“I’d probably give you an A for effort.”
Fucking hell, he loved when she teased him like that. He’d never encountered a female who was so straightforward, so easy to talk to. And despite the hardships she’d experienced, Orianna didn’t seem jaded.
She smiled. “What else?”
He forgot what they were talking about, too caught up in staring at her, the way her blond hair hung over her shoulders, just barely hiding the fang marks he’d left in her neck. “Else?”
“Characteristics? What makes you different from vampires?” Her smile was radiant.
“Most noticeably? Probably the wings.”
All signs of amusement faded from Orianna’s expression, her eyes widening. “Wings?”
Figuring this was a conversation that required sensitivity, Eclipse decided to put it on the back burner for the moment.
“The evening meal’s being served,” he informed her. “Since neither of us ate this morning, perhaps we should go down, get some grub, then we’ll figure out what to do for the rest of the night.”
“What do you usually do at night?” she prompted, still watching him intently.
“Fight.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Who do you fight?”
“Demons?”
The laugh that came from her was part disbelief, part hysteria. “You fight demons? Oh, my God.”
Since it was clear she wasn’t going to make a decision on whether to depart, eat, or something else altogether, Eclipse swung his legs over the edge of the bed and got to his feet. He padded to the bathroom, relieved himself, washed his hands and face, then returned to snag his jeans from the floor. Orianna was still sitting on the bed, same position as when he’d left. Obviously, she was trying to wrap her mind around the information he’d given her. Didn’t surprise him that she couldn’t. Most humans went to church to interact with God and his children. She was getting to know an angel on an entirely different level.
He bent down, grabbed his discarded T-shirt. As he stood to pull it on, soft fingers fluttered over his back. “Are these the wings you were referring to? It’s a nice tattoo.”
He held himself still, enjoying her touch. “There’s no ink in my skin.”
Eclipse felt her breath, and he assumed she had moved closer to inspect.
“So … how?”
“Wings,sezari. When they’re necessary, they’ll emerge.”
After tugging his shirt on, he turned to face her.
“Will you help me find my sister?”
The words were spoken so softly and with a desperation that made his chest ache. “Of course I will,sezari. Whatever it takes. But right now, let’s go downstairs.” He reached for her hand. “I’ll introduce you to some of the others. We’ll share a meal, then make a plan to get this search underway.”
To his surprise, she nodded, taking his hand and allowing him to lead the way out of his private quarters.
When they reached the dining room, Eclipse was glad to see it was full. Orianna, on the other hand, seemed a bit hesitant, her hand tightening around his as he led the way inside.
Penelope was the first to get to her feet. She gave Obsidian’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before she made her way over, herreuthetfollowing close behind.
Eclipse greeted her with a smile. “Orianna, I’d like you to meet Penelope Calazans, Obsidian’s mate. Penelope, this is Orianna McKay.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Penelope greeted, offering Orianna a hug that seemed to surprise Eclipse’samsouelot.
Orianna pulled back, nodded to them both.
“Would you like me to introduce you to the others?” Penelope offered, her gaze briefly cutting to Eclipse.
