Book of Life by Abra Ebner Page B

the contact, indicating she was more on edge than she shared. “And you know for sure it was her?” I asked.
    Emily nodded more confidently. “I’m positive it was her,” she snapped, seemingly angry that I’d questioned her. Her eyes were clear as they bore through me. “I could never forget that voice, not when it haunts every unsupervised thought in my head. They were talking about Winter Wood. They were talking about gathering the Black Angels and heading this way. They were talking about a war. ” Her angered gaze dropped from mine and she looked back into her lap.
    “They’re coming this way? From where? How long do we have?” Jake sat forward in his seat.
    Emily looked distressed over Jake’s line of questions. She dropped her head even deeper into her hands and rubbed her forehead. “When I came into the conversation they were discussing conquests over the eastern priories.” She looked up. “I would guess from the east, then? How far east are these priories? Is he talking about the east coast?”
    I shook my head. “East, east, I believe,” remembering what Max had mentioned at Jane’s funeral. “I mean, we’re talking Asia, but that doesn’t matter. It can’t take them long to get here, not when you’re an angel. Any time would be spent organizing and planning, not traveling.”
    “Hopefully they’re as unorganized as Greg,” Jake added.
    Emily ignored Jake’s attempt to lighten the mood. “I don’t like the gravity of this,” Emily mumbled, playing with her hands in her lap.
    I looked over my shoulder toward the front window, seeing that the snow had really begun to fall. My mind flashed with images of blood against the stark white of snow. I imagined myself in the middle of all that, fighting for my life. This was hardly a season for something like this—I didn’t like this idea any more than she did. Then again, it wasn’t an idea or notion we could ignore or control.
    I turned back to face Jake and Emily. “We need to make sure this is really happening. How can we prove that what Emily heard is really true?”
    Jake began biting his lip, his gaze darting about the room. They reflected light from every source and pulled energy from each shadow. “We need to go to the priory. They would be able to find out. They probably already know.”
    “I don’t like the priory.” Max’s distrust had me convinced. It was someplace I had never been. Government had never been something I trusted, whether in the human world or not.
    “Either do I, but it’s the only way we’re going to get answers—unless you’re willing to waste time trying to find Max?”
    I shook my head. At this point there was no knowing where Max was. I couldn’t call him up because it’s not like he had a cell phone. He was too above it all for that.
     
    STELLA:
     
    After going through the gate into Winter Wood, it wasn’t long before we arrived at what I assumed to be Jake’s house. We got out of his car as the cold wind hit me and made our way to a red door.
    Jake’s hand paused on the handle. “So, listen. My friends are on their way over here right now. I’m taking you to my room and you need to stay there. They shouldn’t be long. I’ll come get you when they’re gone, alright?” He narrowed his gaze, unlocking the door. We walked in. I was met with a blast of warm air that was briefly enjoyed as he grabbed my wrist and yanked me up the stairs. What was his rush?
    Upstairs, he dragged me down a long hallway and into a room to the right. “So, here it is—my room.” He rattled the keys in his hands before grabbing the handle to his door. “I’m serious. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
    I was looking around his room, my gaze popping between him and my unfamiliar surroundings. It was dark in here, and the smell in the air was admittedly dank and humid. Things were neat and tidy, not a surprise given what I’d learned about him so far and the clean appearance of his car. There was a single