24. Caleb

TWENTY-FOUR

Caleb

I was flying high on a wave of excitement that we had nearly resolved Josie’s problems. We only had the hurdles of physically getting the cats back and Mr. Anderson giving the thumbs-up to our fixes. That excitement was pushed even higher as I watched her exchange an emotional goodbye hug with Fred after he gathered up his things.

“I really can’t thank you enough, Fred. You’ve saved my bacon, truly.” Josie’s hands were clasped in front of her, her aura soft with love and hope that I hadn’t sensed in her before when dealing with her brother. My heart was singing at the reconciliation, so sweet after so many years of strife.

This is what cupids live for.

“Your bacon is worth saving, sis.” He hugged her again, patting her head lightly before letting her go one last time. “From now on, just send me your receipts every month, and we’ll keep things straight.”

“Thank you. Seriously.”

“I had to do it; your books deserve better. Your financial books, not just the ones on the shelves. ”

Josie blushed at the lightly teasing tone, and Fred gave me a final wave before letting himself out.

The door clicked shut, and the comforting silence of the bookshop enveloped us like a cozy sweater. Josie turned to me, a relief in her eyes that I hadn’t seen since we’d reconnected. She stopped a pace or two away, running her hands through her hair.

“This is it, Caleb! Fred gave me a file to show to Mr. Anderson. He handled the B I could only offer her temporary. And frankly, that wasn’t safe. If the fall took hold, if I couldn’t get my wings back…

The heat between us, though, wouldn’t be denied. She inched up on her toes, eyes fastened to my mouth. I might hate myself for it later, when I had to leave, but I could not deny her in that moment, any more than I could deny my angelic heritage. Something about her drew me in, no matter how much I tried to resist. Body and soul. It’s why I’d believed she was my Chosen all those years ago, human or not.

She abandoned my back, grabbing onto my shoulders with one hand and pulling me down closer with the other. It would have been so easy to push it further, to take more than I should have.

When our lips met, we were bathed in a golden glow. She was everything, the sun in the sky, the breath in my lungs, the love in my heart. I dropped one hand to her hip and pulled her closer, pressing our hips flush together. Her lips parted on a sigh that I felt like a caress down my spine, and I tilted my head to deepen the kiss. I needed her to know I felt the same.

I feel it all.

With Josie, for the first time in my life, I wasn’t on the outside.

I couldn’t say how long we stayed wrapped together; time lost all meaning. All I knew was that when we finally broke apart, it felt like I’d been fundamentally changed. Something inside me shifted, different. But I was playing with fire every second I stayed in her arms. I had to go, put distance back between us.

There it was, as soon as I stepped away from her, that threatening tinge of darkness that made my vision warp and my hands shake. Shit.

I couldn’t ignore it, but I couldn’t ignore her, either. What was I supposed to do?

Josie was branded on my soul, and I knew the mark of our time together would never leave me. She looked into my eyes questioningly, as if afraid I was going to bolt again. But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t . To leave her now would be to leave a piece of myself behind, even if she didn’t know it.

“Caleb, are you okay?” Her tone was worried.

I frowned down at her. “Of course. With you, how could I not be?” I blew off her concern, knowing I was out of sorts but not wanting to worry her. Could she tell I was falling? Could she see the damnation in my eyes?

“It’s just you look… strange.”

She grabbed my shaking hand, and her eyes went wide as she looked back up at me.

“A second ago, you turned all dark and shadowy. But now… you’re, um, glowing .” I looked down at my hands, and sure enough, she was right.

A golden light gilded my skin, my angelic heritage shining through physically. The darkness was gone, again.

The second she touched me.

“Does the glowing thing usually happen when you—” She trailed off, eyes dropping as a blush heated her cheeks.

“No, it’s never happened before. I’m not quite sure what’s happening right now,” I admitted, fear coursing through me and knocking back some of the heat which had taken over my brain with her pressed against me.

“It’s faded a little. You might just need to, uh, stop kissing me.”

Of course. Josie calls to my power, and with her instigating that kiss… my power is trying to form the seal, as if she were my Chosen.

But with my powers incomplete and my wings gone, what would happen? If the seal had already begun forming, she would be unable to be with another man. Ever .

Even though she was human and couldn’t complete the Chosen bond. Right?

Was that why the darkness kept creeping in? I thought back, trying to remember precisely when it had hit last time. It had been after we’d had sex, but we’d separated for her to go on her date.

This time, we’d kissed—and as soon as I’d stopped it, demonic energy.

Nausea roiled in my gut at the idea. I let my eyes roll up to the ceiling, saying a silent prayer to the Host, beseeching.

Please don’t say I ruined her life with a moment of passion, please. It’s not fair to her. God, my power was on the fritz again, as if it were trying to claim her. It was getting worse than before when it didn’t want to push her away.

A part of me was desperate to explain everything to her, to share the divine knowledge so that she could understand why I had to keep this space, the depth of the risk we faced. But she had so much going on, so much wrong right now. We had time; I didn’t have to drop this in her lap as well. Especially not while it was just a horrible suspicion.

“It’s working. You’re almost back to normal now.” She smiled up at me, completely unaware of my internal struggle.

I wouldn’t tell her tonight. Tomorrow, she’d get her cats back and her business. After that… I would find a time to share the truth.

She deserved to know, especially if I’d somehow fused our souls without meaning to. I didn’t know if it was possible, but I knew who I could ask.

With any luck, Gabriel would be down in the next few days to check on me, and he’d know. This issue with Josie would be unprecedented, but I trusted him.

And if it was true, if I’d started the seal that bound her permanently to my side, to my soul… he would be furious. But Josie was more important than his anger, and I would make this right somehow.

For her, I would risk anything, give anything, even if it would kill me. I knew that now. She’d become the most important person in my life, no matter how hard I tried to keep her at arm’s length, to be the good angel. For Josie, I was willing to cross lines.

But how would she feel when she found out that she couldn’t be my Chosen and that I might have unintentionally taken away her choice?