The angel looked uncomfortable. “Ordinarily it wouldn’t, but with you a complication has developed.”
Which was just another way of saying “you are so screwed.”
“What kind of complication?”
He glanced at me, and I saw his Adam’s apple was working overtime, which only seemed to confirm my “screwed” theory. Whatever he needed to say involved me, and it wasn’t good.
“The only way for a Promise to safeguard a soul is to link it with their own,” he said, looking as if he’d just realized he was standing in the middle of a minefield. “The intent being to return it in a timely manner.”
Having already received a lesson in Sebastian’s explanation about the fluidity of time, I wasn’t sure I liked where this was headed.
“What do you mean by timely manner?”
“It was always believed that the need for vampires would be short-lived. A thousand years at most. Humankind would learn the lesson or would no longer be a factor. Either way, balance would be restored.”
“Only someone miscalculated, didn’t they?”
“ ‘Yes.” His nostrils flared, and his eyes turned fiery. “And it has proved to be a grave error, one that has resulted in a very different outcome. It was never imagined that the necessity for vampires would continue into this century . . . or possibly beyond.”
Well, wasn’t that just fine and dandy? The powers-that-be hadn’t counted on mankind’s overriding instinct for self-preservation, the will to survive at any cost.
“That Gabriel has adapted through the centuries,” he continued, “is a testament not only to his strength of will, but also his desire to find you. Seeking his redemption has been paramount. It’s just a shame it has taken so long to find it.”
I know an accusation when I hear one, and I realized the angel was holding me entirely responsible for this turn of events. I don’t mind taking my share of the blame when I’m guilty, but that wasn’t the case here.
“Wait a minute,” I said indignantly, “are you saying this complication wouldn’t exist if he’d found me sooner?” I didn’t need him to verbalize his answer; his eyes said it all. “For your information he did. I know for a fact we’ve met before, because he told me we had.”
“That’s true enough,” Sebastian conceded, “but that’s all it was. A single introduction, the briefest of meetings, a shared look across a room. You would not permit him the opportunity to form the necessary connection. And in the process of seeking you out, his vampire nature has grown stronger, thus allowing him to experience something he never could in his celestial form.”
“What’s that?”
“The chance to embrace emotional love.”
“Angels can’t feel love?”
“They feel love, but only in its more physical manifestation.”
Which explained his earlier hard-on. “That,” I said hating to disillusion him, “is lust, not love.”
He looked somewhat crestfallen. “Then an angel truly cannot experience love the same way humans do.”
“Or vampires.”
“Or vampires.”
This was really interesting shit, and something I wanted to discuss with him in depth. Unfortunately, it was a conversation for another time and place, and besides, it didn’t change anything.
“So how is time a complication in my case?”
Shaking his head, Sebastian looked more pitiful than before. “The best way I can explain it is by saying Gabriel believes his soul has now become inextricably linked to yours. One cannot be released without the other.”
I may not always be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but this wasn’t one of those times. I understood all too well what the angel was telling me. There was only one way to release my soul that I knew of, and that was to . . . yeah, I got the picture. Gabriel didn’t want his soul back because he wasn’t going to take my life to do it. This was the price that, in his opinion, was too high for me to pay.
“Do you know for sure that our souls are linked like this? That there’s no chance of my surviving the prayers and physical contact stuff?”
“Nothing is certain, Rowan. But it makes little difference now. Gabriel cannot undo his decision.”
“He can’t?” Sebastian shook his head. “So what’s the point of telling me any of this?”
“A vampire has never made such a sacrifice to the Dark Realm. I had hoped you might be able to undo it.”
“How?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know . . . this dilemma is unprecedented.” Which meant we were groping in the dark and had nothing to guide us. I resumed pacing, going over in my head everything Sebastian had told me about being a Promise and what I could now remember. I walked up and down three times before coming to a stop in front of him. “What we need is a loophole.”
