Page 65 of Wings of Death

I fold my arms as I stare at my stubborn friend. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but?—”

“Oh no, it wasn’t an offer.” He shakes his head and takes a step forward. “We’re coming with you. Or at least, I am. Lacinda, I totally get it if you don’t want to.”

She whacks him in the arm. “Oh, if you’re going, then so am I. We’ve got to have our girl’s back.”

I move forward and wrap my arms around my friends, more thankful than ever to have them. This is going to be a difficulttask, to say the least, and I know I will need all the help and support I can get.

I head back to my quarters, in desperate need of some sleep. We agreed to meet outside the Dark Forest at first light tomorrow morning. I told them both if they decide to change their mind, I would understand, but they assured me they would be there. The thought of meeting the God of Death is pretty terrifying, and I decide to shove the thought to the back of my mind. The last thing I need to do is freak myself out any more than I already am.

What if harnessing the dark magic doesn’t go so well? What if it changes me? I shudder, shoving that thought to the back of my mind, too.

Stop thinking of the worst and focus on the outcome. Focus on Kyle,I tell myself, and it helps.

I round the corner toward my quarters and spot Amaros waiting outside my door. I stop, almost planning to turn and run before he spots me, but it’s too late as his eyes meet mine. He peels himself off the wall and waits expectantly.

I slowly walk to him, trying my best to hide my nerves, which I hope aren’t clearly visible on my face.

“Zarla, we need to talk,” he says, his tone serious.

I gulp. Crap, he’s figured out my plan.

“Can we talk in your quarters?” he asks, gesturing to my door.

I hesitate, unsure if I should be alone in my room at night with him, but then remember we’ve been alone in there before. I nod and open my door, moving aside for him to pass. Afterclosing the door, I take a seat on the edge of my bed, and he follows suit, sitting at the end.

“So, what’s this about?” I ask, my voice cracking slightly. I clear my throat.

His expression is hard to read, and he simply stares at me. I glance away, needing to break the contact from his intensity before returning my gaze to his.

“Is there something you need to tell me?” he finally asks.

Oh no.He knows. What do I do?

He raises his brows at me.

“Um, no, I don’t think so,” I say.

He rubs the side of his face. “Finlay told me about Kyle.”

Thatbastard.

“So it’s true,” he says, scanning my face.

I let out a long breath. “That depends what he told you.”

He gets to his feet and then sits down right next to me. “Zarla, I need you to tell me the truth. Is Kyle an angel?”

I bite my bottom lip. “Maybe,” I say, and he gets to his feet and paces the room, “but it’s not my fault,” I quickly add. “I didn’t know. The gods bonded us together.”

He stops and stares at me. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? How dangerousangels from Zarquonare?”

I get to my feet, annoyed that he’s speaking of Kyle this way. “There’s nothing dangerous about him. I know him.”

He laughs, and it’s a sinister sound. “Are you serious? You don’t know him,” he says with a wave of his arm toward me. “You’ve barely been bonded to the male.”

He narrows his eyes, his jaw clenching, and I gulp. Does he know we’ve been intimate? Has he sensed it from me? I start to wonder what Finlay has told him.

He closes his eyes for a moment, taking deep breaths. “Howwell do you know him?”

---