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I tousled his hair.We’ll get a lot more time together while being home. A frown appeared, and I did my best not to let my kid see it. He didn’t need to worry about the same things I was worrying about. And honestly, I didn’t even want to think about it.
Mom will be fine. She has Bethany.
But I wasn’t so sure, given her recent spell.
How many spells could she have before the cancer finally ate her alive?
“That sounds like wings,” Leo pointed out. He grabbed my hand and yanked me down the hallway. “Is it a bird shifter?”
“Well, you know Raven—”
My explanation fell right out of my mouth as we stumbled upon an open doorway. There should have been double doors here, but they seemed to be in the process of being replaced. And by replaced, I meant that they were sitting off to the side while a giant mess of planks sat in the center of the floor.
I clapped my hands together once, the sound echoing definitively in the tall space. “This must be the gym!”
Leo gestured to the second floor. “I can see the other rooms.”
“That’s actually a nice setup. Gives the place a bigger feel.”
There came the fluttering of wings that Leo had so kindly noted. What was strange was how loud the wings sounded, as though they were gigantic. A plank fell from the second floor, landing on top of the pile with a loudclank, joined by the swirl of dust and soot that came from ripping the guts out of buildings.
I pinched my nose. “Leo, don’t breathe it in.”
“Who goes there?”
Well, the space certainly had the acoustics to go with that booming voice. I cleared my throat and brushed invisible dust from my shirt, pushing Leo behind my legs. “It’s Xavier. Raven sent me this morning to start getting the place in shape.”
“Did she?”
A dusty clap cut through the air. The sound of wings fluttered once more, and then a grandswooshfilled the room accompanied by a gust of wind. I guarded my eyes as a glowing orb flew from the second floor, so magnificently bright that I almost couldn’t tell what or who was coming to greet us.
As my vision cleared, I noticed the golden hair, the tight racerback sports top, and the taut leggings. Boots cushioned her landing as she propped a hand on her hip. And the wings—sweet Goddess, those wings were made of otherworldly feathers, as white as snow with golden tinsel strewn throughout.
I expected an angel to wear wings like that. But instead, it was Galanthia, the woman who seemed to snub her nose at me at every turn.
My crooked smile was met with just that.
“Yes, she did,” I replied confidently as I held up my phone, “and I have the texts to prove it.”
“She might have mentioned a volunteer. I didn’t realize you had building experience.”
I studied her, from her boots to her hair like fields of wheat. “You seem to have everything under control.”
Both hands went to her hips. Her chest swelled and her height stretched as her wings folded into her upper back. After giving her neck a quick crack and shrugging her shoulders, her size reduced. Which was actually disappointing considering how nice it was to meet a woman who was as tall as her.
Exciting too—but I wouldn’t mention that out loud.
She squinted at me. There came that critical look all over again. How many times was she going to do that? “So, I should head out then.”
“Not so fast.” She motioned to Leo. “Your little one seems eager to help. What are your qualifications, young wolf?”
Leo stepped proudly toward Galanthia with his head held high and his notebook extended. “I can smell mold from three miles away. We’ve tested it.”
Her blonde brows rose with amused interest. “Is that so?” She accepted the notebook and stared at the scrawl of handwriting. “My, my, these are wonderful letters.”
Goddess, the way a smile cracked across my lips made me want to detonate with happiness. Most adults entertained Leo because he was a child, and so they ended up treating him like one. But Galanthia seemed to approach him differently. She met his curiosity with her curiosity. And I had to say, it was hellishly attractive.
To a point, of course. Given the aloof attitude and all.
