Happy, Gabriel translated. Wait, why the hell do I recognize that?
“I’d be grumpy, too, if I overheard my mom getting pounded like that,” Owen said, nodding as though commiserating with him.
“What?” Gabriel asked. Then he shook his head. No. He didn’t care. None of this mattered. He needed to talk to Skye. “Where are Ezekiel and Skye?”
“She’s building a snowman outside,” Jacque replied. “And Ezekiel’s helping.” He glanced at Owen, and the two of them grinned like loons.
“You sent the photos to Jay, right?”
“Yep,” Jacque confirmed, his lips popping on the end of the word. “I figured he could use the smile during everything.”
“A whipped Ezekiel.” Owen whistled. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
Gabriel waved them both off, done with their frivolous conversation. He needed to ask Skye about her origin, then be on his way. To where, he didn’t know yet. But somewhere private. All this bonding and blood drinking and general working had altered him fundamentally, and he wanted to return to his former self.
He pulled on his boots and stomped outside to find Skye dancing around her snowman while more white flurries fell from the moonlit sky. Gabriel had no concept of the time, his nap having taken longer than he’d anticipated.
As the couple outside hadn’t noticed him, he announced his presence with a lingering question from his mind. “Where did Vera go?”
“She mentioned something about packing,” Ezekiel replied without looking at him. “I think she’s moving to Hydria.”
That made sense. She’d played a dangerous game by altering all their minds to hide her involvement. Now that she’d undone the memories, the council would more than likely find out. Once they did, they’d see that her loyalty no longer remained with them but with Stas, and she’d be excommunicated.
Or worse, he thought, looking at Skye.
Her blue eyes focused on him half a beat later, her dark lashes dropping as she blinked. “Oh. Yes. It’s time to discuss.”
“Time to discuss what, darling?” Ezekiel asked, his soft tone underlined in indulgence and reverence.
Why am I noticing inflections in voice now? Gabriel wondered idly, irritated by the change. He didn’t want to notice such things. Unless they could be useful in some way. He started to consider the prospect, only to be interrupted by Skye.
“My missing wings.” Her singsong voice matched the dreamy quality of her eyes as she gazed upward at the dark night. “I sometimes dream of them.” She twirled around with her eyes closed and sighed. “Freedom mattered more to me than my wings.”
“The council told me they removed them as a punishment. I didn’t realize that was possible.”
“There’s a lot they don’t tell you,” she replied softly, her sapphire gaze landing on him. “You believe they work with the Fates, that they keep us sequestered away from the others to protect us.” She smiled, but it held a touch of sadness. “Is it considered a partnership when there’s no choice in who you serve?”
Gabriel considered that. “No. It isn’t.” Then he looked at Ezekiel. “Did you know she was a Seraphim?”
The long-haired assassin lifted a shoulder, his trademark leather jacket crinkling with the movement. “I knew she came from your world and that she wasn’t an Ichorian.”
“And you never thought to mention that?”
“I asked him not to,” Skye said. “It wasn’t time yet. But now you finally know, and we can truly begin.”
“Truly begin what?” Gabriel asked, his eyebrow twitching with the urge to arch. He ignored the sensation, keeping his face bored.
“The future, of course.” She walked over to her snowman to twist the carrot nose just a little. “Now it’s perfect. Let’s go inside, Ezekiel. I’m starting to shiver.”
He pulled off his jacket to wrap it around her shoulders, then led her toward the front door. Gabriel followed because he didn’t know what else to do.
“What does the future hold?” he asked, wanting more information.
“Change” was all she said before shaking the snow from her dark strands and rushing over to the fire. Ezekiel watched her with an indulgent smile that had Gabriel wanting to slap some sense into him. He was too busy mooning over the girl to help clarify her cryptic statements.
How she’d brought such a formidable male to his knees, Gabriel would never understand. He’d never allow a female to leash him in such a way. It just served no practical purpose. And he liked his independence.
He also enjoyed controlling his senses and emotions. It helped him focus on what was important—like finding out what the hell Skye meant by “change.”
