We sit around the fire, our pizza—from Napoli’s, Viv’s favorite—on the coffee table before us, and take turns filling Elias in on every detail of the past seventy-two hours. Vivienne describes her feelings in such detail, I find myself taking her hand in mine on more than one occasion. The fear she felt when she woke Friday night after I left her. The not knowing what happened but feeling so off.

“It made me feel sick, Elias. Whatever it is you did when you wiped my mind. Don’t do it again,” Vivienne says, chiding him like a parent.

“That would be the soul mate connection.” Vivienne’s brow lifts, and Elias clarifies. “It is extremely powerful. Most consider it a gift given by the maker to fulfill the order of things.”  

Vivienne’s eyes grow as they flit between us, her mouth gaping.

“In human terms, it means we were matched to fulfill our destiny,” I provide helpfully.

Or not so helpfully, judging by the way her stunned face swings my way.

“Destiny?”

“C’mon, Viv. Don’t tell me you don’t believe in destiny? That people are put in places to make things happen, or sometimes bad things happen to good people because they need to learn a lesson that will bring them to something better?”

“I think you’ve been scrolling the internet for motivational memes,” Vivienne says. Elias clears his throat, cutting off a low chuckle. She shrugs at him before returning her attention to me. “I don’t know what I believe in. Maybe things happen for a reason. Maybe it’s coincidence.”

I face her on the couch and take her hands. “We’re not a coincidence, Vivie.”

Elias’ face sobers as he sits forward and speaks. “A soul mate is forever, Vivienne. No one can take him from you or you from him. That is why you felt sick when we tried to wipe your memory. Your soul fought for what your mind forgot.”

She releases a sigh. “Why? What purpose is there in giving Breckin me as a soul mate?”

Her mouth turns, a small pout forming. I cup her face in my hands. “Hey. Are you kidding me? You and your beautiful soul, and all the amazing things you do? I remember the campaign you started in third grade for the buddies bench on the playground after that new kid cried because she didn’t have any friends, and you were so upset because you didn’t know she was alone. Or what about all of your volunteer work? The food drives in town square, the tutoring you do?”

Her eyes glisten. “How do you know about those things?”

The truth hits me. “The real question is how did I ignore what’s between us for so long? I’ve watched you for years. I’ve watched you, and I hoped that one day you’d look at me and give me the time of day. Sebastian was right about you being special. I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you.”

Leaning forward, she kisses my cheek and hugs me. “You have to say that. Your soul is connected to mine.”

“Yes, because it was made for me,” I say, hugging her quickly, then pulling back and looking in her eyes. “Whatever the reason, Vivienne, we were put together, and we will remain together.”

“I still say you got the short end of the stick.” She pats my cheek playfully as she stands and bends close to my ear. “I won myself a hot supernatural who can fly me all over the world. You got a tiny human who can’t drive and sings off-key.” She winks.

Elias regards her with a touch of amusement and a whole lot of admiration as she excuses herself. He waits until the bathroom door closes before speaking his mind.

“This is dangerous, Breckin. You know that, right?”

I drop the confidence I’ve held all afternoon. The moment I put it all together, the moment I knew we were soul mates, I realized we were screwed.

“What am I supposed to do? We can’t erase her memories of me. I can’t compel her. I tried—it did not go well. Is it because of the soul mate bond?”

Elias crumbles a napkin and leans back in his chair. “Like I said, she retains her memories because of the soul bond, yes. The compulsion, though?” He scratches his beard. “She said Sebastian tried, and it didn’t work with him either. Maybe something happened when you healed her. Maybe it’s something else, but compulsion is the least of your concerns right now.”

I stare into the fire. Three days ago, my biggest worry was dealing with Father after my birthday.

“What will Sebastian do with her if he gets his hands on her?”

“The soul mate of Hamon’s son? What do you think?”

I curse.

“Your father has enemies. She would be a nice bargaining chip.”

“He wouldn’t care. He doesn’t care about me or what I do, as long as I join his ranks.”

