“You think it will be that easy?”
Ivan shrugged. “Shifter magic takes getting used to. We all fear the change at first. Getting stuck either way, being vulnerable, not healing fast enough. That sort of thing.”
“But you seem to know all that now.”
“Part instinct, part practice. I hid for a long time. Only shifting when I knew no one was around, with no one to give me instructions. I think you have more of a choice than us shifters. You keep waiting for someone to hand you a manual, but you don’t even know which part of the car you’re working on yet.” He stared at me. “Pick an ability. Maybe not stopping cars thrown by trolls yet.”
“I didn’t mean to do that the first time.”
“But it worked, and what would have happened if you hadn’t stopped it? Would Angel be more or less hurt?”
More. Definitely more.
“Something to think about,” Ivan said as he popped up from the couch to head to the kitchen. “What’s for dinner?”
“Food,” I answered, too distracted to care. Bastard, giving me revelations and all that. He was too damn smart for his own good. “Fine,” I grumbled and pulled out my phone and typed out a text to Angel:
Please don’t ask Xavier to break our bond. I’m sorry. Please give me another chance.
Sent.
Ivan blinked at me from his spot near the counter. One minute, then two. The message stayed stubbornly unread.
“I should probably find someone to train me,” I muttered, tossing the phone aside. “Hanna suggested this death goddess, Lilith, but…” A cold shiver ran down my spine at the name. “Angel thinks it’s a bad idea.”
Ivan’s nose wrinkled. “All gods and goddesses are bad news. Accepting favors from them means they can yank you around whenever.”
“Sounds like legends of the fae.”
“Yeah, them too. Probably why they think of themselves as gods,” Ivan grumbled.
“Know a lot of fae?”
“Went to school with a pair that thought they were something special. Kids of any sort among the fae are treated special because they are rare, but they were both assholes. Rich assholes, which made them a thousand times worse.” He opened the fridge. “Can we order pizza?”
I picked up my phone. “Sure. What do you want?” Just before I could flip to the delivery app, a gray checkmark appeared beside my text. Read.
Without thinking too hard, I sent:
What’s your favorite pizza toppings? Wanna come over for dinner?
Would he answer? Maybe he’d block me. My heart leapt into my throat with anxiety.
Triple dots appeared and I stared at them with both hope and fear.
Pepperoni, pineapple, tomato, and extra cheese.
25
We watchedHow to Train Your Dragonas Ivan thought it would inspire Nox, though neither of us said anything to Nikki about the giant kitten in her lap. The credits rolled, Ivan snoozed, Peanut Butter curled up on his back where he lay on the floor, and Nikki petted Nox with one hand while doodling with the other.
There was something to be said for best friends who, while maybe being freaked out about my sudden power influx, refused to let that get in the way of our weird relationship, which included fangirling over K-pop stars, anime stans, and sharing pizza while drinking boba.
It was almost midnight, and my emotional reserves were fried. I wanted to sleep, but the fact that Angel hadn’t shown up made my heart break all over again. My phone hadn’t pinged with a text, nor had he called, and I’d forced myself to focus on the here and now instead of the phone and my broken love life.
The knock on the door was so faint I barely heard it. In fact, I thought I might have imagined it if not for Nox perking up and looking at the door.
Was it another shadow attack? Unlike the last time, all the lights were on in the apartment, and I caught a glimpse ofbrightness and shadow under the door—like a person on the other side—not darkness come to life. I made my way over, careful, forcing myself to breathe steady.No monsters today, I promised myself as I peered through the peephole.
