Shade looked at his mentor as sadness washed through him. So Ambrose’s wife, Shade’s sister, hadn’t been his true half either?
“Why didn’t I know about this?”
“Because it was an age-old custom that hasn’t been seen in a millennia. From what you are describing, I’m pretty sure that is the case. Congratulations, Shade.”
“But she’s a brownie, and I’m an angel.”
“So? How do you think the lines got diluted in the first place? Angels don’t have to mate with only angels. You know this.”
He nodded slowly. His true half? Lily was his for eternity. What about the lies he told? Could she get over that? Should she have to get over a betrayal? Fuck. This whole thing was a mess.
“What are we going to do?” Shade asked.
“You need to talk with Lily. Not to mention these women have a lot to learn. Even if they don’t turn, because of their connection to your Lily, they’ll have to know. You will have to help them.”
“I have no idea how I’m going to do that. I’ll figure it out. I have to.”
“Yes, you do. While you do that, I need to figure out what is going on with Striker. You do your job and protect the supernatural secret. This whole thing is going to implode. We’re going to have to figure out how to teach them and protect them at the same time. Some are not going to be happy that humans can turn. These women are in danger, Shade.”
Concern for Lily raced through him. “I’m on it, Ambrose. I won’t let them get hurt.”
Ambrose sighed. “You are but one angel, Shade.”
“And you’re another. We need at least to start. Once we do, we can find others to help.”
“Good. I need to leave. Go to Lily, Shade. Somehow…”Ambrose squeezed his shoulder. “Lily needs to know the truth. Lies will only harm any relationship you build.”
His body tensed, but he nodded. “I know. I’ll think of something.”
“Grovel if you have to. Don’t lose something so precious.”
Shade nodded, unable to find the words. Ambrose left the house, and Shade leaned back in his seat. How was he going to break the news to Lily that she was his true half and that he was a lying ass that had to put his world before her? Well, not anymore. She was his world now, and he’d do what he could to protect it. No matter the cost.
Chapter 14
Lily paced in her kitchen, her nerves like pinpricks along her skin. It was later that afternoon, and she was pretty sure she was about to crawl out of her skin; at least that’s what it felt like to her. Where was Shade? He hadn’t said when he’d be back, but worry had taken over his mind. Was he hurt? What if he’d found out something that would make him stay away? What if he just stayed away because she was a brownie?
Nausea crept through her, and she gripped the back of a chair to steady herself. No. She couldn’t think like that. It didn’t help the situation. Shade would be back, and he’d have answers. Well, at least he’d be back.
The other women were in her kitchen cooking turkey spaghetti, baking homemade bread, salad, and some kind of dessert. Well, at least most of them. Faith and Eliana were on their laptops researching something at her kitchen table. No matter what happened in her life, those two were not allowed near her stove. Even if they survived the blast, they made more messes than two-year-olds with a box of Sharpies. The other women at least cleaned up after themselves. Lily noticed they were being extra careful today since she was on edge. Oh, she loved these women.
“Lily, I have some bread for you,” Nadie said as she walked toward her, a basket of warm sliced bread in one hand and a glass of milk in the other. “You haven’t eaten today. And, no, picking at a doughnut doesn’t count.”
“Yeah,” Faith added, “and they were good doughnuts, too. I went all the way to Eli’s Bakery on your side of town and bought them myself. All that energy…wasted.” She winked, and Lily smiled.
Suddenly, Lily’s stomach ached, and she grabbed the roll, stuffed it in her mouth and gulped down the milk without taking a breath.
What the hell?
She slowly lowered the glass and licked the milk from her lips. Her friends stared at her wide-eyed.
“Why…why did I do that?” She blew her bangs from her face and set the empty glass on the table.
“Maybe you were just really hungry?” Nadie offered, though it didn’t look as if she believed it any more than Lily did.
