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Best for the team not to split. But I had to shake off these thoughts the fortune teller had planted in my mind. Surely, she had done it to rile me. That demon-lover.
Zander and I exchanged glances, each waiting for the other to give the order. He waggled his eyebrows, and I flushed with anticipation. Our friends would take longer to get to our lair, so we had time to replay last night.
“Okay, but—” I stopped short on my way to the door.
Snow placed herself in front of me on one knee, her head down. The cloak I had bought at the market, twin to the one Dawn wore, pooled around her.
I sucked in a breath and stared at the design of twisting vines with thorns on the cloak. I had seen that symbol somewhere. Staring at it from this vantage point gave me a piercing sense of recognition. No matter how much I tugged at my memory, nothing came up.
“Snow?” I cleared my throat. “Is something the matter?”
“Would you like for me to go with you instead?” Snow peered up at me.
That fortune teller did a number on her too, apparently, and she didn’t want to split the team. Dawn seemed unaffected, or she hid her feelings too well.
“Take care of Tank and I’ll see you soon.” I gave her a curt nod.
“No. No.” Tank groaned and held tighter to the horse’s mane while Dawn and Otis gripped his arms.
“It’s going to be a long night for them.” Zander unfurled his wings. “They should be safe and …” He peered out the door again. “Gorgo and his demons have left.”
I sauntered out into the night, my cloak swishing around my legs. Then I unfolded my feathers one section at a time and stretched the way humans did with their arms.
Zander and I soared together, leaving the team behind. He wrapped his wings around me and kissed all over my face, and worries about the others fled.
“I have a surprise for you.” He flew us higher into the clouds and stopped in midair as we hovered. Nothing existed around us except for a bubble of white mist. “Close your eyes,” he said. When I did, his chest rose and fell. A whoosh of air swept my hair behind me. “Open your eyes.”
Zander's breath had dissipated the dark clouds, revealing an entire landscape of glittering stars and a giant golden moon that illuminated the night sky. I felt like I had stepped into a fairy tale of captivating beauty, even more so when I looked at the angelic figure with his arms wrapped around me.
“Thank you. I’ll never forget this.”
I had never experienced what it felt like to be courted, receive presents from the man you love, and mostly, I’d never had a family of my own. But tonight in our special place, with Zander I was home. He was mine. My love. And for a moment, we could pretend to be humans.
Zander cupped my cheeks, his gaze pouring love, gratitude, and even fear into my eyes.
“I wanted to give you something to remember me by.” His wings caressed my back. “I don’t know what our future holds. We might even be assigned to different parts of the world. One of us might not make it back home. But know that I love you with all my heart.”
“I love you too.” I blinked away the stinging tears. His words had touched to the depth of my soul.
I didn’t want him to see my weakness, but who better to gift with my vulnerability? The angel who loved me above all else. The being who protected me even before his own life. There would be no one like him. We would share this moment forever.
He pulled back and slid a thumb along my right cheek, then he traced a finger down a dark strand. Your hair. Something happened to you. Something magical changed you. Who did this?
I pushed back the lady’s words to the far recess of my mind when Zander spoke.
“Remember this night. Remember the moon and the stars, so peaceful and gentle. Remember my words, and us. I’m blessed and honored to have experienced this part of life with you.”
Something inside me burst and awakened, and I wanted him now. “Take me home, Zander. Show me how much you want me.”
His eyes darkened as he engulfed me in his wings as we nose-dived. When we landed in font of our lair, we closed our wings and walked through the clouds covering the entrance.
Zander held my hand as we strolled toward the stream. Torchlight flickered about the cavern. Nothing wrong with that, but shadows danced along the rocky wall.
“They’re already here?” Zander furrowed his brow. “No matter. We’ll just have to—” He spun and drew his sword, blocking my path just as my wings rattled in panic.
I tossed my cloak against a boulder and we backed away, careful in our steps. Perhaps Zander and I were wrong. We were so high up in the mountains that clouds covered our hideout. No one could possibly track us here.
Unless … One of you will betray your friends. No. No. No. This cannot be.
