A Slither of Hope

by Lisa M Basso

  How the hell was it even possible to walk around with a sword these days? A few centuries ago it probably would have been weird to see a man without one. Then again, he could probably influence people the way Cam and Kade could.

  For the second time today, the thought of Kade gave me pause. Elyon didn’t want this conversation leaving this room, but how could I keep something this major from him?

  “I am aware of your mental condition. As your sight has unexpectedly developed into”—again his eyes darted over my shoulders—“the physical presence of wings, this conversation has been put off for long enough.”

  Of course he knew I’d been diagnosed and shipped off to a mental hospital more times than I could count. He must have brought this up because I’d allowed too much time to pass without saying something. Crap. So he thought I was nuts. Great. I’d already made the worst possible first impression. Caught making out with Cam, and now being too slow to answer him.

  Pull it together.

  “If you feel you can’t continue this conversation now, just say the word and we can stop.” In the flash of a second I swore I saw his hand twitch by his sword.

  “How?” The word came out as alone as I felt. I pushed on. “The one before me with this sight thingy. How did they get it?”

  The side of Elyon’s lip twitched up, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the hint of a grin disappeared. “That we aren’t sure of. Ultimately, that person proved they couldn’t handle the pressure and ended their own life.”

  “Oh.” Hope, and my face, fell.

  For the second time since we parted, I felt Cam’s eyes on me. His movement reminded me of our indiscretion. My lips were still raw from his kiss. I did everything I could not to bring my hand to them.

  “So you’re afraid I won’t be able to handle this.”

  “Not exactly,” Elyon said crossing the room again, finally settling into the white chair upholstered with charcoal writing along the back. It angled away from the fireplace, facing the couch. His wings turned to smoke, passing through the armchair, the tips brushing the hardwood. His eyes finally swung to Cam. “Relax.”

  Cam swallowed and eased himself onto the couch.

  “My father was attacked. What guarantee do I have that my sister won’t be next?”

  Elyon crossed his ankle over his knee, revealing perfectly polished brown leather shoes in a very large size. “I can’t put a detail on her, but I can have someone check in on her, and as you know, your father is in our best hands. Anything else?”

  Thanks to Cam’s “checking in” on Dad from Heaven, I had very little faith in Laylah’s safety. I thought about adding Lee to this little equation, but as long as no one saw us together, he’d more than likely remain safe. Plus he wouldn’t be too happy about being tailed by any angel. I shook my head.

  “As for the appearance of your wings,” Elyon continued, “before you, wings were either white or black.”

  Duh. “What about the person before me?”

  “Wings like yours have never existed before. We don’t believe the one before you lived very long with the sight before they took their end.”

  So much for a kindred spirit. “What else can you tell me?”

  “Only that we believe you may not be able to roam the streets freely.”

  “Why?” I asked, unable to decipher if his vague statement was intended as a threat or not.

  “There may be more surprises coming your way soon.”

  “Like what?” No one knew the definition of surprises like I did.

  “There’s no way of knowing, but as your wings signal an escalation, the consensus is your sight most likely isn’t done with you yet.”

  “Expect the unexpected. Is that the best you can do?” A new, more familiar kind of fire built up in me. One I was used to unleashing around Kade, thanks to his constant prodding and tactic-switching.

  Cam’s eyes perked up. “Rayna.” His voice was a combination of surprise and scolding.

  “What?” I sniped at him.

  “Have some respect.” He motioned to Elyon.

  I bolted off the sofa. “You don’t understand. I’ve waited years for answers. And while that may not seem like a long time to those of you who can surpass time, for me it’s a good chunk of the life I’ve had—of whatever life I have left. And what do I get? Vague B.S.”

  Silence cloaked the room.

  “You are an emotional girl, Rayna. Camael never mentioned that before. It’s understandable, seeing the trials you’ve gone through. However, it would be in your best interests to—”

  My phone blared from my back pocket. Without looking at the number, I excused myself, walking through the rear doorway of the living room into the kitchen and toward the first private room I could find—a navy blue and gold powder room off the hall. I closed the door behind me then leaned into it before looking at my phone.

