“Arabella,” I growled, and she paused with her fork midway to her mouth. Those golden eyes widened at the anger simmering in my voice. “I ken that yer upset with me, but we cannae go on like this. Ye need to hear me out, to let me explain my reasons for last night.”
“I already know your reasons—”
“No.” I cut her off, pitching my voice low so that the other patrons couldn’t hear. “No, ye dinnae ken why I did what I did. Walking away from ye was one of the hardest things I’d ever done in my life, but I did it because it’s the only way to keep ye safe.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
I breathed in deep, thankful that she seemed to be listening. “Gaia’s visions are finicky. As I said to ye before, she bestows them rarely, and ’tis said that when a Druid—”
“Belle!” a female voice exclaimed before I had a chance to finish. After exchanging a startled glance, we both looked up to see that a slim redhead in a leather jacket and jeans had stopped by our booth. Her top was low cut, and my mouth dropped open at the sight of silver wings branded across her collarbone. A Sentinel. “You’re supposed to be dead!”
15
Arabella
“Lass! Lass, are ye there?”
I blinked at the sound of Brodie’s concerned voice, then jumped. Sitting next to him was the redheaded Sentinel—the one who’d been standing next to our booth just a second ago…
“Shit,” I groaned, pressing a hand to my temple. “I had another seizure, didn’t I?”
“Does that happen a lot?” the woman demanded, leaning forward. She had intense blue eyes, the color of the Caribbean Sea, and sharply elegant features. Her full mouth was pressed into a thin line as she studied me with a laser-like gaze, and I felt a strong urge to squirm in my seat like a naughty child. “What the hell has happened to you, Bells? Why are you looking at me like you don’t know me?”
“Because she doesna know you,” Brodie said tersely, his own features set into rigid lines of disapproval. I noticed for the first time that his broad shoulders were smashed up against the side of the booth, as if he couldn’t sit far enough away from the woman. “And I dinnae either, so an introduction would be nice.”
The redhead shot him a withering look. “My name is Jax Brennan, and I’m Arabella’s best friend. Who are you?”
“Brodie MacTaggert, Druid extraordinaire and the lass’s protector.” His brilliant eyes narrowed. “And ye’ll excuse me if I dinnae take yer word that yer her best friend.”
“Whoa, whoa.” I held up one hand, then used the other to pinch the bridge of my nose—my head was starting to hurt. “Let’s slow down a minute here. How do you know me?”
“We were partners, Belle.” Those intense blue eyes filled with worry as they returned to my face. “We trained at the academy together, and we were partnered up the moment we were assigned to the LA Watchtower. We were wing mates for seven years, Arabella. How could you forget that?” A hurt look crossed her face, and my insides twisted with guilt.
“I’m sorry.” I shook my head, as if that might help dislodge the memories that seemed to be hiding from me. “I don’t remember anything about my life as a Sentinel. I didn’t even know that I was one until a few days ago.”
“How could you not know?” she demanded, her gaze switching to my chest. The edges of my angel wings peeked out from beneath the neckline of my blouse, and I resisted the urge to cover it. It wasn’t an unsightly birthmark now—it was a badge of honor. Or so I figured, anyway. “You have your brand, which means you have your powers. Why would you think you were anything other than a Sentinel?”
“I don’t know.” I growled, frustration simmering in my veins. For Christ’s sake, I’d only just gotten my powers back the other night! “And I’d really like it if you could stop looking at me as if I just killed your cat or something. This isn’t my fault.”
“Sorry.” To her credit, Jax looked contrite. “It’s just… you’re supposed to be dead. We buried you. And we were tight, you and me, so I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have told me you were alive.”
“I really don’t know,” I said. “Maybe I couldn’t. If you really were my best friend, I don’t think I would have willfully let you think I was dead.”
Unless it was to keep you safe, a voice in the back of my mind whispered, and I paused. Would knowledge of my survival have put her in danger? Would it put all the Sentinels in danger if I returned to the Watchtower? How would they react when I showed up, if they all thought I was supposed to be dead?
“How did I die?” I asked, starting with what I figured was the most important question of all.
“Your fiancée killed you. Lucas,” she added at my nonplussed look, and my face went cold. “The bastard was trying to get you to give up the Infinity Key, and when you wouldn’t, he ended your life. Or so we were told.” Her eyes narrowed. “I’d like to know what the hell really happened that day, since, apparently, that was all a lie.”
“You and me both,” I agreed fervently. The headache at my temples grew worse, and I wished I had an aspirin handy. “I… I just don’t understand him. The last time I saw him, he said that he loved me, and that the two of us were going to be together again. Why would he say that after he tried to kill me?”
Jax’s face paled. “Wait, you saw Lucas? When? How?”
“He sent some demon-possessed thugs to kidnap me, and they brought me to some weird warehouse.” I gave her a brief rundown of what had transpired. Part of me wondered if I should be telling her any of this, but she was a Sentinel, and she seemed to know more about me than I did. Besides… I’d had another seizure when I’d first seen her. Judging by the pattern, that probably meant she was connected to me somehow. Every time I’d had a seizure in the past few days, it was because of something related to my past, or my identity as a Sentinel. Somehow, my illness was wrapped up in all of this. I was sure of it.
“So this motherless spawn used to be the lass’s intended?” Brodie demanded. He looked absolutely outraged at the very idea. I was tempted to tell him it was none of his business—after the way he’d treated me last night, he had no right to have feelings about my love life. But it wasn’t worth bickering over, and besides, I wasn’t so thrilled about the revelation that Lucas had been my fiancée, either.
“Who are you, anyway?” Jax asked, ignoring his question. “Druids and Sentinels don’t usually work together, so I don’t understand what your involvement in this is.”
