Wings of the Wicked - By Courtney Allison Moulton Page 0,61
my lie. “I did … and it was great. Kate and I were thinking of doing a girls’ thing tonight. Just us, at her house. Can I sleep over there? Please?”
“Is Will going to be there?” she asked.
“No,” I said. “He won’t be around, I promise.”
“He hasn’t been around much in the last few days,” she noted. “Did something happen again?”
I shrugged. “I realized I need to spend less time with him if I want to concentrate on school.”
“I just don’t want you to make another poor decision,” she said gently.
“It won’t happen again.”
She smiled. “I know. You’re a smart girl, Ellie. You’re just trying to figure your life out.”
That was all too true. “Tell me about it.”
She loosed a long, low breath. “Well, I suppose I should say no and be firm about this month of grounding, but one night over at Kate’s might be good for you. You’ve been doing really well in school, so yes. You can stay at Kate’s tonight. On Monday, your grounding can resume.”
I brightened, not even bothering to hide my smile. “Really?”
“Really,” Mom said. “One night out, then it’s all business again. You leaving now?”
I shot to my feet. “Yeah. Thanks, Mom. You’re amazing.”
She shrugged. “I know. Love you.”
“Love you too. See you tomorrow!” I called as I buzzed from her office and leaped up the stairs to my room to pack an overnight bag. But when I walked through my door, I stopped at the sight of Will sitting on my bed.
He looked up at me. “We should go patrolling tonight.”
I sighed and dug my duffel bag out from under the bed, tossed it beside him, and yanked it open. “We’ve gone every night this week. Can I get just one day off?” I pulled open my dresser drawer and pulled out a couple pairs of underwear and knee-high socks and threw them into the bag. Ever the gentleman, he looked away from my undergarments.
“Why do I get the feeling you aren’t just staying the night over at Kate’s?” he asked, finally looking back at me.
“Do you have a problem with it?” I asked. I tried to keep my voice cool.
“No,” he replied. “But if you’re going somewhere at night, I should be by your side. I’m your Guar—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled. “You’re my Guardian. Don’t you want a night off from bodyguard duty?”
He looked entirely perplexed by my question. “It’s not a job, Ellie. I can’t take a night off.”
“Well, I don’t really want you to come with me.”
His lips parted and his eyes widened, the pain on his face making it so hard to tell him this. “But I have to,” he said.
“No, you don’t,” I said firmly. “And I don’t want you to. I’m going up to State to a party with Kate.” I turned from him and went into my closet to pick out an outfit for tonight.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know. Hang out with Nathaniel. Go kill stuff.”
“Ellie, I’m serious.”
I left the closet with an armful of clothes and almost stopped when I saw the lost look on his face. I clenched my teeth together and walked over to the bed and stuffed my duffel bag until it was full. “I’m serious, too,” I said. “Can’t I have one night? I need to feel like myself again.”
He took my arm, stopping me. My eyes followed his hand up to his face. His skin was warm against mine, almost electric. “But I know you. This is you. This has always been you.”
I took my arm back and looked away from him. “Maybe that’s not me anymore.”
He hesitated, and the silence was aching. “You being around other people is dangerous. For them. You saw what happened with the fight against Orek.”
“I’m not going to be a hermit.”
“You’re a target,” he said. “That makes your friends and family targets as well. I don’t want them to get hurt either.”
“What are you saying? I can’t just abandon them.”
“You may have to.”
Our gazes locked. I drew in a long breath as anger churned deep within me. “I can’t do that. Being around them makes me feel human. If I lose them, I’ll lose myself and be alone.”
His shoulders slumped. “You’ll have me.”
“You aren’t all I need, Will. I need my family and friends, too.”
“A long time ago,” he began, “you understood how treacherous it was to drag ordinary humans into this world. You kept them away to protect them.”
“That’s not me anymore,” I told him coldly. “That me has