I had no doubt about Henry. We had a lot to discuss, but Henry let me move at my own pace. I hadn’t been ready after the bombshells from Uriel and Raphael, so he hugged me and let me fall asleep in his arms.
The only thing that could’ve made the night better was waking up to better curtains.
I sat up slowly, my body protesting each movement. Though better than yesterday, I still felt like I'd been hit by a bus. Was this what a hangover felt like for angels? Did angels even get hangovers?
The door opened and Henry backed into the room carrying a tray loaded with food. The simple sight of him eased something tight and painful within me. He turned, his face lighting up when he saw me awake.
“Hey,” he said. “I didn't expect you to be up yet. How do you feel?”
It should freak me out that he and I were soul-bonded, but the man was amazing. “Like I fought a D’val in an MMA match, got hit by a bus, and then let a herd of cows run over me.”
“So not great, but better than yesterday.” He set the tray on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed. Taking my hand, he kissed my fingers. “Food will help. I couldn’t find a griddle for pancakes. Plus, I wasn’t sure you’d be awake so I brought up bagels, cream cheese, and fruit. We also have orange juice and coffee.”
Normally, I’d protest all the one-sided attention, but I probably couldn’t have helped much this morning. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Henry moved the tray to the bed and joined me for breakfast. Since I asked for a pause in our conversation, I needed to restart it. The problem was I didn’t want to have the discussion I wanted to have. I took a bite of my bagel as the silence between us suffocated me. Unable to stand it, I put my food down.
“So, I'm an angel.” As conversation starters went, that one fell into the ‘punch myself in the face,’ category. Henry smiled, but didn’t interrupt my parade. “And you’re an angel. Not metaphorically, but actual wings and powers and everything. Please no harps. I’m practically tone deaf.”
Henry tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t stop himself. “That was so cute. Yes, Nick. Everything. Harps, however, are optional.”
Taking a sip of coffee, it felt surreal. I’d never had a boyfriend, or been able to afford room service, and now I had a soulmate who brought me breakfast in bed. I kept thinking I’d wake up and realize it was all an elaborate dream.”
“It’s a lot to process.” I snorted at the absurdity of that statement. “Which is the understatement of the century. Twenty-four hours ago I was Nick Fenton, human. Now I'm an angel, the fourth heir, and the son of Ariel, who was clearly a big deal. Not that I even know what that means.”
“All that’s true.” Henry said rubbing the back of my hand. “But you’re still the same kind, funny, beautiful man with a stubborn streak almost as big as your uncle’s.”
“Except I’m not the same.” I covered his hand with mine. “My whole life was built on a lie – multiple lies. My family isn't my family. My mentor isn't who I thought he was. Even you?—"
The words caught in my throat.
“Even me, what?” he asked calmly. His voice was barely above a whisper.
I hadn’t meant to accuse him, but we agreed no secrets. “You knew what I was. That's why you were with me, wasn't it?”
“Yes, but no.” Henry moved the tray and sat next to me. “I was assigned to protect you, not be your friend, or fall in love with you.”
Since I woke up after the fight with the D’val, I’d struggled with what to believe. Everything about my life had been a lie.How would I know what was real? I also had to confront how naïve I was about things. I trusted too easily. Applying those thoughts to Henry, however, was more complicated.
Before we got close, Henry told me he had a secret, but promised to tell me when he was allowed. He’d kept that promise. I might not have a lot of experience, but it didn’t feel like he’d been acting. Either I accepted his word, or ended things with him. I couldn’t do the latter.
“What about Trevor? Was he assigned to be my friend, too?”
“Trevor was assigned to watch over you, but I think you know in your heart his friendship is real.”
He was right, but my insecurities ran deep. “You’re right, but it’s a lot, you know?”
“I do,” Henry said. “I'm sorry you had to go through everything feeling so alone. None of us felt good about the lies.”
Deep down I knew they hadn’t wanted to lie to me and I needed to forgive them, but my embarrassment held me back. It had been so easy to lie to me. I was like a five-year-old believing Santa Claus could visit a billion homes all over the world in a single night. Letting go of those feelings was the only way to heal.
“So tell me," I said, reaching for his hand again. “What does beingHKarlinmean? Does it mean we’ll always have awesome sex?”
Henry snorted and rolled toward me. “I think we’ll need to conduct extensive testing to find out.”
“We will.” I leaned in for a quick kiss. “I probably don’t need to say this, but I’m not mad anymore. Not at you at least. What happened before yesterday doesn’t matter. It’s what we do from today that I care about. Just, no more secrets, half-truths, or omissions that are ‘for my own good.”
“I promise.” He planted a soft kiss on my lips. “That works both ways. If things get to be too much, or you’re feeling overwhelmed, tell me. I won’t be able to help if I don’t know.”