Elias laughs. “You don’t think your father will find power in this? Breckin, there’s something about her. Something different. She’s not quite human.”

The moment I smelled her blood, I had the same thought.

“I’ve met her mom. She’s human.”

Elias shifts, his face thoughtful. “What do you know of her father?”

Nothing. No one in town has ever mentioned Rachel Freeman having an ex-husband or Vivienne knowing her dad. I shrug.

“Her mom came home after college expecting. He was never in the picture. I’m not even sure her mom knows who he is,” Elias says as his hand runs over his jaw.

My gaze snaps from the flames to Elias. “What makes you say that? How in the hell would you know anything about her family, anyway?”

“Breckin, the Freeman family has lived in Havenwood Falls for a long time. I’ve been here a long time. I know things.”

“Is this about the Court? Are they involved with Viv somehow? I know what they do to people who anger them. I don’t want her involved with them, Elias. She’s—”

“I’m saying I’m an angel who has been here a long time for reasons other than you. I did speak to Ric about Vivienne’s attack, though.”

“The sheriff? Why?” The Court of the Sun and the Moon doesn’t rule over us as angels. Their magic simply can’t compare to our power. Elias has worked with them to keep peace, but why involve them with this?

“A girl went missing a week ago, Breckin. Whatever attacked Vivienne could be behind her disappearance. We can’t keep the information secret.”

“And what if it was something else? Something to do with us, or Vivienne specifically? What if the Court comes after her? If she isn’t human, they will—”

“Breckin,” he says my name sharply, reining my fears in. “Ric is trustworthy. We may need the Court’s help eventually, but for now we can handle it on our own. He’s agreed to let us deal with things as long as it stays among our kind.” He watches my face and continues. “She was right to ask what the point of her being your soul mate is, by the way. There’s a reason you were brought together. There always is.”

I stand. I want to scream. I need to fly, to think. My wings want release. They want the freedom of the open sky.

“Go.” Elias leans forward and jerks his head toward the stairs. He knows me well. “Take a moment, calm yourself. I’ll watch over her.”

I could use it. A flight to work off some energy. Watching over Vivienne the last few days, even when in secret, has left me no time to breathe. My hand goes to my back, intending to yank my shirt over my head, but the sound of water in the bathroom stops me.

“No. I can’t run away from this, even for a little while.” I lower my voice. “Whatever I have to do to protect her, Elias.”

He tips his head. “We’ll need to end him.”

“Then we end him.”

Vivienne steps out, smoothing her hair into a high ponytail, and looks up. She catches me watching and smiles. My wings settle, my restlessness calming. She does that. Only her.

“I was thinking about what you said, and I realized something,” she says as she crosses the room, and I twist on the couch to get a better look at her. “I watch you, too.”

“You do?”

Her eyes shift from Elias to me. “You sit in the back at assemblies. You tap your fingers on the edge of your desk in chem like you’re playing a song in your head, and you glared at me in middle school every time I caught your eye. I thought you hated me.”

It clicks. “And you stopped talking to me,” I recall as she returns to my side on the couch.

She lifts her shoulder and frowns. “I cried.” Her hand covers her mouth. “Oh my gosh. I’d forgotten about it, but I did. I went home and cried to my mom because Breckin Roberts seemed to hate me, and I couldn’t figure out why.”

I push back my hair and inhale deeply. I hid from her. I spent most of the summer between sixth and seventh grade travelling with Elias. We came back, and when school started, I saw Vivienne in the hallway and nearly threw up. My stomach dropped and shook, like I was in a space shuttle. I’d chalked it up to a crush when it didn’t stop after a week. Every time I saw her, I felt crazy.

I look at Elias. His mouth forms a small grin, and his eyes shine with suppressed laughter. “You knew,” I breathe.

Vivienne’s head whips to my “uncle.”

“I suspected.”

“Suspected? For how long?” I ask.

“From the first time you met.”

