the dozen rings on her fingers. “You happened. Everything changed the night we met you.”
“Yeah,” she snapped. “Things are a bit different for me, too.”
“Az isn’t meant to be with mortals. No angel is. Every girl finds her way back to her path. They leave him.”
“I wouldn’t have left him,” she said defensively.
“It’d been so long since he’d been happy. And he loved you, Eden. Really loved you. I had to know when you’d leave, have a plan to get him through without a Fall. I tried to check your path. We thought the Siders were pathless only after they died. If you hadn’t been with him, if he hadn’t fallen in love with you, we never would have known they were pathless as mortals.”
She drummed her nails on the tabletop. “Wonderful. Glad to be of service. Why are you here, Gabriel? What do you want?”
He glanced up. “Kristen sent a few of her Screamers your way. She gave me their names first. After they…had contact with you, I took a trip Upstairs.” She tilted her head, waiting for him to finish, her anger arrested. “They were there, Eden.”
“What do you mean they were there? Upstairs?” She scoffed. “Don’t be stupid, Gabe. They’re suicides. They can’t…”
He glanced around, lowering his voice. “Eden, sins or not, Siders shouldn’t be there at all. Mortals follow a path for a reason. We thought Siders were immortal because there’s nowhere for them to go. You put them back on the grid, Eden.” He raised his head, staring at her for a long second.
Her fingers stilled. A rebellious smile twitched at the corners of her lips. “So I give them a path?”
“This isn’t a good thing.” Gabe sounded exasperated. He reached across the table to entwine his hands in hers, squeezing them tight before she pulled away. “You’re putting souls where they don’t belong. There’ll be consequences when Upstairs finds out.”
“You haven’t told them yet?”
He glanced back out the window. “I didn’t count on being so…involved.”
“Are you going to get in trouble?” Somehow she didn’t see Gabe coming out of this with a slap on the wrist. She tensed. “You said it out loud. Don’t they know now?”
“Luckily for the Bound, Upstairs is on a ‘pics or it didn’t happen’ kind of system. For us, sins need to be spoken. Punishment for lesser infractions needs proof. But every secret seems to burn its way out eventually.” He crossed his arms, drawing into himself as something about the thought exhausted him. “You’ve gotta be careful. You’re already being watched, sought out. And not just by us.”
“It’s a little late for a warning, isn’t it?” Her voice had taken on a hard edge. “Pretty fucking unsubtle. But if killing James—”
“What do you mean killing James? When?” Gabe’s face paled. “How?”
“Yesterday,” she said, caught off guard. “The Fallen.” She paused. “Right?”
“It’s important that you listen to me, Eden, even if you hate me, just listen, okay?” She nodded, his panic seeping into her. “The Fallen can’t kill Siders. Even if the Bound did know about the Siders, they shouldn’t be able to either. You need to stop drawing attention until I figure out what can.” He shifted, climbing out of the booth. Eden followed his lead.
“You have to call Az,” he said. “You know how he feels about you. He’ll protect you better than anyone else could. And if something happens to me, he’ll need you to get him through without a Fall.”
Her head started a slow shake, building until she finally met his eyes. “No. He’s not my responsibility. I’m over him.”
“You’ve always been a terrible liar.” He pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t be so stubborn! This is your excuse to call him. Use those feminine wiles to get back what you need”—he cast a quick glance at the door and stepped away from her—“instead of luring in boys who will never measure up. I trust you, and I trust you’re smart enough to swallow your pride and do what’s best. They’ll protect you for now, but soon I’m afraid it won’t be enough.” He was looking over her shoulder.
Eden turned, following his gaze. Adam stood near the door, kicking the snow off his boots as he scanned the room, searching for her.
Gabe grabbed her close again. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate. I’ll be in touch, okay?” He made his way through the maze of low tables and couches. Adam watched him cross the room. Gabe kept his eyes down as he passed. Walking