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Cora stared warily at her friend. Whenever Suzette got that look on her face, wild things ensued. “How?”
“Oh, honey. You’re brilliant, you’re beautiful and more important, youlivewith the guy. The opportunities are endless. For starters, we need to go shopping.” Suzette began laying out all the ways Cora could lure Liam over to “the dark side,” and by the time they rejoined the people at the kitchen table, Cora’s head was spinning with possibilities.
Suzette’s grand scheme was way over-the-top, but Cora was in a much lighter mood because, if nothing else, it gave her hope. Liam had feelings for her; she was certain. They’d only kissed the one time, but there was no way he could deny the spark between them. She was determined to make him realize it. If it didn’t work, then at least she’d know she’d tried. He was an enigma; one moment familiar, the next moment a mystery. But Cora was good at solving mysteries. Whatever was really going on with Liam, she felt certain she could help him overcome it. They were meant to be more than just friends; the connection they shared was undeniable. She just needed to find a way to show him. From now on, no matter what obstacles came their way, Cora was bound and determined to make it happen.
EPILOGUE
Liam braced his elbows on the railing of Finn’s penthouse terrace. It was late evening, and the setting sun washed the downtown view of Providence Falls in glorious shades of crimson and fuchsia and gold. The people below looked tiny, like insects going about their business, and Liam wondered if this is what mere mortals looked like to the angels. Maybe to them, human lives were just as small and insignificant.
The music on the terrace stereo began playing a slow song about falling into a ring of fire. A single white dove swooped from overhead, floating on the wind in front of him for a moment before flying off toward the setting sun. Liam closed his eyes, and when he opened them, Samael and Agon were sitting on the railing on either side of him.
“I wondered when you were going to show up,” Liam said, still watching the horizon.
“The dove was adequate notification?” Agon asked.
“It was your best hint yet.”
Agon looked pleased, but he was always upbeat, even when Liam’s life was falling apart. Samael, on the other hand, looked subdued and maybe even a little sad. This was new to Liam, and therefore, alarming. If Samael looked depressed, then Liam’s chances must truly be abysmal.
He pushed away from the balcony railing. “Just tell me now if I’ve no hope to succeed. Cora is falling for me. And now Finn says he’s moving up north to New York. Nothing is going right, and before you say it, I know. IknowI’ve only a few weeks left. And things are worse now than they were in the beginning.”
“All is not lost, rogue,” Samael said. “There’s still a bit of time.”
Liam flung his hands in the air. “All I’ve managed to do is make a mess of things, time and again.”
“Let us reflect on what has gone right,” Agon said kindly. “But first, what is this lovely device?” He floated to the stone fire pit in the center of Finn’s terrace.
“For ambience,” Liam said distractedly.
Agon studied it, his dark eyes gleaming with interest.
“Absolutely not,” Samael said to Agon. “The Chamber of Judgment is cluttered enough as it is. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the new floor blanket.”
“Rug,” Agon corrected.
Liam caught sight of Cora watching him through the glass doors. He pasted a smile on his face. “Can Cora see the two of you?” he asked the angels through his teeth.
“No,” Agon said. “She only sees you right now.”
“Talking to myself? Great.” Liam gave her a nervous wave, then tried to tone down his expressions. From the look on her face, she wasn’t convinced everything was fine. If he wasn’t careful, she’d be out here to investigate. Liam turned his back on the glass doors.
“Cora has had an interesting adventure with Finn recently,” Samael said. “It counts as progress.”
“Yes,” Agon agreed. “There’s still a glimmer of hope on the horizon.”
“You mean the adventure where Finn helped me rescue her from Magnus? That backfired in a spectacular fashion. Shekissedme.”
“And you kissed her back, ruffian,” Samael said reprovingly. “But we were speaking of a different night she shared with Finn.”
Before Liam had a moment to reflect on this, Samael continued. “She now sees Finley Walsh in a much more favorable light.”
A night she shared with Finn.Liam knew he should be glad, but he couldn’t quite dredge up the feeling. When the hell had they shared a night together? There were too many emotions warring inside him right now, jealousy being one of them. He knew it was wrong, but he just couldn’t help it. “Well, that’s all fine and good, but Cora fancies me now. She told me so.”
“Yes, but how did you respond when she told you?” Samael asked. “Think.”
Liam ran his hands through his hair in frustration, then leaned on the railing and watched the last sliver of the setting sun just as it disappeared. “I said what I had to in order for her to see the truth.” The painful truth.
“Which is?” Samael floated over the railing and faced him, blocking his view of the horizon. Agon joined him. Their snowy wings unfurled in the wind as they hovered in the air. Their gazes bored into his soul with infinite wisdom, and if Liam had known the truth before, now he felt the epiphany like a lance through the heart. It seared him from the inside out.
