‘What are you doing?’
‘What?’ Ugh. I suck at this.
‘Are you batting your lashes at me?’
‘What, me? No, of course not. What . . . spell it.’
He squints his eyes suspiciously at me. ‘This is awkward.’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?’
‘You’d lose all respect for me if I did.’
‘I’d make an exception for you.’
‘Quit stalling. What are you trying to say?’
‘I’m trying to say that I . . . that I . . .’
‘Yes?’
He sighs. ‘You’re very difficult, you know that?’
‘You’re trying to say that you’re what?’
‘OkayIwaswrong. Now let’s move on. Where do you think would be the best place for the angels to stay until they leave?’
‘Whoa.’ I burst out laughing. ‘Did you just say that you were wrong? Was that the word? Wrong?’ I smile at him. ‘I like the sound of that coming out of your mouth. It’s lyrical. W-r-o-n-g. Wroooong. Wrrrrong. Go on, sing it with me.’
‘If I didn’t love your laugh so much, I’d kick you off this extremely noisy and bumpy vehicle and let you shiver in the freezing water.’
He loves my laugh.
I clear my throat. ‘What were you wrong about?’ I ask in all seriousness.
He throws me a glare, looking like he might not answer. ‘About Daughters of Men.’
‘Oh? We’re not all freakish, repulsive animals who sully your reputation?’
‘No, I was right about all that.’ He nods. ‘But it turns out that’s not always a bad thing.’
I give him a sideways glance.
‘Who knew?’ he says. ‘I had no idea that someone could be such a thorn in your foot during a death march and still be irresistibly attractive in some magical, undeniable way.’
‘So is that what people call sweet nothings? Because somehow, I expected it to be a little more . . . complimentary.’
‘Don’t you know a heartfelt declaration of love when you hear one?’
I blink dumbly at him with my heart pounding.
He caresses a lock of my hair out of my face. ‘Look, I know that we’re from different worlds and different people. But I’ve realized that it doesn’t matter.’
‘You don’t care about the angelic rules anymore?’
‘My Watchers have helped me realize that angelic rules are for angels. Without our wings, we can never be fully accepted back into the fold. There will always be talk of taking a newly Fallen’s wings and transplanting them onto us. Angels are perfect. Even with transplanted wings, we’ll never again be perfect. You accept me just the way I am, regardless of whether or not I even have wings. Even when I had my demon wings, you’ve never looked at me with pity. You’ve never wavered in your loyalty. That’s who you are – my brave, loyal, lovable Daughter of Man.’
My heart beats so fast I don’t know what to say. ‘You’re staying?’ With me?
He moves to kiss me but winces. I lean over to him and pause just as our lips are about to touch. I like the heat and electric tingles on my lips from his closeness.
His warm lips press against mine. My hands spread out over his hard chest and slide down around his taut stomach to his lower back, trying to avoid the cuts. We hold each other close. He feels so good. So warm. So solid.
I want this moment to last forever.
‘Aw, true love.’ Howler lands on the boat, rocking it. ‘It makes me want to puke. Doesn’t it make you want to gag too, Hawk?’
‘I never thought it was a good idea in the first place,’ says Hawk as he lands beside Howler. ‘Eternal damnation is what I get for listening to you lot.’
‘How’s the flesh wound, boss?’ Howler shows off his forearm that glistens with his raw, skinless muscles. ‘Want to compare and see who gets bragging rights?’
I don’t want to ask, but I have to. ‘What about the angels?’
‘They’ll find Michael,’ says Raffe. ‘They’ll go back home and elect him as the new Messenger. They should manage to corral him eventually. He’ll make a fine Messenger, even if he doesn’t want to.’
‘We’ll be safe from them?’
‘They’ll all be gone soon. Your people can start rebuilding your world.’
‘What about the Watchers?’
‘They’ve chosen to stay with me. They never had the prejudices against Daughters of Men anyway, which was their problem to begin with. I’m afraid your people might have their hands full with them.’
‘But only because the women will prefer us over their own men,’ says Howler.
‘Is that right? You’re so sure we’ll all want an ex-angel over regular ol’ men?’
Howler shrugs.
‘We may not be as perfect as we used to be,’ says Raffe, ‘but it’s all relative.’
I try to give him a dirty look, but I can’t help but laugh. ‘Yes, I’m laughing at you.’
Raffe pulls me closer and kisses me again. I melt into his taut body. I can’t help myself. I’m not even sure I should try.
My whole world turns into Raffe sensations as our lips explore each other.
Epilogue
I walk down the center of the street in our old neighborhood. I recognize the cracked building with the graffiti of an angel that has the words ‘Who will guard against the guardians?’
Every door now has a feather dipped in red paint nailed to it. I guess one of the gangs won the turf war since we left and it’s all their territory now. I suspect there are still regular people hiding in attics and basements, though.
This is now the southernmost end of the peninsula that hasn’t been burned down by the fire from the blood hunt. Many of the walls are dark with soot, but the buildings still stand.
My sister rides ahead on one of her locusts. She calls out to people that the angels are leaving and that they can come out of hiding. She’s been talking more as her stitches heal, letting her move her jaw more freely. She’ll always be scarred, but at least her body will be fully – well, more than fully – functional.
She’s regaining some weight now, finally moving beyond broth and eating solid foods. Laylah worked on her, hoping that Raffe would say a good word for her to Michael when he takes over. Whatever she did to Paige, it seems to be working. My sister still prefers raw meat and doesn’t like vegetables, but at least she’s not picky about what kind of meat or whether it’s dead or alive.