pissed.” He paused, and after I nodded he went on. “I have over a century of experience in this dark world and both Brayden and you are just fledglings.”
“Yeah, but--” I started to say, but then stopped when he held his palm up and threw me a look that clearly said he wasn’t finished.
“I understand you need experience in order to get good at protecting humanity, but now is not the right time to delve into it and get your hands dirty.” Suddenly he was beside me, taking my hand. “You were very lucky tonight nothing happened to you, and it bothers the shit out of me that you won’t take me seriously.” He looked down, then back at me again. “You say that ring”–he nodded to the coffee table– “doesn’t represent us anymore, but it does. At least, for me it does.”
He looked so sad that it made my stomach hurt. I touched his face. “I want to be with you. Honestly, I do. However, I can’t be in a one-sided relationship and have my feelings hurt every time you leave me.” I took a deep breath and dropped my hand, hoping we could work this out because I really didn’t want us to break up. But I had to say it. “I hate to give you an ultimatum, but if you won’t include me in on what you’re doing, then”– I took another deep breath and rubbed my temple– “I think we should go our separate ways for a while.”
His glassy eyes turned hard, and his expression instantly froze in stubbornness and determination.
He shook his head, and his lips tightened. “No, Paige. I will not--”
There was a loud bang on the door. I glanced at the clock on the wall, wondering who it could be at 1:20 in the morning. The knocking continued, and I had a sudden flashback to when the last time this happened.
Nathan and I had been in the kitchen when we heard a pounding on the door. It’d turned out to be a police officer who had told Nathan my mom had been killed in a car accident. That was one of the worst nights of my entire life and now the same thing was happening. I felt sick, wondering who it could be and if something terrible had happened to one of my friends.
I clutched my stomach, feeling the color drain from my face. “Nathan,” I squeaked and didn’t need to continue because he knew exactly what I was thinking.
He cupped his hands on my shoulders and kissed my forehead. “It’ll be all right.” In a flash he was at the front door. He shot me an apprehensive look, then opened it.
Chapter Eight
“Sorry to stop by so late, but I saw your light on,” Anwar said in a rush, stepping inside, carrying in a tide of anxious energy with him. I released the breath I was holding and caught Nathan swiping at his eyes as he closed the door. Anwar paused in the middle of the room and looked at Nathan and me in turn. “Was I interrupting something?” he asked, his voice thick and rich with his African accent peeking through. I loved the sound of his voice. It was almost hypnotic.
“Um,” I said, staring past him at Nathan, standing by the door with his arms across his chest, his shoulders slouched forward. Our eyes connected, and he looked emotionally drained. My gaze shifted back to Anwar. “Sort of, yeah.”
Nathan took a deep breath and cleared his throat. He turned to Anwar. “What’s going on?”
Anwar was scrutinizing us and frowned. “Your energies do not look good.” It didn’t surprise me when he said that because Anwar could see people’s auras and had a keen awareness of the energies in this world. But the next thing he said did surprise me. “Zeruel is outside.”
“Really?” I said, suddenly excited, jumping to my feet. The last time I’d seen Zeruel was right before I turned immortal and that had been five months before. “Why is he here? I thought Zeruel only protected the houses of mortals who are marked for immortality.”
“Dat’s true, Ms. Paige,” Anwar said with a warm smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes like it normally did. “But like
“Yeah, but--” I started to say, but then stopped when he held his palm up and threw me a look that clearly said he wasn’t finished.
“I understand you need experience in order to get good at protecting humanity, but now is not the right time to delve into it and get your hands dirty.” Suddenly he was beside me, taking my hand. “You were very lucky tonight nothing happened to you, and it bothers the shit out of me that you won’t take me seriously.” He looked down, then back at me again. “You say that ring”–he nodded to the coffee table– “doesn’t represent us anymore, but it does. At least, for me it does.”
He looked so sad that it made my stomach hurt. I touched his face. “I want to be with you. Honestly, I do. However, I can’t be in a one-sided relationship and have my feelings hurt every time you leave me.” I took a deep breath and dropped my hand, hoping we could work this out because I really didn’t want us to break up. But I had to say it. “I hate to give you an ultimatum, but if you won’t include me in on what you’re doing, then”– I took another deep breath and rubbed my temple– “I think we should go our separate ways for a while.”
His glassy eyes turned hard, and his expression instantly froze in stubbornness and determination.
He shook his head, and his lips tightened. “No, Paige. I will not--”
There was a loud bang on the door. I glanced at the clock on the wall, wondering who it could be at 1:20 in the morning. The knocking continued, and I had a sudden flashback to when the last time this happened.
Nathan and I had been in the kitchen when we heard a pounding on the door. It’d turned out to be a police officer who had told Nathan my mom had been killed in a car accident. That was one of the worst nights of my entire life and now the same thing was happening. I felt sick, wondering who it could be and if something terrible had happened to one of my friends.
I clutched my stomach, feeling the color drain from my face. “Nathan,” I squeaked and didn’t need to continue because he knew exactly what I was thinking.
He cupped his hands on my shoulders and kissed my forehead. “It’ll be all right.” In a flash he was at the front door. He shot me an apprehensive look, then opened it.
Chapter Eight
“Sorry to stop by so late, but I saw your light on,” Anwar said in a rush, stepping inside, carrying in a tide of anxious energy with him. I released the breath I was holding and caught Nathan swiping at his eyes as he closed the door. Anwar paused in the middle of the room and looked at Nathan and me in turn. “Was I interrupting something?” he asked, his voice thick and rich with his African accent peeking through. I loved the sound of his voice. It was almost hypnotic.
“Um,” I said, staring past him at Nathan, standing by the door with his arms across his chest, his shoulders slouched forward. Our eyes connected, and he looked emotionally drained. My gaze shifted back to Anwar. “Sort of, yeah.”
Nathan took a deep breath and cleared his throat. He turned to Anwar. “What’s going on?”
Anwar was scrutinizing us and frowned. “Your energies do not look good.” It didn’t surprise me when he said that because Anwar could see people’s auras and had a keen awareness of the energies in this world. But the next thing he said did surprise me. “Zeruel is outside.”
“Really?” I said, suddenly excited, jumping to my feet. The last time I’d seen Zeruel was right before I turned immortal and that had been five months before. “Why is he here? I thought Zeruel only protected the houses of mortals who are marked for immortality.”
“Dat’s true, Ms. Paige,” Anwar said with a warm smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes like it normally did. “But like
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