Wings of the Wicked - By Courtney Allison Moulton Page 0,76
was on. I only stared blankly at the screen. My eyes drifted out of focus and I was hypnotized by the flashes of light and color, the dull roar of voices and music filling my head with white noise. My name was mixed in there somehow, and it took me a moment to realize Lauren was trying to get my attention.
“Ell,” she said. “Earth to Ellie. You there?”
I took a deep breath. “Yeah. I’m here.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, but I wasn’t sure if it was a lie or not. “Where were you guys this morning?”
Her smile faded. “Nathaniel and I met my parents for Sunday brunch. We do it every week.”
I looked at her, happy to turn away from the TV. “Is he your boyfriend then?”
Her gaze fell away. “Yes. For four years now.”
“Wow,” I said, my eyes widening. “Does your family know what he is?”
“No. Not yet, at least.”
I would never be able to tell my parents about Will’s true nature either. “Do they know what you are?”
“My mom does,” she said. “Her grandmother was a psychic also, so she knows all about reapers but can’t see into the Grim like us. I’ll have to tell my family the truth about Nathaniel someday. They’ll eventually notice that he doesn’t age. My family hates all reapers, even the angelic. Honestly, I can’t blame my mother for hating them. If I had to watch my child go through what I did when I was young, I’d hate them all too.”
Since she didn’t elaborate, I wouldn’t ask. I didn’t like talking about the horrors I saw either. “You must love him.”
“I do, so I understand everything, Ellie.”
“Do you think you two will have kids someday?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Humans and reapers can’t have children together. Something in the genetics, I believe.”
“That’s sad,” I murmured, thinking of more than just Nathaniel and Lauren.
“It’s all right,” she said. “Who knows what will happen in the future, anyway?” She gave me a small, reassuring smile. “Nathaniel isn’t going to kill him, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
My doubt sat heavily in my stomach. “He looked furious.”
“Not so much angry,” she assured me. “He’s worried about what both of you have been going through. He knows Will has been in love with you for a very long time. He understands, so don’t think that he doesn’t.” She took my hand and squeezed it. “I understand, too. I’m here if you need me.”
The sound of angry shouts made us both jump. We stared at each other.
“You don’t think I know that?” Will’s voice hammered through the walls.
Lauren’s hand tightened around mine. The shouts died down, the rest of the argument audible from this distance, and Lauren and I sat in silence for a few minutes as she held my hand securely.
“Everything will be okay,” she said, and released my hand. “Will needs to talk to Nathaniel. He’s been very troubled lately. He needs help, and Nathaniel has been there for him forever.”
I nodded. “They’re practically brothers.”
She paused thoughtfully. “Nathaniel’s taken care of Will. It’s always been the hardest when he doesn’t have you around to give him focus. But Will was so young when his mother died, and Nathaniel has been his only family. Nathaniel is always here when you can’t be, and he offers Will guidance, which is what he needs most right now. He needs to be told that it’ll all be okay.”
I knew what it was like to need to be told that. Even now I forgot that Will needed someone to help keep him standing sometimes, too. “It will be. Everything will be okay.”
Lauren smiled at me. “It will.”
Sometime later, the door to the garage opened and I heard the boys’ footsteps on the hardwood floor. Nathaniel walked into the living room with an even expression and sat down on the loveseat opposite the couch Lauren and I sat on. Will appeared at the edge of the carpet and the wood floor, and his cool green eyes met mine gently. The look he gave me was one I knew well—and feared. He wanted to talk.
I stood and followed him through the house to the staircase, each of my steps wobbly and weak, my heart fearing the worst. Will led me into his room and shut the door behind us.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice childlike and quiet.
He smiled, and relief washed over me. “Nothing. Nathaniel and I had a good conversation.”