“It’s complicated, Lily,” he said.
“Of course it is,” I snapped, sarcasm dripping from my words.“Because, with you, everything’s complicated.Secrets wrapped in riddles buried in puzzles.”
He tore his gaze away from me.
I considered backing off.Again.Like I had every time before this.But backing off hadn’t gotten meanywherewith him.And every time, I was left with more questions.No, I needed to push.And when he retreated, as I expected he would, I’d need to push harder.I refused to continue living in the dark, struggling to piece together scraps of my own life.These weremymemories, and this wasmylife.Rathiel had no right to withhold any of it from me.I didn’t care about his reasons anymore.I didn’t care that it might be too dangerous for me to know the truth.No one had the right to decide this for me—especially not him.Not when he was the one responsible for exiling me here.
I tightened my grip on Rathiel’s arm, my fingers digging in.“This is your last chance,” I told him.“I deserve the truth.And I don’t care what your reasons are anymore.Whatever happened, whatever it is you’re hiding, it’s my life.I deserve to know.”
His eyes fluttered shut, and, shockingly, he didn’t speak.Just as I was about to issue my final ultimatum, he broke and murmured.“You’ll hate me.”
My chest tightened at the sound of his small voice.I’d never heard him speak like that before.He sounded almost…sad.But I couldn’t let that distract me.I couldn’t let my sympathy for him deter me from learning the truth.
“You’re risking that either way,” I said.“Wouldn’t it be better if I hated you for the right reasons rather than the wrong ones?”
His eyes opened and he frowned.“That’s some messed up Lily logic.”
I bit back the smile that threatened to curve my mouth.I couldn’t let him think I was letting him off the hook.
When I didn’t offer him anything further, he sighed and shook his head.“You think you’re angry now.But if you knew the whole story, if you kneweverything…”
“That’s not your call to make,” I said.“And things are only going to get worse the longer you continue to hide things from me.The only way we can heal and move forward is with honesty.”
He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes stormy with the battle he was clearly waging inside.“You don’t understand.”
“Then help me understand.”I took a step closer, my gaze never wavering.“Because I’m not backing down this time.And if you don’t come clean about everything—and I meaneverything—I’m revoking your invitation to my home.”
His eyes snapped back to me, sharp and almost panicked.“You wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t I?”I asked.We both knew I would.I didn’t bluff.
If I retracted the invitation, he wouldn’t be able to enter my apartment again.Which meant he’d spend his nights sleeping on the streets, or making a nest in a tunnel like Deidre had.My apartment was hardly luxurious, but it had a shower and a place for him to rest his head.Not to mention, it had me.I had a feeling he wouldn’t risk losing any of that.
We stood there, the tension between us thick enough to cut.Rathiel scowled at me, as though he believed his glare would force me to change my mind.But nope.It barely affected me.I’d seen worse.My father was Lucifer, for crying out loud.Rathiel might have been his right-hand guy, but he didn’t possess a fraction of the anger, hate, and fury that my father did.
Finally, Rathiel exhaled, a heavy sigh of defeat.“Fine.But you’re not going to like it.”
I smirked, sarcasm slipping back in.“When have I ever?”
Before Rathiel could continue, he stiffened beside me, his gaze drifting away as if something had caught his attention.I rolled my eyes.Classic avoidance.
“Really?”I scoffed, crossing my arms.“I’m not going to fall for that?—”
He didn’t even glance my way.“Shush.”
I blinked, a snarky retort ready on my tongue, but something in the way he stood—rigid and focused, like a freaking bloodhound—made me pause.He wasn’t just trying to avoid the conversation; he’d picked up on something.
“Vampire,” he muttered, the word so quiet I almost missed it.
I sniffed the air, catching the faint metallic scent of blood carried on the breeze.“Oh.”
The irritation faded, replaced with a sharp spike of adrenaline.With the portal so close by, I wondered if we’d stumbled across a stray hellspawn that needed some murdering.We certainly couldn’t let it wander the streets.Guess our conversation would have to wait.
Rathiel began moving, following the scent trail away from the portal.I fell into step beside him, our footsteps silent in the snow as we weaved through the grounds, keeping to the shadows.Soon, a figure came into view—a tall vampire draped in a dark coat, its collar turned up against the cold.He moved with an air of ease, strolling as if he had all the time in the world, his gait unhurried and casual.
I shot Rathiel a glance, raising a questioning brow.The vampire didn’t seem particularly threatening.In fact, as he passed a few bundled pedestrians on the sidewalk, they hardly gave him a second look.Not one person seemed unnerved by his presence, and no trace of alarm lingered in the air.I frowned.“Is he simply out for a walk?”
Rathiel’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t respond.Instead, he urged me to stay close as we trailed the vampire from a safe distance.For several blocks, we kept to the edges of the street, moving in tandem with the vampire’s leisurely pace as he drifted through the quiet residential area.I was just beginning to wonder if he’d led us on a pointless journey when he finally turned a corner, his steps carrying him toward the gates of a nearby abandoned cemetery.
