only when the demons crossed the line by actively manipulating humans or harming them. Of course, demons that didn’t look human—and there were a lot of them—weren’t allowed near humans, and that was when the Wardens stepped in.
Then again, most Wardens killed all demons on sight, even Fiends, and had since, well, the beginning.
But God had created Wardens to look after people, to risk their lives to help stack the odds in favor of eternal glory instead of eternal damnation, and people just... They still sought to destroy one another and themselves, as if it was innate. Some would say it stemmed from the self-destructive nature of Adam and Eve and the apple, that the battle played out every day, in every person, and that was the serpent’s greatest accomplishment—or curse—but at the end of the day, humans chose their own paths.
There was a whole lot of losing going on these days. Murders and assaults, robberies and greed, racism and bigotry, hatred and intolerance—all of it increasing instead of getting better, as if a boiling point was coming. Were these things symptoms of demons doing a damn good job, or were humans bound and determined to do the demons’ job for them?
Kind of made you wonder what the Hell the point was some days.
“God,” I muttered as I wiggled my arms. “That’s dark.”
Annoyed with my thoughts, I rolled onto my side and shut my eyes. I missed those tacky stars that had adorned my bedroom ceiling. They glowed a soft luminous white in the dark and made me feel...comforted. I knew that sounded strange.
I was strange.
I had no idea when my brain clicked off and I fell asleep, but it felt like only minutes before I opened my eyes and saw that the darkness had lifted from the room.
Feeling like I hadn’t slept at all, I dragged myself out of bed and got down to the morning routine. Letting my hair air-dry, I dressed with the same speed as I’d showered, and I was ready to leave the bedroom, glasses perched on my face, within fifteen minutes of waking.
I hesitated before I opened the bedroom door, preparing myself to see a sleepy, disheveled Zayne. I’d left the door unlocked again, and I refused to think about why. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the brighter room. Zayne wasn’t at the island, so that meant...
My gaze coasted toward the coach, and yep, there he was, sitting up and...
Muscles flexed under golden skin and rippled across bare shoulders as he lifted his arms over his head, stretching. His back bowed, and I didn’t know if I should be grateful or disappointed that the couch blocked most of my view.
“I can’t look away, even though I need to,” Peanut said, and I jumped about a foot off the floor as he appeared out of thin air beside me. “He makes me feel like I need to spend more time at the gym.”
My brows inched up my forehead.
Zayne twisted toward where I stood. “Hey,” he said, voice rough with sleep as he thrust one hand through his messy hair.
“Morning,” I mumbled, thankful when Peanut blinked out of existence. I lifted my hand and bit down on a nail.
“Sleep well?” he asked, and I nodded, even though that was a lie.
When Zayne rose, I looked away and hurried toward the kitchen, all the while hoping my face didn’t look as red as it felt. I didn’t need an eyeful of the glory of Zayne’s chest. “Want anything to drink?”
“I’m good but thanks,” he replied. “Be back in a few.”
Zayne wasn’t talkative when he first woke up, something I was learning. After grabbing a glass of OJ, I took a sip and then placed it on the island next to the plans for the school. The paper was still unrolled.
I heard the shower turn on and hoped Peanut wasn’t in the bathroom being a creep. I went to the couch and turned on the TV, settling on a news station, and then folded the soft gray quilt and draped it over the back of the couch before going back to the island. I finished off my OJ and had moved on to a can of soda when Zayne finally stepped out of the bedroom. Nervous energy had me chewing on my thumbnail again as I wondered why it took him double the time it took me to shower. His hair was wet and slicked back and he was, thankfully, fully clothed in