“What’s that?” I snapped.
He yawned, didn’t even look up. Oh goody, his hair was purple today—did that mean he was extra horny or just a little bit?
“Botany, you… dumb… ass.” He said it slowly for my benefit, fantastic. I let out a growl and nearly chucked a chair in his direction, but I restrained myself since I could sense his very intense need for a fight.
“Trouble in paradise?” I grinned menacingly.
“She’s tired because I have strong sperm, and that’s all you need to know.” He finally looked up and winked. “So I need a hobby.”
“And you chose botany?” I laughed.
“No.” Alex stood and towered over his book. “I chose a challenge. You should see my garden compared to Mason’s.”
“Heard that.” Mason was eating, again, as he walked into the library and then spread his arms wide
, apple in his right hand, another cluster of grapes in his left, reminding me yet again of my dream. What the hell was going on? “Come on, Timber, I’ll show you.”
“Yes. Can’t wait. I was hoping this would turn into garden hour…” I said under my breath as I followed them outside into the blinding Seattle light.
It never felt warm against my skin, the light, it just felt, invasive in a way that wasn’t welcome; it made me want to crawl into a cave and sulk about all the ways the world had wronged me. Beyond that, light always reminded me of something I had lost which just made it even that much more painful to experience.
Strange, since Kyra smelled exactly like the sunshine surrounding me and that never bothered me the way the actual sun did.
Huh.
I let out a rough exhale and put on a pair of Ray Bans, truly channeling my inner demon, and stepped out into the light.
I didn’t realize the sort of mistake I had made until the smile fell from Alex’s face, which was rare; he always found something to be amused about or with.
“Timber.” Alex’s voice boomed as I physically witnessed his power—he went from purple hair to fire orange with energy radiating around him. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Standing,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Shit,” Mason said under his breath, reaching out to me, “Just, step away from the garden.”
I followed his gaze. My black shoes had barely touched the edge of the grass that led down to the garden, and already a small trickle of dead moved like a shadow toward the tomato plants slowly and surely causing the leaves to crinkle up and fall to ash.
“So,” Cassius walked outside. “It’s come to this?”
“Come to what?” Ethan looked down at my feet and then up into my eyes, and then he did the strangest thing, he put his arm out and blocked both fallen angels as if I was the bad guy when they could kick my ass—except for last time, I guess.
I frowned. I wasn’t the enemy here, I was part of a fallen race, yes, but I had a restored soul now. I was good, I wouldn’t kill them, at least not in their own home, and I sure as hell—
“…can he hear us?” Ethan asked right in front of me.
I opened my mouth to speak but realized within seconds that my body wouldn’t let me.
I gave my head a shake and held out my hands in front of me as a pulsing awareness wrapped itself around my arm growing all the way up toward my shoulder.
I quickly jerked out of my button-down black shirt and threw it to the ground.
“Weeellll…” Mason gulped, his skin growing pale. “At least we know it’s growing at a more rapid rate now.”
I opened my mouth again and gave Cassius a helpless stare. He moved Ethan out of the way and approached while I put my hands up to stop him. I didn’t want to hurt him, and I had no control over my body, I could just stand there and exist.
“Speak!” Cassius’ voice thundered so loud that my ears rang. “Now!”
I shook my head no, because I truly couldn’t.