“Gods, you’re cute when you get territorial,” Annex says, bumping his cheek against mine. “Message received, loud and clear. We’ll both ignore that I’ve already told you multiple times that I don’t want anyone but you.”
Zephyr appears in the living room in a white cloud of shimmery smoke. It’s much different from the color scheme when I siphon, but I’m more concerned with the look on his face and the heaviness that surrounds him.
“Right, now that you’re back, I’m going to pop into the club,” Annex says. Somehow while we were cuddling, he ended up wedged between me and the back of the couch. He plants a kiss on my cheek and siphons away before I can ask to go with him.
Way to abandon me with the guy who wants to kill me. Or he would if he understood what I did.
Dammit.
Zephyr crosses the room in three large strides, and his wings twitch as he pulls them close to his back.
I’m not sure if I’m picking up on his emotions or if the look on his face gives it away, but I struggle to push myself up until I’m sitting and ask, “Are you okay?”
His head shakes, making his long, whitish-blond hair fall around his face. “I-I…”
I turn and stand, moving closer while almost afraid to touch him with the misery that rolls off him in waves.
He slides a hand around the back of my head and tugs me flush with his chest.
I blink repeatedly as he wraps his other arm around my lower back and completely blocks me in with his wings.
It’s like a cocoon of safety.
I’m kind of jealous I don’t have wings, but feeling Zephyr’s sadness is enough to refocus my attention.
There’s no instruction manual for how to handle an emotionally distraught angel, but I grew up with a very moody half vampire, half alpha wolf sister, so I figure I can probably treat them the same. They’re both likely to lash out. You just have to be more alpha than they are and command the situation while tricking them into calming down.
All that goes out the window as Zephyr exhales heavily, making his chest rattle under my cheek.
Okay, he’s really upset.
Not just the tantrum kind I’m used to with my sister.
My arms wrap around his lower back just below his wings. “I’m sorry you’re upset.”
“I need to hold you right now.” The waver in his tone makes my skin prickle with unease.
I bite my cheek to keep from blurting out the truth of how his friend died. Not that knowing would help him feel any better, but it might help the gnawing guilt that threatens to consume me from the inside out.
I truly don’t understand how humans lie and keep secrets. I’m not built for subterfuge. Normally, what you see is what you get with me, and I like it that way. I don’t ever feel the need to apologize for doing what the universe created me for, but now I’m weighing the pros and cons of permanently starving myself.
I didn’t throw up the food he forced me to eat earlier. Maybe I could survive on a diet like a witch?
Zephyr cradles my skull, nuzzling his cheek to the top of my head. “I had a meeting with some friends…” He sighs. “I really don’t want to talk about that. Let me hold you?”
I nod, but I don’t think he even notices. He’s already in the process of moving us to the couch. He somehow manages to take a seat and pull me into his lap in one smooth movement.
I’m a little disappointed when his wings recede, disappearing behind his back. At least his arms stay tucked around me.
“I’m sorry you had a bad day,” I tell him, running my fingers over his collarbone.
Zephyr sighs like an old man. “It’s not your fault. I’m afraid I may have misjudged who Levi was, and that leaves me wondering what else I’ve failed at recently.”
Chapter Eighteen
Zephyr
Hazel feels nice sitting in my lap. After the world’s most uncomfortable conversation, where I was firmly schooled about how little I know, all I wanted to do was see her.
