Chapter 17
ANGEL
“Angel, darling?”
I flinched like I’d been hit. My head whipped around to Eli, who sat at the kitchen table. I’d been on the couch, pretending to read but staring at the same page for the last hour.
“Why’d you call me that?” I signed. “You’ve never called me that before.”
Eli eyed me in surprise. “And you clearly don’t like it,” he said slowly, “so I’ll refrain from saying it again. But can you please help me make this decision?”
Frustrated, I slammed the book shut and tromped into the kitchen. To make things easier during the planning process, Eli was staying with us above the bar. While it would’ve made the most sense for me to move in with him, I didn’t want to be more than a few feet from Raleigh—even if we were hardly speaking. I hadn’t missed the pain in Raleigh’s eyes when I told him I was engaged. And again a couple of nights ago, when I told him I’d be moving to Seattle. The way I’d broken the news to him hadn’t quite sat right with me either, but it was the responsible thing to do.
Right?
Eli had a spread of objects before him, from fabric samples to books of color swatches. Catering menus littered the other side of the table and no fewer than a dozen boxes of individual cake slices sat piled high on the counter. The mess didn’t stop in the kitchen. I had three suits hanging in my bedroom waiting for me to try on. I was avoiding them like the plague. Frankly, it looked like the Wedding Planner incarnate had thrown up all over the apartment.
I had to hand it to Eli, though: He was organized, excited, and was taking care of nearly everything. Once we’d learned about his acceptance into the early fellowship program, we agreed the wedding day needed to be moved up. Eli had already wanted a short engagement, but his new start date sped up the process so much more. It was either move the wedding up, or wait until we found time to travel—and I didn’t even need to ask to know that Eli wasn’t keen on the idea of waiting. That left us with barely a month between our engagement and our wedding day. Which, to be honest, scared the absolute shit out of me.
“If you make me taste anymore cake, I’ll be sick again and make you take care of me,” I signed in an attempt to lighten the mood—but it wasn’t far from the truth. Even if it wasn’t the sugar that sat uncomfortably in the pit of my stomach.
Eli smiled. “No more cake, I promise. I’ll never be able to look at German chocolate the same way.” I stepped into his arms, letting his hand rest on my hip, and I tried to feel the same thrill—or at least affection—that I felt with Raleigh. I tried like hell to find comfort in the small action, in the way his hand slightly teased under my shirt.
But I felt nothing. No, it was worse than that: I missed the feeling of Raleigh’s rings dragging across my skin.
Eli held up two color swatches in front of me. “Blissful Blue or Lauren’s Surprise?”
I frowned down at the samples. They were just… blue. “Who’s Lauren?” I asked.
“I don’t know, and honestly I’m scared of what the surprise might be.”
Out of familiarity, I combed my hands through Eli’s hair. He damn near purred and briefly leaned into my touch before he looked up at me, green eyes glittering in the light. “But I love the color itself. What do you think?”
“If you like Lauren, let’s go with that one.” I stamped a kiss to his hair and moved to the couch, hoping that my book would prove a better, or at least more appropriate, distraction.
“But which one do you like?”
“I like both.” That was the truth. I liked blue—though there was a distinct shade of blue that tended to be my favorite, and it had nothing to do with Lauren or her surprises.
Eli sighed and let the samples fall to the table. “Angel, please. This is our wedding we’re talking about. I want you involved.”
“I’m going to be involved no matter what color the napkins are.”
“I want you involved in the decisions ,” he repeated.
My phone chimed and I lunged to answer it, hoping it was Raleigh. This was the longest we’d gone without really speaking to each other, and the closer to the wedding we got, the more I felt the distance. When I saw his name on the screen, my heart skipped a beat.
Eli made a disgruntled noise. “Do you have to answer that right now? We’re in the middle of a conversation.”
Reluctantly, I set my phone down before reading the message. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think I don’t care. I’m just not this kind of guy. I’m marrying you . Lauren and her surprises are the least of my concerns.”
