‘Did you get anywhere on the exile priest before you left?’
Carter snorted. ‘We only had two days before Gray sent us off to rescue you.’ He gave a toothy grin. ‘Of course we got him. The SOB couldn’t stop himself from trying his moves at a Sunday Mass – daft bugger was so senseless he tried to help himself to Westminster Abbey. Last thing he ever did.’
I smiled, pleased the exile priest was out of the way. And by the look on Carter’s face he had enjoyed being the vehicle of deliverance.
‘Why do they go for religion?’ I asked.
Carter leaned forward. ‘Come on, purple. That’s the easiest question of ’em all. They all want what they can’t have. They think they should be the ones who are worshipped, they think they should be in charge.’
‘And what if one of them has actually created a new religion?’ I asked.
Carter raised his eyebrows. ‘Well, he wouldn’t be the first, but it’s kind of like the ultimate finger to the sky, you know.’
I was surprised by Carter’s response. I lowered my voice. ‘Do you believe in God, Carter?’
‘Hell, purple, I haven’t even had a beer yet.’ He sighed, seeing I was still waiting for his answer. ‘Look, ask yourself this: if there isn’t, do you really wanna know? ’Cause I sure as shit don’t.’
I licked my lips. ‘Good point,’ I admitted.
‘I’m full of them,’ he said, winking at me before looking towards the sound of approaching footsteps. ‘Who are you, then?’ he barked.
I didn’t need to look up to know Lincoln was standing in the aisle. ‘I’m running this mission with Violet,’ he said levelly.
I closed my eyes briefly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, while pushing my emotions down.
‘Carter, this is Lincoln. He’s … He was my partner.’
‘Is,’ Lincoln interjected.
Carter gave Lincoln a long visual assessment and then turned back to me. And burst out laughing. ‘Pretty boy here was your partner?’
‘Is,’ Lincoln corrected again.
Ignoring Lincoln, I nodded at Carter even as I glared at him.
He choked on his next bout of laughter, wiping his hand down his face. ‘Well, no wonder you came running to us.’
I stood up, ignoring whatever Lincoln had started to say. I hadn’t even been able to bring myself to look at him yet but that didn’t stop an internal raging at Carter’s words. I moved right into his personal space, knowing how much that vexed him.
My voice was surprisingly steady. ‘You don’t get to say that, Carter. You don’t get to pretend like you know me or have any idea why I’ve done the things I’ve done. You definitely don’t get to comment on why I left my partner. He’s a stronger Grigori than you will ever be and not just because he fights harder. It’s because he’s better than any of us. So, listen carefully when I tell you this: Don’t. Go. There.’
I was so close to Carter’s face I saw the flash of fear in his eyes.
‘Yeah, yeah, I hear you, purple.’ He glanced over to Gray. ‘Hell, man. A bit of warning that this dude’s her trigger switch mighta been nice.’
‘And miss this? Never,’ Gray said as I plonked myself back into my seat to the sound of his and Taxi’s laughter.
Finally, I looked up to see Lincoln staring at me, his eyes glassy.
Oh, hell. How am I going to put this one out?
I expected him to sit down and start going over our non-relationship again, or at least the plan for when we arrived in New Orleans, but after a moment his brow furrowed slightly and his eyes cleared, looking into me in a way no one else ever has or will, as he drew his own conclusions.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
Finally, he just bit his lip, smiled warmly at me, then turned and walked back to the front of the plane where Zoe, Salvatore and the others had all been pretending – unsuccessfully – not to gawk.
Phoenix, who was sitting at the halfway mark, didn’t hide the fact that he’d watched the whole thing.
Jesus. This is going to be a long flight.
I did the only thing I could do. I tucked myself into a corner and went to sleep.
CHaPteR tweNty-tHRee
‘Passion is unjust, and for an idle, transitory gust of gratified revenge, dooms us to pay with long repentance at a later day.’
Theognis of Megara
PHOENIX
I am in agony.
My mind races with options but they’re all hopeless. And painful. Every breath feels tight. Impossible. And I know it shouldn’t hurt this much just to breathe, but it does.
I’m back. I’m in human form again. I should want a glass of wine; a day lying in the sun; a thunderstorm, for Christ’s sake – all the things that I once treasured about being corporeal. But even after everything, there is only one thing on my traitorous mind.
Christ. I can smell her.
Reach out and touch her.
She’s been sleeping for the past hour, tossing and turning; she wouldn’t even know if I did.