“A loophole?” He sounded dubious.
“Yes.” I nodded, feeling something coming together inside my head. “The Wraith is a—what did you call him—a trickster? Well, doesn’t the other side know that?”
“The other . . .”
“Yeah, the Light?” I pointed to the sky. “Surely they know how he operates?”
“Of course.”
“Then there has to be a loophole. I refuse to believe that Gabriel would make a decision like this without there being some sort of escape clause or way out. There has to be something, no matter how small a possibility.” I demonstrated with my thumb and forefinger. “I refuse to believe it doesn’t exist.”
“But what if it doesn’t?”
“Then my purpose as his Promise has been more than a mockery, Sebastian. It’s been pointless. And I refuse to accept that. There has to be a way to undo this, and you’re going to find it for me!”
“I am?” Now he looked worried.
“Who better? You know Gabriel, you know me, and you know what we’re up against. Nothing is ever a hundred percent guaranteed. There is always a chance that something has been overlooked. We just need to find it. One chance, Sebastian, that’s all we need.”
There was silence as he thought through what I had just told him. “You truly believe an exemption might exist?”
“I do,” I answered firmly. “I refuse to believe anything else.” Sitting down next to him, I took his hands in mine. The feel of his long fingers overlapping themselves didn’t seem so weird anymore. “If you can come up with another suggestion, I’m all ears.”
“But . . . if I cannot find a loophole?”
“Then we’ll do it the old-fashioned way, with candles and prayers and whatever else is needed—and you can damn well tie us together if that’s what it takes to keep Gabriel connected to me.”
Sometimes you just need to know another option exists, even if it’s not a very good one. I didn’t have much faith in the angel’s bell, book, and candle routine, but it made him feel better to hear I was willing to consider it. Which was the whole point.
“I won’t let Gabriel throw away his chance at redemption, Sebastian, not until I’ve tried everything.”
His eyes made me think of blood oranges. “But Rowan, he loves you. He will never agree to any of this.”
I nodded and gulped down the sudden lump in my throat. “Guess I’m just going to have to coerce him then. Don’t you see, Sebastian, I love him too much to not do this. I couldn’t live with myself, or him, if we didn’t at least try.”
“But what you are risking—”
“—is my risk to take, Sebastian, mine. We have no way of knowing what I may or may not lose, but we do know what Gabriel will lose. And that is something I’m not willing to give up. I don’t care what some stubborn, possessive vampire says. Even if he is the love of my life. In the end, it will count for something. It has to.” I paused and drew in a breath. “Never underestimate the power of positive thinking,” I said, with what I hoped was a confident smile. “One way or the other Gabriel will get his chance at redemption. Now go find me that loophole!”
It was the only answer. I tugged on the ne
ck of the T-shirt I was wearing and buried my nose in the fabric. Gabriel’s scent infused every pore in my body, calming me, putting me at ease. I loved him too much not to do this, even if it meant, no matter which outcome came to pass, I would never see him again.
I would be all right with that because the decision had been made the moment I first set foot inside the clearing—and saw him hanging on that damn tree.
CHAPTER 20
The sound of my cell phone ringing startled both of us. Not only was it unexpected, it took a few flustered moments for me to work out that the ringtone was coming from the front pocket of the angel’s jeans. I distinctly remembered leaving my cell phone in the company of Jane Eyre.
“I saw it when I got the blanket,” Sebastian said, standing up and handing it to me with a totally unashamed look. “I didn’t want you missing any calls.”
Wondering what else those long fingers might have been poking around in, I took the phone from him, checked caller ID, and frowned. Why would Laycee be calling me at nearly two in the morning? Was she sick? Had there been an accident—oh God, was Jake hurt?
I was about to put the phone to my ear when a new sound told me I had a text message.
“What the hell?” I muttered, pulling up the screen and reading.
“What is it?” Sebastian asked, seeing my expression.