  I didn’t know who to expect since my phone never rang, but the number didn’t look familiar. I clicked the button, fighting every instinct to want to hear Kade’s voice on the other end. “Hello?”

  “Rayna? It’s Gina.”

  “Gina?”

  “Yeah. I hope it’s okay that I called. I got your number from Lee’s phone. Do you have some time today? I think it would be a good idea if we talked, woman to woman.”

  Gina Garson was calling me for girl talk? Elyon was right; surprises were coming. Though I doubted Lee’s pregnant girlfriend or “it’s complicated” partner-in-crime was what he had in mind with his vague warning.

  The harsh whisper of hushed voices hummed through the small vent at the base of the wall. I let the silence on the phone trail on to see if I could make out any of what the voices were saying.

  “Is that a no? Because I saw how not into me you were at the tree lighting. Lee told me after the fact he didn’t mention that he was bringing me along. If I knew earlier…” I let her go on and pulled the phone away from my ear.

  Cam and Elyon. I could almost hear them in the living room.

  “Uh, sure. I’ll be there,” I said quietly into the phone while Gina was still talking.

  “You will? Great. Meet me across the street from school in thirty minutes. Gotta go.”

  What had I just agreed to? I rolled my eyes and slowly closed my phone. The voices were severely muffled by the walls between us. I slipped the phone into my back pocket and knelt by the vent. The volume only got marginally louder. I still couldn’t make out what they were saying. My shoe squeaked in a tiny puddle of water while I made my way to the door. I stopped, waited. They resumed their conversation. I pulled down on the gold door handle and cracked the door half an inch.

  “Not long ago you were a model for the others,” Elyon said. “What happened?”

  “I,” Cam started, “don’t know, not really. But it won’t happen again.”

  “We told you to stay close to her, not Fall for her. There is a gravity of difference there. You’re lucky I’m the one they sent down. Anyone else would turn you in without another thought. Be sure it doesn’t happen again, Camael. Bottle your emotions before they become your downfall. We can’t lose you. Not when we are so close to the end game.”

  Cam was in danger around me. He could Fall for what we’d done, for what I’d regretted even before we got caught. It—I—was so stupid.

  A strange ache formed in my chest. Kade had told me to stay away from Cam, had warned me of this exact thing. Could it have come close to how he Fell?

  I lowered my head and clutched the front of my sweater. Why couldn’t I be with one of them without hesitating, without thinking of the other? What was wrong with me?

  The walls of the bathroom closed in on me. I shut my eyes. A far away sound of running water, possibly from the apartment next door or above, triggered that awful memory atop the Golden Gate Bridge, looking down, down, down. The waves swirling around an opening the size of twelve buses, exposing the horrifying green lights of Hell, and the twisting, writhing bodies reaching up for any
thing they could get their hands on. I forced my eyes open and barreled out the door, knocking into a side table. An ancient-looking urn wobbled.

  “Rayna?” Cam’s voice was close enough to make me freeze.

  The urn rocked on its edges a few more times before tipping on its side and rolling off the table. Ceramic shards exploded outward. The most expensive-looking blue, white, and gold masterpiece, now nothing more than confetti.

  “I…” I bent to scoop up the pieces. “I’m so sorry.”

  Cam stepped over the pieces, the soles of his shoes crunching on the rubble. He grabbed my wrist before I could touch the remains and pulled me up. We were almost toe-to-toe, so close I could smell my shampoo on him, mingling with the earthy, heady scent of him. “It’s okay.” His eyes remained strong, reassuring me his words were for more than the broken remains of his property.

  And this, of all things, brought a fresh flush of tears to my eyes. I bit the inside of my cheek to stay the flow of tears. “I have to go,” I found myself saying. Before I did something I couldn’t apologize for.

