Chapter 10
10
TLALLI
“ S o what is their plan, then? The angels.”
Tlalli caught Cahuani’s gaze in the mirror in front of her as he ironed his shirt, his dark curls still dripping and his inked bare chest slick with moisture. She bit her lip, her fresh coat of dark-red lipstick staining her teeth.
Focus, Tlalli . She blinked as she caught up to his question.
She had forgotten they hadn’t discussed that yet; she had been prepared to tell him every single detail since she saw him in the bar.
After standing up from the vanity, she turned and moved toward him until she could whisper in his ear. Not because she wanted to be near him or anything but because these walls talked, as he’d pointed out the day before. “They’re planning to swap it out.”
He stopped abruptly, and she had to pull his hand that was holding the iron away from his shirt before the fabric started to burn.
He set the iron down with a grunt, then turned to her fully. “When?”
She sighed. “The plan was to do it just before the auction closed... Well, Elias’s plan was to do it just before the auction closed, and Michael was in agreement with that when we left. Anthony’s plan was to wait until you had it so that he had a reason to attack you and your demons.”
Though she found no sign of hurt in his face, she could still feel the emotion whirling around him like a growing storm. She tried not to think about the fact that if she could feel his emotions like this, it meant he had truly—and willingly—let her in.
Yet after a moment, she realized that while hurt may have been there, another emotion she might have expected was surely not—fear. What was this plan he was so confident in?
“Given that, I would say it’s best you and I take it sooner rather than later,” she suggested carefully, trying to see if he might give her some details of the plan willingly. “If Elias feels like he has to do it sooner himself, he will. My question is, will you be able to tell the fake from the original if they do manage to get it?”
He nodded. Then his eyes met hers, and she knew what would come next. It occurred to her then that she might be more terrified of this mutual trust than he would ever be.
“The item was designed and crafted by one of the Puri,” he explained after a beat. “The one they call ‘Sloth.’ Acheron, one of the demons that came with me, was created by him as well. Acheron would be able to tell if it came from their shared creator or not.”
“Really? I never knew that about demons.”
“And until you are free of the angels, you still don’t.”
He gave her a wide smile, as if to apologize for having to say so, but she understood. And she wouldn’t betray him again. She knew that. Even if the sex weren’t as good as it was, she still wanted out of the Dominion. Although the sex did make her want out more because, well, sex with Cahuani felt a lot like freedom.
Either way, she wasn’t leaving here with Anthony. She refused.
“Regardless,” he went on, picking up the iron again, “there’s no need to worry. Neither Elias nor Anthony will be able to retrieve that item before us.”
Again, his confidence was solid and unyielding, and it piqued her curiosity.
“How can you be so sure?” she finally asked outright.
He glanced up at her, his eyes glinting. “Because in order to retrieve it, they would need to be able to see it while it’s cloaked, and they cannot.”
It all clicked into place. “But Acheron can.”
“Exactly.”
He didn’t seem at all worried that she might let that slip to Elias or Anthony either; she wasn’t sure if that meant he did trust her now or the plan was that foolproof. She decided to leave that designation to him and him alone.
“I know Anthony will have his suspicions for the duration of this outing,” he went on, “but what about Elias? Do you think he’ll know?”
“What, that I’m getting out?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Now who’s forgetting who they’re talking to? The reason I have been around this long is that I am very good at hiding things from everyone.” Including myself. “I know what I’m doing, and I can assure you, I can handle those two.”
He stared at her in that way he did when he was trying to determine what route to take from whatever she’d just said, and something about it... Well, something about that pause felt so much like the grace she had constantly been denied by even the most gracious. It was like he was actually listening to understand and not just to respond.
“Then I believe you can do it.”
He started to lean in but then seemed to think twice, pulling back and focusing on his ironing again. She didn’t think twice, however, gripping his face and turning it toward her to smother his lips with her own.
The shirt did burn this time, but it was a much quicker fix than the larger mess at hand would be.
She was still walking on clouds when she left his suite, projecting herself down to the grounds outside so that she could come in through the front door. Not that it mattered. She had already told Anthony she had no intention of sharing a suite with him this weekend, and although she had planned to step out of this realm altogether as opposed to sleeping in Cahuani’s bed, Anthony need not know the details.