At that, Eli’s face softened—until my phone chimed again and I looked away. With something approaching a sigh, he asked, “Is it Raleigh?”
It was. He was asking me to cover the bar. I looked back at Eli, who was staring at me expectantly. His eyes skirted to the side, but he returned his attention to my hands when they moved. “What if it is?”
“Hm?”
He knew damn well what I was implying. “Why is it a problem if it’s Raleigh?”
“I didn’t say it was a problem.”
I stared at him. “I’m nonverbal, Eli. I’m good at reading facial expressions.”
Eli returned his attention to the display of wedding plans in front of him, but he muttered, “You always go running when he calls you, that’s all.”
All it took for him to block me out was to simply avoid looking at me—and it pissed me off. I banged on the table next to the couch, startling him into looking back at me so I could speak. “He’s my best friend, and he’s always done the same for me.” My gestures were sharp, emphasizing my point.
“So have I,” he said softly. “Would you do that for me?”
Stunned, it took me a moment to comprehend the meaning behind his words. Eli had never been a jealous person before, so where was this all coming from?
Eli took my hand, opening his emotions to my powers. Pain slammed into me so hard that I fought to catch my breath. He knew . Or at the very least, he suspected. I shoved the shame aside in anger. I’d chosen him. I was giving up so much—more than he realized—for this man.
“I’m moving to another state for you, away from everything I’ve ever known.”
“You’ll still have me.” He cleared his throat. “You mean from Raleigh, don’t you?”
I didn’t know what to say. He was right, but that only infuriated me more. “Where the hell is this coming from?” I demanded. “And you better not blame it on wedding stress.”
Before Eli could answer, my phone went off a third time. He jabbed his head toward it. “Better answer him.”
Raleigh’s name popped up a third time, and a chill shot down my spine. My marks stirred beneath my skin uncomfortably, which never happened, driving a spike of panic into my chest.
Whatever stick Eli had up his ass would just have to wait. “There’s a situation downstairs,” I signed stiffly, rising to my feet.
“Of course there is.”
I chose not to address that comment, but as I stormed out of the apartment and made my way downstairs, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Eli couldn’t have known, right? As much as it pained me to wash Raleigh’s scent off, I’d scrubbed myself until my skin was raw that night.
I descended the stairs, pausing by the closed door. The loud music and sheer number of people out there gave me pause, but the burning beneath my skin pushed me onward.
As usual, the bar was bustling. I could hardly see through the wall of people, much less find a familiar face on the floor. I wormed my way through the crowd of people toward the main bar, where Jack was serving customers. His brow furrowed when he saw me. I waited at the end of the rail until he finished mixing his drink.
He sauntered over, emerald eyeliner glowing under the blacklights. “What’s going on?”
“Raleigh said he needed me. Have you seen him?” Jack licked his lips, eyes distant as he translated my sentence in his head.
Clearly puzzled, he looked toward the door. “I swore he was just here.”
I glanced toward the door, to where Raleigh typically posted himself for the night. Luckily, when I turned back to Jack, Ryder appeared at his shoulder.
“Have you seen Raleigh?” Jack asked him.
Ryder shook his head. “Bathroom, maybe?”
Even Jack knew Raleigh wouldn’t step away from his post without letting someone know where he was. Alarm bells went off in my head.
Ryder and Jack exchanged a look, and I knew what was coming. Before either of them could offer, I signed, “No problem, I’ll go find him.”
“Are you sure?” Ryder asked as he expertly flipped a cocktail shaker for the guest next to me. “If you give me a moment, I can?—”
“It’s fine,” I insisted. “It’s too busy in here to risk losing either of you. Keep an eye on things?”
They both nodded, but Ryder’s eyes never left me as I backtracked through the bar. My first thought was to check the office, but it was empty. I already knew he hadn’t gone upstairs, unless I’d missed him while picking my way to the bar.