  “The world outside isn’t as safe as it seems,” Elyon said. Cam pivoted to the side, his wings no longer blocking my view of Elyon in the nearby kitchen. “I would recommend you stay close.” He looked from me to Cam and back again. “Where we can keep an eye on you.”

  Being close to Cam after what we’d just shared didn’t sound like the best idea. And these days I was just stupid enough to ruin everything in half a second.

  “And in the future, I’d appreciate you keeping your hands off our angels.”

  Ouch.

  I slid my wrist free from Cam’s fingers and turned for the door. Elyon didn’t move to allow me by, so I had to brush against his wings on my way out. Even without a glance back, I could feel Elyon’s eyes burning holes in my back.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rayna

  Watching my former classmates pour out the front doors and trickle down the stairs of Stratford Independence High School was a surreal experience. Not that long ago I was one of them, a sheep among the wolves. More like a sheep among sheep, at least until Azriel arrived and started his slaughter. Three students had died in that slaughter. Allison Woodward, Tony DiMeeko, and Cassie Waters. I’d been there for Cassie’s death. I’d heard the snap of the gunshot, smelled the gunpowder, and felt the warm spray of her blood hit my face.

  My hands started to shake.

  Cars trucked by, their exhaust filling the air, burning my nostrils, the acrid taste making its way toward my tongue and lingering there. My stomach churned.

  Faces. Too many faces.

  I closed my eyes and backed into the building behind me, my wings fading through the brick. In the darkness of my mind I could see Dad’s face, Laylah’s, Lee’s, Cam’s, and Kade’s. How could one person screw things up so badly?

  All I’d ever wanted was to be sane. Thanks to finding Mom’s paperwork, I didn’t know if that would ever be an attainable goal anymore. That dropkicked sanity out the door—right along with being able to keep my family safe.

  Those angels had better make sure nothing happened to Laylah. I didn’t like anything about talking to a high-ranking angel regarding her, but I might have to insist on her own personal angel guard the next time we talked. First I had to know if I could trust him.

  Then there was the kiss with Cam. Things went way farther than they should have. For an instant I was bonded to him, molded against his body. A body that shouldn’t be touched by human hands. Even as I thought about it, my stomach clenched. Cam was everything a girl could ever want.

  Across the street, Luke Harper strolled out the front doors with a few of his friends. I pulled out the knit cap I stored in my pocket beside my favorite book, tugged it down lower, and brushed the strands of my wig closer to my face. Luke was the one person Cam and I were able to save during Azriel’s reign. Well, him and Lee.

  “Luke, wait up!” Gina jogged from the doorway to where he and his friends were.

  He didn’t even attempt to slow down for her. Today she wore a long, multicolored sweater dress and magenta leggings. The fabric clung to her stomach, making her look a little rounder. She didn’t really look pregnant. Yet. But she would soon enough. And she was dating my best friend.

  Luke and Gina had a short exchange I couldn’t hear from across the street, one I watched closely. They didn’t so much as touch, and when Luke walked away, he was shaking his head to his friends. Obviously things didn’t go well. At least I didn’t spot any lingering sexual tension. Then again, maybe all that goes out the window when teenagers learn they’re going to be parents.

  Gina bolted across the street, weaving between cars gridlocked to pick their kids up from school.

  “Careful,” I told her. “If anything happens to you while you’re with me, Lee will have my head.”

  She laughed it off and slung her messenger bag over her head. She thought it was a joke.

  “Here.” I grabbed the strap of her bag and hefted it over my shoulder.

  “Thanks, Ray, and thanks for meeting me.”

  The sound of my name from her lips set me on edge. I turned to look behind me. Twice. Once over each shoulder. “Maybe just call me Lola in public, okay?”

  “Ah. Got it, chica.” She lifted the flap of her bag and yanked out a light jacket, which eased the weight of the bag on my shoulder a little. “I guess it wouldn’t be so hot if, after all this time, I was the one that got you caught.”

