But in all my time as an angel, I’ve never experienced a love like this. If I get cast out of Heaven—if I get turned into a demon like he is—at least Zeke and I will always have each other.
Maybe I wasn’t sent here to kill him.
Maybe I was sent here to love him.
At the same time, a voice nags at the back of my mind. A voice reminding me that the people here—they’re not just his subjects. They’re his slaves. I’ve been sheltered in the city, and even more so in the Watchtower. I haven’t seen the worst of it—the Blues who spend their lives slaving away in labor camps. I hear Teresa’s voice as well—telling me that my love for Zeke isn’t real. That it’s a mirage—a lie—caused by the curse.
I can’t risk my entire existence on something that might be a lie. If my feelings are because of the curse, I have to try to pull myself out of it.
Seeing the Blues—seeing the misery inflicted on them by Zeke himself—might be what I need to do that.
“Yes, Zeke,” I say, and as much as I know they shouldn’t, the words feel right. “I love you, and would love nothing more than to become your wife. But first… I do have one condition.”
“Condition?” He stills and places me back onto the ground. “What kind of condition?”
“I want you to come with me to my sector,” I say. “I want you to meet my parents.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
The next night, I board a train headed to Sector Six with Zeke, Teresa, and Marco. The train is wildly extravagant, with plush seating, carved wooden tables, and even a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
I haven’t had time to explain to Teresa why this visit is happening, and she keeps looking at me, clearly curious. But there’s no opportunity for me to speak with her alone, so I’m just glad she and Marco agreed to come at all.
“How come you’re taking the train?” Teresa asks Zeke over dinner—perfectly cooked steak served to us by personal attendants. “Can’t you just teleport yourself instantly?”
“I can,” he says. “But it makes no sense to teleport when I can enjoy the journey with Adriana.”
He watches me closely as he speaks, and I blush under his gaze.
Luckily, the rest of dinner goes smoothly. It isn’t long until we’ve finished dessert.
“It’s time to retire to our cabins.” Zeke places his napkin on the table and looks at Teresa and Marco. “My personal guard will show the two of you to your room.”
Teresa says nothing as she and Marco follow the guard out of the dining car, although she does raise an eyebrow at me in question.
I’m going to have a lot to catch her up on the next time we speak alone.
“Finally, it’s just the two of us,” Zeke says once the others are gone.
“Yes.” I smile and take a small sip of what’s left of my wine. “Thank you again for agreeing to come to my sector. It means a lot to me.”
“No need to thank me,” he says. “If it makes you happy, then it makes me happy.”
Suddenly, he’s out of his seat and kneeling in front of me. He pulls something out of his pocket—a box.
He opens it and reveals the most beautiful diamond ring I’ve ever seen.
“Do you like it?” he asks, his eyes sparkling as much as the ring.
“Like it?” I gasp. “I love it. It’s beautiful. It’s perfect.”
“I’m glad,” he says. “I spent all morning looking for it. It seemed rather inappropriate to announce our engagement to your parents without a ring to show for it.” He lifts the ring out of the box, takes my hand in his, and slips it slowly onto my finger.
“It fits perfectly,” I say, admiring it under the light. “But won’t it ruin the surprise if I show up wearing this tomorrow morning?”
“I had a chain made up for you as well,” he says, pulling it out of his pocket. “So that you can wear the ring around your neck until we make the announcement to your parents.” He slips the ring off my finger, threads it through the chain, and then steps behind me, fastening it around my neck.
I place it under my shirt—hiding it from public eyes and moving it closer to my heart. The diamond pulses against my skin, full of a life of its own.
“I had a separate sleeping car prepared for you.” He moves around me and pulls me to my feet, his tone shifting from loving to more serious. “But if you prefer to stay with me… my door is always open.”
My heart races with the prospect of spending the night with Zeke. I want to be with him—now more than ever.
But do I truly want to be with him, or is it the curse talking?
I fear that if I spend the night with him, the line between the two will blur and it’ll be impossible for me to ever find out. I also can’t do that to Adriana. This is her body, and using it in that way without her consent would be immoral.
However, that’s a problem to worry about another day. I just pray that once the truth is revealed, Zeke will accept me for who I am, just as I’ve done for him. Somehow, we’ll find a way to be together.
“I want our wedding night to be special—I want our first time together to be on that night,” I say instead. “If we stay together tonight… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to wait.”
“Would that be such a terrible thing?” He smirks devilishly.
I freeze, unsure what to say. Because no—when I imagine losing my virginity to Zeke, “bad” is not a word that springs to mind. He loves me, and I love him—being with him will be one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
So incredible that I’ll forget about fighting the curse, and will happily allow myself to be cast out of Heaven so I can be with him forever—two immortal demons, ruling this continent side by side.
But I must fight the curse.
I need a reminder of the purpose of my mission—I need to see the Blue slave workers. I need to remind myself of the devastation Zeke causes to most people on this continent every day.
