Page 20 of Galen
“Yes.”
“Really?” I cocked my head. “You don’t have wings.”
“I have them,” he said. “They’re just hidden at the moment.”
“Can I see them?”
“No.”
They needed to create a new class of angelic being. The killjoy angel. He’d be their leader.
“Why are you smiling?”
“No reason.” I pressed my lips into a line. “If angels and demons are real, I guess Heaven and Hell are too?”
Galen nodded. “Though, they’re not what you probably think. Most religions have their own version of the two places, but the reality is different. For the underworld anyway. I’ve never been to the celestial realm.”
“Celestial realm?”
“The home to angels. It’s what you think of as Heaven.”
“Why haven’t you been there?”
“I’m not allowed. None of my brothers are.”
“Why?”
Galen exhaled and rubbed at his temple. “That’s enough questions for now.”
“Just one more,” I said. “Please? You owe me that much. This whole thing is nuts.”
Light gray eyes shifted to me. Waiting.
“Why tell me all of this?”
“Because whether you like it or not, you’re involved now,” he answered in an irritated tone. Was he annoyed byme, though, or by the situation? Probably both. “The box I took from you? The demons are after it. I thought once I got it away from your shop, they would leave you alone. I was wrong. My mistake nearly cost you your life. Consider this me rectifying that mistake.”
I recalled the conversation I’d heard before he came into the room. The other man was pissed about me being there. He said something about their location needing to stay secret.
“Am I really your prisoner now?” I asked, putting the pieces together.
“That’s another question.” His lips twitched. “No. You’re not my prisoner. But you can’t leave.”
“That’s literally the definition of prisoner.”
“Think of it more like protective custody.” Galen stood from the bed and glanced back at me. “It could be worse. You could go back home and be eaten by shades. Staying here, protected, sounds much better, don’t you agree?”
“What about my business?” I asked, trying to slide out of bed and wincing. Galen gently pushed me back down on the pillow. “I have to go to work. I have bills to pay. Employees too. Kyo relies on me.”
“Tell him you’re closing the shop for the rest of the week,” Galen said. “A paid vacation. I’ll make sure he’s compensated for it. Now stop stressing and get some rest.”
How could I rest when I’d been smacked with so much craziness at once? Sleeping was the furthest thing from my mind.
“Why do this for me? Why go through all this trouble for someone you don’t know?”
“Simon. If you ask me one more question, I may be forced to smother you with a pillow.”
It was the first time he’d ever said my name. And damn if I didn’t like the way it rolled off his tongue.