  Alarm bells clanged in my head. Instead of girl talk or whatever she’d asked me to do with her, had Gina secretly planned to call the cops and get rid of me?

  There had to be easier ways to turn me in. She could have asked me meet her somewhere crowded and arranged for the police to arrest me or cart me back to the SS Crazy. It would have been a neater end on her part. Nothing to clean up. Unless she hated me enough to want to see it for herself.

  Paranoia. Just pure paranoia. I was spending too much time with Kade.

  “I don’t trust you.” It came out of my mouth without a filter.

  “Uh, oh. Okay. At least we’re being honest.” She shook her ringlet curls over her shoulders and a frown line appeared in her dark skin. “And since we’re being honest, I didn’t think much of you in school.”

  My B.S. meter was hitting off the charts. “You didn’t think much of me? C’mon. You can do better than that. You called me a tweaker freak.” This didn’t bother me so much anymore. After being stalked by pure evil and almost dragged into Hell, I could handle a few unflattering nicknames.

  “Yeah. You caught me at a bad time.”

  I tried not to laugh.

  “Hey, I just found out I was pregnant and I was going through a break up with the kid’s dad. It sucked.”

  “It didn’t look like it was going much better today.”

  She swung her head around to look at me.

  “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop this time. I was waiting for you across the street.”

  “Yeah. He’s still being a dick. Everyone at school is. Even my friends. After everything went down the night of the Halloween dance, Lee was the only one who would talk to me. And with you gone, too, he and I started hanging out at lunch, then after school. My parents weren’t making my life easy after they found out about…” She rubbed her stomach. “We became friends. Then, just recently, it turned into, I don’t know. More.”

  “Where is Lee today?”

  “He left school early for a therapy session.” The therapy I assumed his mother insisted on after Azriel forced him to take a bottle of her sleeping pills.

  I would never stop looking out for my best friend. “You worry me—the two of you together.”

  We turned the corner onto Market Street, a wide, dirty thoroughfare cluttered with shops and cars. We slipped into the crowd of people gathered waiting for the light to cross the major intersection.

  “Because I’m a bitch or because I’m pregnant?” I would have expected all this honesty to throw a popula
r girl for a loop—most of the ones I knew made entire high school careers out of lying and pretending—but Gina rolled with the punches and surprised me at every turn.

  “Both.”

  She nodded, belting her jacket against the uptake in wind as we crossed the street. “If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can say to change your opinion of me.”

  “Why did you want to meet, then?”

  She pointed and we followed the crowd into the San Francisco Shopping Center. Escalators curved, circling around the oval-shaped shopping mall.

  “I told you when I called. I need help picking out a Christmas gift for Lee. Weren’t you listening?”

  “I was…distracted.” I followed her onto the escalator.

  “Hmm.” She concealed a smirk.

  “What?”

  “That was the first time I doubted you were telling me the truth.” We walked around on the second floor before taking the short hallway that connected to the Westfield Mall, filled to the brim with expensive, upscale stores on every floor. I guess one mall wasn’t enough; they had to bridge two together. “What have you been up to without school anyway?”

  “I had a job. Just got fired.” Why was I telling her all of this? I realized I’d been compartmentalizing since Kade and I had our falling out. I needed a friend.

  “Ouch. Why? What did you do?”

  “My dad. He’s in the hospital. I left early to see him. Didn’t tell anyone. May not have locked up, either. I don’t really remember.”

  “Lee told me this morning about your dad. I’m sorry.” Her gloved hand rested on my arm until someone walked between us.

  I forced a smile. “Thanks. He called earlier. I’d rather keep him out of…this mess with…” I stopped myself before I said too much.

  “Is this about…the, uh…?”

  I let her question hang between us as we made our way up and down all the floors. Gina didn’t look twice at a single store. Good. She knew Lee enough to know he wouldn’t go for any of the mainstream stuff.