He sighs, shaking his head. “Time to dismount for a bit. Swing your leg over the side, and I’ll help you down.”
“Can’t you make her lie down again?” I frown at him, but he only waves his hand toward my leg expectantly. Unamused, I huff, rolling myeyes. “Fine. Stand back. I can get down by myself.”
I shift my position to one side of the camel, bracing myself for the shock on my knees—but strong hands wrap around my hips, gently floating me to the ground before I have time to complain.
I shoot him a glare. “I said I had it, angel.”
“I’m sure you did, darling, but I live to serve,” he answers sarcastically, a smirk lying on his lips, and walks away before I have the chance to give him a piece of my mind.
With a huff, I reluctantly follow him to the industrial metal door. Peering around his shoulder, I see his attention is fixed on the lock—a panel with a shrunken qwerty keyboard and some sort of biometric lock. A fingerprint scanner, perhaps, glowing with an ominous red. Given the obscurity of everything else around it, the sophisticated technology looks out of place. “I don’t suppose you have the password?”
Dusk looks at me, deadpan, as he wiggles his fingers in the direction of the door. “Abracadabra.”
The lock makes a clicking, whirring noise, and the panel changes from red to green. Because, of course, he can just unlock it with his angel magic.
I sigh inwardly at my own stupidity.
The door opens with a rusty squeal. Dusk holds it for me, beckoning me forward into the dark warehouse. “Ladies first.”
Staring at the darkness, I bite my lip. Even after all we’ve been through, I find myself struggling to trust the angel. My feet feel glued to the ground, and I shift my weight to relieve some of the tension. “Uh… You sure?”
“Yes, Kae. It’s perfectly safe.” He sighs, seeming annoyed by my completely natural reluctance. “I need to lock the door behind you. There’s a light switch on the right side.”
He coulddefinitelyturn the lights on for me with his magic, at least, but I’m wounding my pride here. Reluctantly, I comply. I force myself forward with fake bravado, my hands fumbling along the wall for the light switch until, finally, they find purchase.
Fluorescent lights flicker on high above me, one by one,revealing?—
Absolutely nothing.
It’s completely empty! Confused as can be, I stare around the barren warehouse. Concrete floors, metal walls, roll-up airplane doors, and the overhead shop lights... That’s it. There’s not so much as a stray broom in here.
It might be the most anti-climactic moment of my entire life.
I turn around, fully prepared to ask Dusk what the Hell we’re supposed to be doing in an empty airplane hangar, but I stop myself when I see him.
His eyes are locked with his camel through the doorway. Both angel and animal look equally pissed off, as if they’re in some sort of mental argument. The thought is almost laughable. I can only imagine what they’d be saying to each other.
Get in the building, please.
I can’t fit.
Yes, you can. Just try it.
Nah, I’d rather not.
After a minute or so of intense staring, Dusk starts to wave his arms around, huffing and puffing. “Go! And don’t you dare spit on me!”
His camel gives him a big, indignant snort, just before ducking its head and squeezing through the doorway.
“I fuckingtold you so, Jack.” Dusk crosses his arms, watching his camel with narrowed eyes as the rest follow behind it. Somehow, they all manage to pass through the doorway.
I’ll admit, I’m impressed. When he finally closes and locks the door behind them, I clap my hands slowly. Sarcasm seeps into my voice. “Such fine skills of camel-whispering you have, Dr. Dolittle. However, I do believe horses would have been the better option.”
“I ought to make you carry your suitcases, just because you said that,” he tosses back in a grumble, adjusting the luggage on the packed camels at the back of the line.
“Carry them where, exactly? I don’t know if you noticed, but unless there’s an invisible portal here, this place is empty.”
“Ah, shit.” He frowns, looking up to investigate our surroundings forthe first time. “I guess they moved it. We’ll have to go back to our charming vacation home now and make a new plan.”
