me.
“Not horrifying…it’s just that you are so dangerous and so beautiful that your presence offers almost no room for rational thought,” he says. “But there is nothing I would change about you. You are perfection.”
I roll my eyes at him like he’s insane. I’m about to tell him all of the things that I would like to change about myself, given the opportunity, when Zephyr shows up on the path ahead.
“Problem,” Zephyr says, looking at Reed.
“Undines?” Reed replies.
“Yes, they refuse to help defend Evie or Russell. They will fight the Ifrit for us, but they will not intervene if it comes for the ‘half-breeds,’” he says seriously.
“Why?” Reed asks in a low tone, looking at me to judge how I’m taking being called a half-breed. I try to remain neutral, but what I really want to do is scoff.
“They say that they don’t want to anger God,” he replies and Reed scoffs, which makes me want to throw my arms around him and kiss him again. “Do we proceed with our plan?” Zephyr asks Reed.
“Yes,” I say before Reed can answer.
Reed closes his eyes briefly before he opens them again and turns to me. “Love, if we don’t have a guarantee that they will help if an Ifrit should find you, then we cannot move forward with our plan.
“We can. They said they wouldn’t help me, but if an Ifrit comes they will defend all of you. That’s good enough for me,” I say.
“It’s not good enough for me,” Reed replies sternly.
I turn to Zephyr, “Will they go in to save Brownie, since she isn’t a half-breed?”
“Yes,” Zephyr replies.
“Fine, then we’re mostly covered. We just have to make sure that when they go in, they plan to kill the Ifrit. It can’t just be a snatch and grab of Brownie. If they kill the Ifrit, then they save Russell, too, even if it is inadvertent.” I reason.
“That will be the strategy that we will be pushing for. We do not want the Ifrit to survive for any reason,” Zephyr affirms, his blue eyes watching me as I nod.
“Then there is no problem,” I say, seeing that Reed is having a huge problem with it already.
“You can’t just shrug off this new wrinkle. The parameters of the mission have changed. There are new variables now,” he says.
“We don’t have time for a strategy lesson. We need to locate the Ifrit. I’m the only link we have at this point to finding them. No one is safe until we kill it, you said so yourself,” I say rationally, watching his face go blank so that I can’t read what he’s thinking. “I have protection—an entire compound of angels—”
“If I tell you no, Evie, what will you do?” Reed asks, cocking his head to the side, waiting for my response.
I look down, not wanting him to see my eyes. I don’t want him to read what I will do. My mind has already come up with several plans to find Russell and Brownie, none of which will make Reed happy. “This is the best compromise, you should take it,” I say in a soft tone and then I hear two sets of growls, one from Reed, the other from Zephyr.
Reed speaks softly to Zephyr in Angel. Zephyr counters and my head snaps up because I’m now being shut out of the conversation. Growling at them, I begin walking again, but Reed scoops me up, changing direction and heading towards our room. “Reed, what are you doing?” I ask.
“I’m going to negotiate with the Undines. You’re going to stay here until I’m finished,” he says, dumping me on my bed and turning towards the door. Reed speaks to Zephyr who has followed us. Together, they begin to walk out of the room. Getting off the bed, I start to follow them, but two of Preben’s men step in front of me at the threshold to the courtyard. One is Elan and the other is named Sorin.
“Excuse me,” I say to Sorin, trying to get around him, but he won’t move.
“ Reed! ” I call out behind the wall of Power angels, seeing him walking away and talking to Zephyr.
“I will be back shortly. Try not to
“Not horrifying…it’s just that you are so dangerous and so beautiful that your presence offers almost no room for rational thought,” he says. “But there is nothing I would change about you. You are perfection.”
I roll my eyes at him like he’s insane. I’m about to tell him all of the things that I would like to change about myself, given the opportunity, when Zephyr shows up on the path ahead.
“Problem,” Zephyr says, looking at Reed.
“Undines?” Reed replies.
“Yes, they refuse to help defend Evie or Russell. They will fight the Ifrit for us, but they will not intervene if it comes for the ‘half-breeds,’” he says seriously.
“Why?” Reed asks in a low tone, looking at me to judge how I’m taking being called a half-breed. I try to remain neutral, but what I really want to do is scoff.
“They say that they don’t want to anger God,” he replies and Reed scoffs, which makes me want to throw my arms around him and kiss him again. “Do we proceed with our plan?” Zephyr asks Reed.
“Yes,” I say before Reed can answer.
Reed closes his eyes briefly before he opens them again and turns to me. “Love, if we don’t have a guarantee that they will help if an Ifrit should find you, then we cannot move forward with our plan.
“We can. They said they wouldn’t help me, but if an Ifrit comes they will defend all of you. That’s good enough for me,” I say.
“It’s not good enough for me,” Reed replies sternly.
I turn to Zephyr, “Will they go in to save Brownie, since she isn’t a half-breed?”
“Yes,” Zephyr replies.
“Fine, then we’re mostly covered. We just have to make sure that when they go in, they plan to kill the Ifrit. It can’t just be a snatch and grab of Brownie. If they kill the Ifrit, then they save Russell, too, even if it is inadvertent.” I reason.
“That will be the strategy that we will be pushing for. We do not want the Ifrit to survive for any reason,” Zephyr affirms, his blue eyes watching me as I nod.
“Then there is no problem,” I say, seeing that Reed is having a huge problem with it already.
“You can’t just shrug off this new wrinkle. The parameters of the mission have changed. There are new variables now,” he says.
“We don’t have time for a strategy lesson. We need to locate the Ifrit. I’m the only link we have at this point to finding them. No one is safe until we kill it, you said so yourself,” I say rationally, watching his face go blank so that I can’t read what he’s thinking. “I have protection—an entire compound of angels—”
“If I tell you no, Evie, what will you do?” Reed asks, cocking his head to the side, waiting for my response.
I look down, not wanting him to see my eyes. I don’t want him to read what I will do. My mind has already come up with several plans to find Russell and Brownie, none of which will make Reed happy. “This is the best compromise, you should take it,” I say in a soft tone and then I hear two sets of growls, one from Reed, the other from Zephyr.
Reed speaks softly to Zephyr in Angel. Zephyr counters and my head snaps up because I’m now being shut out of the conversation. Growling at them, I begin walking again, but Reed scoops me up, changing direction and heading towards our room. “Reed, what are you doing?” I ask.
“I’m going to negotiate with the Undines. You’re going to stay here until I’m finished,” he says, dumping me on my bed and turning towards the door. Reed speaks to Zephyr who has followed us. Together, they begin to walk out of the room. Getting off the bed, I start to follow them, but two of Preben’s men step in front of me at the threshold to the courtyard. One is Elan and the other is named Sorin.
“Excuse me,” I say to Sorin, trying to get around him, but he won’t move.
“ Reed! ” I call out behind the wall of Power angels, seeing him walking away and talking to Zephyr.
“I will be back shortly. Try not to
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