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“You want me to put my family under house arrest?”
“Call it what you want—"
He slams his fist down on his desk. “Do I need to remind you that we are not on the same side, Azrael?” I take a breath in, look him straight in the eye and let him continue. “You’ve taken one of my daughters for some ridiculous, senseless thing.”
“Do I need to remind you that you lined them up—”
“I know. Believe me, I know, but if I hadn’t, if Willow hadn’t been courageous enough to refuse to run, what more would you have taken? I know the bloody history of our families as well as you do, Azrael. You think this is easy for me?”
“Do you think this is easy for me?”
He snorts.
Celeste clears her throat and speaks quietly. “Willow is the first Wildblood to become pregnant by a Delacroix.”
We both turn to her.
“Have you ever considered that Elizabeth Wildblood’s curse hurts her own descendants as much as it does her enemies? Do you think she’d have wanted that?” Celeste asks calmly.
“What are you saying, Celeste?” Barrett asks.
“I’m saying there’s a way out for both of our families. There must be. Perhaps this child is that way.”
I look at her, confused. I understand what she’s saying. But Elizabeth’s curse isn’t what’s hurting her descendants. It’s us.
Before I can open my mouth to voice my thoughts, though, she continues. “Azrael, what does she say exactly?”
“What?”
“You dream it, don’t you? Don’t all the Penitents dream with Isaiah?”
“How the hell—”
“What does she say? What are her exact words before she dies?”
13
WILLOW
“What are they doing?” I squint into the phone screen as Raven shuffles around, and the light in the hallway dims.
“Shh,” she hisses. “I can’t hear.”
“None of us can hear,” Aurora grumbles. “Cordelia, put your ear beneath the door.”
“Why do I have to?” Cordelia argues.
“Because you’re the youngest,” Winter proclaims haughtily.
“You always use that as an excuse–”
Cordelia’s protest is cut short when the door to Dad’s office swings open, and Azrael peers out at the Wildblood brood with an arched brow. All four of my sisters squeak in surprise before Winter throws them under the bus.
“I told you not to eavesdrop.”
“Yes, I’m sure you were completely innocent in this little scheme,” my father responds dryly.
“Look, Dad, it’s Willow.” Raven holds up the phone so he can see me.
I give him a shameful little wave. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hello.” His face softens as he looks me over. “How are you today, Willow?”
“I’m good.” I give him the same answer I do every day when I talk to my family.
“Well, all right then. I was just getting ready to send your husband back home to you.”
He says husband like the word leaves a bad taste in his mouth, and I can’t help but smile. But when Raven pans the screen back to Azrael, he doesn’t seem to share my father’s hostility.
“What are you doing there?” I ask.
I can practically feel my sisters waiting with bated breath for his response, but before he can offer one, Nanna butts in.
“Willow, I’m sending Azrael home with some ginger tea for you in case you get any morning sickness.”
“Thanks,” I tell her, aware she’s purposefully changing the subject. “But I haven’t had any sickness yet.”
“Well, you never know.” She shrugs. “By the way, we require your presence this Saturday for a coven meeting. I’m sure your husband won’t mind dropping you off for a while.”
Azrael seems perplexed by the idea, and for a moment, I think he might ask what she’s talking about, but then he just shakes his head.
“I can bring her by, but I won’t be dropping her off. I’ll stay with her.”
Nan gives him a smug grin, as if she’s proven a point.
“No boys allowed,” Cordelia tells him. “Sorry!”
“Oh, hush you.” Nan waves her off. “Now, let Azrael say goodbye. I’m sure he’s anxious to return to his wife.”
Azrael shifts, and his eyes meet mine. Nan really isn’t pulling any punches putting him on the spot like that. I don’t know what he’ll say, and my stomach flips as I wait for him to answer.
“I’ll be home soon,” he tells me, his voice tender.
I offer him a tentative smile, and for a moment, it seems as if we both forget he’s surrounded by my entire family. Neither one of us can look away from the other, at least not until my father clears his throat.
“Off you go, then.”
“Dad!” I scold him, but Azrael takes it in stride.
“Yes, indeed. I’ll see myself out.”
Raven turns the phone back to her face, and I feel a strange pang of disappointment. I don’t know why Azrael went to see my father or why he didn’t take me with him. But after last night, it’s apparent that I can’t keep shutting him out. Nor do I want to.
When I woke up this morning without him by my side, I felt that loss just as I feel the distance between us now. I don’t know how to explain it other than that I miss his presence when he isn’t beside me.