Faith tapped some keys on her computer. “Actually, I’ve read that brownies can be befriended by offering of bread and cream left for them to find. Usually, they like to eat in privacy or in front of family only, rather than in front of other people. Huh. Maybe you think of us as family. Ah, babe, that’s nice.”
Lily looked at her as if she had two heads. “Where did you find that?”
Eliana smiled. “A website called Magical Creatures and Beings.”
Lily paled. “Oh, God. So, this isn’t a bad dream? Oh, crap. I’d kind of hoped the gold thing was just a figment of my imagination.” She plopped down on a seat that Jamie held out for her. “I’m a brownie, and not the cute Girl Scout kind. Oh, God.”
Becca smiled and grabbed a slice of bread. “So, I suppose I shouldn’t ask if you want to sell me cookies.”
Lily growled, her skin turning gold.
The room went silent, and Lily shot out of her seat, waving her arms. “Shit. I’m so sorry, guys. I don’t know what’s going on with me. I can’t control it.”
Jamie pulled her into her arms and stroked her hair. “It’s okay, Lily. Shade will be here soon, and he’ll help you and us.”
Faith glared. “Just how do we know that Shade didn’t do this in the first place?”
“Because I didn’t,” Shade growled from the open doorway. He closed the door behind him and walked toward Lily.
Her heartbeat sped up, and she licked her lips.
“You came back.” Great, now I’m sounding like the Beast from the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. Her body relaxed, and she faded back to her pale skin.
“Of course I did. The reason you’re a brownie is because it’s in your genetic makeup.”
He took another step toward her, and the women moved to stand in front of her, blocking her from view. Ah, my misguided and protective family. Her eyes filled with tears but she blinked them back.
“You need to tell us exactly what you mean. Now,” Amara ordered.
The tension rose another degree in the room, and everyone looked ready to spring like a tightly wound coil at any moment. She had to stop this.
She pushed past all of them and walked toward Shade. She didn’t touch him but just barely restrained herself. She turned her back to him, this time forming a blockade to protect him. “Stop it!” she yelled. “All of you! This doesn’t help anything.”
Her friends blinked, their jaws hanging. Lily never yelled. Was this yet another side effect of being a brownie? Or, maybe she was just pissed the fuck off. Yeah. The latter sounded more reasonable.
Lily turned to Shade but still didn’t touch him. “What did your friend say?”
Shade brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and she forced herself not to melt into him. She needed answers. Then she could fall into his arms. Yeah, that sounded incredible. Focus, Lily.
“Ambrose agreed with me about the storm.” His voice rumbled like a blanket of heat and promise over her sensitive skin.
She wanted to wrap herself around him, rub herself all over him like a cat, then watch as he entered her slowly…then fast.
Who was this woman? Well, she liked her anyway.
“Then does that mean it will affect all of us?” Becca asked.
“I’m not sure,” Shade answered. “No matter what happens, you won’t be alone. Any of you. That’s my promise.”
Her friends nodded, still wary.
Nadie wrung her hands together. “What about Dante?”
Crud. How could he have forgotten Dante?
“That is something you’ll have to speak with Dan
te about,” Shade answered.
“What?” Lily asked.
“It’s not my place to say.”
“Okay, Yoda,” Faith snarled.
Shade merely blinked, uninterested. Kind of sexy.
She let out a breath. It seemed with every answer, twenty more questions popped up. “Fine. Exactly how did you know I was a brownie? I mean, I don’t really understand.” He’d explained the energy part earlier, but it still didn’t make any sense.
“Because of your energy and skin.”
“So, I’m a freak.”
“No, Lily.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her brow, sending shivers down her body. “You are beautiful. Brownie or human, you are beautiful. Not a freak.”
Warmth filled her body as she blushed. Her friends oohed and ahhed. Well, most of them. Faith and Eliana scoffed.
“Shade…” she whispered.
Shade coughed and looked around the room, as if he just noticed they weren’t alone. “I don’t know what’s in store for you all, but we will figure out.”
