sharp gaze cut to Eve once every few seconds.
“So, what if I told you there was more?”
“More?” Brenna asked, coiling a length of Eve’s hair.
“Much more.” Eve sighed. Then she told them what had happened. “The night when Reynner came to David’s show and offered to drive me home, I got sucked into a world I still can’t completely wrap my mind around. But it all comes down to demons existing and Reynner being…an angel.”
Kataya slammed on the brakes. Tires screeched on the tarmac, and the Fiat came to a grinding halt almost rear-ending the car that had stopped in front of them for a red light. Eve grabbed the dashboard.
She burst out laughing. “Yeah, right.”
A little annoyed, Eve sat back and deliberately waved her damaged hand in front of Kataya to remind her of just how different she was.
“Shit,” she muttered, then shut her mouth. At the sounds of irate honking behind them, she ground the gears and took off again.
“Oh my God.” Brenna grabbed Eve’s shoulder, fingers digging through her top and into her flesh. “An angel?”
She bore her friend’s painful grip. “Yes, but not like the celestial ones from Heaven. Reynner’s kind are called Empyreans...” Then Eve told them everything that happened from the night of her birthday until two hours ago.
Both stared at her in utter silence. At least there was no more laughter. Hopefully they were starting to believe her.
“So this angelic realm you speak of is fading and they need your help? Those big, strong angels need you,a human, to help save them?” Brenna asked, her expression still a little puzzled.
Eve frowned. “Well, I suppose so, since I seem to be the only one who can call to this artifact.”
Kataya, paler than usual, frowned as she parked her Fiat in front of Lila’s brownstone. “And now we’re here to rid him of a bitch goddess who wants to own him?”
“Yes, that’s what I hope Lila can help me with.” Eve glanced at the house. The place hadn't changed since she’d been here ten years ago. Except for the overgrown pots of vines trailing over the doorway like swaying sentinels.
“But how can she, a human psychic, who couldn’t help you, help an immortal?” Kataya demanded. “Surely he must have tried to break this curse?”
Eve turned back to her friends. “He’s tried, with their oracles and mages, but nothing has worked. And who’s to say Lila can't know something? I have to try.” Besides, Michael had sent her here. And the archangel wouldn’t do anything just for shits and grins.
“Because you want him to stay?” Kataya asked as they all got out.
“No, because I love him. And I want him to have a choice in his life.”
“Aww, that’s so romantic,” Brenna said in a dreamy voice as she shut her door.
Kataya’s head whipped around. “Oh, no, you don’t, Bren. You find a decenthumanman. That’s an order! You see what kind of trouble comes falling at our doorstep when you hang out with”—she cut an incredulous glance to the sky, then shook her head—“angels.”
“Yes, mother.” A quick grin flashed on Brenna’s attractive face. “C’mon, then. Let’s go find out how to get rid of a goddess.”
***