She was happy to find that her human skin fit far more comfortably than it did the day before, and the soreness in her throat and between her thighs only served as a reminder of the gift she had received last night. And this morning. And fifteen minutes ago.
Fuck . There was nothing Tlalli had ever experienced, in Heaven or elsewhere, that could contend with what Cahuani had put her through in the past twelve hours. Her human body was sore, but her celestial spirit was stronger than it had ever been, and she quickly concluded that she would have done anything for Cahuani’s touch if she’d known it was this good beforehand.
Shit, if she would’ve fucked him back before she robbed him—which could have certainly been the move if he hadn’t been happily married at the time—she might have called the whole thing off and told him the angels’ entire plan. That was how good he had it. That was how much Cahuani differed from Anthony.
But it wasn’t just the sex, loath as she was to admit it. It could never just be the sex. That man cared, and that scared her more than anything Anthony could ever do to her.
So she focused on the fuck because the fuck was the easiest thing to focus on. She knew damn well her little souvenir was not going to be enough, no matter how many times she watched it. She needed at least six months just to sit on his face because the way he flicked his tongue right before?—
“Okay,” she huffed to herself, stepping into the elevator.
Of course, it was easier to keep her mind off Cahuani once she was back in Anthony’s suite.
Anthony went off the moment he saw her, while Elias sat on the couch looking miserable, his head resting against his palm and his fingers twisting subtly in his hair.
“Where the fuck were you, Goldie!”
“I told you already, Anthony.” She sighed, dropping onto a chair. She supposed it had been too much to hope for a different line of questioning at the very least, something she could actually engage with, something that would make her angry rather than just—tired. He was so boring with his bullshit. “And I’m not gonna tell you again, because I didn’t have to tell you at all.”
“You’re lying!”
“Even if I were, it’s none of your business!”
“Anthony, we got a fuckin’ job to do,” Elias finally snapped, surprising Tlalli. She’d never heard him sound so... affected . “You been at this all damn night. You want me to tell Michael you can’t do your job, let me know, but I’m not letting you jeopardize this. I’m not taking any licks for you again.”
“Oh, fuck you, Elias,” Anthony shot back. “I’m asking where she’s been because she’s been talking to my father! And how do you know she isn’t plotting on us to get back at me for whatever she’s mad about now!”
Tlalli looked at Elias, who looked back at her before they both burst into laughter. This was why she wasn’t worried about him. They might not be friends, but they understood each other. They were the same type of person. They put their heads down and did their work, and they didn’t ask too many questions. The difference was that Elias had been there so long, the disenchantment simply became part of the charm for him. He probably wouldn’t know how to believe in something new. This was his safe place. He would never leave. And she could never stay.
For the first time, she was grateful they weren’t friends.
“You gotta get over yourself, Anthony.” Elias sighed, removing his glasses and drying his eyes.
“No, for real,” Tlalli said, “because I’m not new to this, and I’m not you. I don’t do foolish shit just because you piss me off. I don’t let anybody have that much power over me.”
“Oh, really?” Anthony scoffed. “You think Michael would like to hear that?”
“You wanna go tattle to your sky daddy, fine by me.” And I’ll tell my daddy was what she wanted to say, but she thought better of it. “Until then, if you’re not talkin’ business, you have no business talkin’ to me.”
Anthony pointed a finger at her. “You keep it up, Tlalli, and you won’t leave here with me.”
She had to fight not to laugh. “Don’t threaten me with a blessing, Anthony.”
“Go get yourself a drink downstairs, Anthony, huh?” Elias replied. It was evident that his attitude wasn’t just about Tlalli. The giddiness and energy Elias was acting with right now told Tlalli that he was just as fed up with Anthony as she was. “Let the adults talk for a bit.”
Anthony looked like he wanted to argue, but then he always wanted to argue. He seemed to change his mind at the last minute, instead fixing his shirt and storming toward the door. Only then did Tlalli realize why she felt so disappointed. He hadn’t mentioned seeing the video, which she had definitely sent to her phone first thing this morning despite her better judgment. Guess she’d left the ringer off. Shame.
