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Julian’s gaze was distracted as he peered around the square. “That’s right.” He spun in a slow circle, finally coming back to face us. “It was just after the spell had gone wrong. I returned to the square, and there was something in the air…something different. Like a barely visible sort of…shimmer.” He squinted, as if trying to see it again.
My heart sank as I realized what he meant. “Yes, of course. It’s the displacement of energy that comes every time we destroy something.” I nodded toward the charred remains of the towering oak tree. You must have seen the effect right before we murdered the tree. And the houses.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “And the gate.” Why had I been relieved that he’d brought Abigor back?
“That’s right,” Abigor said, following my gaze to the twisted metal that had once been the village gate. “It’s our celestial natures. They’re basically totally incompatible. Strong negative emotions cause energy disturbances and you can see the change in the air. That must have been what you saw.” He sounded as dejected as I felt. For a moment, I’d hoped—
“No,” Julian interjected. “I know what you’re talking about. I saw it before, when the two of you argued. This was different.”
“Different how?” Abigor asked.
“I don’t know.” Julian lifted his hands helplessly. “Different. It looked different. It felt different. But it’s gone now.”
I glanced at Abigor, but he lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
“Something had to have happened after the tree was destroyed,” Julian muttered to himself. “I need to check my notes. I wonder…” He glanced up at us. “I need my spell book. I’ll be back.”
I watched him sprint down the path toward his house, then turned toward Abigor, my shoulders slumping. “I thought maybe he really had another idea. Something else we could try. But—why are you looking at me like that?”
Abigor’s eyes were on my face, but his expression had turned unreadable. I tried Sensing him and only detected a jumble of emotions.
“He said something had to have happened after we destroyed the tree,” Abigor said.
“Yes, that’s when you left.”
Abigor grimaced. “No, before that.”
“What? You—oh. Oh.”
The kiss.
“Yeah,” he said. “Oh. Sorry it wasn’t memorable.”
My cheeks heated. “It doesn’t matter if it was memorable. It certainly can’t ever happen again.”
Abigor’s brows lifted. “Why not?”
I let out a surprised laugh. “Why not? Maybe because of the mandate?” I waved a hand around the square. “Maybe because of all the damage we cause?”
“But Julian said he saw—”
“What Julian saw was the product of our clashing energies.” The air shimmered between us and I took a deep breath, trying to calm down as I gestured. “Yes, just like that.”
“He said it looked different,” Abigor said stubbornly.
“He’s a human! He has no idea what he saw.”
“Typical attitude from Heaven,” he scoffed. “Always think you know better than everyone else.”
My temper flared, thunder rumbling overhead. “I do not think that.”
He took a step toward me, wings flaring. “Prove it, then.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Kiss me.” His red eyes flashed.
My jaw fell open as I took an involuntary step backward. “I fail to see how kissing you proves anything at all.”
He took another step forward, and my heart began to race.
