CHAPTER THREE
Ethan’s black hair fell into downcast eyes, and he didn’t bother pushing it away.
With the dusty ground under him and the stone wall at his back, a foreboding chill leached through his clothes, cooling his skin, seeping into his bones. But the iciness did little to douse the flickering embers inside him.
Ethan stretched his neck, his back aching from immobility, but he couldn’t make himself move. Camryn lay beside him on her cot, her blank eyes staring at the ceiling.
He strained to keep his hands in his lap. Not because he didn’t want to touch her but because he so desperately did. He wanted to lay his hand on hers, wanted her to know he was there, but he was afraid—partly because her father hadn’t stopped glaring at him since their arrival. But mostly because, he knew it wouldn’t be enough. The primal magnetism that had held him in Camryn’s orbit even when he’d tried so desperately to leave seemed to be growing stronger. He could barely touch her now without feeling her essence ripple through him, touching every part of him, inside and out. And feeling that bond again, that connection that had been lost so long ago…he never wanted to lose it.
“It’s been an hour,” Ethan said. “Shouldn’t they be back by now?”
Michael’s eyes shrank into slits. “Sometimes these things take time.”
Camryn didn’t acknowledge the exchange, barely blinking as the hands resting on her stomach moved up and down with her even breathing. Ethan could feel the restless energy seeping off of her even though she insisted she was okay. But her parents sat quietly nearby and didn’t seem concerned, so maybe he shouldn’t be either. They knew her best.
Didn’t they?
Walking into the basement room the day before, Ethan had been too distracted by his own mother to notice, but looking at Camryn’s parents now, Ethan realized they were not at all what he had been expecting. When Camryn had talked of them before, he’d pictured them more like Dale and Grace, his foster parents back in the sleepy farm town of Kentucky Bend, but the pair across from him now more resembled a hippie and a lumberjack than two rural Kentucky farmers.
Lindsay had her long, light brown hair parted in the middle, and she wore a patterned blouse with loose-fitting jeans while James’s flannel button-up stretched over his wide shoulders. Noting James’s dark eyes and hair, Ethan couldn’t help thinking that Camryn clearly got her looks from her mother.
“But he hasn’t even contacted you?” Ronan asked.
Michael paused a beat before shaking his head.
Ethan groaned. The Archangels had had plenty of time to get to Turkey and have something to report by now.
Michael stood by the door like a statue. His stony face gave nothing away, but as Ethan turned, he caught a glimpse of warm yellow mist rolling off him like fog. Ethan jerked his head back, but it was gone.
He’s nervous.
Ethan could tell. He shouldn’t be able to…but he could.
Camryn didn’t blink as Ethan stood and stretched his back.
“Where are you going?” Michael snapped.
“I’ve gotta take a piss. Is that okay with you?”
Michael seemed to actually contemplate the question before nodding toward the bathroom.
As Ethan washed his hands in the dingy sink a few minutes later, he ran over their situation again in his head. Harriet is working with Apollyon. We don’t know how, but she is. She’s given us till dawn to turn ourselves in, but Michael is unwilling to even entertain the idea.
Could they do it without him? Probably not.
It wasn’t likely that they’d be able to talk Akira and Ronan into transporting them, and even less likely that they’d be able to sneak away from three angels undetected.
Ethan heaved a heavy sigh. Time seemed to be running out for all of them, and Elohim had yet to reveal any divine mission.
Why is he making us wait while people are continuing to die?
Why seemed to be the question of the week.
Why?
Why any of this?
When Ethan finally looked up at the square piece of plastic that hung above the sink with its reflective coating that he could only assume was supposed to serve as a mirror, his image returned to him wavy and distorted. Exactly how he felt—like a warped version of himself. As much as he wanted to pretend this was all completely normal, he understood Camryn’s struggle with relating to the angel she used to be.
The angel of his past had been submissive, a follower. Uriah protected Arael, but he seldom made decisions based on anything else. He just did as he was told. Surely that wasn’t what was expected of him now. Or maybe…
Maybe protecting Camryn was his only job. His only purpose. Ethan took a moment to wonder—would that be enough. “Yes,” he answered out loud. Did he want to watch the life leach out of Apollyon’s eyes at his own hands? Also yes. But if protecting Camryn was the most he could contribute, he would execute that job with elite precision.
Stepping back into the dark corridor a few minutes later, Ethan wasn’t surprised to see Akira leaning against the wall, arms crossed, waiting for him. Ethan averted his eyes from the pale white skin of her stomach that stared at him from under the hem of her tiny crop-top.
“What do you want?” Ethan whispered.
Akira’s eyebrows pinched together. “God, when did you become such an asshole? I’m just trying to talk to you. You’ve been doing an impressive job of ignoring me since I got here.”
Ethan turned back toward the others. “I can’t do this with you right now,” he said, raking the hair out of his eyes.
Akira stopped him with one small but firm hand on his arm. “I’m not trying to do anything.” She spun him back toward her. “What’s wrong with you?”
Ethan tried to pull away from her. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Are you mad at me about something?”
Ethan took a breath. The pain in Akira’s eyes betrayed her flippant attitude. He wasn’t trying to hurt her, he just—
“I’m not mad. I just know how easily things could get complicated.” Ethan looked back down the corridor toward the room where Camryn lay on her cot. “You and her already aren’t on good terms. I don’t want things to get worse.”
Akira raised a thin eyebrow. “Let’s see. The earth is imploding. We’re stuck in this basement being chased by the ruler of the underworld, and the only hope we have of getting out lies with two human kids who can’t figure out how to use their powers. What could possibly make the situation any worse?”
“Akira, I swear to God. If you say anything to her—”
Akira rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell her. Believe it or not, I am here to help you. And even I can recognize that that would be counterproductive.”
Ethan felt the tension release his shoulders. “Good, glad we can agree.”
Akira raised her shoulders and wrinkled her nose. “On the other hand…”
“No,” Ethan said. “There is no other hand.”
“Do you think it’s a good idea to keep secrets from her?”
Ethan grabbed Akira by the arms and pressed her into the wall behind her.
“So much aggression.” Akira said, her red lips turning up into a smirk. “I like it.”
“Stop that,” Ethan said, releasing her. “That’s not funny.”
Akira made a show of straightening her shirt. “Sure it is. You just never had much of a sense of humor.”
“Just trust me about this, okay? She doesn’t need to know about anything that happened between us.”
Akira shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
Ethan took a few uneasy breaths before speaking. “I’m sorry…” He paused, “…for pushing you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m an angel. You can’t hurt me, remember?”