me out.” It then struck me that I wasn’t tired. I touched my nose, finding it dry. It hadn’t bled. Shock flickered through me. Was it because I’d used the grace only briefly? Or because I was bonded to the one I was meant to be bonded to?
That was a possibly interesting development—an amazing one, if that was the case.
“But you can still wield it when necessary, when your eyes are failing you, without any real harm coming to you. Right?” he asked. “It’s not like you pass out in the middle of a battle.”
“It makes me weak, but I can power through it if need be.” But now I wasn’t sure if that was the case, since I felt no effects from using it earlier.
“Then perhaps there’s a different reason you don’t use it.”
My gaze sharpened on him. “What do you mean?”
“You were raised by Wardens?”
“And my mom,” I said. “Before she died.”
“But you were raised with their beliefs and opinions, their thoughts and persuasions,” he explained. “If I’ve learned anything from Layla, it’s that Wardens are strong proponents of guiding those not like them to fight their natural instincts. They’re good at convincing others that not using their natural abilities is what’s best for them.”
I had no idea what to say to that because Thierry, Matthew and even my mom had urged me to call upon the grace only when all else failed, so much so that resisting its call had become inherent. But they’d had a good reason. Besides the fact that it left me weak, it revealed what I was. Using my grace was always a risk, but...
“We’re here,” Roth announced.
Startled, I pulled my gaze from him and looked out the window. I saw a brown sign I couldn’t read and a whole lot of trees surrounding a wide path.
“Where are we?”
“Rock Creek Park. It’s sort of connected to the zoo. Lots of trails. It’s where I go when I...need a place to go.”
I had a hard time picturing Roth strolling through a park, but it was the perfect choice. The trees provided shade, and while there were people out jogging and walking dogs, it was nowhere near as overwhelming as the sidewalks and streets.
I wondered if Roth had chosen it for that reason. “Thanks,” I said, reaching for the car door. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
“You will.”
Nodding, I opened the door and stepped out into the sticky air.
“Angel Face?”
Sighing, I turned and bent down so that I could see into the car. “What, Demon Spawn from Hell?”
His lips quirked into a grin. “Just so you know, what I felt for Layla and what she felt for me was forbidden. That didn’t stop us.”
The unwanted spark in my chest felt a lot like hope. That burst of wanting was overshadowed by annoyance, because we were now back on the topic of Zayne. “Good to know. Happy for you both, but nothing like that is going on between Zayne and I.”
“I almost believe that,” he replied. “Both parts of your statement.”
I threw up my hands. “Why are you all up in my nonexistent love life, Roth?”
“Because I saw the way he looked at you, and I know the way he used to look at Layla. It was different.”
My brows snapped together. “Well, I’m not sure how that’s a good thing.”
“Different is not bad, Trinity. Different can be good.”
“Or it can mean nothing, like it does in this case.” I started to rise.
“Hey,” he called out again.
“What?” I snapped.
The demon prince smiled at me, seeming unperturbed by my annoyance. “What you did today needed to be done. Don’t waste air on guilt. It would not have been wasted on you.”
The door slid from my grasp, closing in my face before I could even respond. I straightened and stepped back as Roth peeled away from the curb.
Roth’s words cycled over and over as I stood along the side of the busy road for several minutes. He was right about the last part. Faye wouldn’t have spent a second feeling guilty if I’d been given to her in pieces.
Slowly, I turned and walked into the park. It was cooler here under the thick canopy of trees. Still humid and damp, but bearable as I mindlessly followed the path. After all the walking I’d done in the evenings patrolling for the Harbinger, making use of my leg muscles wasn’t exactly on my to-do list, but this was...
It was nice, and it was calming.
Accompanied by the distant hum of conversation and