get this feeling that he’s not lying. He’s not out to get me. It’s stupid, right?”
“No, it’s not stupid. Trusting that he’s on your side would make things easier. It’s one less family member who wants to kill you.”
“Though having Heaven’s Most Wanted join Team Callie probably doesn’t look too good in the eyes of my aunts and uncles, right?”
“Right. The argument behind killing Nephilim is that Lucifer can sway you to join the dark side.”
I shake my head. “Nah, I’m a rebel.”
Julian looks at me with confusion again, and the one time I make a lame Star Wars joke, Lucas isn’t here to appreciate it.
“He also said it would be a good idea for Lucas and me to head out of town now in case anyone tries to backtrack the energy or whatever.”
“That is a good idea,” Julian says. “Why are you in the woods?” He looks at the big box in my arms.
“I’m meeting Evander to give him the Infernal Dictionary. There are demons in the woods, carving hearts out of deer.”
“Interesting.”
“Yeah. Oh, and werewolves have decided to try and get a piece of the Ley line. We caught one in our yard last night.”
“I missed a lot.” Julian glances at me and we both laugh.
“A lot happens around here in just a few days. Going on vacation will be nice, as long as we can keep it drama-free. And by that, I mean no demons.”
“I’m done tracking demons in the underworld for a while,” Julian says. “Michael was worried it was starting to raise suspicions.”
“So, we can hang out a bit?” I ask hopefully. “You could come to Florida with us. Oh! I can take you to Disney World! Well, assuming you’d want to go. It’ll be nice to have someone to hang out with during the day, actually.”
Julian smiles again. “I can do that, and don’t worry. I will not stay in your hotel accommodations. You two need more privacy, I’ve learned.”
My cheeks redden a bit, but I shrug it off. “That is true, and Lucas will be happy to hear that. You’re going to need different clothes, but I will order some stuff from Amazon and have it shipped to wherever we’re staying in Miami.”
Julian looks down at his long-sleeved shirt and jeans. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“You can’t wear that in Florida heat.”
“I don’t get hot.”
“I know, but we don’t want other people to know. You’ll look out of place.”
“Ahhh, right. I have a lot to learn about humanity.”
I nudge him with my arm. “I’ll teach you.”
Twigs snap under someone's feet a few yards ahead of us. Julian holds out his hand, and the large silver knife appears in his hand.
“Who goes there?” he demands, eyes glowing blue.
“Hi,” someone rushes out. “It’s Camilla Harrington from the Grim Gate Coven. Professor Greystone sent me.” She steps around a tree, and as soon as I see her face, the name clicks. She’s on the council and was in the room when I killed Ruth and just happened to mention I’m the daughter of an archangel. She looks from me to Julian and back several times, realizing what he is.
“I…I’m…Professor…um…” She pulls at the Academy-issued robe on her shoulders. “Sorry.”
"It’s okay,” I tell her. “This is Julian, my cousin. Is Evander all right?”
“Yes, caught some students cheating on a test and got held up, that’s all.”
“His fault for making them take a test this early in the day.”
“It’s almost noon,” Camilla says slowly.
I look up at the sun, high in the sky. “Oh, right. Half the time I don’t even know what day it is.” I shrug. “We’ll walk with you to the door,” I tell her. “If the demons are still here, you shouldn’t be alone.”
She nods. “I agree. The High Priestess is calling a gathering tonight, though you probably haven’t received your summons yet.” She smiles nervously and looks at Julian again, not taking her eyes off of him as she walks, and walks right into a tree. I have no idea what the protocol is on this. Do I stop and give her a more official introduction? Tell her to treat him like a normal person…though we know he’s not.
He’s a freaking angel.
Julian lowers his hand and the dagger disappears. We walk the rest of the way in awkward silence, and Camilla fumbles over her words when we get to the door, thanking us for walking her back. We wait until she goes through and the Covenstead door seals back up.