“You see this street?” I gestured ahead. “Consider it a dividing line. You’ve got demons on one side, angels on the other.”
“Angels?” Zephyr’s eyes went round, and he glanced up like he expected the feathered fiends to flutter by or coast down from the clouds. I scoffed at the thought.
“They’re a bit of a rogue’s gallery,” I said. “Some are harmless and exactly what you’d expect from Heaven’s finest. The rest are a bunch of bastards.”
My look across the lanes of cars lined up bumper tobumper became a bitter scowl, and I was nearer than ever to telling Zephyr about Stefano. Strange how I’d put him out of my mind for decades and now he felt unavoidably present. A skeleton in my closet and a shadow looming over my potential happiness.
“Have you heard of Antonella Rossetti?” I asked Zephyr, still dodging the subject but coming dangerously close.
Zephyr shook his head.
I motioned along the boulevard past the Cosmo Tower to the sprawling Basilica Resort and Casino property. “That’s her place up there,” I said. “With the fountains.”
The Basilica was arguably the crown jewel of Las Vegas. Its hotel tower soared above the Strip, pale stone and gilded accents gleaming in daylight and glowing beneath LEDs after dark. Out front, a sprawling water feature bordered the sidewalk, launching jets over four hundred feet into the air in choreographed bursts set to music. Beside it, the casino boasted a domed roof and leaded glass windows reminiscent of an old chapel.
“It’s beautiful,” Zephyr said.
I couldn’t disagree.
“You should see the inside,” I replied. “But don’t. If they catch you in there, they’ll run you out on a rail.”
“Do what?” His eyebrow arched at the outdated expression, but I waved him off.
“The angels keep to their own, and we keep to ours. But remember the name, because if you do ever run into a Rossetti, go the other way.”
He looked at me sidelong. “You know a lot about angels?”
“More than I’d like,” I said, voice flat. “I’ve lived a long time, and with time comes regrets.”
“Regretsabout angels?”
“One in particular,” I admitted.
I went quiet for a moment, considering whether I wanted to say more. I didn’t talk about this. Inevertalked about this. But it felt nice, somehow? Like a breath I’d been holding and could finally let out.
“I thought he was different.” I tested the words. “I thoughtwewere, butIwas the different one. He was just more of the same.”
“Were you in love with him?”
“Yes.” The word came out easily, and I was surprised it didn’t sting. “But not anymore.”
Zephyr nodded in understanding, and we resumed our stroll. He looked down, watching his new shoes scuff along the pavement while his forehead creased with contemplation. “I’m glad you’re different. I didn’t like the other demons in Hell…” He trailed off, then glanced away with a faint blush. “Is that rude to say?”
My laugh came sharp and humorless. “Why do you think I stayed here?”
Throughout my own history, I’d been the common denominator in a thousand burned bridges and a thousand broken things. Maybe it wasn’t Hell, Heaven, or humanity that was the issue. Maybe it was me.
“No demons, no angels…” I ticked them off. “I don’t hold much fondness for humans either. It’s starting to sound likeI’mthe problem.”
Zephyr’s lips pursed. “I don’t think you’re a problem.”
I considered his gentle smile, his honest eyes, and the way he held my gaze like he meant every word. And something in me was so damn grateful I had to say it out loud.
“Thank you,” I said.
Nodding, Zephyr looked ahead at the Basilica’ssprawling property. His lollipop had been reduced to a stick pinned between his teeth as he watched the fountains, tracking the spray like he was memorizing its pattern. The heat pressed in on us, and the Strip hummed with life, but he’d gone still.
After a few minutes, he shifted closer, his shoulder nudging mine. “Beck… I’m hungry.”
