LJ scooped dirt from the ground, rubbed it in her hands together three times, and threw it back down, and it started a fire. “I don’t want to argue with you, Grace. Just trying to figure out what everyone sees in you, that’s all.” She sipped her tea as if she had no worries whatsoever. And then I remembered her scurrying out the door after Tyler’s chastening. What made her tick?
“I’ve been dragged into this thing, and everyone wants it to mean something to me and to be honest, it really doesn’t. I have no stake other than the feelings I have for Gavin and for my brother. At every turn, someone with their own agenda is trying to influence me, trying to make me see their version. And I have to ask myself exactly why that is. Why is it that everyone who supposedly cares so much about me has never actually sat me down and asked me how I feel or what I want? Why? Because they are too afraid that I will find out what no one really wants me to know. But I will find out, eventually. And when I do, I will do what is best for me. Not Gavin, not Remi, not Michael, but me.” I paused for a second and thought about her original question and decided to answer it. “And you know what? You think I’m dumb for letting others tell me who I am? How dumb is it to read a book to find out who you are? I’d rather live my life and let my choices define me!” Booyah!
I’d finally said it. All of it. Well, almost all of it. It was as close to what I’d kept bottled up for the past few days as there was. And maybe LJ wasn’t the ideal person to share that with, but I knew she’d give it to me straight.
She held her cup in her hand as if it warmed her, then arched an eyebrow before placing it on the ground beside her. I must have looked at her crooked because she responded with yet another eye roll.
“I don’t discount how difficult this must be for you,” was all she gave me. She pulled her knees into her chest and sighed deeply. I wanted to ask her about the humans she’d spent time with, but then I thought better of it—in case that time was short-lived and not all that pleasant for them.
LJ turned to face me. The medium brown of her skin was lit perfectly by the fire in front of her.
“How did the humans know we were here?” I asked, changing the subject. She was making me uncomfortable, first friendly, then implying that I was feeling sorry for myself.
“They find their life’s purpose in trying to destroy us. They believe their God calls them to destroy us. Apparently their God has no regard for the life he created, or maybe their God has given them special consideration as judge and jury. Who knows? Or, maybe, they simply like hunting a higher life form and are bored with deer and fowl.”
Horror clouded my eyes. “How could someone do that?”
“Oh give me a break, Grace. Humans have been killing one another since they were created for the right to go to heaven, land, women, money, sex, food.” She was right again.
“But how did they get onto the property?” It made no sense to me.
Her entire expression changed. She moved in close, and her eyes became wide, excited even. I recognized the smirk on her face as one I’d seen a million times on high school girls who gossiped about cute boys at school.
“My guess is Lex. He tends to have free rein around here.” She sighed again.
“Who’s Lex?”
LJ continued, “Lex? Aside from being Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. My guess is he’s after something, or someone.” She paused as if I was supposed to know what she was talking about. I picked up fragments from her mind. He was pretty hot. A slave trader. An angel who traded other angels into slavery. Sounded like a real jerk. A really hot jerk.
“He sells other angels into slavery?” My mind was blown.
“Like humans never sold one another in slavery?” LJ watched me gulp down my reply. Then, as if my mind hadn’t already been blown, she laid it on me. “You should ask Cerin about him. They had a thing, or maybe she had a thing for him, I don’t know the details. Anyway,