13. Hayliel

13

M ira .

The name is beautiful, and likely so is she. As hard as I try not to think about it, my mind can’t help but conjure images of this badass, gorgeous angel who’s far more on Zeke’s level than I am.

He’s been acting weird all week. Staying away from us as much as possible and even avoiding eye contact with me. Now he’s even more fidgety, barely bothering to look anywhere aside from the floor. Is it because of her? Are they together or something?

It shouldn’t bother me. Things between Zeke and I have finally gotten to a place of friendship, or they did before this odd change in behavior, and even though the greedy woman inside of me wants more than that, I don’t know if he’d be interested. I certainly can’t imagine him sharing me with Raph and Theo, so can I really be upset if there’s more between him and Mira than he’s letting on?

Shit. Who the hell am I? This isn’t like me at all.

Footsteps approach from beyond the cave entrance and I hold my breath, my hands turning clammy.

This is it.

A tall woman walks in with hair the color of wine and an air of confidence about her that almost makes me envious. The new rune we just finished painting glows an iridescent blue before fading back to normal. What the hell does that mean?

“Zeke! I see you put the rune to good use. I’m impressed.” Her voice comes out unexpectedly raspy, but not in a bad way. “Hopefully this means you’ll trust me now.”

Zeke grumbles something, but the angel cuts him off. She definitely takes no shit.

“It’s nice to meet you all. I’m Mira Harlow. Whoever made that deterring ward, kudos. It’s strong as hell.” She shakes her hands like she’s trying to rid the feeling.

“That would be me. I’d feel better about it if we didn’t have to deal with the damn thing, too. I’m Dina.”

“I can help with that,” Mira offers with a smile.

Raphael clears his throat, eyebrow raised in suspicion. “Really? You can stop us from feeling the effects of the ward?”

“Yup. And you are?”

“Raphael.”

Dina claps her hands together, clearly excited. “As much as I want to figure out why you’d offer to help, I’d rather we fix it more. Maybe you can help us with our other ones, too.”

“I’m with Dina on this one. Nice to meet you, I’m Theo.”

Mira gives him a smile, revealing a pretty dimple in her cheek that makes me want to hate her. Except I don’t think I can.

She walks over to me with the stride of a runway model. The bracelets on her arm jangle, and I can finally read the word on her shirt. Fake . Let’s just hope it’s not a sign of who she is as an angel.

“Something tells me you’re the glue that holds this group together. Is that true?” she asks, her gaze quizzical.

I’d be offended that Zeke hadn’t already talked about me if it wasn’t painfully clear he didn’t tell her about anyone. “Uh, I don’t know about that. I’m Hayliel.”

She leans in, her voice lowering so only I can hear. “Well, don’t worry, babe. I’m not here for any of your men.”

My eyes widen. “I’m not—”

“Oh, so it’s like that? Interesting. Regardless, I’ll stay in my lane.”

It takes me a moment to get my shit together. How the hell can she tell I have men she needs to stay away from? We’ve barely spoken, and it’s not like she walked in on me with any of them. Did Zeke tell her? Is he included in my lane, the one she just promised to stay out of? Archangels, I’m a mess.

“So, what are we all doing here, exactly?” Mira asks.

Raph laughs. “You mean you don’t know?”

She shrugs. “Mr. Secrets over there wouldn’t even invite me unless I threatened him,” she pouts, “so no. I don’t know shit.”

Theo places a hand on Raphael’s shoulder, a not-so-subtle nudge to keep his cool. “Can’t really blame us for keeping the cards close to our chest then, if you’re going around threatening angels, can you?”

Leave it to Theo to tell it like it is. He has a way of airing out all the bullshit and getting straight to the point, all the while seeming to have a perfectly normal conversation. It’s a talent I wish I had.

“No, but I didn’t snitch when I caught Ezekiel waltzing around near the file room, and I just walked through that entrance without becoming paralyzed. I figured that was proof enough for you to trust that I’m not a threat.”

Paralyzed? Is that what the rune will do to someone with ill intentions? Shit. Maybe I should put one of them at my parents’ house. Eventually, we’ll need definitive answers as to what exactly it is that rune does, but for now, we have a choice to make.

Everyone turns to me, and I feel a soft whisper against the bond with my friends, but I don’t allow it to connect fully. I already know what they’re going to ask. How do I feel about letting Mira in on our plans? But it’s a tricky question. There’s something about Mira that reminds me of my friendship with Dina. That she clued in on something between me and the guys, and even offered reassurances of her lack of interest, had done far more in the trust department than I’d care to admit.

She could have easily gone to Zeke’s superiors or even her father and told them all about the suspicious shit she’d caught him doing. Our plans would have been royally fucked if she had. And while I know that most angels don’t do favors for strangers without wanting something in return, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m grateful she kept her mouth shut.

I think about everyone I’ve trusted so far. Raph, Theo, Zeke … Gagiel and his friends, and even Castiel, though that was still a work in progress. So far, none of those angels have betrayed me. Maybe trusting my gut isn’t such a bad idea.

I make eye contact with Raph and shrug, hoping the others will understand my gesture.

“We’re here because of me,” I tell Mira, realizing I didn’t exactly have a plan for what I was going to say.

Fuck.

My words spark her interest, but she doesn’t rush me. She gives me space to find my words, and damn, if it isn’t refreshing. “A little while ago, my wings randomly transformed. We’ve been researching to find out what the hell happened, but that’s led us down a dangerous path with secrets, lies, and demons. Now we’re trying to figure out what they’re planning so we can save the city before it’s too late.”

There. I think that’s enough information to give her the gist without us being here for hours while I go over every detail. If it also gives us a bit more time to get to know her better, well, that’s just icing.

Her smile grows even wider. “No shit! That’s cool as hell. How can I help?”

I stare at her, positive that I must have heard her incorrectly, but she says nothing more. Only stands there looking like she’d hit the jackpot. That’s it? No further probing or demanding of answers, just a willingness to help? Huh. I definitely didn’t see that coming.

The rest of us share a look, but it’s Dina who strides toward Mira. “Come with me.” She squeezes my hand as she walks past, then to Mira she adds, “You fix the wards and I’ll fill in some gaps about our situation.”