Every time he said that she believed him. One thing bugged her. Well, more than one thing, but that was beside the point. “Shade, how do you know about the supernatural?” For some reason, the fact that he’d already known about brownies hadn’t really shocked her. It made sense that he was one if he knew about them. “Are you a brownie like me?”
Shade laughed softly. “No, Lily. I’m an angel.”
She blinked. Well, that wasn’t quite what she was expecting. “So, like with wings and everything?”
He smiled and ran a finger down her arm, leaving goose bumps in its trail. “Yes, with wings and everything.”
An image of him shirtless with wings as powerful as his body flooded her mind. Sexy as hell. She blushed. She had to remember they had an audience.
“I will tell you more about what I am in a minute,” Shade said. “This is where you all need to listen to me. There are, literally, hundreds of supernatural species out there, each with a different society and a different set of rules, but there are some overall rules. Like this must stay a secret. No matter what. You can’t tell your families, your friends, the paperboy…nobody.”
They nodded. “We understand, Shade. Who’d believe us anyway?” Jamie said.
“When you say hundreds of types of supernaturals, do you mean like werewolves and vampires?” Becca asked.
“Weres, yes, and not just wolves, but no on the vampires.” Shade answered.
“So, no Jasper Cullen?” Amara asked.
“I’m afraid not. No sparkly or non-sparkly vampires, and no zombies either.”
Eliana furrowed her brows. “But, why not?”
Shade shrugged. “Maybe because vampires are really dead. Supernaturals can withstand much, but once we’re dead, we’re dead.”
Lily’s mind rolled. “This is all too much.”
He pulled her to his chest, and she closed her eyes. “I know, but you’re not alone.”
She inhaled his sweet, almost like a luscious chocolate scent, and smiled. “Show me your wings.”
Shade pulled back and tilted his head. “Okay.” He walked to the center of the room and took off his shirt.
The women gasped and giggled, while Lily blushed watching each muscle on his arms and chest move with a fluid grace.
“Oof,” Faith exclaimed.
Lily turned back to her friend, who was rubbing her ribs where apparently Becca, who stood beside Faith, had elbowed her.
“What?” Faith asked and blinked innocently. “He’s hot.”
Shade shook his head and smiled. His gaze locked with Lily’s and his shoulders twitched. Dark wings came from his back and filled the space around him. Her friends gasped again, this time with awe. The wingspan must have been more than ten feet. Thank God her room had enough space that he didn’t knock anything over in the process.
She looked at his wings, and her breath left her. No, they weren’t just black; the color was more like an obsidian gleam with shades of indigo woven into the feathers. The tips tapered to a deep, mesmerizing blue.
“Beautiful,” she whispered.
“Not as beautiful as you.”
She blushed, and some of her friends giggled. Which ones, she didn’t care; she was too focused on the sexy angel—yes, angel—in front of her.
“See, Lily? I’m supernatural, just like you. I can and will help you. I promise.”
He pulled her into his arms and she forgot everything around them. She could focus only on him and those fractured ice-blue eyes. “I believe you.”
Chapter 15
Shade drummed his fingers on his jeans as he sat in the car outside Lily’s apartment. Why was he doing this again? Oh, yeah, because he was falling for the girl who lived up there, and he didn’t want to lose her. He knew it would be over as soon as she found out everything about their past.
He’d gone back to his house soon after showing off his wings to pick up Ambrose’s car. Lily had to go back to work the next day, and Shade knew she’d look at that dust and know. She’d probably been too overwhelmed with everything else to put two-and-two together, but it was only a matter of time. She already knew about angels…but now she’d discover the true purpose of his being there. It had been a calculated risk, showing her his wings, his dust evident, but she had asked, and he couldn’t deny her. He loved the way her eyes had widened, and her cheeks had blushed at the look of him. Call him conceited, but it made him feel like he was on top of the world when she looked at him like that.
