Flapping wings echo off the pavement, and Celine’s fingers drop from my arm to wrap around the hilt of the thin blade strapped to her thigh.
I hold my hand out when I recognize Lyklan, relieved we aren’t under attack and pleased to see her reflexes remain sharp. “Lyklan works for me.”
“Yeah, I figured that—he’s going to cause a scene.”
She glances at the townhouses lining both sides of the street. From my weeks of surveillance, I know this neighborhood is home to a variety of supernaturals, but I understand her worry. Celine doesn’t want word getting out that the angel population has “motherfucking skyrocketed” as Luca so eloquently phrased it.
Lyklan lands and dips his chin respectfully, first to Celine and then to me.
It’s the respect she’s owed as anish thatshaand my betrothed, but his adherence to tradition makes her uncomfortable. Standing stiffly at my side, Celine glances away from Lyklan in favor of scanning the street again. It’s empty; however, my time here is proof that someone is always watching.
“You can be at ease, Lyklan,” I say gently, hoping my tone strikes the proper chord. I want Celine to be comfortable around angels again, but the guardian in front of us has been loyal to my family for many years. I won’t disrespect him.
“Of course.” He smiles at Celine and tucks in his wings. “The indicators you asked me to set up near the gateway are functional. As you suspected, multiple celestial signatures have been detected breaching the plane between our realm and this one.”
“He’s coming for me,” Celine whispers calmly, fingering the hilt of her blade once more. If I hadn’t heard her crying in the shower hours ago, I would have no idea she feels even a shred of disquiet.
Lyklan meets her gaze, his own serious, and nods grimly. “All evidence points to S’lach.”
EIGHTEEN
Enclave Memo (internal)
There’s a rumor about vampires spreading outside Boulder. It should be monitored and squashed if necessary.
CIPRIAN
“You brought me a textbook?”
“Yep.” I toss the chunky hardback at Alistair, throwing in a cheerful smile for good measure.
“It looks like it’s never been opened.”
I yawn. “I wasn’t what you would describe as academically inclined.”
Alistair’s apartment is as bland as I remember. Gray walls, grayer furniture, even the flecks of color in his granite countertops are—you guessed it—gray. Except for one streak of... what is that? I squint at a flash of color near the sink and scrape my thumbnail against it.Blood.I should have known.
Blood splatter in a vampire’s kitchen is more predictable than sun in the desert.
Alistair’s apartment may be boring, but it’s better than my car, which I spent the last twenty hours crammed inside while driving to get him the textbook he’s so unimpressed with.
Stuffed in a chest with my embarrassing collection of snapback hats, the textbook had been collecting dust since the academy and I decided it was mutually beneficial we part ways.
As Alistair thumbs through the pages, I study him as thoroughly as the counter. He’s twitchy today. Wired. The circles under his eyes are deep purple, and his cheekbones are sharper than normal, even in the gloom.
He looks like shit.
It could be his falling out with Celine, but my gut tells me it’s more than that.
I open my mouth to ask, then shut it with a snap. Alistair won’t answer my questions; he barely let me through the damn door. I’ll learn more by watching.
“There’s a lot of information in here.” He sounds surprised, and I roll my eyes.
“Duh. It’s a textbook. That’s kind of the whole point.”
“Is it accurate?”
“How would I know? I didn’t read the damn thing.”
