Page 115 of Angel Lost

Finally, Kai starts moving.

I swivel in my chair. Waiting. Drumming my fingers on the desk. Kai puts the final touches to the tattoo, and suddenly there are two versions of Kai. It’s the only way. We need to get to the portal in his stepmom’s office. Providing the receptionist is at least a little distracted, we should be able to march not-Kai straight out of here at my side. Kai will redo the illusion on us both. I’ll walk out as a professor accompanying not-Kai, then he’ll follow. We can’t risk us all going together, getting caught.

“You promise me you’ll come after?” I hold out my pinkie and he peers at it in bemusement. “Pinkie promise,” I prompt him.

Kai grabs my wrist. In one practiced movement he slashes the palm of my hand with his knife, and I yelp in surprise. Seconds later he gouges his own hand and clasps them together, blood dripping onto my dorm room floor.

“Promise,” he drawls, winking at me as the magic swirls around our hands, binding him.

Snatching my hand back, I scowl.

He’s more unstable with every day that passes.

Getting back to the dorm goes smoothly. Except I can’t find Chano. He’s not answering his phone, and my messages are unread. Surely they’re not ahead of us? Haven’t found out it was me rescuing the Maverik kid, and kidnapped Chano as revenge? No. I swallow my panic. We didn’t take that long. I force my way through the ley lines to the kitchens, the other two following behind. If anyone will know where Chano is, the hada will.

I spot the tiny hada from the strawberry garden. Hands on hips, she shakes a fist at me, and I have to guess at what she’s saying.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been in the garden yet,” I say, holding my hands up. “I’ve been busy!”

She leans in, her face so close I can feel her tiny breaths on my nose.

“Okay, look, when I do the work I’m due you, I’ll bring Kai too.”

Kai clicks his tongue in annoyance, then snaps his fingers. My disguise melts. Suddenly the hada beams and flutters off, glancing over her shoulder, making sure I’m following.

Shit. She thought I was an angel professor from Gifted. Of course she did. I didn’t need to bargain. I just needed Kai to take the illusion off. She had no idea what I was talking about, who I was.

My heart sinks the closer we get to the gardens. I didn’t mean we’d help right now. I start to protest as we step into the walled garden. The sharp wind dies away, and in the far corner I spot Chano’s hulking form. He’s bent over, pulling leeks out of the ground, mud smeared across his face, whistling.

My mouth drops open. The tiny hada flutters to my face and mischievously pokes a finger into my gaping mouth. I jerk back, and she flies off cackling to herself.

Chano the gardener. Who knew?

He stands, waving at us. He’s more relaxed than I’ve seen him in months, and I’m about to change all that.

He strides over, and I study the ground. He’s going to hate me.

“Good news or bad news first?” I ask, forcing a smile.

Chano stabs his gardening fork into the ground and looks carefully between the two versions of Kai. His nose wrinkles and he leans closer, sniffing. Panicked, I push the Maverik teen back.

Chano frowns. “Good news, chica. We can face the bad together.”

“We…we found one of them. One of the Maverik runaways.”

Kai mutters an incantation, and his final illusion drops away. With a groan, Chano engulfs the boy in his arms. The teen allows Chano to hug him, but no emotion passes over his face. When Chano pushes away, the boy just stands, arms limp at his side.

“Josh? What…? How…?”

“There’s more, technically good news…” I pause, playing with the hilt of my knife. “We know where Lottie and the rest are. And Kai’s sister too.”

Chano pulls his gardening gloves off and flings them onto the ground. “Let’s go.”

It takes a tense moment to persuade him to wait, to listen to the rest.

“If you’d just let me come to the aether academy with you,” he says. “I’d have sensed she was there. This is your fault!”

There’s a cold fury in his eyes. It’s not more than I deserve.

---