her greenhouse, the final tree wasn’t huge, but it was taller than Raphael, its branches heavy with fruit.
Elena began to smile, then grin, her cheeks aching.
On the other side of the tree, the Primary stood motionless. When he did finally speak, it was with a chorus of hundreds of other voices, an unearthly choir. This, we have not seen. Not in all our eons of life.
21
Still on a high from the whole tree thing, Elena had showered and was pulling on fresh clothes—clothes that actually fit, because Montgomery was a magician—when her phone buzzed. Earlier that day, she’d given the phone to Vivek and he’d loaded it up with the numbers of friends, family, associates, but this one came up as unknown.
She answered it anyway. Every so often, she liked to startle a hapless telemarketer by informing them whom they’d inadvertently cold-called. Her favorite one was the vampire who’d thanked her for hauling him back to his angel eight years ago. “Met the love of my life six months later. She’s fine as fine can be and she don’t take no shit, and now we have a little man of our own. His name’s Eldev after you.”
Later, he’d sent her photos of his ebony-skinned and chubby-cheeked “little man,” the kid’s smile a weapon, it was so adorable.
“Ellie?”
“Beth.” Elena sat down on the edge of the bed, dressed only in her panties and a strappy tank. “This isn’t your number.”
“Oh, this is Grandma’s phone. She finally let Grandpa get her one, though she mostly leaves it lying around gathering dust.” Her younger sister’s voice wobbled. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“Are you at Majda and Jean-Baptiste’s?” Unlike Beth, Elena found it difficult to call them Grandma and Grandpa—despite all the torture and pain they’d suffered, the two were eternally young and would stay that way forever. “I’ll come over.” No point hiding now that she no longer looked like an escapee from the local boneyard. The world would make of her wingless state what it would.
“No, we’re at our place.” Beth’s response sparkled. “You’re coming? For real?”
“Yes, for real,” she said on a wave of affection for this sweet, pretty woman who’d once been Marguerite’s baby girl. “I’ll drop by to say hi to Sara on the way, so give me an hour or so.”
“I’m going to bake your favorite cake.”
“Bethie.” Elena took a deep breath. “I don’t have my wings anymore.”
“Are you sad?” Soft words. “You loved your wings.”
“I was.” But she’d done her mourning—and she’d said fuck you to the Cascade by coming out of hell with the ability to bring things to lush, green life. If Lijuan burned down the world, Elena would bring it back to life. The Cascade could go suck on that. “Now I’m just glad to be home.”
“I missed you so much.” A quickly muffled sob.
Elena swallowed. “I’ll be there soon.” No matter what, Beth would always be Elena’s baby sister, the bewildered little girl who’d clutched her hand with a soft and pudgy one as they laid their sisters then their mother to rest.
After hanging up, Elena called Ashwini. “You free to give me a ride? I don’t think I should be driving just yet—bit out of practice.”
“I’m already in a car out front of the Tower. Wait till you see the ride I requisitioned.”
Elena’s eyes narrowed; Ash definitely got a kick out of messing with her friends using her ability to glimpse snatches of the future. “Be right down.”
It didn’t take long to pull on black jeans, a metallic blue sweatshirt printed with the Tower logo, socks, and boots. She still wasn’t sure about the shorter hair, but a few brushstrokes and it was done.
Grabbing her leather jacket, she headed out.
She found Ash sitting behind the wheel of a topless baby pink Cadillac. Her fellow hunter’s sunglasses were a reflective gold, her dark hair streaked with the same color, and the hoops that dangled from her ears an Indian design that featured a waterfall of bells. A brown leather jacket worn over a scoop-necked black tee and dark blue jeans completed the outfit.
“I feel underdressed now,” Elena said, opening the passenger-side door.
“Would I do that to you, Ellie?” Ashwini passed over a box wrapped in silver paper.
“Smartass.”
“Hey, why have the third eye if I can’t use it to wink now and then?”
Grinning, Elena settled into the seat before she set to ripping open the package. Inside, she found a pair of mirrored sunglasses tinted a deep graduated purple that looked fantastic