Page 47 of Blood

I push my glasses up my nose then rub the back of my neck. “Holy crap.”

My rescuer dusts off her jacket and her thighs, which are covered in a light dusting of Lethurian ash, then turns to face me. Slowly, her wings flutter and pale and disappear.

Fuck, she’s beautiful.

Her eyes… one green, one blue.

And that hair… like fire.

She approaches me cautiously. “Are you okay?” She speaks with a sultry American accent.

I nod, though I’m struggling to regain my breath. When I speak, my voice comes out hoarse and shaky as I thank her. “Thanks to you. Although I had it all under control.”

“Sure looked like it,” she says. Then she extends her hand to shake mine. “I’m Nova.”

“Nova…” her name fizzes on my tongue. “Kim.”

“You’re human?” she asks, frowning.

I nod. “You’re not.”

At that, she smiles, and I can’t help smiling back.

“Long story,” she says. “Kinda used to be.”

“Okay, well now I’m hooked. Magick. Hot as fuck. Mysterious past.”

Her eyes glimmer as she looks at me, and she barks out a laugh that swells in the alleyway and flutters up into the sky. “Slow it down, human. We just met.” She gestures to the pile of ash on the floor. “Want to tell me how you know so much about demons, and why this guy was following you?”

“Sure, but I feel like we should do that over coffee.”

For a moment, I think she’s going to say yes. I picture taking this girl to a coffee shop, sitting with her until the sun rises, learning who she is and why she is and how the hell she came into my life right at this moment.

On this night of all nights.

The night I should be remembering…

“I’m sorry. I can’t.” She takes a step back, nods at me, and says, “I’m glad you’re okay. Maybe don’t go down dark alleyways alone in the future.”

I open my mouth to speak. To ask for her number.

“Bye, Kim.”

And then she’s gone.

24

LUTHER

Rev and Annalise do not get along. The tension between them is palpable as Rev stands, arms folded, purposefully not offering Annalise a cup of tea.

Annalise, for her part, looks completely out of place. All high-heels and tightly fitted suit. Perfect hair. Perfect makeup.

Hard to imagine now that I used to have the world’s biggest mother fucking crush on this woman. Now that all I think about is Nova.

Clicking across the kitchen, Annalise steeples her fingers and looks at Nico. “You did well. With the demon beyond the barrier.”

Nico shrugs, scraping his fingers through his damp black hair. He’s wearing a navy blue college hoodie and jeans. Still, even after all these months, he looks uncomfortable in his own body. Like he isn’t sure how to stand or look or talk. Like he isn’t sure of himself yet.