No, Eli would’ve texted me. Or not, considering the mood he was in when I fled. I leaned against the wall outside the office, scratching my arms absently. God damn they itched.
What should I do? Raleigh was missing, and my powers hadn’t been this demanding since the night he’d spent in Beverly Hills. I shook out my arms, trying to will the incessant tingling away.
It persisted, keeping me on edge. Between my powers buzzing under my skin and my panic flooding my mind, it was too much.
Fuck it. What did I have to lose?
In the empty hallway, I gave in to my powers. Immediately, the dim space lit up in a soft, golden glow, not quite as bright as when I was alone, but enough that I wouldn’t be able to hide it if someone walked down the hall.
I’d always been in tune to Raleigh, and the moment I opened myself up to my powers, I felt a tug on my senses, like when you can sense someone watching you. Reeling in my powers, I left the hallway, making my way to the front door of the bar on pure instinct, following where the senses guided me.
Out on the sidewalk, Raleigh towered over a crowd of people. He stood with his back to the street, glaring at someone much smaller in front of him. Judging by the fury on his face and the emphatic way he gestured, it was a heated conversation. My wings stirred, the creeping under my skin becoming unbearable. Something wasn’t right, but I didn’t know my powers—didn’t use them enough—to understand what they were telling me.
Raleigh hadn’t noticed me yet, so I worked my way across the sidewalk, the person he was speaking to finally coming into view.
Fuck. It was Billie, and I didn’t like how close they stood to him. Cars whizzed past on the busy street, to the wind of their passage ruffling the arguing pair’s hair.
Billie noticed me first. I was no more than ten feet away, and the evil in their eyes sent a shiver down my spine—and cranked my powers into overdrive. “Of course, your pet’s here.”
Raleigh’s eyes widened, and his anger melted away. He ignored Billie’s sneer. “I thought you and Eli were wedding planning all night,” he said to me instead.
“ Wedding planning?” Billie interrupted before I could respond. They turned slitted eyes on Raleigh. “So that’s why you’ve been so testy tonight.”
“I’m testy because you tried to shut my bar down and have my friend arrested.”
I blinked. What ?
I reached for Raleigh to get his attention.
He shook his head. “Go back inside and watch the bar,” he said, “I’ve got this handled.”
Like hell. “Got what handled? What are you talking about?”
“I’m still talking to you, Raleigh,” Billie interjected, clearly annoyed that he was ignoring them.
“Well, I’m through talking to you,” Raleigh snapped. “If you have anything to say to me, take it up with the lawyer that I hired because of the stunt you pulled.”
Billie stepped between me and Raleigh, forcing him backward, and dangerously close to the curb.
My anxiety dialed up to ten. Scratch that, ten was its resting heart rate, it rocketed up to twenty . My pulse hammered in my ears so loudly that I could no longer hear what Billie was saying. It took everything I had to keep my powers at bay. My hands curled into fists at my sides, trembles zapping up both arms. I could vaguely hear Raleigh calling my name, but I couldn’t respond. I’d never had such a difficult time keeping my powers in check, which could only mean that something big was about to happen.
Was this what that EMT felt on that fateful night when they turned me?
Heat flared through my body. Sweat beaded across my hairline. The people around me faded away. My powers, no longer content to sit on the sidelines, forced their way out of me. I knew what would happen before it occurred.
The space around me illuminated a vibrant gold, my hair lighting up like Christmas lights. My marks flared, eyes blinking after so long dormant. I shuddered as my wings broke free of my skin.
Then it happened.
Raleigh and Billie were screaming at each other, but I couldn’t make out the words. Billie surged forward, and time slowed. Planting both hands on Raleigh’s chest, they shoved with everything they had.
Raleigh, not expecting the move, fell back and his ankle twisted on the curb with a gut-wrenching crack .
But that wasn’t what my powers were building up to.
They were building up to the large truck barreling down on Raleigh as he pitched backward into traffic.
I didn’t even think. I reacted.