I slowly drew my hand back.“Things have changed in my life recently.Things I can’t and don’t want to go into detail about.But I—I have to end things between us.”
Jack leaned back in his chair, his expression crestfallen.“What?Why?I thought things were going great.”
“They were.”
“Then what’s going on here, Lily?I’m confused.Is this why you asked me to come here?”
I blew out a breath and turned to stare out the window.“My life has gotten really complicated lately.”
“Don’t feed me that line.”
I faced him and sighed.“Look, Jack, you’re amazing.You really are.But me?I’m a mess.And my life is”—I paused before blurting out the wordstoo dangerous—“a train wreck right now.There’s a lot you don’t know about me?—”
“There’s a lot everyone doesn’t know about everyone,” he countered.“The point is spending the time to get to know each other.”
He wasn’t making this easy.
When he continued talking, I held up a hand to stop him.“No, Jack.I’m sorry, but no.I can’t continue seeing you.And trust me, it’s for the best.”
“Can’t,” he said, latching onto that specific word.“And earlier, you said youhave toend things.Lily, is someone forcing you to do this?”He sat up straight, his frown deepening.“That guy from our first date.Is it him?Are you in danger?”
“No, I’m not in danger,” I said.“This is just how it has to be.”
He stared at me a little longer—almost as though he didn’t believe me.I held his gaze until he eventually sighed and turned to glance out the window.“If this is what you want.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
We sat there for a bit, stewing in the uncomfortable silence, before he finally stood up.“I should probably go.”
“Okay,” I said, my chest tight.
Jack hesitated, his hand lingering on the back of the chair.“Take care of yourself, Lily.”
“You too.”
He cast me one last glance before he walked out of the Brew Haven.
I sat back and shook my head.Some days, my life just plain sucked.
ChapterTwenty-Five
I gaveJack a one-minute head start before I stepped out of the coffee shop and onto the street, the city’s hustle and bustle surrounding me.I tucked my hands into my jacket pockets, since I’d forgotten my gloves today, and started walking toward the bus station a couple of blocks away.It would give me a few minutes to gather my thoughts and settle my emotions.
I kept my head down as I walked, my breath puffing out little clouds of mist in front of me.The winter chill was biting, the kind that sank deep into your bones, but I didn’t care.I needed the sting of the cold, something to wake me up from the haze of guilt and sadness that had settled over me.
But as I neared the next block, something felt off.The usual sounds of the city had faded, and the bustling crowd had thinned to almost nothing.I glanced up, my brow furrowing.The streets were practically empty, and the quiet was unsettling.
I stopped in my tracks, my breath fogging the air in front of me as I glanced around the deserted street.A prickling sensation crawled up my spine, warning me that something wasn’t right.The world had gone too quiet—unnaturally so.The kind of quiet that screamed “danger” without actually making a sound, and my instincts were pushing at me to pay attention.
I scanned the area, and that was when I noticed them.
Two figures melted out of the shadows on either side of me, their movements so precise it sent a chill down my spine.I recognized them at once—Tavira and Zera.There was no mistaking them.They had the same dangerous, predatory air about them that I remembered from Hell.
Tavira, with her wild, dark hair streaked with silver and gleaming eyes, looked as though she had stepped straight out of my nightmares.She exuded pure power, her very presence crackling with energy.Of all the fallen angels, her eyes were the only ones that weren’t blue, but rather a molten gold, complements of the feranox—beast—demon she’d merged with.She wore a luxurious fur cloak that hung over her shoulders, the fur a mix of black and silver that shimmered as she moved.Surrounding her were a pard of felines—lions, tigers, and leopards, all of which seemed to shift in the air, their ghostly forms swirling around her like a crown of deadly spirits.
Tavira’s appearance alone was enough to unnerve me—she utterly loathed me—but it was her cold, calculating smile that really made my skin crawl.She moved with the grace of a predator, her steps silent but powerful.Clearly, she wasn’t here for a friendly chat.
Nor was Zera, who stood opposite Tavira.Her silver hair cascaded in soft waves down her back, contrasting sharply with the swirling black tendrils of shadows that coiled around her form.Unlike Tavira, Zera’s beauty was haunting, ethereal, and cold as ice.Her eyes, an unearthly shade of pale blue, glinted in the sunlight.Whereas Tavira’s energy burned with animalistic power, Zera’s carried the chill of death itself.
