Chapter 12

Leviand I didn't talk on the way back to Heidi's house. In the driveway, he grabbed our bags from the car's trunk and marched into the house, leaving me behind.

Not that I was in any mood to spend more time with him.

But inside the house, I couldn't avoid him for long. I went to the kitchen, and found him at the bay window, spying on the shed.

"They're still at it." He walked to the fridge, put the lasagna in, and typed something on his phone. "I sent a text to Lacey about the food."

I glanced at the shed, the doors wide open and light streaming from it, and more shame coursed through me. They were working nonstop to make my potion, to help me, a stranger who had suddenly busted into their lives.

"Holy hell, I can feel that," Levi snapped. "Your … what? Embarrassment? Your guilt? Why? It wasn't your fault you lost your wings and your magic, was it? Unless you're hiding something."

"It's not just that." My cheeks flamed. "I'm not used to people helping me for nothing." It was usually the opposite. "I hate standing on the side, waiting. I want to help."

"Oh, the little fallen angel can't sit pretty?" He showed me that incorrigible lopsided grin. "At least you got the pretty part down, sweetheart."

My brows curled down. This was the second time he"d implied I was pretty. Why was he doing that?

"Stop calling me sweetheart."

The mischief in his eyes told me he never would. "Stop calling me Levi."

"Not a chance."

"There you have it," he said. "I'm out for the night. I'll put your bag in your bedroom." He walked out of the kitchen, and I almost marched after him.

Why was he so annoying? Why did I get so annoyed with him? I could ignore him.

With that gorgeous face, that deep voice, that brilliant stare, dazzling smile, and powerful presence, I doubted anyone could ignore him.

By the light, there went my thoughts again.

I berated myself and marched up the stairs to a long corridor with several doors. Only two were open: a bathroom and a guest bedroom with two single beds. My bag was on one of the beds.

It was early to turn in for the night, but I was tired, and despite being healed from the poison, my almost-human body could use the rest.

I grabbed a long, black shirt I used as a nightdress and clean undies, and tiptoed to the bathroom in the hallway, hoping not to bump into Levi.

Or hoping to.

What the hell?

I showered, washed my hair—thank goodness there was everything one could need in the shower and under the sink—and went back to the bedroom. I closed the door behind me, turned off the lights, and slipped under the covers.

My body was tired, by my mind was reeling.

I wished there was a button that I could press to turn it all off for a few hours. That would be bliss.

As it was, I twisted and turned for what felt like hours.

* * *

In the demon's claws, Rachel looked at me, her eyes full of despair. "Run."

Molraz dropped her body and zeroed in on me, on the object in my hands.

Panic flooded my veins and I ran.

I sat up in bed, breathing hard, my heart thumping against my rib cage like a hammer.

It took me a second to remember where I was, that I was safe. The bedroom was dark, with only a sliver of light coming from under the half-closed curtains, and Lacey slept on the bed beside mine.

I hadn't even seen her come in.

I placed a hand over my frantic heart and took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.

It had been a nightmare. I hadn't had one of those in so long …

I had to remember, they couldn't touch me. Not here, not now, not with this ward or the necklace. Soon, I would have my wings back, and hopefully information from the higher demon who had ripped them off. He would tell me what the hell had happened that night, what had gone wrong, and then I would kill him.

I lay back in bed, closed my eyes, and tried to go back to sleep.

But all I saw was the nightmare, all I felt was the terror of that night.

Knowing I couldn't sleep anymore, I grabbed my phone—it was just past two in the morning!—and tiptoed downstairs. In the kitchen, I filled a glass with chilled water and drank half of it in one go.

Not sure what to do with myself, I walked outside. From the porch, I could see the shed, this time closed, and though there was no one there now, I knew the potion was in there, brewing away.

Barefoot, I padded to the grass, felt the cool blades on my toes and inhaled the fresh, chill night air. I let it fill my lungs, clear my mind, propel my blood, give me renewed energy.

This was paradise. I knew it was probably twenty-five degrees if I went to the front of the house, but here it was a perfect seventy-five. Heidi was probably powerful enough to keep this spell up all the time.

Without thinking, I lay on the cool grass, the blades tickling my bare legs, and stared at the night sky. A few clouds hovered in my peripheral vision, and I couldn't see the moon, but mostly, the sky was dotted with millions of bright stars.

Humans believed that heaven was somewhere among the stars. That was a beautiful way of thinking about my home, but like the underworld, Elysium could only be reached by portals. Angels with wings could cross the portals freely, but others, including angels without wings, had to ask permission. If they tried to go through without permission, the portal would block them.

I know, because I had tried.

More than once.

More than a hundred times.