Vivienne gasps, and I fish her hand out from the sleeve of her sweater and interlace our fingers. “Tell us.”

Elias’s grin drops. “I wasn’t there. You were with a nanny at the time, Kathy I think it was, and she said you two went for a walk at the park. Vivienne and her mom were there. She gushed on and on about how inseparable you two were. It could have been two toddlers just playing, but—”

His eyes narrow meaningfully, and I pick up what he wasn’t saying. He knew. He knew she was different.

“You think we were always connected, then?” Vivienne asks.

“I think you were. Like I said, soul mates are forever. Somehow you two were able to ignore the attraction. I imagine it was easier to resist because you’d felt it from such a young age.”

Vivienne and I share a glance. There’s no denying the attraction anymore. And there are no easy answers when discussing things pertaining to destiny and creation.

“If you suspected we were soul mates, why didn’t you say something to me that first night? You made me think we could fix everything by erasing her memories.” Why is he keeping things from me?

Elias scratches his beard and blows out a long exhale. “I hoped I was wrong. I wanted the memory erasure to work, Breckin. I didn’t want to see either of you put into this situation.”

His eyes meet mine, and they’re filled with words he will not speak. This will be trouble.

He warned me that first night, but I thought he was worried about my healing her, or my exposing myself. No, he’s worried for us. I give him a nearly imperceptible nod, letting him know I understand.

Vivienne clears her throat and shimmies—like she’s shaking off a pall. “So, Elias. An angel who runs a business flying people on high adventure ski courses. It almost feels like an inside joke.”

I choke on the sip of water I just took. For his part, Elias just leans back and snorts, his eyes watching Vivienne again with a gleam that I can only think of as pride.

“It was a joke. In a way.”

Vivienne laughs lightly. “In a way?”

“Elias can’t fly, Viv,” I explain, unable to keep myself from wincing. An angel’s wings are irreplaceable. They are their own life force. They speak their own language. How Elias manages without his has always amazed me. Vivienne’s face contorts. I can read the questions she’s too afraid to ask in her expressive eyes.

“It was years ago, a fight with things best left unsaid, for now,” Elias says.

Unsaid, for now. Hopefully, unsaid forever. I don’t want to have to tell Vivienne about all of the scary things that lurk about this world. She hasn’t asked about other creatures, whether from fear or preoccupation, and I’d love it if she never had to find out. Wishful thinking, Breckin.

There’s a sadness in her eyes as she looks at Elias. “I’m sorry.” She offers him a warm smile.

He accepts her smile with one of his own. “It’s not so bad. The business keeps me in the air, and I get to keep an eye on this delinquent.”

“So that’s how you ended up in Havenwood Falls? Breck’s father asked you to watch over him while he’s out doing . . . things?”

“Things?” Elias laughs, but agrees.

But that’s not true. Elias was in Havenwood Falls way before I was born. He was here before he lost his wings, if I remember correctly. Why did he settle here?

* * *

The high-pitched screech of Vivienne’s window opening draws a smile to my face. Leaning against the tree outside her apartment, I maintain my focus on the parking lot and sky and wait for her to speak.

“You know I can see you even when you try to cloak yourself, right?”

She never disappoints. We’ve done this all week. I wait for her feisty little jabs like a hungry man waits for dinner. The scent of her freshly washed hair invades my space, and with a last glance around the complex, I turn and walk closer.

“Your neighbors will think you’re crazy if you keep yelling outside at nothing.”

“Breckin, go home and sleep. He’s not here. It’s been four days, and we’ve seen nothing.”

She props her elbows on the sill and leans farther out. Taking the end of her wet hair, I wrap it around my fist and cloak her with me. “I don’t sleep,” I tell her, not for the first time. “And I want to be here. I feel better when I’m near you.” I breathe her in before capturing her mouth with mine. She tastes like cinnamon toothpaste.

“Then come inside,” she says against my lips, her tongue running over my bottom lip.

“That’s not a good idea, Vivie.” Her mom is at work, and the desire between us is too strong.

