AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Would it hurt?”
“You don’t have to sound so gleeful about that idea.”
Kylie’s gaze ping-ponged back and forth between us like she was watching a tennis match.
“Okay. Pretend I believe that you aren’t high and you really did stab a guy and he turned to smoke. How does that explain this?” She gestured between Nathaniel and me with her finger.
“The man was a demon—”
“Lord of Hell,” Nathaniel supplied helpfully.
I rolled my eyes. “Same difference. And now Hell wants revenge. Nathaniel saved my life tonight. He’s here to protect me.”
Kylie narrowed her eyes at Nathaniel. I wasn’t getting the sense that she believed me or trusted him.
“You may have wanted to mention the part about me being an angel,” he said dryly.
I winced. “Right, there’s also that.”
“You know this is normally the part where I’d call you psychotic, right?” Kylie asked, looking at me.
I did know that. I’d heard her call enough ex-boyfriends and bad-news family members that before. However, it wasn’t something she’d ever calledmebefore.
“I know it sounds crazy. That’s why I didn’t try to tell you about it. But I can’t really keep it a secret with him here.” I waved a hand in Nathaniel’s direction for emphasis.
“There is a very simple way to clear this up.” Nathaniel stood from the couch and stripped out of his jacket. The back of his shirt was still shredded, earning a raised eyebrow from Kylie.
As we watched, his back…rippled. I could see the muscles and bones moving around under his skin, and then the skin over his shoulder blades stretched, sprouting dark red feathers. The whole process took no more than a second.
As weird as it had been to see Nathaniel’s wings earlier this evening, it was far stranger now that he was standing in my living room. There was also more light here, and I could see every individual feather. His wings really were glorious.
Kylie was gaping at him. “You weren’t kidding,” she said slowly.
“I have a better sense of humor, I promise you,” Nathaniel said.
“So he’s here to protect you from demons?” She was talking to me, but she was still staring at Nathaniel.
“Pretty much,” I answered.
“Um, wow. I’m not really sure what to say.”
“That makes two of us,” I muttered.
After Nathaniel retracted his wings and gave me crap for leaving the stake in my bedroom mere minutes after he told me to keep it on me at all times, Kylie and I holed up in my room to talk, away from my live-in angel bodyguard.
“Holy shit, Sierra.” Kylie sat on my bed while I pressed my back to the bedroom door.
“I know,” I moaned.
“You have a freaking guardian angel. That’s… insanely cool.”
“Or just insane. He’s a stranger, and I just let him move in.”
Kylie grabbed the brush off my nightstand and started working it through her hair. “Do you not trust him?”
“I don’t know. He did save my life tonight, and he’s an angel. I feel like not trusting him is sacrilegious or something. But what happens now? I’m stuck with him until only God knows when?”
“Oh, the horror.” Kylie gave me her most unimpressed look. “You have a gorgeous angel crashing on your couch. Whatever will you do?”