That was how desperate I was after I was abandoned here.

Why were my thoughts veering toward terrible things again?

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, welcoming the scent of the grass, the perfume of the trees behind the shed, and even a handful of spices from the shed.

Then another scent invaded my nostrils.

A deep wood and musk scent, along with something masculine.

I opened my eyes as Levi stepped up closer and bent his torso over me, obscuring my view of the sky.

"A night escapade, sweetheart? Didn't peg you as that kind."

I scoffed. "And what did you peg me as?"

He sidestepped me and sat on the grass beside me. "A fierce and righteous angel."

That was a nice compliment.

He looked nice too. He wore black silk pants and a white t-shirt that hugged his sinful body in the most appealing way. Were these his pajamas? Jeez, even that was attractive on him.

Then I realized something and sat up. "Shit, I woke you up."

"Yes. I felt your terror. Nightmare?"

I nodded. "Something like that."

"Want to talk about it?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "What happened to the I-don't-do-small-talk speech?"

He lay on the grass and folded his arms behind his head, his biceps bulging with the movement. "If talking helps you relax and go back to sleep, so I can sleep too, I'm all ears, sweetheart."

I stared at him while he stared at the night sky. Could Heidi be right? Did he have a good heart? Even half of one? But he was a higher demon.

I couldn't say I knew a full-blooded demon, other than the ones I had fought against with my friends, and those had definitely been evil. But I"d met half demons before, like Erin and Rey, and they were good people, with good hearts, and only acted for the greater good of everyone, supernaturals and humans alike.

I hadn't been there, but I had heard about the meeting where Erin had called every leader she knew or had heard of in the supernatural world, and she told them that not all half demons were bad, not all vampires were blood-sucking cannibals, not all wolves were hot-tempered to the point of murder, and so on. Like humans, all supernaturals came in every shade of gray possible.

Perhaps even full-blooded demons.

But for some reason, Levi hid it all underneath a thick layer of mean, and I was suddenly dying to know why.

I lay back beside him. "There's nothing to tell."

"Then what can I do for you to go back to sleep?"

"Sing me a lullaby," I teased.

"Sweetheart, I do have a good voice, but you're not about to hear it."

We stared at the stars for a moment, in comfortable silence, the only sound around us were the crickets and insects in the grass and the woods.

What was happening here? A couple of days ago, I wouldn't have thought I could relax beside Levi, much less feel this nagging pull to tell him the truth about my situation.

Why shouldn't I tell him? What would he do? He wouldn't call the angels and deliver me on a silver platter, not while the bond held and he couldn't hurt me.

If I told him, maybe, just maybe, the sliver of good in his heart would sympathize with me, with my cause, and he would be more willing to help me, bond or not.

I turned my head and looked at him.

Damn, he was fine; it was almost painful. Why would a demon look this good? I knew why. Like vampires, some of them used beauty to draw their victims in.

And I was falling for it right now.

"You're staring, sweetheart."

"I'm wondering if I should tell you about my nightmare," I said, only half of it. I would never admit he was handsome.

Levi twisted, turning sideways to me, placed his elbow on the grass and his fist on his temple. "Tell me, sweetheart. Anything to empty that pretty head and let me sleep."

Pretty?

It was probably like when he called me sweetheart. Just another piece of his game. It meant nothing.

I looked up at the stars again, not sure I could face him while I told him my story.

"Soon after I graduated from Guardian Academy, I volunteered for a mission on Earth with some of the best archangels and Seraphim in Elysium. One of my mentors, an archangel, said it was a big mission and I wasn't ready, but another archangel thought I was. He said it was time for me to join the ranks of famous guardians." The moment had made me feel proud. "So, we got a team of twelve. Two archangels, four Seraphim, and six Cherubin—me included."

Among the other five Cherubin were my best friend Rachel and my crush Jeremiah. They had graduated with me and had been invited on this mission. That had been the main reason I had requested to go. How could they get all the glory while I waited my turn?

"What was your mission?"

"To come to Earth to find a rogue angel who was feeding valuable information to a higher demon. We searched for two days until we finally found him … or so we thought. It was a trap. The higher demon, Molraz, was there waiting for us with dozens of his demons."

"You mentioned the demon before."

I nodded. "Yeah. I think he orchestrated everything with Rhodes."

"The archangel?"

"Yes. He turned on us and killed Soren." My throat closed. I didn't think I had ever talked about this mission to anyone, not even to Farrah and Wyatt, a fae and a wolf shifter, who became my first real friends here on Earth. "Two other Seraphim joined Rhodes and attacked us. We weren't prepared for that betrayal. It was a bloodbath."

I swallowed hard.

