Page 42 of Fallen Angel

Hannah felt his Siren influence tug at the back of her mind, but ignored it. This wasn’t because of what Mara turned him into. This was Hannah’s own attraction and feelings for the man she was so cosmically entwined with.

Callan sweetly kissed Hannah’s neck. Between a breath, he whispered, “How I have missed you.”

Hannah paused and took a step back.

“What is wrong?” Callan asked.

Hannah looked at him and tried to ignore how handsome he was—how drawn to him she felt. Though she wasn’t ignorant to the fact that the familiarity she felt for him was a result of having known him—having loved him—in a past life, she was certain that the emotions growing within her for Callan were her own. He had opened her up to an entirely new and impossible world where she had discovered more about herself than she ever had before. He brought her answers. And though they may not have been answers Hannah wanted, they were honest and exactly what she needed. He had helped her understand the mysterious energy, adrenaline, anxiety that had been brewing within her over the last two years. While Callan had been explaining magic to Hannah, she felt that hewasher magic. He was unlike anyone she had ever met, already unable to stand the thought of life without him. But he didn’t feel those things for her. He felt them for someone else.

“I am not Raven,” she said.

“I know that.”

“Do you? Because you haven’t known me long enough to miss me.”

“That was not my intention. It simply pleases me that you remember. You know what we experienced together.” He reached for Hannah’s hand, but she pulled back.

“That spell connected me to Raven’s memory. And even though I saw what happened between the two of you, I didn’t experience it. It was like watching a play or a movie.”

“I am sorry,” Callan said. “But even if you do not feel it, youareRaven. You used to be, at the very least. You appear the same, you possess her magic…”

“I’m nothing like her,” Hannah shouted. Tears burned behind her eyes. “She was strong and powerful and determined. She was brave.”

“You are brave.”

“I’m scared shitless! I was nearly killed by a wolf who was also a young girl. There’s a Vampire on the loose, and the Devilherselfis looking for us.” The Hannah who was comforting Callan moments ago had completely disappeared. Too many emotions whirled within her that she didn’t know how to feel. The confusion resulted in panic.

“I know ’tis much to handle.” He took a cautious step forward.

“Midterms are a lot to handle. Supernatural creatures and learning I have magic are unthinkable.” Tears slipped down Hannah’s cheeks and their presence only frustrated her further. She released an embittered huff. “And now I’m crying. Great.”

“You should be crying.” Callan’s words surprised Hannah. “I would be concerned if you were unaffected by all of this. It is still baffling to me, and I have been living with it for over three hundred years. Granted, I have been frozen in stone for most of that…” Callan grinned. “And I know you are not Raven. It is an adjustment, but I do feel the difference.”

Though Hannah appreciated Callan’s ability to differentiate between herself and Raven, it deflated her. While the memory spell provided her insight to her past life, it also created a massive inferiority complex within Hannah. She could never be as good as Raven, and maybe Callan saw that too.

“You are in error, however,” Callan continued. “Despite your differences, I see her within you. You are strong and brave and forgiving and smart.” He inched closer to Hannah as he spoke. “You know how I know this?”

Hannah tilted her eyes up toward his, waiting for his answer.

“Because you are here with me now, desiring to defeat Mara. Raven did not have to fight against her, but she did. In that way, you are exactly the same.”

Hannah looked upon Callan’s tender face and allowed his soothing voice to brush against her skin. Her tears subsided. He skimmed the few remaining droplets away from her freckled cheeks.

“Thank you,” she said. “Still, I think we should avoid…kissing and stuff…” Hannah cringed at her awkwardness and attempted to push away the intense attraction she felt for him. “…until we figure some things out.”

“What things?”

“Until you get to know me—Hannah. And then you can decide whether you actually have…”

“Feelings?”

“Yes.” Though Hannah knew this was the best course of action, she hoped he would reassure her that he already shared how she felt now.

“All right,” he said. Callan stepped away and shook his head.

Hannah’s heart dropped. “Okay then,” she said. They stood with a few feet of space between them. The grimoire rested, tempting, on the floor.

“So, how do we destroy this thing?”

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