I need to remind myself who I am, and why I was sent to kill him.
“I’m sorry,” he says, and he sucks in a deep breath as he pulls away from me. “I shouldn’t pressure you. You’ve agreed to become my wife—my queen—but you have to understand that I want you so badly that it’s driving me crazy.”
“As I do you,” I say, the energy between us so strong that the air crackles with it.
“Then why not give in?” His lips are so close to mine that I can practically taste him, and he runs a finger down my arm, sending fiery electric shocks through my body. “Why resist?”
“Because the first time we’re together, I want it to be as your wife,” I say, using every ounce of control to not give in and kiss him. “As your queen.”
“Very well.” He backs away, teasing me with every step. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what will be. I’ll have my guard escort you to your chamber. But remember—my door is always open.”
As if I could ever forget.
Chapter Fifty-Six
We arrive at Sector Six early the next morning. Three people I recognize from the photos in Teresa’s house—Adriana’s father, mother, and younger brother—wait for us at the quiet train station. I would have known who they were even without the photos, since they resemble Adriana and Teresa, and they’re the only Golds here.
They’re polite, but distant at the same time. I wonder if they’re always like this, or if they’re acting this way because Zeke is here. Either way, it’s easy to keep up with the simple chitchat. They continuously glance at Zeke as they lead us to the car—a stretch limo that easily fits all of us—but he barely says a word to them, instead allowing them to catch us up on everything going on in town.
If they’re scared for Adriana—if they don’t approve of her becoming a concubine—they don’t let their feelings show.
Adriana’s mom—Silvia—is a chatterbox, and the conversation flows between the members of the Medina family. If they notice anything amiss about me—anything that would make them think I’m me a
nd not their daughter—they say nothing. They likely think that any changes in Adriana’s personality are because of the time she’s spent in the city and the Watchtower—not because she’s possessed by a messenger angel who was sent to save the continent from the curse placed upon it.
The drive is pleasant—we don’t pass anything that resembles a labor camp. Or perhaps the labor camps are far from the road, so the Golds don’t have to see any evidence of the Blues slaving away so they can live in luxury.
“I would like to request a private dinner at your home with the seven of us tonight,” Zeke says as we near the village. “I have something important to discuss with the two of you.” He looks at Adriana’s parents when he says that last part.
“Of course.” Silvia sits straighter—if she’s surprised by his request, she doesn’t let on. “The moment we’re back, I’ll tell the servants to start preparing a feast at once.”
“Perfect.” Zeke shoots his perfect smile at her. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Not nearly as much as we are,” Adriana’s father, Manuel, says. “We’re honored to have you at our home. If there’s anything you need, please let us know.”
Zeke gives a single nod, and returns to staring out the window. His hand hovers close to mine—not quite touching it, but close enough that I can feel the heat of it on my skin. He keeps it there for the entire ride.
Finally, we pass through the wrought-iron gates of the Golden Village and enter the walled town built specifically for the Golds who oversee the sector. The stoic brick buildings remind me of prairie towns in the old west—except that these buildings all have solar panels on the roof, shining as they reflect the sun.
People mill around the town square, going into shops, restaurants, bars, and more—mostly Golds, with a few other colors mixed in. But our limo doesn’t stop at any of those places. We continue down the road, and the shops are replaced with houses. The farther we go, the larger the houses, until we reach the one on the end—the biggest one on the street. It has a circular drive, and we pull up into it until we’re right in front of the door.
This must be Adriana’s house.
Sure enough, the driver gets out of the car and walks around to our door, opening it and motioning for us to exit.
“Teresa and Adriana, your rooms are ready for your arrival,” Silvia says, ushering us into the house. “Ezekiel, will you be staying overnight, or teleporting back and forth from the Watchtower?”
“I’ll stay overnight,” he says, glancing over at me as he says it. I can tell from the challenge in his eyes that he’s sleeping near me on purpose—he wants to tempt me into staying the night with him.
I refuse to give in.
“Very well,” Silvia says. “I’ll have a servant prepare the guest bedroom. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a feast to arrange. In the meantime, please make yourselves at home.”
She hurries inside, leaving the rest of us to follow.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Teresa and I show Zeke around the house—well, Teresa shows him around, and I pretend I know where everything is. Luckily, the layout is simple and utilitarian, and I make sure to memorize the location of each room during the tour.
After all, getting lost in the house that I supposedly grew up in would definitely seem suspicious.
After the tour, Marco goes to Teresa’s room to take a nap—apparently, he had trouble sleeping on the train—and the rest of us go down to the library to figure out what to do with the rest of the afternoon. Adriana’s father went into work to finish up some stuff for the day, her mother was busy deciding on the menu for tonight, and her brother was in a private tutoring session (being taught how to eventually take over the business from her father), so it’s only the three of us.
