I glance around the room. Luca is here. Ciprian too.Where is Celine?Is she too angry to see me? My heart thumps unsteadily in my chest. I-I need her. Even if she hates me. If I can see her, maybe I can explain. Maybe she’ll forgive me.
I meet Luca’s hazel stare, and his gaze softens. “She’s here,” he says. “She’s trying to get the house to lock S’lach out. Something about family magic.”
Ciprian nods. “Honestly, I’m glad you’re awake, man. We needmore than context clues. With the way Celine was talking, I got the impression she was on her way to feed a house-sized sourdough starter.”
What?My brow wrinkles. Luca shakes his head. “Ignore him; he’s trying to distract you.”
And I’m grateful for that. Thinking about anything else is a lifeline. “Family magic is a big deal forthatshaangels, although it’s considered impolite to discuss,” I explain. “It inhabits all living descendants, but there’s a collective source too. Mostthatshafamilies build estates around it.”
“It inhabits you?” Ciprian shudders. “You’re making it sound like a parasite. Wait. Is Celine literally talking to it?” He glances at the closed door. “Do you think it will talk back?”
I shrug, then wince. My shoulders are too light without my wings. “There’s an intimate connection, but it’s not usually verbal. My family calls ours the heart. Everyone visits once a year to ensure the connection remains strong.”
The door opens and Celine appears, stopping inside, her expression unreadable.
My heart pumps unsteadily behind my ribs. It wants to get closer to her, but I’m afraid. I broke my promise and lied to her; told her I blamed her for leaving. I’d rather have my wings cut off a dozen times than hear her say it’s over.
Luca pats my shoulder. “We’ll give you two a minute to catch up.”
“Catch up?” Ciprian scoffs. “Understatement of the—” An abortedoofleaves his mouth, Luca’s elbow slamming into his belly with impressive accuracy.
They leave the room, and then we’re alone. I stand on shaky legs, grabbing the bedpost to steady myself, unwilling to face her as a weakling.
“Be careful,” she hisses, taking a step closer before grinding to a halt. Her hesitation is worse than S’lach’s torture.
I gulp, drinking in the sight of her. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
Her eyes flash. “I would have been here sooner if someone hadn’t locked me out.”
“I didn’t want you to get hurt,” I say.
“That wasn’t your choice to make, Malach.” There’s anger in her voice, but it’s the warble that guts me. This was never supposed to upset her. I did it to keep her safe.
“I vowed to protect you,” I explain. “It was my responsibility. You’d endured too much already.”
A tear rolls down her cheek. “That’s where you’re wrong,” she whispers. “Wevowed to protect each other. I held your hands and looked into your eyes, and we vowed to be a team. I loved you, Malach, and you saw me as a responsibility.”
The past tense is too much. I’m moving before I can stop myself, erasing the distance between us. I press against her. Her scent floods my nose. “Don’t say that, my truth.” I grip her chin between my fingers. “Don’t say ‘loved’ as if you no longer have use for my heart. It’s yours. It’s always been yours, and it always will be.”
Celine shudders, and her eyes flicker closed. “You scared me, Malach. I’ll always love you, but I’m mad at you, too.”
“Then be mad at me.” I bury my face in her neck. “I can take it.”
Her fingers curl in my hair, and she yanks my lips to hers, kissing me with a desperation I’ve never felt from her before. “You locked me out of ourhome realm.” She bites my bottom lip. “Lied to my fucking face.” With one hand, she tugs on my hair, even while the other wraps around my lower back to support me. “And you made me think you didn’t love me.”
I groan. “I was shocked when you believed that. I thought you might be relieved to be rid of me.”
She growls, and I shiver. I’m making her angrier—I can taste her fury, and I want more of it. My legs wobble, and she spins us, shoving me down onto a small table. It evens our heights, and I widen my legs to allow her to get closer to me.
Her tongue wrestles with mine, and I let her win. If she needs my air, she can have that, too. All I need is her alive and well so she can keep kissing me like she’s starving.
“I wasn’t relieved, Malach,” she snarls. “I was empty. Part of me was missing.”
Gods alive and dead, I’m glad.With shaking hands, I stroke her downy feathers with my fingertips. My wings may be stuffed in some closet because they remind the others of dead birds, but if she has hers, I’m happy with the trade.
Celine arches into my touch, then freezes and meets my eyes. “I’ll find a way to get your wings back.” Her skin lights up, covered with golden truth runes. “I swear it.”
I kiss the symbol on her forehead. “I don’t think I’m ready to talk about what happened in that room.”