“How did you end up dating him in the first place?” Elias groaned once the door slammed, pinching the bridge of his nose and shutting his eyes. “Like, it was all for the heist, right? It had to be.”
“I wish I could say it was,” she returned. “I mean it was to start, but... Unfortunately, he played me better than I played him for a while there. He wanted out as much as I wanted in, and I hadn’t planned for that.”
Just like Cahuani now. She tried not to let herself go down that road, but she couldn’t deny the truth. She was doing to him what Anthony had done to her, and though it was inconsequential to her, she could not imagine that Cahuani had failed to see that.
She was using him again. Except this time, he was not only aware of it—he was giving her permission.
And yeah, he was getting something out of it, but Tlalli wouldn’t call it an even trade.
“Don’t worry,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. “I regret it every single day.”
“Don’t worry,” he echoed with a wry smile. “I know.”
They stared at each other for the longest time, a moment stretched out into an eternity where she saw things in him, about him, that she had never been privy to before. She had the sneaking suspicion that he was seeing the same, the energy around him more electric than it had ever been and the smile on his face more genuine than she’d ever seen. She liked it. She vowed to commit this specific image of him to memory before she left.
But there was something else, too—like he was holding back or biting his tongue to keep from saying something she couldn’t even begin to guess at. If it had him this excited, however, she naturally wanted to know. Badly.
Elias rubbed his hands on his knees and suddenly sat forward before she could ask. “Look, I’ll let him calm down, and then I’m back on him at all times. And if I have to make a move to make sure we get this thing out of here without bloodshed, I will.”
She stared down at the ground for a while, not letting herself respond too quickly. It was imperative she not give herself away right now. “Well, if that has to happen, promise you’ll keep me in the loop, all right? If I gotta run interference, I’ll do that, painful as it might be.”
“Oh yeah, of course. I’m not gonna cut you out. This is as much your job as it is mine, and I’m not interested in taking credit, as you might know.”
“Oh, really?” she quipped. “I never would have guessed.”
“Fuck off.” They both laughed, but after a moment, his face turned more serious. “Do me a favor though, will you, Gol—Tlalli?”
She froze, the soothing salve of her given name settling upon her shoulders like a warm shawl. She could not remember him ever saying her name. Fuck, she wished he never did.
“What’s that?” she managed, refusing to look at him.
“If I do gotta, you know, put my foot down with him again, and it gets ugly, just—promise me you’ll get as far away as possible.”
No. No no no. Her heart clenched in that torturous human way that made her want to tear her skin off. How dare he ask this of her. How dare he act this way now. It was too late! Too late to be friends. Too late to be anything.
She smirked, shoving at his shoulder, although the shove was halfhearted at best. Fuck, Elias. “Don’t tell me what to do, Elias,” she shot back playfully. “I’m not promising anything of the sort.”
“Well, I figured I had to try saving your hardheaded ass,” he replied after a beat.
“I am who I am.”
“I know. And I appreciate you.”
She realized that might have been the first time any angel had ever said that to her, but before she had the time to fully process that, he disappeared into the bathroom and turned the shower on. Although showering wasn’t something they had to do, it kept their human skins malleable and comfortable. Their magic was indeed limited within these vessels, but it could still cleanse them both inside and out, which was why they also didn’t have to worry about most mortal diseases and physical illnesses. Nonetheless, it was easy for human skin to become stiff and suppressive. Because of this, Tlalli was even more grateful to Cahuani.
Had she actually needed to escape out of existence and into Stasis, she would have had to shed her skin and don it again in the morning, which meant she would have once more had to adjust to it. Although she had worn it since birth, each time they were parted, even for a brief while, she was forced to adjust to it once more. A byproduct of the angels’ magic and their rejection of its limitations.
It wasn’t just the skin, either, but everything that came with it—the emotions, the motor skills, and the cognitive processing. Adjusting was always a struggle that left her miserable for far too long, especially when compounded by Anthony’s abrasive presence. Then it was like one thousand needles poking into her skin.