“We could go into town,” Teresa suggests, but then she looks at me, worry passing over her eyes. “But you might run into your friends, and I’m sure they’ll annoy you with questions about life in the Watchtower.”
While she doesn’t say it, I understand what she means—I should avoid Adriana’s friends, lest they realize there’s something “off” about her.
I know what I want to do with the spare few hours before we have to get ready for dinner—I want to visit the labor camps. But I don’t know where they are. Surely, they’re not walking distance. I suppose I’ll have to take a car. And I’ll need a driver, since I won’t know where to go.
There’s only one way for me to do this—I need to figure out a reason why Adriana would want to see the labor camps. A reason that doesn’t raise suspicion.
“I know what I want to do,” I say, the perfect reason popping into my mind. “Teresa—would you mind letting me speak to Zeke for a few minutes? Alone?”
“Of course.” She marches out and slams the door shut.
I turn to Zeke. The moment I do, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me—long and hard. I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him back with just as much passion. It’s so easy to get lost in his touch.
But I have to focus, so I force myself to pull away.
“What?” He smirks. “Isn’t that why you wanted to speak with me alone? Because I don’t know about you, but going so long in front of your parents without touching you… it was driving me crazy.”
“It was driving me crazy, too.” I reach for the chain of my necklace and fiddle with it, the diamond ring hidden beneath my shirt tapping against my chest. “But… there is another reason I want to speak with you.”
“You’re nervous,” he observes. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing bad,” I assure him. “It’s just that this request might seem strange to you, but it’s important to me, so I hope you hear me out and consider it.”
“When have I ever not considered one of your requests?” he says. “You have more power over me than you know. Go ahead, Adriana. If there’s something you want, I’ll make sure you get it.”
“Okay.” I take a deep breath and swallow. “Since I’m going to become queen of the continent, I think it’s important that I see how all the citizens here live. As we were driving to my home, I realized something that distresses me—most of the citizens of the continent are Blues, but I’ve never once seen where they live. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen a Blue at all!”
“There’s a good reason for that,” Zeke says, his eyes darkening. “Someone as pure and wonderful as you shouldn’t be around creatures as tainted as them.”
“I plan on taking my duty as queen seriously.” I hold my gaze with his, making it clear that I won’t budge on this issue. “They’re more than ‘creatures.’ They’re people. They’re my future subjects. If I’m to become queen, I must see them. I insist.”
“Fine.” He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Would you like one of them brought here for you to meet?”
“No.” I take his hands in mine and squeeze them, bracing him for what I’m going to say next. “I want to see what their living conditions are like. I want to go to a labor camp.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Teresa is reading outside, and we pass by her on the way to the car. Not the limo—Adriana’s father rented that specifically to pick us up from the train station—but to their family car. One of Zeke’s hands holds mine, and the other holds the keys, since he insisted upon driving us to the labor camp himself.
“Where are you going?” Teresa gazes at us suspiciously as we pass, closing her book.
“You wouldn’t believe it if we told you,” Zeke says, swinging the keys around his fingers.
“Try me,” she says. “I’ve forgotten how boring it gets out here in the country. If you’re going to town, I’ll definitely hitch a ride.” She looks at Zeke again, as if reminding herself who she’s speaking to, and adds, “If that’s okay with you, of course.”
“If you must know, we’re visiting a labor camp,” I say, since knowing Teresa, she’ll force it out of me eventually. “It’s hard right now to explain why, but you’ll underst
and tomorrow.”
After Zeke and I announce our engagement.
“A labor camp?” Her eyes bulge. “Why?”
“It’ll all make sense tomorrow,” I repeat. “For now, the best way to explain is that I worry that life in the city has gotten to my head. I’ve gotten so wrapped up in the excitement and the luxury of life in the Watchtower that I fear I’m losing touch with the person I once was. And on our drive here, I realized I’ve never seen a labor camp—or a Blue at all. It doesn’t feel right.”
She scrunches her forehead. “You have changed a lot in the past few weeks,” she finally says. “You think that visiting a labor camp will remind you more about where you came from?”
I can tell she chose her words carefully—even though we can’t speak freely in front of Zeke, she must understand that I believe this might be the key to reminding myself about my mission, and possibly breaking through the curse to discover if my love for Zeke is true, or if it’s caused by greed like she believes.
“Yes,” I confirm. “But we don’t have much time, so we should get going.”
“Without me?” She drops her book on the step next to her and stands up. “No way. Now that you mention it, I’ve never seen a Blue either. So if you’re doing something crazy like visiting a labor camp, then you can bet I’m coming with you.”
She struts to the car and lets herself into the backseat, not allowing us to protest.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
The drive to the nearest labor camp is about a half hour away, and it takes us up into the mountains—which makes sense, since Sector Six specializes in precious metal mining. We pass many people hauling carts along the street on the way there—all of them Reds, since Blues aren’t allowed to leave the camps. Zeke informs us that they’re taking the mined metals to the train station.
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