“A text?” I frown. “Someone could have his phone.”
Luca nods. “Which is why I demanded proof of life.” He flips his phone around to show us a horribly lit selfie of Alistair. Eyes red from anger or the flash, he’s shooting Luca the bird.
“Frame that one for the wall,” Ciprian deadpans.
“So you could make it hang crooked? No thanks,” I mutter, then narrow my eyes at Luca. “You were in the bathroom for a long time.”
“Maybe I needed to take a shit.”
“Did you?”
“No. I didn’t want to interrupt this conversation. It sounded important.”There it is.
Luca smiles at me, tiny lines fanning out from the corners ofhis eyes. I melt, then feel disgusted with myself. Luca is good looking. I’ve known that for years, so why am I turning into an angel with fluff for brains when he smiles at me?
I glance away to regroup, unsurprised that he’s working his subtle brand of manipulation behind the scenes. Luca is far more likely to remain calm than Alistair or Ciprian, both of whom love to throw a fit, but he’s damn good with people. I see it at the Fang all the time.
“What happens next? Are you going to bury us under your fancy Colorado compound or put all ten fingers to work?” Luca winks at Ciprian and wiggles his hands. “Wait. I need caffeine for this. Tell me over coffee.”
Ciprian blushes, and they stare at each other with matching grins.
My stomach flutters. Pushing the covers back, I climb out of bed and let my wings out. They’re feathers—for now—but it won’t take much to summon the blades or flames if my emotions spike.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are an incredibly beautiful woman.”
I snap my head up and find Ciprian’s stormy stare focused on me. Not on my bare legs, or the curve of my ass hanging from the bottom of the oversized T-shirt, but on my face. A face I know is tired, stressed, swollen, and attached to a neck made splotchy by Alistair’s sleep-gnawing.
“I can’t tell if you’re joking or not,” I say. I mean to sound strong and confident. I don’t. I sound edgy instead, like I’ve been pushed to the breaking point.
Ciprian’s eyebrows pull together. A wave of something moves across his face too quick for me to read. “Trust me,” he says.
I go to the bathroom and shut the door without responding.
I don’t have the heart to tell him I can’t.
Because I want to trust Ciprian, the stakes are simply too high.
I can’t be weak or powerless again. I wasn’t strong enough to save Mom from my father. I’ve accepted that, along with the grief and guilt that came along with it, but I will save myself and the messy family I’ve created here on Earth if it’s the last thing I do.
“He won’t take anyone from you again,” I whisper, making the promise to my reflection and hoping I never see the day it makes me a liar.
TWENTY-FOUR
Enclave Edict #2:
If a supernatural in our territory creates an incident, we will act.
CIPRIAN
I take the cup of coffee Luca offers me and consider pouring it over my face. Second-degree burns? That’s cool. I’ll take anything to wake myself up. I’m not sure my skin has ever been tired before, but it is now. Combined with the grit no number of blinks can clear from my eyes, I want to crawl into bed and never leave.
There’s no more avoiding this collision, though. Ever since Celine killed Roscoe and Dad sent me to Vegas, we’ve been barreling toward this moment: Fringes versus enclave, angel versus demon, stubborn bullshit versus stubborner bullshit.
It hit the fan last night, and it’s still flying. I have to find the switch and turn the damn thing off—except it’s more like a bomb than a fan—and if I cut the wrong wire, we all blow up.
The Fringes forge tight-lipped supernaturals, but someone snitched. To be honest, I can’t blame them. Self-preservation is apowerful motivator. They wanted to cover their own ass and make it clear they weren’t involved. I should follow their example, but I can’t.
Celine is beautiful and smart. No one would argue against that, but I’ve met beautiful, smart women before. I love charisma and danger, and Luca is dripping with both. Risking my future for those traits, though? I don’t think so. And Alistair? He’s completely unhinged. I don’t mind risk, and I go crazy for a surprise, but never at my own expense.