“It’s a great idea, Breck.” Her hands go around my neck, as though she can yank me in through her window.

Tucking my wings tight against my body, I climb into her room, shutting and locking the window before pulling the curtains closed. I still at Vivienne’s proximity, my back to her.

“I’m not sure which I find more beautiful. You or your wings,” she says softly for my ears only. Her finger grazes the edge of my left wing, and my breath hitches. She’s never touched them. No one has. I close my eyes, yearning for her touch, my feathers straining for it. She moves to the curving slope at the top.

“I am an angel. I am not beautiful.” My voice is as gravelly as Elias’s. I fist her curtain as her entire palm pets down the length of my spine. The baby fine feathers twitch.

“You are my angel, Breckin Roberts, and you are beautiful to me.”

I move quickly—grabbing her body and pinning her on top of her bed—with an angelic passion and need I’ve never known. Vivienne gasps, bucking against me as her eyes sparkle.

“You. Are. My soul.”

Her leg hooks around my calf. “Do you know how badly I’ve wanted to touch them?” she asks with a breathtaking smile.

“You are my soul, Vivie,” I repeat, lowering my face to hers and brushing her cheek and jaw with my nose, inhaling her scent. “I’m connected to you like no other.”

She trembles beneath me. “I’m connected to you like no other.”

I release her wrists from over her head. Pushing up, I brace myself with one hand and run my palm across her smooth skin. I’ve kept information from her all week, and I’ve run out of time.

“You’re frowning. What’s wrong?” Her warm fingers travel over my ribs and pull me down on top of her.

Pulling my wings in, I flip us over and hug her tightly. “I need to tell you about my father.”

She lifts her head, her eyes scanning my face before she scrambles from my arms and sits beside me. I push myself into a sitting position. “Elias had to tell him what was going on here.”

“Okay.”

I blow out a deep breath. “You know he’s not good. He’s fallen, Viv. Thousands of years ago, there was dissension in the ranks, and it led to war.”

“Among the angels?” Her eyes dip to my chest, and she leans over and tugs my shirt from where I keep it tucked in my belt. She arches a brow as she holds out the shirt.

“Yes, among the angels,” I confirm as I slip the shirt over my head. “They were divided, some turned. The stories I’ve been told come from one side. Or I suppose, two—my father and Elias. They tell the same one, though. Mostly. They were thrown out of Heaven—many angels were—and for a while, they worked to gain their favor back, but when nothing happened, they fought. My father turned, and now leads other lesser angels in tempting humans to stray. It’s his job to turn people away from living a good and righteous life.”

“You’re not your father, Breckin.” She takes my hand when I stare at her with confusion. “You told me you were supposed to be bad. You’re not.”

“No, but I’m expected to declare my allegiance to him when I turn eighteen. I’m supposed to join him.”

“And if you don’t?”

Man, I love her strength. I hold her gaze as I admit the worst-case scenario. “He could end me.”

“End you?” Her head shakes slowly. “You mean kill you?”

“Elias says he won’t. Although he’s never shown much fatherly care, he has some feelings for me. More than likely he’ll force me, or make my life hell, until I relent.”

“I don’t understand. Can’t you just live? Have some sort of neutrality? Go to college and be with me?”

I’d like nothing more. Vivienne’s blue eyes fill with tears, and I hook her by the back of the neck and press her head to my chest. “I could try, but eventually I’ll have to pick a side. Peace won’t last forever.”

“Why are you telling me all this now?” She swipes at her wet cheeks as she draws back.

“In order to keep you safe, we have to end Sebastian. Only one thing kills a reaper. Death’s scythe, which, unless you have a direct line to him, we’re not getting our hands on.” Vivienne’s hands go to her head. “But, I learned something before I came over. If a reaper is in a host body, as our guy is, then an angel blade will do him in.”

“Where do you find an angel blade?”

My finger slides over her damp hair, taking a thick section and twisting it. “From my father.”