Page 10 of Javier

I had trouble letting go of him. Part of me wanted to forget reality, dream on, and surrender to him, and yet ending the kiss was the most important part of my test. Every morning, when I woke up, he dematerialized from my thoughts, revealing he had only been a dream. But now, as I reluctantly relinquished his lips and opened my eyes, my heart almost leaped out of my chest. He was still there, holding me, solid, present, and permanent in every way.

He’s real.

Far from clearing my confusion, the realization left me reeling. I sat up, trying to sever the powerful connection between our bodies, to interrupt the odd current buzzing through me in aclosed loop.

The moment he released me from his hold, I fought a bout of vertigo. On impulse, I braced myself on his arm. Immediately, the world stilled. I felt as if I would float away into nothingness without his touch, as if he were my anchor, my link to the real world, and the only one who could keep oblivion at bay.

“Angel?” Concern dimmed the tawny light in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” The flush burning my face spread to my whole body. I dragged my gaze to my fingers. They were locked around his wrist, so tight I could see the crescent moon imprint of my nails etched on his tanned skin.

I made a great effort to let go. “Sorry.”

“You mean about kissing me?” He lifted one corner of his mouth, his eyes dancing with effervescent mirth. “It was—”

I raised a finger in the air. “Don’t you dare say anything.”

“I was gonna say nice.”

“I… um… I was trying to…” I stammered. “In my dreams, you—”

He scrunched his eyebrows, studying me with big, rounded eyes. “What dreams?”

“Forget it.” Oh, God. I was making such a fool of myself. “I’m a little… off.”

“You have reason to be.” He hooked his carbine on his shoulder, got up, and taking me completely by surprise, lifted me in his arms as if I weighed nothing. “We gotta go. The soldiers will be here in...” He managed to twist his wrist and check his watch. “T-minus thirty-five mikes and counting.”

Soldiers. Fire. Death. Destruction. Yes. I remembered that dream as well.

“Wait.” As he hopped down from the ledge and started forward, fear returned to squash my chest. I tried to twist myselfout of his hold. “Put me down.” When he kept going, I pounded his chest with my fist, a moot point, not to mention foolish, given that he wore an armored vest. “I said, put me down!”

“Angel,” he started. “We have no time for—”

“Put the wain down!” On cue, Sister Janet’s umbrella rained down on the back of the big warrior.Thump, thump, thump. It bounced off him as if he were made of steel.

“You cannot take her from us, you big oaf.” Sister Elsa waved her cane in the air, flicking it against the back of his legs with impressive accuracy.

“Hey! Ladies! Stop this!” He whirled around and glared at Sister Janet. “You’re gonna break your damn umbrella, and you’re fair skinned, so you need it.” He shifted his glower to Sister Elsa. “As to you, I’m gonna feel really shitty if I have to get rid of your fucking cane, so stop using it as a fucking weapon.”

Sister Elsa puffed out her skinny chest. “Language, young man.”

“With all due respect,” he said. “If you’re fucking dead, nobody gives a fuck about one’s shitty vocabulary.”

“Down!” I smacked him on the shoulder. “Now!”

“Fine.” He huffed a stoic sigh and settled me on my feet. “So much for me rescuing you.”

“I don’t need anyone to rescue me,” I snapped, fighting to find my balance.

“It looked different from over there.” He cocked a big thumb toward the hill.

He had a point, but still, I stumbled away from him.

“If you wanna walk, walk,” he said, “but we’re burning daylight, so let’s go.”

Breathing hard, I braced on the sisters’ shoulders and willed the compound to stop spinning around me.

“She’s frightened of ye, so stay away, ye giant shitehawk.” Sister Janet waved her umbrella at him. “Ye will not harm ourwain. Feck off!”

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