Kara stared at him so long, her mouth opening and closing, that he believed she was going to deny it. But in the end, she sealed her lips and said nothing.

“How did you do it?” he asked. “You were a child alone. How in the world did you survive?”

Ash couldn’t fathom it. Before seeing that tree earlier this week, he would have said everything in the wasteland was dead, poisoned beyond rehabilitation by the demon horde and Amducious’ gift. How had she grown it?

“Please tell me. It could be the key to ending the curse.”

She shook her head. “It’s not—believe me. I’ve tried for years, using every occult text I can find. My blood does something, but it doesn’t break the curse. It certainly can’t end it.”

The fact she had tried was news, but it didn’t surprise him. Of course she would have made the attempt, just as he would have in her place. “That doesn’t mean there’s no solution. If we trust each other and work together, we may find a way that neither of us could alone.”

The silence stretched. Kara sat up on the bed, wrapping her arms around her knees. “When you left me, I knew I was going to die…”

He flinched, but rose as well, his arms going around her reflexively. She didn’t push him away.

Kara fingered the coverlet. “I was only five, but I knew what happened to people in the wasteland. They starved to death or worse. There was a man who lived on our street named Jonas. He murdered his brother and became a thief. He believed himself to be a great and terrible villain. He called himself the demon’s disciple reborn.” She broke off to roll her eyes. “Jonas bragged about knowing the wasteland like the back of his hand, but when the thief-takers formed a posse and went after him, he took refuge beyond the fringe. He was dead within the day.”

“The wasteland has a way of humbling the most arrogant among us, myself included.”

She snorted lightly. “I figured I wouldn’t last the day either.”

“I know you were frightened. I’m still so sorry.”

“I was scared, but more than that—I was furious. At you.”

His grimace was almost a smile. “I remember that, too.”

Kara raised an eyebrow. “You gave me food and water. You weren’t supposed to do that, were you?”

“No. The consensus was that providing supplies just prolonged the inevitable. But you were…different. You were so young.”

“I threw it away.”

Ash blinked. “What?”

The corner of her mouth quirked up, but she wasn’t amused. “The food and water. I still remember what was in that bundle you gave me. It was an apple and some stone fruit. There was also a sandwich with some cheese and some sort of grain paste. You said it was your personal rations for the week. You also left me your canteen.”

He’d forgotten about the flask. “I swiped that from Raphael after a healing in Bethesda a long time ago—mainly because he always kept it filled with absinthe.”

Her eyes widened. “I threw away an archangel’s flask?”

“You tossed it, too?”

Her mouth gaped. “I did. After swearing aloud for the first time in my life. I cursed you and the neighbors who gave me up. Then I threw everything down that hill.”

Damn. Even as a child, she’d been fierce.

“What happened next? Did Sij find you?” With satisfaction, he pictured the old crone being knocked in the head by the flask.

“No. I didn’t meet her until much later. I was on my own for years—mostly by intent. I didn’t trust anyone.”

“But what did you do for food?” He still didn’t understand.

“The flask spilled open. I slipped on the mud it made at the top of the hill, and then cut myself on a rock sliding down the ravine. I remember being surprised and out of breath when I landed at the bottom. The impact broke through a couple of dry layers of crusted dirt to reveal more mud underneath. It splashed all over my pants.”

“I dug and dug until I found a spring coming out between the two boulders. Near it was some kind of wild grass—something close to the onion family. The bulbs at the bottom were bitter but edible. I spent weeks living off that stuff. Slowly, I ventured farther and farther, but I couldn’t find anything else to eat. Not until I went back where I’d thrown the food away.”

Realization hit home “And you found the fruit you’d thrown away had sprouted into a tree,” he finished, connecting the dots.

She nodded. “So, you’ve seen it?”

“Yes, but only recently. I avoided that particular spot in the wasteland for the last two decades.”

“Oh.” There was a wealth of meaning in that one word. “Not even a fly-by?”

“No. It hurt too much to remember.” He cleared his throat. “So…just like that, you could grow food?”

She let her head drop back. “That’s not how it works. By the time I visited the ravine again, the tree had grown. It even had fruit. They’re not normal peaches by any stretch of the imagination, but they taste almost good if you cook them first. The grain paste had some intact seeds in it, too. Those had sprouted as well. I tried to replant them, but they didn’t take anywhere else.”

Kara sighed. “It took me months to put the pattern together.”

She had cut herself back then and again today. “You needed to shed your own blood, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but not just that. After much trial and error, I realized I need to lean into the curse in a way. If I bled and did something that was actively against my interest, then the effects were nullified or even reversed.”

“That’s why all the survivors wear a vial around their necks?”

“Yes. If they break it on themselves, it can sometimes stop the curse in its tracks—if they try to make the effects worse like I did. We tested other Firehorse blood. Only mine works. But not always. It depends on how the curse chose to manifest.”

He thought back to what happened to Theo. “So if the river sprang a leak because of a tremor or a sinkhole, it won’t magically seal up.”

