He said it, for the first time since his demands and his temper trapped them here.
“Zach.” She knelt in front of him, touched his cheek, startled by the cool skin under her fingers. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“That this body is nearly done? Our—disagreement accelerated the timetable. I can feel the pull—”
“Then we’ll just help you on your way.” Simon’s low, raw voice snapped her head around.
“Get out.”
“No.”
“Simon—” She climbed to her feet, panic clawing at her. “You can’t be here, not for this—”
“Deal.” He gripped his arm, his jaw clenched. “Just keep him away from me.”
Zach was right behind her, and she knew what he wanted. “No,” she said, grabbing his arm when he kept moving toward Simon. “If you want me to help, you’re going to leave us alone. Just a few minutes.” She closed her eyes, took in a shaky breath. “Simon and I have to talk.”
*
“I’m not leaving her alone in there.” Annie flinched, clutching the top of the car seat, trying not to look at the burn while Eric treated it. She kept glancing down; it hurt like the devil, worse than when the angel—guardian—whatever flamed her. She couldn’t figure out why, because it looked the same. Like a bad sunburn. “Eric—we have to—”
“Absolutely not.” He gripped her hand, such raw fear clouding his blue eyes she couldn’t take in a breath. “I could have lost you in there, and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t get to you, Annie. No,” he stopped her from saying anything. “I’ll have my say. For once. You are not indestructible, and it’s time you realized that.”
“I never—”
“Claire spent God only knows how long bouncing back from anything thrown at her. Stop thinking you’re the same.” He cradled her face, his voice hoarse. “Stop, before I lose you.”
“Eric.” She turned into his hand, kissed his palm. “I didn’t know you—why didn’t you say something before now?”
“Because you love her.” He let out a sigh. “Because I do. And part of me believes, even now, that she can beat the odds.”
“It’s hard not to. I won’t leave her in there alone with—”
“She’s not alone.” He laid her back on the seat, effectively blocking her in. “And Simon won’t let anything happen to her.”
*
Claire led Simon out of the bedroom, heading for the bathroom down the hall. He stopped her outside the door, tipped up her chin. “You look like you were dragged down that ten miles of bad road. Does it hurt?”
“Not so much, now. I’ll be fine, Simon. Let’s get you inside before you fall over.” She didn’t like the grey cast to his face. “Sit. Let me take a look at that shoulder.”
“There’s nothing you can—” He let out a choked scream as she snapped his shoulder back into place. “Damn it—you couldn’t give me a little warning?”
“You would have tightened up. I wasn’t sure I had enough to pop it back in when you were relaxed. I’m sorry—for everything.”
He looked at her. “It’s time for your story, isn’t it.”
Swallowing, Claire unbuttoned her shirt. “It’s past time.” She slipped it off, twisted the fabric to create a sling. “I put it off, because I know once I tell you, it will probably—no, it will end our friendship.”
“Do you think so little of me?”
“Far from it. Someone with less honor would want me dead.” She forced herself to look into his eyes. “And yes, what I have to tell you is that bad.”
Carefully, and with the knowledge that this would most likely be their last minutes as friends, Claire tied the makeshift sling at the back of his neck, eased his arm into it. He caught her wrist before she could retreat.
“Whatever you tell me, Claire, it won’t change the way I feel about you.”
“I’ll hold on to that.” She stayed where she was, knowing he would let go of her soon enough. “Okay—quick and dirty, because I don’t think Zach is going to give me much more time. I stood with Lucifer in Heaven, one of his renegade angels, and was cast down for it. I spent centuries in Hell torturing souls of the damned, more in exile for starting to care about those souls, and the last eighty years disguised as a human.” His hand dropped away, and her hope went with it. “When you met me, I had just come back from Hell, where I sent the demon who tried to destroy my friends, and where my master, my brother Azazel told me I have a soul. He created the wall you felt trapping my power, to keep me safe from the demon still inside.”