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She waited until they were on the boardwalk to stop. Maybe it was the imagination of an East Coast girl, but the breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean seemed colder than the breeze she’d felt coming off the Atlantic. Or maybe it was because she was in Seattle in July instead of Florida, which felt like it sat on the equator. Seattle’s seventy-five degrees felt like sixty.
In sync with her, he stopped too, his brow furrowed in a silent question.
“You don’t like humans, do you?”she asked.
His sharp gaze went flat. He couldn’t lie, so she released his hand, folded her arms, and waited.
“Humans are under my protection.”
“That wasn’t my question.” And he damn well knew it. “Deflection won’t work.” He looked away and her heart sank. Not for humanity, but for her. “You hate me. Not humanity.”
“No.” His sharp voice cracked like a whip. “I can’t lie. I did. Not now. But I did.”
Beneath her sternum ached. “Can you tell me why?” She wanted to understand. Needed an explanation.
“Come.” He held out his hand.
No hesitation. She took it and allowed herself to be pulled into the warmth of his chest. His arms wrapped around her, and she melted into his strength, lost herself in his scent, a subtle mix of lavender and amber.
She heard his wings unfurl seconds prior to her feet leaving the ground. She shrieked, but it was muffled by his shirt and chest.
“Shh. I got you.”
Suddenly, Eden was seated at the top of the Ferris Wheel with a panoramic view of the boardwalk and the Puget. She hid her disappointment. Flying, that’s what she wanted. The Ferris Wheel was a serious downgrade.
“I dislike humans.”
She gripped the railing, steadying her nerves. “Why? What did we ever do to you?”
She meant it as a joke, a flippant response to his “I don’t like humans” answer. A shiver ran down her spine at the hunger in his gaze. She jumped when the Ferris Wheel rotated. Their bucket went from the highest peak to the lowest. Music, laughter, and lights. She couldn’t hear a word and had to wait for their bucket to ascend again.
“Your race is selfish, lazy, egotistical, racist, sexist, and immoral.”
He wasn’t perfect. The long wait for the comeback proved it. “Yeah. Well. Your kind made us.” She huffed.
“Not exactly true, but that’s neither here nor there,” he mumbled.
“You’re deflecting again.” And she wouldn’t let him get away with it. “Fine. I admit we’re selfish, lazy, etc. But that’s not the reason you hate the entire human race. Or is it just women you hate?”
“I don’t hate women,” he deadpanned.
She didn’t believe he did. “Then is it me? Is that why I get the hot and cold treatment?”
A grimace tightened his features. “Hot and cold?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.” At the end of her short rope, she snapped, “I get the heated looks, the sensual touches, the longing. You can’t lie. So, tell me the truth.”
A muscle flexed in his jaw and wariness radiated from him. “What truth is that?”
This was a bad idea. He couldn’t lie, but he didn’t have to answer. And she got the distinct impression he wouldn’t answer. “Never mind.” She wasn’t a masochist. And she wasn’t stupid enough to chase after a man who didn’t truly want her. “I want down. Get me down from here. Now.”
“No.”
Not the answer she wanted. “You got me up here. Now get me down.” She pointed to the boardwalk in case he needed a visual.
He stood, and the bucket tipped. Eden swallowed her yelp and death gripped the railing. Stunning white wings snapped open. He scooped her out of the bucket and took to the air. One hard flap and they were airborne. She didn’t want to hold on to him. Between falling to her death and flying, she had one choice.
Eden wrapped her arms around him and held on. Any second now, she’d be on the ground and walking away from him. No money didn’t leave her many options, but she’d find a shelter, call her credit card company, and have them send her a card.
