Celine purses her lips. “I didn’t throw out the plan; I improvised.”
“I don’t care about that part anymore. I’ve come to terms.” He points at Celine. “You’ll keep putting yourself in danger, and I’ll keep aging at a premature rate until they bury me in ten to fifteen years from the long-term effects of some fatal stress syndrome.”
Celine smiles... genuinely, and a chill runs down my spine. She’s so beautiful it hurts. Crossing to the far side of the bed, she bends to smack a kiss on Luca’s grinning mouth.
“I love you,” she says. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Her words sink into my heart like barbs, and I avert my gaze, wishing I were anywhere else. I’m happy for Luca, but envy has me in a chokehold.Why can’t I have this too?
“I love you too,” Luca says, yawning audibly. “But don’t think I didn’t notice you skipping over the truth beams. I want to hear about them, then I want to sleep until Ciprian drags us out of bed.”
Celine winces and drops onto the bed, mirroring Luca’s position. Her pale neck is inches from my leg. I stare transfixed, at the tiny throbbing pulse below her jaw.
“I don’t use them often. The results are awful.” She shudders. “In layman’s terms, my magic forces the collective pain of every lie they’ve ever told back on them, making them face the physical consequences of their lies. If someone doesn’t lie often, they won’t hurt much. But those angels worked for my dad, so I knew...”
“That they would go down like a ton of bricks,” Luca says.
Celine sighs. “Something like that.”
“I killed five people tonight.” Luca closes his eyes and fists the covers.
Neither of us responds. He needs to say it out loud to share the weight, but he’s not asking for absolution. Celine slides her hand over the mattress until she finds Luca’s fingers, prying them loose and lacing them with hers.
“You both need to rest,” I say.
Celine looks at me upside down, a tiny wrinkle appearing between her eyebrows. I fight the urge to squirm and barely win.
“Join us. For tonight,” she says softly.
My heart skips a beat. I’ve shared a bed with them before, but not since everything fell apart. Celine isn’t a pushover. If she wanted to make me sleep in the bathroom with the door closed until sundown, she would. This is an olive branch. It’s time-sensitive and fragile, but it’s movement. I’m more than desperate enough to take it.
I nod, not trusting my voice.
We get ready for bed, moving around each other with a rhythm that’s almost as domestic as it is coordinated. I find myself anticipating when Luca will finish brushing his teeth and how long it will take Celine to massage moisturizer into her face.
No one says a word. Within ten minutes, Luca and I stand on opposite sides of the bed—me by the window, him by the bathroom.
“You’re on my side,” he grumbles, scrubbing a hand over his jaw.
I roll my eyes and swap places with him, but part of me knowsI did it on purpose. To see if he’d still insist on being nearest the window in case sunlight got through. For a minute, Luca’s loyalty drives the wolves back. It’s the exact reassurance I’ve always wanted and never had.
Stop it. You’re nothing to him. Nothing to her either.Wanting something doesn’t mean you get to have it. I swallow the bitter reminder—one I learned long before I had fangs—wishing I could spit it out like the last ten bags of blood I’ve failed to drink.
We settle in the same as we did weeks ago with Celine in the middle, but none of us are touching this time. After their breathing evens out, I let myself drift off, my throat stuffed with sizzling embers.
I wake to the most delicious smell. Warm, spicy, and sweet, I want to drown in it.
Inhaling deeply, I frown as someone shouts in the distance.
The words are unclear. I don’t try to make sense of them. It’s pointless... a complete waste of time. I’m on the edge of ecstasy, about to sink my fangs into something delicious. Earthy heat teases me, and I lick the throbbing pulse. It beats faster beneath my tongue, and I smile, savoring the moment. Anticipation makes the bite sweeter for both of us.
“Don’t startle him. I don’t think he’s awake.”
These words are clear, but they make no sense. Of course I’m awake. Who could sleep through this temptation?
“Alistair.” The throat beneath my lips moves. “Ali, come on, wake up.”
The voice is familiar and beautiful, but it’s trembling. Who has frightened my angel?