“It’s Laycee,” I told him, still undecided how I felt about my phone being in his pants. “She says she’s out front with a surprise for me.”
“You don’t like surprises?”
I love surprises, but the kind that come in the early hours of the morning aren’t normally the ones you want to get. Something was definitely wrong. If Laycee was in my driveway, then it wasn’t good news that had gotten her out of bed in the middle of the night.
“I like surprises,” Sebastian murmured in my ear.
I turned my head to see an expression of almost childlike delight on his face. I didn’t care how much he liked surprises; this was one he was going to have to miss. If Laycee saw him, it would lead to the mother of all question-and-answer sessions.
“You have to go,” I said firmly. “Laycee can’t see you here with me.”
“Why not? Just tell her I’m an old friend of Gabriel’s come for a visit. It’s the truth,” he added in an aggrieved tone.
“That may be, but it’s two in the morning, and Gabriel isn’t here.” Sebastian didn’t know much about the dynamics of human relationships, I decided.
“Why haven’t you told her about Gabriel? I thought she was your best friend.”
“She is,” I said, wondering how he knew that, and knowing now wasn’t the time to ask him. Maybe he was a little more intuitive than I gave him credit for. “And she does know about Gabriel,” I corrected, “she just doesn’t know about him.” The look he gave me said he didn’t understand the difference. “It’s complicated, Sebastian. Something like this has to be handled a certain way. You can’t just blurt it out, and honestly, I’m not sure how to tell her.”
“That Gabriel’s a vampire?”
“No, that you’re an angel.”
The way my life was going right now, it wasn’t too far-fetched to think I’d have better luck getting Laycee to accept a vampire in my bed than an angel on my swing seat.
My phone chimed again. The words WHERE R U? IM W8ING! lit up the screen. I turned, ready to ask Sebastian to leave again—get on my knees and beg if necessary—but I didn’t have to. Getting to his feet, he smiled, and simply . . . vanished. Like the book. And his wings. I was too relieved to be unnerved. Hopefully he’d gone loophole hunting.
The text chime went off two more times as I walked through the kitchen and down the hall. The messages were the same as before, the only difference being the number of question and exclamation marks used.
“This better be the best surprise in the world or I’m so gonna kick your ass,” I yelled as I opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.
From my top step I could see Laycee standing in the driveway. She was dressed in leggings, a sweatshirt that had to be Jake’s, judging from the fit, and ballet flats. It was a grab-what-you-can-and-throw-it-on outfit. She was a mess, and also not wearing makeup. It might have been two in the morning, but Laycee was the kind of girl who didn’t go to the mailbox without making sure her hair was tidy and she had on lip gloss. Whatever was going on was bad—a feeling that was reinforced by the fact that she made absolutely no effort to move. A fire alarm siren went off inside my head.
“Laycee, what’s wrong? Has something happened to Jake?” She shook her head, which I took to be a good thing. Okay, not Jake, who then? “Is it your mom or dad?” More frantic shaking. I frowned, trying to think of what else could be responsible for her unkempt appearance. “Jake’s . . . kids?”
This time she shook her head so vigorously the scrunchie that was holding her hair back from her face fell out. Ignoring it, she rapped her knuckles on the roof of the car she was standing next to. The alarm in my head wailed a little louder. I hadn’t even noticed the car.
Instead of the white, beat-up nondescript sedan Laycee usually drove, she had apparently arrived in a shiny black BMW, which was now parked next to the POS. My knowledge of cars might be pretty dismal, but even I recognized the distinct logo embedded in the hood. If this was the surprise she wanted to show me, it might explain her appearance, but this was no surprise gift from her beau. I had my doubts that a small-town sheriff’s salary would cover the payments on a new BMW.
I came down the porch steps and walked toward her. She remained frozen to the spot, and although there were still a few feet between us, I could feel the anxiety rolling off her in waves. She didn’t say anything; instead she began waving her hands in front of her, as if her nail polish was wet. This was Laycee’s distress signal.