She wished now that she could run right back upstairs and hide between the sheets, wrapped around Cahuani, pinned down by his body and his charm. Though she quickly shut that fantasy down, already feeling the warmth in her belly begin to heighten.
But in that moment between fantasy and reality, the sound of the shower made its presence known again, and suddenly, Elias and his bare torso populated her thoughts as well.
Oh, she was wildin’. She needed to get her damn head on straight.
She stood up just as the bathroom door opened again and a cloud of steam formed and parted to give way to Elias’s head. And half of his bare torso.
“By the way,” he said quickly, not quite meeting her gaze as he pointed across the room toward his bed. “I put your phone under my mattress. It, uh, went off this morning, but I got to it before Anthony woke up.”
He didn’t wait for a response, and she wasn’t sure she could’ve given him one. He disappeared back into the bathroom, and despite how softly he shut the door again, the click of it seemed to ring out like a gunshot. She gawked at where he once stood, blinking rapidly.
Had he seen the fucking video?
She needed out of this suite at once. She decided it best to be productive and find out what Anthony was doing with his anger. Shutting her eyes, she reached out to see if she could locate him remotely, and to no one’s surprise, she found that the channel that connected them was still open on his end. Typical . He wanted control so badly, yet he had no clue how to wield what little he was given. A weak motherfucker through and through.
He was stalking through the lobby when she got eyes on him, looking every bit as pissed off as his spirit felt. She veiled herself from his vision, her magic sparking around her like electricity before it quieted. Then she posted up near the concierge desk, where the concierge was trading information with the many attendees flocking in and out of the entrance hall.
“He’s looked like that for the past fifteen minutes.”
At first, Tlalli didn’t realize they were talking, much less talking to her, so it took her a moment to answer. The energy coming off them was certainly not like any other mortal’s, although she couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
“Has he caused anybody any trouble?” she asked.
The concierge shrugged, making it look as though they were simply exhaling as Anthony turned around again. “Only whoever he was hissing at on the phone a few minutes ago, I imagine. Other than that, everyone has steered clear of him.”
“I’m assuming you couldn’t hear what he was saying.”
They only stared at her then, searching for some sign of incentive, no doubt. With a good-spirited roll of her eyes and a snap of her fingers, she made a few bills manifest on the counter. They were there and gone with a flick of the concierge’s wrist.
“I did hear that he said something about wanting to ‘make it happen tonight’ and ‘making it special.’ I’m assuming you have no clue what he was talking about.”
She feigned exasperation. “Yeah, he’s pissed at me. I turned down his proposal, and now he thinks he can find something for sale here that might change my mind. It won’t.”
“That’s good news. You deserve better.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
The concierge nodded curtly before turning their attention to an incoming patron. Tlalli turned her eyes back on Anthony. He was still pacing, but his eyes were on his phone. He wasn’t calming down, it seemed. Instead, he was getting anxious, and usually when he got anxious, he would come looking for an outlet. He would come looking for Tlalli.
She closed off the connection on her end, at once cleansing herself of Anthony’s rotting energy and exhaling in relieved comfort. Rolling her shoulders, she watched as Anthony tapped the screen of his phone and then put it to his ear. His back was to her now, and she moved closer, then came to a standstill near one of the plants flanking the exit. It was easier to evade Anthony sensing her magic if she was standing still.
“Michael, we gotta talk,” Anthony growled into the phone.
Michael. He really was taking this above Elias’s head. The bastard. And not only that, he was breaking the fucking truce to do it. He really was looking for a war.
She was about to confront him, stop him any way she could, but then he spoke again, and she realized that... Michael wasn’t on the other line.
“Call me back,” Anthony snapped. “ASAP. I’m serious. If I have to make a move myself, I will, but it’s not safe. For all we know, they have it already.”
He seemed to hang up, shoving his phone in his pocket, but Tlalli hardly felt any relief. What happened if he did get in touch with Michael? Or worse, what if this wasn’t the first call and he’d been in touch already? And... what if Michael had agreed with Anthony’s plan all along?
She had doubted the Dominion plenty of times over the past couple of years, but this... This was the first time she realized she no longer trusted Michael at all.