“I’m ready,” she turned to face him.
Jeremy placed his hands on her head. The streetlight brightened and a breeze blew through the air. And then, she was gone.
Jeremy walked toward him smiling and a surge of fear went through Lash. He missed his best friend, but he didn’t want him anywhere near Naomi. One day, when it was her time to die, she would have to see him. A sudden thought entered his mind. Deborah had seen him before she died.
“Jeremy, I thought humans couldn’t see you in your heavenly form until after they passed. How was Deborah able to see you?”
“You caught that, didn’t you?” Jeremy glanced down at the ground. “Well, she’s not the norm.”
“She’s not going with her companion to the other side?”
“No.” Jeremy brushed a hand through his hair. “She’s going somewhere else.”
Lash raised his brows. He didn’t know Deborah very well, but she didn’t exactly look like the type to lead a life that would warrant Hell.
“No, no. She’s not joining Lucifer.” Jeremy laughed. “Michael has a special job for her. Look, I can’t say any more, and I really need to be going.” He turned to look at Naomi, who appeared to be finishing up with the paramedic. “I think you have a job to do, too. We’ll see each other soon, my friend.”
After the ambulance left and the last of the gawkers finally went away, Chuy went down to the parking lot for the car and left Naomi with Lash.
She stared at the spot where Deborah and Nathan had died, clutching her mother’s pendant between her fingers. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s wait around the corner.”
“Why would anyone want to hurt them? They were good people.”
“I don’t know.” What could he tell her? Fallen angels were, for some reason, after her, and her shrink was one of them? He hated that he couldn’t tell her the truth. Even if she believed him, he knew she would be devastated, thinking she was the cause of their deaths even though something bigger was at work. He just didn’t know what it was.
“I wish there was more we could do,” she said as she started to look back in the direction of the center.
Lash placed a hand on her cheek and turned her to him. “Sometimes, all you can do is take care of yourself and your family—be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.” He wished he could give her more than just words. Without all his powers, and with no knowledge about what was really going on, he felt totally helpless. He did the only thing he could think of—he pulled her to his chest, holding her tight as if by doing so he could squeeze away her fears.
“I’m sorry, Naomi. I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” he said softly.
“I’m not. You-You could have gotten shot too, and I … I can’t …” She bit down on her lip, and a fresh set of tears spilled down her face.
She cried into his chest, and his heart ached for her at the sound of her sobs. After a moment, she collected herself and looked up at him. His breath hitched as wet blue eyes met his. He took in her pale face, red, runny nose, and swollen lips. She looked so vulnerable, her eyes begging him to take the pain away. Without thought, he pressed his lips to her forehead and a blaze of fire rippled through him.
When he lifted his head, their eyes locked and, for that moment, it was only them. No Dantan, no Sal, no fallen angels.
A thousand thoughts went through his mind. He wanted to tell her who he was. He wanted to keep her in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to brush away the anguish from her eyes and promise her that everything would be okay just so he could see her smile.
Her eyes darkened and lips parted as she angled her head. He swallowed, overwhelmed with all the emotions running through him.
“Lash,” she breathed.
The chugging of an engine startled him and he pulled away just as Chuy drove up. She blinked as if waking up from a daydream. The moment was gone, and he exhaled. He had done it again. He didn’t think about what it would mean for him to get involved with Naomi. It couldn’t happen. He would have to leave her one day, and he didn’t want to hurt her when he did.
“Get in, Lash. We’ll give you a ride home.” Chuy said as Naomi slipped into the car.
Sitting in the backseat of the car, Lash gazed at Naomi. Her head leaned against the window, eyes closed. The only sound was Chuy telling her they shouldn’t worry Welita with what had happened. She nodded. Lash tore his eyes away from her and gazed out the window at the city lights. He had almost lost her tonight, and it was more than messing up a job. She was more than that. He only hoped that when the time came and his assignment was over, he could let her go.
Chapter 13