Page 26 of Touched By Sin
“Do you think my wings turn them on? The boys watching?”
A fierce, animalistic snarl sounds deep in his chest. He’s just about to react and give me what I need when someone clears their throat next to us.
“It’s strictly prohibited to spread your wings in the hallway, miss. Close them at once!”
I blink and look at the teacher beside us. When I don’t immediately listen, his mustache twitches with annoyance. Daemon still has his hand on my throat. We must look like quite the pair. My wings snap shut, and I shoulder past Daemon into the classroom.
Ronan chuckles behind me. “Couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
“Nope.”
“He’ll hurt you one day.”
I pull out a chair. “I’m counting on it.”
Sitting down beside me, Ronan balances on the back legs of his chair, leaning so far that it’s a miracle he doesn’t fall. “I like you, little angel.”
It’s a strange feeling to blossom like a flower in spring when a boy praises you.
“You don’t know me,” I point out, and Ronan sits forward with his elbows on the desk.
“I know you better than you think.”
“Yeah? How so? Tell me one thing about me.”
“You’re an angel with a dark side.”
“It’s an observation and doesn’t count.”
Daemon and Alaric plop down onto the seats in front of us. I try not to drag my eyes over their broad shoulders and the dark curls at the nape of their necks between their large wings.
“Your name is Aurelia.”
With an eye roll, I turn in my seat to face him. “Tell me something real.”
His lips twitch. “Something real?”
“What are my dreams, Ronan? What scares me? Why did I venture into the woods that night? You must be curious. Why did an angel sneak out of Eden to venture into the deep, dark woods where dangers lurk? I knew the risks.”
His eyes linger on mine for a long moment, searching my blue depths. “You never felt at home in Eden. You were an outcast, smiling when you were supposed to, but your heart always yearned for something outside of those tall gates. A craving you couldn’t place. You were the good little angel who would sit down for class but crane her neck to look back at the gates and listen to the whisper of the woods.”
I’ve stopped breathing.
Ronan leans in and whispers, “Only a few hear the calling of the woods. Did you know that? It coaxes them home. You never belonged in Eden. Your wings are white like God’s blinding light, but the woods know you. From the moment of your birth, the moment you took your first steps, your feet have led you to the gates.” He leans back and spreads his arms. “Is that real enough?”
I swallow, unable to look away from his dark eyes that glimmer with a hint of masculine pride and amusement. My heart aches in my chest at the truth in his words. “If I don’t belong in Eden, where do I belong? Here? In Hell?”
“Hell is only a name invented by your elders. Your fairytales were designed to keep you shackled. If not for them, what would stop you from escaping Eden? As to where you belong, that’s for you to find out.”
Surprised by the wisdom behind his words, I flick my eyes between his, and he laughs.
“Don’t look so shocked. I’m not just a pretty face.”
Alaric snorts, throwing a crumpled-up piece of paper at Ronan. “You smooth fucker.”
“Watch and learn. I’ll get her to beg me first.”
This time, it’s me who snorts. “You think a few smooth words will have me begging?”