But that would change when she found out the truth about his mission; that he’d lied. Would their connection be enough to withstand that? Her self-confidence was already low, though he’d been working on that, now it might break.
So, now he sat in Ambrose’s car and tried to gather up the courage to tell her that their meeting hadn’t been accidental at all, but instead it was a ruse to earn her trust. He wanted to go someplace nice with her, at least one more time. He couldn’t tell her about the dust, not yet. Why? Because he was a coward, that’s why. He had tried to convince himself that she needed to know who, and what, she was first, but he didn’t want to lose her. That’s all it was…an excuse.
Once her friends had left them alone, she’d fallen into his arms and shook with nerves. Then she had told him she wanted to pretend she was normal, at least for one more night. Shade would give that to her, however misguided it was on both of their parts because she was his true half. He could barely wrap his mind around that discovery. There was no way he could tell her that. At least not yet. How could he hurt her like that? Would she ever forgive him?
The lab would be open in the morning, and she’d find out about the dust. Ambrose had wanted to go in and take all evidence away now, but it wouldn’t have worked. Lily was too smart for that. She’d put two and two together. Things had changed. Lily was a paranormal as well, and Shade didn’t want to betray her further by stealing her work. Though, in essence, he already had.
He would tell her. Soon.
Shade shook his head. Okay, he needed to get out of the damn car and stop wallowing. God, he sounded like a teenage girl. He rolled his neck to loosen his tightened muscles and headed into the building. When Lily opened the door, Shade almost dropped to his knees.
Dear. God.
She stood there in a red dress that molded to her curves and made him want to peel it off her body…with his teeth. The luscious fabric draped over her breasts and ended at mid-thigh.
He gulped and shifted so his dick wouldn’t puncture against his zipper.
Lily raised a brow and smirked. “Something on my dress around my chest area, Shade?”
He looked up and laughed. “You look damned sexy, woman. You know what you do to me.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed the side of her neck, inhaling her strawberry scent.
She moaned. “If you don’t stop that, we won’t make it to dinner.”
“I have my meal right here,” he growled against her skin, but he
pulled back and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll be good. I promise.”
“Not too good, I hope,” she teased.
He groaned. “Woman…” He took her hand and led her to the car. Once he had her settled, he got in the driver’s side.
As he pulled out onto the road, he took her hand. “Is Italian okay?”
“Sounds delicious. So I take it from our last date, and now, that angels eat, right? I mean, you’re not forcing yourself to eat or anything because of me, right?” She grinned, and Shade fought off the pang of his lies.
He laughed off his worries. “Angels do everything you do, Lily. We just live a long time.”
“How old are you?
“I’m one thousand, give or take a few years. I don’t really count anymore.”
She didn’t say anything, and he risked a look over at her. She sat wide-eyed and he cursed.
“Lily…”
She blinked and smiled. “You just caught me by surprise, that’s all. That seems to be happening to me often.” She shrugged. “How long do angels and other supernaturals live?”
He rubbed small circles on her wrist and switched lanes. “Supernaturals live forever unless we’re killed. Sickness doesn’t occur in angels. Some other supernaturals have diseases, but it’s rare. I’m not sure about brownies, but it’s something we’ll have to check.”
She sat in silence a bit longer, and Shade got worried.
“That’s so long,” she whispered.
He pulled into the restaurant parking lot, found a spot, and turned off the motor. He turned to her, reached out and took her hands in his. “It’s different than what you’ve known, but we can get through this.”
She shook her head and looked out the windshield. “Why did I want to do this tonight, Shade? Pretend to be normal and go out on a normal date. I’m not normal.”
He took her chin in his hands and turned her to face him. “What is normal? You’re normal for what you are.”
She gave a watery laugh. “I don’t think so, Shade.”
“Well, your situation is rather unique, but you’re still you. That’s all that matters, and we’ll make it work.”
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