Page 21 of Wings of Destiny

Oh.

“Am I broken?”

She barked out a laugh. “Oh my gosh, Erin. No! That’s just the first time that’s happened to me! No one’s been able to see what I’m pulling from them before.”

“Well damn. It’s official. You’re way cooler than Seth.” She cracked another killer smile.

“Oh, please, for the love of God, tell him that. I’d love to see the look on his face,” Libby laughed. “Let’s go ahead and catch up with the guys so we can fill them in on what we found.”

Libby’s contagious excitement dwindled within me.

What you found…I did nothing.

We walked toward the opposite end of the power plant in search of the guys and the other Nephilims. My mind began to wander. “Hey, I um, I don’t know if Seth told you, but I’m staying at his place for a few, at least until this whole human-turning-into-a-Nephilim thing is over. I hope that’s okay. I…I don’t want to intrude or anything,” I said, wringing my hands.

Libby smiled down at me. “Yeah, he filled me and Derik in before we picked you up last night. His place is super nice. I’m so jealous!” Guilt flashed across my face. “Not like that, Erin!Thatwhole thing was a while ago. We ended it likemonthsago. There just wasn’t any chemistry there. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the guy is an animal in the sack but we just didn’t work like that.”

My checks burned with embarrassment. “I…uh, okay, cool. I…I didn’t want to, you know, overstep or anything. Seth’s been my best friend since forever but when a guy has a girlfriend, you know, it’s…I don’t want to cause any issues,” I stammered.

Libby stopped abruptly, her determined gaze locked with my own dull, uncertain stare. “Sweetie, look at me. Me and Seth? We are not dating. He’s my partner and leader in the whole us-against-the-demons business but nothing hitting the romance line. I got my eyes on a different piece of candy.” Libby winked at me as we caught up and neared Derik, Josh, and Seth.

The three of them were huddled together, each focused intently on their conversation. Seth’s eyebrows were knitted, his jaw clenched. We wedged ourselves into their superhuman huddle. Libby between Derik and Josh; me squished between Josh and Seth, our shoulders brushing.

Seth and Libby aren’t together.

So what?

Josh peered over at me, flashing a grin. I returned my own as best as I could and turned my attention to Libby.

“We got ‘em.” She beamed.

Derik hooted, “Hell yeah, Blondie! That’s what I’m talking about.” He slapped Libby on the shoulder causing her to roll her eyes. A dusting of pink tinged her cheekbones.

“What did you find, Lib?” Seth asked.

“From what I was able to see, there were three of them who hit this place. Luckily, it was empty when they ransacked it and burned the place down. All following the typical big bad and scary look. From what I could tell, the leader was some dark-haired douche canoe with a scar covering his left eye. They left heading away from town, so they might’ve just been the decoys while the real party was going down with the snatching.”

Seth nodded, his jaw loosened slightly. “Okay, did any of them say anything important or anything that stuck out to you?”

“Unfortunately, no. There was nothing that spilled the beans on the why behind it or where they were heading next.”

“Damn.” Seth closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose again. That seemed to be his go-to that day. He was usually the most carefree, ain’t-no-thang-but-a-chicken-wing type of guy. But at that moment, the Seth I knew was nowhere in sight. His eyes softened as he looked back at Libby. “Thanks for backtracking for us, Lib. Much appreciated.” My chest tightened at the hint of affection in Seth’s voice.

They might not be together…but there’s something there between them.

I turned my head wanting to hide the sliver of jealousy plastered on my face only to find Josh staring at me. Concern briefly flashed across his features. Our little group spread across the lot, each walking in our own direction—except Josh. He tilted his head in question. I shook mine, shoving my hands in my jean pockets, praying he left it alone. Leftmealone.

Erin, get a grip. You didn’t have any of these feelings a few days ago. Slow your roll.

For some godforsaken reason, Josh took that as his cue to move closer to me. Could the guy not read body language?

“Hey.”

I quickly glanced up at him. “Hey.”

He gave me a small smile. “Was it just me or did you turn a shade of green for a moment, Miss Snow?”

I shrugged my shoulders, feigning ignorance. “No idea what you mean. Just distracted for a second. It happens a lot.”

---