“No, you said you areamessenger angel. NottheMessenger Angel, proper. And why the hell would you go around calling yourself that? Aren’t you supposed to keep your kind a secret?”
“Darling, I don’t like to complicate things for no good reason. A silly name isn’t going to send the humans into chaos.” He leans in, the corner of his lips barely upturned into a smirk. “Besides, there’s only one human I’m giving myself away to, and she’s already sitting in front of me.”
Um. I’m not certain, but I think he’s flirting with me again. There’s a weird flutter inside me that I don’t care to acknowledge, and I find myself looking away to avoid his eyes. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of things to look at this. The luxe interior here is the paragon of‘fuck you’money, and I can’t see Dusk moonlighting as an investment banker.
“How, exactly, did you afford all this?” I ask.
“Ah, don’t worry about that. We have our ways of making things easier for us.”
That’s not very comforting. “Nothing I should be worried about, right? As in… illegal?”
He barks a loud laugh, grabbing my attention. I look back at him, appalled. But, I guess it does make sense. Legality is likely a laughing matter to angels, considering how short the lives of nations are when compared to their immortality.
“No, no. Of course not.” He pauses, his eyebrows dropping inquisitively. “Well, actually, let me rephrase that. Nothingmalicious, but technically?—”
I cut him off with a raised hand. “No, nevermind. Forget I even asked. If there’s some kind of angel mob out there printing money, then I’d prefer to keep my plausible deniability.”
Dusk leans back in his chair, never once taking his eyes off me. The intensity of them could burn a hole through me. “Don’t you trust me yet?”
I twist a loose thread on my shirt, keeping my hands busy. The truth makes me uncomfortable, but there’s no point in hiding it. “Unfortunately, yes. I suppose I do trust you.”
“Great!” That radiant smile of his erupts across his face again. Like a moth to a flame, I can’t keep myself from being drawn in by it. “That’ll make this trip a lot easier. If I say jump, you jump, yeah?”
“Like,from the plane?”My voice rises in alarm, my eyes widening.
Dusk only laughs, so loud and heartily that it’s almost humiliating. At the same time, though, I wish I could have that much unabashed amusement in the stupidest of things.
“No, Dawn. It’s just a figure of speech.” He pauses, tilting his head to the side. “But even if it weren’t, I would hope you’d trust me to catch you.”
“Right. Because of the wings.” How could I forget about those things?Of coursehe’d catch me. I’d be traumatized in the process, sure, but I’d live.
Our conversation is interrupted by the subtle sound of our flight attendant making her way down the aisle. Even if it’s just for a few brief moments, I’m grateful that I get to pour my concentration into interacting with her, listening earnestly to her summary of our itinerary.
We’re flying into the Tel Aviv airport in Israel, she explains, which is not exactly a country I’d prefer to visit right now. Israel and Palestine were already on the verge of breaking their shaky fourteen-year truce, but that 144k group has thrown everything into turmoil. Now, the news is predicting there will be a full-out war in the region by the end of the year.
Unfortunately, it’s not like I have much of a choice. If the only entrance to the Abyss is in Israel, then I’m going to Israel. I just hope Dusk is better at protecting me than he is at delivering holy messages.
Before I know it, I’m alone with him again.
As the lights dim and the jet powers up for takeoff, he looks entirely at ease. He relaxes his chin in his palm, continuing to stare at me for no particular reason, completely lacking in social norms. After so long, it becomes unnerving.
“My face isn’tthatentertaining,” I mutter, peeling back the window covering to watch the jet propel itself into the sky. It’s an effort to maintain some semblance of nonchalance.
A low chuckle hums out of him. “Respectfully, darling, you are entirely wrong.”
My breath tries to arrest in my lungs, but I force myself to breathe through it. I’m determined to deprive him of satisfaction in getting a flustered response from me, which he’s clearly trying to do. IknowI still look awful. A few nights of good sleep can only do so much for my recovery.
As much as I’d like to tell him he’s full of shit, I go for the polite option, giving him a noncommittal noise of dismissal.
“Try to enjoy the flight, Dawn.” His voice softens, becoming delicate. “It’ll be a long one. Hopefully, you can get some decent sleep.”
“Yeah, now that somebodyisn’t sending me nightmares anymore,” I grumble back, eliciting a small chuckle from him. But I wasn’t joking. I’m still very bitter about all those wasted months, and the glare I give him says just as much. “Would you care to explain who you work for?”
The smile fades from his face. A beat passes before he replies. “How do you know I answer to anyone but the Creator?”
“It’s obvious,” I huff, slightly offended. “Stop deflecting.”
“I’m not really supposed to talk about them.”