“Exactly. But say a tremor started. You wouldn’t duck under a doorframe. You’d go stand under a glass window instead.”

“Unbelievable,” he breathed. “And that really works?”

“Not always. But sometimes…yes, it does. And it’s less effective here in town.”

He nodded. “That makes sense. Bastille was where the curse was cast—at the demon tower. It must get weaker the farther you get from it.”

“Montmeurtre?”

“Yes. The altar was built for that purpose. All the sacrifices were done there. It’s the epicenter.”

That wasn’t a complete surprise to her. “I figured that would be the case. It was the demon kings’ seat. I’ve even tried to get in a few times, but never got past the door.”

Err… “Perhaps that’s because I warded the structure, blocking access to anyone but me.”

Kara looked at him in shock. “You did what?”

“At the time, making sure none of the surviving demons took any of those books or objects of power was the priority. I had to make sure none of his acolytes had enough juice to take over. Blocking access was the most expedient way. Over the years, I’ve pilfered the library, searching for a solution. The books are scattered in caches all over the city. There are even some here in the closet.”

Kara smacked him on the arm. “Do you have any idea how many times I tried to get in there?” She smacked him again.

“Sorry,” he said, holding up his hands to ward off her blows. “I couldn’t risk anyone getting their hands on the things inside.”

“Well, at least you didn’t burn the books,” she grumbled.

“No, I’m not that stupid. But I’ve read those texts backward and forward, however, and while there were some promising leads, there was nothing that could undo the spell. I’ve even been back to the altar ruins a few times to search for clues.”

The logs in the fireplace shifted, making the light flicker. It caught her lovely face, the sad, distant expression haunting. “What’s wrong?”

“Aside from everything?” She laughed, but tears shone in her eyes.

A thought occurred to him. “Is it Theo? The two of you weren’t, um…”

How do you ask something like this? In addition to believing theirs to be a master and subordinate-type relationship, Ash assumed Theo had been too young for her. But on a human scale, it wasn’t that big a gap—less than a decade.

“No!” Kara smacked him on the shoulder. “I can’t believe men. You all only think about one thing. Even angels, apparently.”

Embarrassed, Ash felt his face growing hot. “I don’t usually.”

She tilted her head, studying him closely. “But you do with me?”

Breathing became a bit more difficult, enough it seemed wiser to keep his mouth shut.

She took a breath that ended with a little shudder. “Theo was important to me. All my people are, but he was special. I depended on him. I always believed if anything happened to me, he could take over. But it’s more than that. Seeing you again and getting to know you has stirred up a lot of stuff for me.”

Well, that wasn’t hard to understand. “I know. But we need to help each other now. I know I’m the last person you want as an ally, I really do. But we need to get past our past.”

Those glittering eyes bored into him. “And is that all you want from me? An alliance?”

He didn’t answer.

Something in her expression shifted. If he didn’t know any better, he would have said there was a hunger there.

“I can feel it, you know,” she said.

“What do you feel?” he whispered.

“You. Watching me. It doesn’t feel friendly.”

“I’m not your enemy, Kara.”

Her eyes gleamed like dark jewels in the dim light. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”

He shifted uncomfortably, keenly aware of her scent and warmth. “I’m not a carnal being, Kara. I didn’t fall because of a desire for human women.”

“Then why are you still in this bed?”

She knelt on the mattress, getting as close to him as she could without actually touching him. “What do you want to do to me right now?”

Holy heavenly crap. “I… uh…”

Kara leaned back on her heels. “Or are you afraid they won’t let you back into Heaven if you touch me?”

His heart was starting to thrum in his chest. “Maybe I’m afraid if I touch you, you’ll stab me.”

She looked down at his chest—at the expanse of muscle displayed by the open neck of his tunic shirt. Slowly, she raised a finger and traced his collarbone. “I promise not to do that again. Or do you believe God won’t forgive you? An angel having sex with a human woman is the heavenly equivalent of a felony, isn’t it?”

Ash stared at her, his eyes widening as she reached down for the hem of her shirt. In another moment, it was off, revealing golden brown skin so fine it looked like something out of a Renaissance painting.

Da Vinci couldn’t do better. His hands itched. He wanted to touch her so badly.

Kara tilted her head with leonine grace. “Isn’t saving the world supposed to earn you a get-out-of-jail-free card? Can’t Raphael overlook one little carnal sin, or will it violate the terms of your deal to get back into Heaven?”

His mouth dropped open. “How did you know about that?”

Kara smirked and sat back on her heel. “Everybody knows about that.” Pursing her lips, she reached for her shirt. “Well, I guess I’ve overshot on this one. I’m going to leave.”

Moving as fast as lightning, he grabbed her hand before she could pull it back over her head.

“No. Stay.”

Ash flipped her over, pinning her to the bed before covering her with his body.

She shivered. “So you do think the big guy upstairs will overlook this?”

“Whether He does or not doesn’t matter. You are worth falling for. For you, I would give up Heaven.”