a pause, and then deeper, more. He looked like a wild boy who had tasted table food for the first time since—ever, and knew he’d never go back to squirrels and berries again. His lips met mine again, and the warmth of him turned my mind to mush and my legs to jelly.
I cleared my throat, embarrassed by my inability to kiss a boy without going all flipping gooey.
Gavin pulled an unwrapped bracelet from his pocket. I smiled without meaning to, then shot him a stern look. “Last gift, I promise.” He held two fingers up as a Scout would. I offered my arm and watched a black wing, a book, and heart charms dangle.
“Thank you. But I think an apology would do just as well.”
“I’m sorry about the feather incident. You know I would never have done something like that unless you were in danger. I saved your life. That one little gesture saved you and your idiot brother.” There wasn’t an ounce of remorse on Gavin’s face. He would have done anything to save me.
I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him deeply. I’d never been so blissfully out of control. And yet, I didn’t care. It was in that moment that I knew for certain that Gavin loved me. The feel of my body against his, touching at all the right places, threatened to undo me. An assuredness sieged me. Just then, I knew how I wanted to kiss him, understood that I needed to touch him. He seemed, in that moment, as familiar to me as the family I’d known my entire life. I explored his mouth further and was only momentarily distracted by the sudden sharpness of his canines.
“Grace.” He stepped out of my embrace. He seemed almost annoyed, though breathing pretty heavily. I had a feeling he was reading my mind, or already had. He knew I was trying to mask my true feelings. Well, my other true feelings. “I guess we should talk, then.”
So much for getting rest. Ever since I’d arrived at Kheiron, nothing was as I’d imagined it would be. There weren’t any angels playing harps, no sweet, non-stop singing, and everyone actually walked instead of flying from point A to point B. To make matters worse, the one person I’d trusted and thought I’d known had made up this whole persona in an effort to get me to fall for him. Remi had been right all along. Moving here was a mistake.
I gave in to my dark emotions and found myself wondering what would happen if Gavin bit me—like by accident—you know, with all the excitement. After all, I am part-human. It must take a lot of self-control not to bite someone when you’ve been cursed to do so.
A frown cast shadows across Gavin’s face. I must have upset him by thinking he’d actually bite me. Then again, Tyler had bitten his own wife, had drunk the blood from her body until she was dead. I walked slowly to the couch and took a seat, head spinning, headache brewing.
“Your surprise, Grace, did you like it?” Gavin’s voice cracked a little as he spoke and joined me on the couch.
The question threw me completely off guard. Was he kidding? Hadn’t the squealing, spinning, and shrieking been enough?
“I loved it, Gavin. The suite, the servants, the horse, the bracelet, everything. Really, it’s all too much. First your family tries to kill me, and now all this.”
He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. From my vantage point, he appeared fragile, down. My thoughts turned to Tyler, and Gavin’s handlers. It occurred to me that despite the never-ending line of people waiting on him hand and foot, and adoring fans and hangers-on, Gavin probably rarely had anyone interested in his emotional well-being. It made me sad for him.
As we faced one another, I waited for him to tell me what was on his mind. He already knew what was on mine. Conversations between angels went a lot faster when our minds were open to one another.
“I’m glad you liked your gifts. I enjoyed selecting them for you. In fact you were all I could think about while I was gone.” Gavin held my hand in the air to examine my fingers, one by one. He put his arm around me, then put his legs up on the ottoman. Despite his declarations, he never did tell me where he’d been. I rested my head in the comfort of his shoulder, where it was