LJ had been right all along. This wasn’t love at all, but rather some kind of cruel joke. Gavin detested humans. He hated that I was human. He only loved me because it was pre-determined. He had no choice in the matter. I could have been a goat. I stared blankly at the wall, afraid of what he would say next.
“A goat? Really, Grace. And hate? I don’t hate. It’s a wasted, human emotion. All you need to know is that I did what I had to in order for us to be together. And now that we are, we should be happy.”
Poor Gavin. All that enthusiasm wasted. I think my face was green.
“And yes. If you had been purposed to be a centaur, I would be dating one right now. Neigh,” he teased as he leaned down to kiss my nose. And just like that, Kind Gavin was back.
But I wasn’t laughing. I lept from bed, landing harder than I expected to, wings instinctively outstretched. Gavin jumped back, wings cradling his body in defense, as if I were about to attack him.
It was my turn to speak. “Let me get this straight.” Gavin’s back stiffened. “You’re so noble that you Fell to be with me just like my selfless mother, who by the way hasn’t bothered to make contact with me, um, ever.” I allowed my anger to grow, encouraged it. “And you’re not gonna tell me exactly how it affected your relationship with your family because you’d rather make out? Or don’t you think I deserve to know?”
Gavin relaxed his face and body. Not the reaction I’d expected. His look was that of someone staring at a sick puppy through a store window. I stood, hands on hips, and tried my best to appear badass, intimidating, and not the least bit upset.
“That’s tantrum number one. Will there be more today?” His eyes hinted green.
I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. He hadn’t yet seen me throw a tantrum.
“Not if you answer my questions.” I tried a softer approach. “You Fell because of me. Why?” My tone was suspicious, maybe even a little accusing, as I waited for his.
Gavin sighed an empty sigh as if all hope was lost. “You’ve not been paying attention at all, have you?” He paused, then winced as if in physical pain. “Grace, when it was decided that you would be the one to fulfill the prophecy, I was devastated. I knew I couldn’t live without you, so I asked to come to earth so I could fulfill my purpose: to be with you. Only, you were going to be human, and to love a human is death for us.”
He didn’t need to continue. It felt like someone had dropped a coconut on my head and then stabbed me in the heart.
“But you knew I’d become an angel eventually. Seventeen years is nothing to angels. Why didn’t you wait?”
A long sigh fell from his mouth, and nothing else. Gavin looked as if I’d punched him in the gut, and if I’m not mistaken, I think I saw him tearing up. But his expression quickly changed. He forced his lips into a smile.
“As if I could wait a minute longer than I needed to.” Gavin eased over to me and cautiously pulled me into his arms. “Ceasefire?”
I kind of hated the way he always deflected by trying to charm me with his, his … I couldn’t think straight as he began to kiss me, softly at first, from the base of neck to just behind my ear. I grabbed at the floor lamp to steady myself against his weight. He kept moving toward me, consuming me as he went. The lamp crashed to the floor as I let go of it, unable to control my own body.
Gavin moved his attention to my jawline—all the way across to my chin, then up to my lower lip. I inhaled, and it was at that moment that he closed his lips around mine and pressed his body against me hard enough for me to hit the wall with an urgent thud. Gavin grabbed my chin in his hand, then looked at me. I examined his ever-changing eyes and long eyelashes. He blinked slowly, then moved his hand to my throat, rubbing his thumb across it. His hand moved up around to the back of my neck. He pulled my head back just slightly and kissed me again, slower, deeper this