alcove, providing additional light and color. The whimsical fish seemed to gravitate toward Tyler as they would when someone opened the tank to feed them, but he offered no food. He slowly made his way around the room, quietly greeting his beloved fish and I nearly bumped into him, meaning to plead my case.
As I opened my mouth to apologize for how I’d handled things earlier in the barn, Tyler silenced me with a sudden and deep kiss. Up against the one solid surface in the alcove, a door, he kissed me with an open mouth and aggressive hands, moving over my stomach, arms, shoulders, and then to my face in a coordinated effort.
My head reeled. He pulled away to look at me and fought me from entering his mind. But I was able to grab fragments. He was thinking of Cupid again, then Gavin. They’d argued. Then Lucifer. What?
“Grace, I’m not a monster, you know. I’m capable of great love. But you know that, of course.” His voice was low, soft, and for a moment, he sounded so much like Gavin.
I closed my eyes, and I could almost hear Gavin’s voice as Tyler pulled me in again closer this time, gentler. Tyler from Praefatio, the one who started all of this. What he could possibly want from me, I had no idea. I struggled beneath him, a little afraid. “I don’t understand,” I said.
“Have you ever asked yourself what your life would be like if Emeria had been chosen and not you, or if you and I were betrothed rather than you and Gavin?” he whispered. “I’m not a bad person. I merely want what’s mine.” Tyler kissed me softly on the mouth, then on the nose. I’m sure he had seen Gavin do that to me before. I had already heard this speech from Michael and was not impressed with Tyler’s version.
“Tyler, please don’t do this,” My voice was soft and pleading. I couldn’t afford to make him angry. In Praefatio he’d killed his wife, and I was not taking any chances. I wriggled free. Listening to his jumbled thoughts, I had almost felt sorry for him for the second time. “I won’t stand in your way. I just need to help my brother. Please let me go, and I won’t stop you from doing what you feel you need to do. I will turn over the child to whoever has rights over it. You have my word.”
Tyler looked at me suspiciously, searching my mind for betrayal or anything that would make him believe that he shouldn’t trust me. I quickly threw in some good thoughts about him, false memories of furtive glances when he was around, making him think there was an underlying attraction to him, jealous thoughts of Emeria, even some underlying doubt about Gavin and his true feelings about Emeria for good measure, not all of them lies.
“OK. I’ll go along with you for now. But if you give me one reason not to trust you, Grace, all bets are off. If that baby is Fallen, it belongs here at Kheiron—no exceptions.” Tyler offered his hand to shake, and I couldn’t help thinking I’d made a one-sided deal.
I held my hand up. “I have one request before I agree.”
Tyler moved closer to me now. I felt him wholly. He put his arm up against the door, covering my shoulder as he did. The smell of steel was fresh under my nose. Had I never noticed how much he resembled Gavin? How was that possible? He ran his fingers through his hair, changing the color to black like Gavin’s as he went.
It was hard not to look at him. I wiggled out from under his arm and moved over to the couch, shaking out my hair color to match Emeria’s. Two could play that game.
I heard voices coming from an adjoining conference room. I turned slightly, closed my eyes, and saw them. Tyler’s guests were awaiting his return—a witch, a sorcerer, and a grand wizard. For crying out loud.
He smiled. “What is it, Grace?” He spoke in Gavin’s voice, really irking me.
I flew up in anger, grabbing him by the neck, pushing him into the aquarium, shaking the fish and causing them to scatter to either side of the tank. My wings were fully outstretched as I squeezed his neck. I blew into his hair, growing it to the exact length of Gavin’s; then into his eyes, making them the exact color as Gavin’s; then kissed