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“How are you so calm about this?” she demanded. “They’re going to kill me, and you’re—”
“Shh.” Gabriel put a finger over her lips. Her eyes widened.
“First,” he said quietly, “anger is not our friend right now. You get me?”
His hand was warm against her face. She stared up into his eyes and remembered the coil of flame on his palm last night.
Or Tyler’s grip on her arm in the pet store.
She swallowed and nodded.
“They’re not going to kill you,” he said. “Because you don’t matter.”
He didn’t mean it the way it sounded. She knew that. But the words still made her flinch, just a little.
Chris grabbed his brother’s hand and shoved him away. “Leave her alone. She doesn’t know.”
“You should have kept it that way,” said Gabriel. “The more naïve she is, the better off she’d be.”
“She is standing right here,” said Becca.
“The Guides won’t bother you,” said Chris. “Sure, they might be watching you—”
“Watching me?”
“—but you aren’t one of us. They’ll realize that you aren’t an Elemental.” Chris leaned in, and she heard the strain behind his voice. “When I said they’re judge, jury, and executioner, I meant they don’t f**k around. But they aren’t stupid.”
Her breathing felt too quick, matching his.
“What about you?” she finally said.
His blue eyes hardened, and his voice was flat. “If they’re watching you, you should probably stay away from me.”
A phone started ringing, and it took Becca a minute to realize it was in her pocket. She looked at the display of her new phone and recognized Quinn’s number.
She pushed the button to answer and skipped the greeting. “How did you know I have a new phone?”
“Called your house. Your mom’s pissed.” Quinn sounded pissed herself.
“Why?”
“Because you told her you were with me.”
Crap. “What’d you say?”
“That she shouldn’t worry; I’d only seen you drunk behind the wheel a handful of times. Where are you that you need a cover?”
Becca glanced up and swallowed. Chris hadn’t moved. He still stood in her personal space, very close. He could probably hear Quinn.
She turned to face the front walkway and had to clear her throat. “Chris Merrick’s house.”
There was a very obvious pause. “Uh huh,” said Quinn.
“Is that a girl?” Gabriel bounced the ball across the driveway. “Invite her over.”
“Is that Chris?” said Quinn. “Did he just invite me over?”
Were they crazy?
