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“God, it smells good in here.” Kylie emerged from her room, makeup perfect and dressed in a maroon blouse, leggings, and knee-high boots. She dropped into an empty chair and started piling food on her plate. “So what are you going to do all day other than making sure Sierra doesn’t get offed by any demons?” she asked Nathaniel with absolutely zero tact.
He glanced at me. “So far that has been a full-time job.”
“You make it sound like I’ve had hordes of demons coming after me. There were three, just three.”
He arched his brows. “Justthree? One could have killed you easily.”
“I’m sorry, my self-defense lessons didn’t include how to kill demons who are immune to bullets.”
“Hence the need for full-time security.”
I refused to look at him as I downed the rest of my orange juice and stood from the table. I dumped my dishes in the sink, grabbed my purse, and headed for the back door.
“Are you coming with me or taking your own car?” I asked Kylie.
“I’ll meet you there. I’ve got the lunch shift on Sundays now that school’s started, and I don’t want to make you rush.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”
“Hold up.” Nathaniel was out of his chair in a second, his long legs eating up the space between us in the time it took me to pick up my keys. His hand closed over mine on the doorknob. “Where are you going?”
I glared up at him. “Church.”
“What part of this situation are you not understanding?” he growled, leaning down so his face was inches from mine.
“The part where you seem to think that you can stop me from leaving.”
“Icanstop you.” He wasn’t letting go of my hand. His grip was firm, commanding, and confident, and if I weren’t busy being annoyed at him, his touch might have made me feel safe.
I straightened my spine and met his bright green eyes. “I understand that you are trying to keep me safe, and I appreciate what you’re doing for me, but I am a person, Nathaniel. I have feelings and a life and things that matter to me.”
“Things that matter more than staying alive?”
“Yes. I’m not hiding for the rest of my existence. Surviving isn’t worth giving up my life.”
His eyes flashed. “You aren’t going to have much of a life if you’re dead either.”
“I am meeting my family for an hour-long church service. Are you honestly telling me that you think I’m going to be attacked by demons inside a church?”
We held each other’s gazes while several long seconds passed. Then he let go of my hand and stepped back. “You’ll come right back here afterward?”
I nodded. “I promise.”
He hesitated.
“You could come, or I could give you my number?” I suggested.
“I don’t have a phone.”
I blinked. I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised. Was there cell service in Heaven? Probably not. And when he’d come to the café yesterday, I hadn’t seen him take out a phone once.
But it was so easy to forget that Nathaniel wasn’t human when he didn’t have his wings out.
“Okay. I guess I’ll see you when I get home.”
Nathaniel nodded stiffly. I was getting the feeling he wasn’t thrilled with this situation, but he was letting me go without getting into a full-blown war over it. Maybe therewashope for the two of us.
Eight
