“Ye’re a wise queen.” He pulls up to the walkway that leads into the part of the estate where I reside.
I go inside. The first fella I see is Eion. He’s chewing a piece of apple while he sits in the den cleaning weapons. He’s constantly eating since his return from Sheol. “Do you know where Brennus is?” I ask, watching him swab the barrel of a gun. He swallows, and then blows into the barrel, expelling lint out of the bottom of it.
“He’s in his office wi’ Atwater. They’ve been arguing for hours. Ye do na want ta go in there.”
“That’s exactly where I want to go,” I reply. I walk in the direction of Brennus’ office.
“Call me if ye need me,” Eion shouts. “I’ve sworn ta protect ye, na dem.”
Finn is leaning against the doorframe to Brennus’ office with his arms crossed. He frowns when he sees me, as if the situation just got worse. “Ye do na want ta go in there, Genevieve.”
“Yes I do,” I reply with relative calm. I open the door. It’s dark inside the room. The curtains have been drawn and the lights are low. Atwater is leaning against the windowsill with his arms crossed. I look for Brennus behind his desk, but the chair is empty. Instead, I find him in the far corner of the room. He’s in a black leather chair sitting beneath the dim glow of a floor lamp. In his hand is a glass filled with an amber liquid.
“Yer aingeal has returned, mo chroí,” Brennus announces. Ice rattles in his glass as he takes a sip.
“You didn’t know?” I ask.
Brennus laughs scornfully. “No. How could I know when Heaven is so good at keepin’ secrets?”
“You knew, though,” I say, looking at Atwater. His lionlike features are more pronounced in shadow.
He turns his diamond-shaped irises to look at me. “I did.”
“And you didn’t think that it was important to tell me that my aspire has returned to me as my guardian angel?”
Atwater shrugs. “He’s no longer your aspire.”
I take exception to that. “He is. He’s branded on my heart and I can feel him there, even if you cannot see his mark. Why would you do that to me? Why would you keep him from me?”
“It was important that you be here without any distractions. You needed to become a unit—to bond with one another. You were doing that.” He gestures to Brennus and me.
“You’re against this. You’re against Reed returning as my guardian angel.” I ask Atwater.
His blue wings flutter. “It’s a setback.”
“A setback?” I ask incredulously.
“You have a destiny, Evie.”
“And I’m fulfilling it. It’s my life. You don’t get to dictate all of the aspects of it.”
“You cannot see the big picture.”
“You’re keeping something from me. What is it?” They both remain silent. I put up my hands. “Fine. I’m moving out. I’m going to live with my aspire.”
“Please take some time to consider—”
Turning, I leave the room. I go to my bedroom and pack some things in my bag. Brennus joins me. He watches me move about the room, collecting items that I’ll need. His silence is awful. I have to break it. “I love him.”
He sighs wearily. “Ye love him, ye love me, ye love dem—ye love us all.”
I rub my forehead in frustration. “Reed started all of this. He’s the reason we’re here now.”
“He’s na da reason we’re here now. Ye have no idea where ye come from, do ye?”
“I have a pretty good idea. I have a rather long memory now.”
“I’m talking about da time before yer memories began—before a Russell or a Xavier ever existed.”
“What are you saying?” I ask, fear erupting in the core of my being.
“One day I’ll be able ta show ye whah I’m talkin’ about. One day ye’ll need no tellin’.”
“I have to go.”
“Den ye have ta go. But ye come back. Ye live here wi’ us when he’s away. We protect ye as da Keeper of Da Key of Sheol and our queen.”
“Okay.” I try to move past him.
He puts out his hand and holds my elbow. “Ye still have a job ta do.”
“And I’ll do it,” I assure him. “We’re a team, you, me, and the fellas. I will hold up my end of it.”
“And I’ll hold up moin, mo chroí. I promise ye.”
Reed is waiting for me in a shiny red SUV when I emerge from the old church portion of the seminary. Getting out of the driver’s seat, he opens my door for me when I reach the end of the walkway. “Hello,” he says, leaning down and kissing me. It’s more than a quick peck.
“Hi,” I say breathlessly, my heart beating faster just because I’m near him. He takes the bag in my hand from me. I climb into the seat. He closes my door. He’s in his seat in a millisecond, starting the car.
“Do you have everything you need?” he asks.
As he pulls away from the curb, he studies the rearview mirror. “We’re being followed,” he says softly. At least three cars of fellas trail us.
“I’m sorry,” I sigh the words. “You expected that though, right?’
“I did.”
“I’m their queen, Reed. They’ve sworn to protect me.”