Angel Fury (Immortal Legacy #2) - Ella Summers Page 0,57

of the night, he finally opened his mouth to speak.

And I cut in before he could say anything. I didn’t know what had gotten into me. I couldn’t seem to help myself.

“But I dared to hope when Jiro told me…told me…”

My spectacular interruption fell flat.

“Told you what?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I’m sure he was just joking.”

“Tell me.” His voice was quiet, subdued, packed with none of the usual magic. He wasn’t commanding me, and he wasn’t compelling me. He was asking me.

“Well, I did promise to answer truthfully and fully, and so that’s what you’ll get. I bet you now wish you weren’t getting the truth.” I looked down at the Nectar bottle in my hands and laughed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have drunk so much.”

“You wouldn’t have spoken so freely if you hadn’t.”

“True.” I took another sip, then continued speaking, “Jiro told me you’re in love with me.” Slowly, I lifted my gaze, meeting Damiel’s eyes.

His expression was masked. “Jiro is…”

“Mistaken? Teasing me? Trying to humiliate me? Though I’m doing a damn fine job of that myself right now.”

Damiel captured my fidgeting hands in his. “Jiro is trying to help. It’s what he does and why he’s the only person in this whole wide world besides you that I care about. He tried to help, but he upset you. I will speak to him.”

I blinked. “I’m confused.”

“Clearly,” he chuckled.

“The Nectar seems to have muddled my mind, Damiel. You need to spell it out for me.”

“I will speak to Jiro about upsetting you. You see, speaking to someone is what we’re doing right now.”

“I know what ‘speaking’ means, thank you.”

He shot me a wicked look. A cat who had run away with a stolen tuna fish sandwich could not have looked more pleased with himself.

“Except in Jiro’s case, our conversation will be decidedly more one-sided. I will tell him off for upsetting you.”

“I’m upset?” I asked.

“Aren’t you?”

I frowned. “Is this some kind of interrogation mind trick?”

“You tell me.”

“You’re making my head hurt,” I growled.

“That’s the Nectar.”

“My mind’s not so hazy that I don’t realize what you’re doing.”

“Which is what?”

“I’ll tell you once I can remember.”

“Let me clear up something right now, Princess.” I’d never seen his face more serious, not when interrogating a prisoner, not even when commanding his soldiers. “I am displeased with Jiro because his confession was not his to make. It was mine. Cadence Lightbringer, I am in love with you.”

18

Confessions of an Angel

I am in love with you.

Damiel’s words echoed in my ears.

I blinked. “What?”

“So deeply have I fallen, in fact, that after our mission, when I investigated your father and learned he was setting you up to marry one of his men, a Legion officer in his pocket, a spy for him, I had to act. I was sure you wouldn’t believe me about your father’s machinations if I told you. I knew General Silverstar was actively working to turn you against me.

“So I did the only thing I could: I had the Legion test our magic. Considering our shared magical peculiarities, our Immortal heritage, I knew there was a reasonable chance we were magically compatible, no matter that angels weren’t ever compatible with each other. And if you married me, you wouldn’t be married to one of your father’s spies. You would be free. And I was right. We were compatible. When the First Angel saw our results, she predictably ordered us to marry.

“And so I manipulated the Legion, the First Angel, everyone—all for my own selfish reasons. Because I didn’t want your father to marry you to one of his spies. I had to do it, even if, after learning what I’d done, you decided that you never wanted to see me again. At least I could save you from General Silverstar’s scheme.”

My throat tightened. “Damiel…”

“But I hoped I would see you again. I selfishly hoped for a chance to win your heart.” He lowered to his knees before me. “I have wronged you. I manipulated everyone and everything in order to marry you. And I now await your judgment.”

My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The Master Interrogator was kneeling before me, putting himself at my mercy. But that wasn’t half as shocking as his confession that he was in love with me.

Damiel looked up at me, but he stayed on his knees. “Say something, Cadence.”

“I can’t believe you did that,” I gasped.

“I was selfish.” He lowered his head again.

“You weren’t selfish. You did this for me. You