Lore leaned against the counter, back to his immaculate self in all black. Even his hair was tied in a ponytail. Sadly, the shirt concealed his lickable body.
“Don’t you want something to eat?” she asked. “You’ve been here a while now and haven’t eaten anything.”
“I’m fine for now.”
Okay, then. She grabbed the coffee from the microwave, sat at the table, and sipped some of the steaming dishwater, grimacing at the flavor.
“So…” She eyed him, setting the mug down. “How exactly are angels born? You, specifically?”
A hint of a smile. “I was not born.”
“Not born?” She frowned. “Then how?”
“Angels are created. It has been eons…” His brow furrowed. “But I was formed around the same time as the Watchers.”
“Jeez, you’re old.”
Amusement glinted in his silvery-green eyes. “Yes.”
Oh, boy, those barely-there smiles were going to drive her crazy. She took another bite of her French toast and focused on her situation. “Now what?”
“Now we wait for Michael.” His gaze skimmed over her. “Do you feel any changes?”
Man, that was a loaded question.
She set her toast down. “If you mean my powers, yes, the buzz is still there, and the temperature hikes…” She scrunched her nose. “Though we did burn off some of that rioting heat and energy last night and this morning, you ambushing me without a shirt moments ago didn’t help. I’m hot again.”
“Later, we’ll work that out of you,” he said without even a hint of his usual teasing, as he walked over, pulled out a chair near her, and sat, his expression back to serious.
She eyed him warily.
“After you eat, we should work on those powers. Try and let them come forward so you know how to wield them.”
She groaned. “Must I? Why can’t we just snuggle on the couch and watch a movie on my cell? Or better yet, I’ll teach you how to play those arcade games in there?” She stuck her thumb out toward the living room. “That’ll be fun.”
“How about this? We work on your powers first. Then you can have me all to yourself.”
“Really?” She couldn’t stop her grin as possibilities rose. “You’re on.”
Ten minutes later, wrapped up in the gray puffer jacket she’d bought in town, Nia followed Lore to the front courtyard.
“Dematerialize us down to the river.”
Right. She grasped his hand and shut her eyes. From deep within her, she drew on energy that felt different, but within it, she touched a warmth so soothing that it was like a hug enclosing her. For the child who never had such closeness, she sighed, wanting to revel in its embrace.
“Nia?” Lore shook her hand, bringing her attention back to him.
“I know, I know. I wasn’t daydreaming,” she grumbled. “It’s just that I…” Tell him how happy being with him made her feel? Yeah, no. With him still adapting to emotions, she didn’t want to spook him into spreading those gorgeous wings and taking off, never to return. “I’m trying to feel for something…something different.”
“All you need to do is just follow whatever is heightened in you currently. It will happen.”
“You’re very sure about that.”
“Nia, stop arguing. Get us down to the river.”
She shut her eyes and drew on the point of surging energy within her like she had the last time she imagined the riverbank.The sensation of moving like air took hold, and a moment later, they reformed in the soft snow.
She grinned and punched the air. “Got it!”