I still remembered how Rachel collapsed on me, half dead. The same agony, the same despair from that day clawed its way up my chest as the screams, the scent of blood filled my senses.

"Hey." Levi touched my shoulder, his fingers featherlight. "Look at me." I blinked and turned my head to him, looking into his eyes. "It's over. They can't get you now. Okay?"

I nodded, but a sob caught in my throat. "They are after me right now."

He frowned. "The demons?"

"No, the angels." I shook my head. "I was one of the last ones still alive, still fighting. Molraz came for me, and I tried to flee. He destroyed my Celestial Sword and ripped my wings off." The pain had been so great, I thought I was going to die right then. "He joked he would keep them as a memento from the best Cherubin he had fought against in centuries."

"That's why you want to find him. You think he really has your wings."

I shrugged. "You tell me." His body stiffened. "You're the one who saw my wings. Was it his house you saw?"

Levi averted his eyes. "I don't know whose house it was."

"I know you don't. Anyway, after he got my wings, he tried to kill me, but I fled." I didn't want to give him all bloody details of that horrible experience. And what I had with me when I ran. "Like a coward."

"How did you escape them, sweetheart?"

"I ran as fast as I could until I found a cliff with a river below. I jumped."

He frowned. "And they let you go?"

I shook my head. "No, they came after me, but … I don't know. Luck was on my side?" Once I would have said Adona had been watching over me, but these were her warriors, following her orders. I didn't know anything anymore. "I ended up farther down the river, and I didn't stop moving for days. At some point, they lost my trail."

I had been half dead, and if I hadn't bumped into a witch who nursed me back to health and minimized the scars from my wings, I would probably have died.

"You were certainly very lucky."

"I know." But to what end? To live the rest of my life on the run? "After I healed, I tried contacting my mentor. I wanted to tell her Rhodes had betrayed us all, but turns out, Rhodes told them I was the traitor. I don't know the details; I can't contact anyone in Elysium. I heard this from people who have heard from others, but apparently, Rhodes said I had made an alliance with Molraz and attacked them. I was the reason only he had survived, but he saw that as a sign to hunt me down and make me pay for my crimes."

"That's why you're running."

I nodded. "I need to find Molraz and make him confess about his alliance with Rhodes. Then with my wings, I can enter Elysium."

Rhodes would be arrested and punished, and I would be welcomed back home.

"What do you think Rhodes wanted to do? Kill a bunch of angels? That was it?"

My face grew hot. "Molraz probably knows Rhodes's plan, or at least a piece of it." I had no idea what his plan was, if he had already succeeded, if he had killed the angels. I believed he needed the item I had stolen, and thus hadn't achieved his goal yet, but it had been so long. At some point, he would find an alternative.

That was another reason I needed to go back. I had to know.

"How long ago was that?"

"Five-ish years."

Levi scoffed. "Who said Rhodes hasn't succeeded already?"

I knew he hadn't, and I was the reason for that. But that part was better forgotten. "He hasn't, or the entire supernatural world would have heard about it."

"I guess you're right." He fixed his eyes on mine. "So here I am, a higher demon helping a Cherubin uncover a dirty plan and take down the traitor to save heaven. That will not be good for my reputation, sweetheart."

A small smile spread over my lips. "I bet you can tarnish your reputation again. Do something big, and everyone will forget you played the hero for a few days."

He leaned a little closer and lowered his voice. "Are you telling me to be bad, sweetheart?" His gaze flicked to my lips and warmth spread over my stomach.

"Maybe," I whispered.

Levi inched closer as he licked his lips, his eyes back on mine. I arched my back, erasing the distance between us.

A broken twig echoed through the backyard, and Levi and I jumped to our feet.

A small fox spied from behind a bush before leaping back into the woods.

I placed a hand over my racing heart and inhaled deeply.

"I almost incinerated the little guy," Levi said, putting out the darkfire that enveloped his arms.

"I know, I thought it was the angels," I said.

I turned to him, but he was already looking at me. His eyes traveled down my body, lingering on my naked legs.

Levi took a full step back then turned his half grin on. "Did the therapy session work, sweetheart? If it did, you should go back to bed."

My brow furrowed. "What about you?

His blue eyes flamed. "After that, I think I need a beer."

After what? The almost kiss or the fox?

Did it matter?

I nodded, turning to the porch. Stopped. "Good night, Levi."

The grin was still plastered across his lips, but it didn't have the same glow as before. "Night, sweetheart."

Half of me was relieved the kiss didn't happen, and the other half was disappointed. What would it be like to kiss Levi? He was so intense, so dark, so menacing, I bet his kisses would be the same.

Pushing those thoughts out of my head, I walked inside the house and headed to bed.