I stepped out of the shower, breathing in the thick clouds of steam. It had felt as good as sex to me, relaxing tightened muscles, washing away the blood and filth. Even though I had to hold the wall at first for support. I was still weak. Especially after nibbling on the food Claire had prepared. I had pulled Roland aside to tell him that we need to talk later. I wanted to know about the scars covering his chest.

But I also told him about the mole in the Vatican. He promised to look into it. Immediately.

They hadn’t pressed me on my ordeal, for which I was eternally grateful, because all I had wanted was a shower and some rest. We had the room for a week, Nate had said, and I intended to take full advantage of it, living the high life while I rested up.

And pondered the events of the night.

I toweled off, smiling as the fabric brushed my breasts, my mind drifting to Nate.

I shook my head and finished, drying my hair as best as I could without a blow dryer. I saw one on the counter, but the task sounded exhausting, like work.

I opened the door, not bothering with the robe, and darted into the bedroom. A single lamp lit the room in a soothing glow, and the door was closed. I dove under the covers of Nate’s bed, tugging them up over me to trap in the heat from the shower. I didn’t have any clean clothes anyway, so I would sleep in the nude.

Questions flickered through my mind. What was I? A wizard? A Nephilim? Both? Johnathan had mentioned something about another power, but that I didn’t have a patron. But… there had been the thing with the feather. The drop of Angel’s blood. I was confident in my guess on that. It felt right. I knew it had been an Angel’s feather as strongly as I knew I controlled magic.

And why had Nate’s whips looked so similar to my chains. That white light.

The strange words I had shouted came back to me at the thought of Nate’s whips.

He’s coming! The fifth one rides. On hooves of fire with whips of Hope…

I shuddered.

Tonight wasn’t the time to ask myself anymore why questions.

I rolled over onto my side, reaching to adjust the pillow.

And found two strange things underneath. I pulled them out.

A stuffed unicorn and a book. The unicorn from my apartment — freshly laundered and smelling of lavender — and the book Nate had bought from the auction.

I knew he had stolen it from my apartment! I thought, smiling to myself.

I opened the book and found a formal invitation on a thick card. It was for dinner at a place called Chateau Falco in St. Louis with Nate and his friends. Not just Nate. I laughed giddily, tucking it back into the book. Even though I was interested, I didn’t bother flipping through the book to see why he had bought it. I had a week to do that kind of stuff, lounging around in Nate’s bed.

I blushed at the thought. Sans Nate.

I slid the book to the other side of the bed and pressed the unicorn to my neck. Then I began to reach for the light, noticing the scars on my wrist from the manacles. They looked old, not fresh. Something I had done had caused the Angel’s blood to merge with me, granting me the power to break my chains when my magic couldn’t…

I shook my head, saving it for later.

Although my body was sore and battered, I felt strong inside. I had earned my scars, overcome my fears, banished my nightmare, and shown Kansas City I was no dainty flower. I had found my I.

Or at least part of it.

And Nate had shown me something, too. My heart had led me astray with Johnathan, and I wasn’t about to let it do the same with Nate, despite our… reactions to each other.

Nate had shown me that not all Freaks were power-hungry. Men were just men. Some good, some bad. But it gave me hope.

I flipped off the light, squeezed my unicorn, and smiled.

I could taste black licorice on my tongue as I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Callie Penrose returns in October 2017… Turn the pages for a sample of OBSIDIAN SON - Book 1 in the Amazon Bestselling Nate Temple Series. Or pick up your copy