Now her anxiety was mixed with something else. Fear. Closing the distance between us, I caught hold of her hands, needing to halt their frantic fluttering more than anything else. I also wondered if it had been a mistake asking Sebastian to leave.
“Laycee, where’s Jake?”
Pulling a hand free, she swiped at her eyes with the heel. “With his kids. They’re having an early Christmas with his folks.”
I don’t know why, but it was a relief knowing Jake wasn’t involved in whatever was going on. And then Laycee said something that made my stomach churn.
“I’m so sorry, Rowan. I should have known the bitch was lying.”
The cold night air was nothing compared to the icy shiver that ran down my spine.
“Who was lying?”
She hiccupped back a sob, her fingers beginning another anxious dance in the air. “I didn’t want to believe her, but it was kind of obvious that she knew Gabriel, and so I-I-I- . . .”
“Shhhhh.” I pulled her in close, and the avalanche of tears fell. I didn’t need Laycee to tell me who had upset her. I already knew. “It’s okay. She’s had a lot of practice telling lies,” I told her, my hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. “You mustn’t blame yourself. I would have done the same thing.”
Now that I knew who I was dealing with, the details didn’t matter. It wouldn’t change anything, but I was curious to know which one of us had been the bait. “Was it me or Gabriel?” I asked softly. The shrug of Laycee’s shoulders told me it made no difference. She would have come for either one of us. “It’s okay. She didn’t hurt you, did she?”
Laycee gulped a mouthful of air, and I watched her fight to put her emotions under control. Stepping out of my embrace, she kept a firm grip on my hand as she shook her head. And then I saw her eyes widen as something behind me caught her attention, and the expression on her face changed. No one likes to be made a fool of, and definitely not when it comes at the expense of someone you love. Realizing she had been duped, Laycee was now angry. Whatever story had been fabricated must have been very believable to get my best friend out in the middle of the night. I wasn’t kidding about
Katja. She’d lite
rally had centuries to perfect her skill at being deceitful. It was too bad Laycee had no idea what she was dealing with, and it was going to be up to me to protect her from the truth as best as I could.
“I can’t believe I was so stupid!” she hissed in a low voice.
“Laycee, don’t.”
“Does she really know Eye Candy?”
I nodded, grateful I wasn’t the only one who thought Katja was all wrong for him. “Yeah, unfortunately she does.”
“What is she, an ex-girlfriend or something?”
“Worse,” I said with a tight smile. “A never-was.” It was reassuring to have Laycee return my smile.
“Why is it some women think every dick is just dying to get in their panties?”
“I got no idea, Layce.”
Narrowing her eyes, she flicked her gaze over my shoulder, and murmured, “She’s behind you.”
“I know.” I reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Be careful what you say from now on,” I warned. “She can hear everything, and I do mean everything, and trust me when I tell you she’s a lot stronger than she looks.”
“Yeah?” Laycee gave a disbelieving glance over my shoulder.
I squeezed her hand—hard. “Yes,” I insisted. “Trust me. I know.”
My words, and the seriousness of my tone, were enough. Laycee nodded.
“Hello, Little One, have you missed me?”
The husky sound of Katja’s voice, and the condescending form of address, did nothing but piss me off. She must have been hiding in the shadows by the side of the house. If I’d turned my head as I came down the steps I probably would have seen her, but I’d been so focused on Laycee, it never crossed my mind to look for anyone else.
Unable to come in, and knowing an invite from me wasn’t in her future, Katja had used my best friend to get me out of my house. It went without saying that this was a bad situation, one that I could pretty much guarantee was going to get a lot worse. The psycho vampire bitch was crazy-scary, but right now I couldn’t focus on that. I had to find a way of making sure Laycee was safe, and the only thing I could think of was getting her inside the house. She would be safe there because Katja couldn’t cross the threshold.
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