"And the family of the man Symael took? Did they not hurt? Did that man not deserve to see the rest of his years through?" He stopped before me, shaking his head. "Cause and effect. He caused a mortal man's death and he must be punished."
"Isn't it punishment enough to be separated from his creator? But to remind him of this each and every day& For so many years?"
"The time is nothing to an angel." Zephyr looked up toward the night sky, sighing, the muscles in his jaw twitching as he clenched his teeth. "Do not press me on this, Peter."
"Please. I beg of you&"
"What you are asking of me is no small thing." he looked down over the ledge, frowning. "One of your wolves has managed to find you after all."
I scented the air and quickly found Nikolas. Though he wasn't close yet.
"Zephyr? If there's anything I can do, I will do it."
"You've just signed away fifty years for the chance to talk with me. Are you certain you want to keep upping the stakes for something that may never even come to pass?"
"I'm willing to take the chance."'
Zephyr stepped down off of the ledge and closed the distance between us. He lifted a hand and caressed my cheek. "Right now, I will give you this: I will not inform Daniel that I've seen you, so your time in joining the Council will be delayed."
I started to object, but he covered my mouth with the palm of his hand.
"And," he paused, shaking his head, sighing. "I will do some thinking on this, though I make no promises."
"So that's it? You'll think about it?"
"This affects me, too, Peter. In ways that I cannot even begin to explain."
"I guess I can accept that."
"There is much left unsaid, but I will find you again soon." He dropped his hand, but leaned in and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "If you need me, just call upon my name and I will hear you."
"You mean I could have done this the easy way?"
"You would have had to speak my given name.and that is not common knowledge in this world."
His lips touched mine and I closed my eyes, totally at peace, almost in awe of him, of his presence. I felt him smile, then whisper one word.
"Zephyrael."
Chapter Five
Zephyr left me alone on the roof, gone before I ever opened my eyes. I was a little shaken and more than a little confused. Nothing had been settled, as far as Simon's situation went, but whatever this was.it was a start.
The tell-tale sound of a Harley drew my attention. I was sure there were thousands in the city, but only one would be circling the building I was standing on. It was one of two motorcycles that Nikolas had gifted himself with a few months back. One was a more classic style Harley. The other was a sport bike . a Ninja, he called it, all black with orange and red flames; truly evil looking . that I refused to ride with him unless it was an absolute emergency.
The chances of me dying in an accident were slim, but that certainly didn't mean it couldn't hurt like hell.
I followed the sound of the idling bike and walked to the ledge at the side of the building that faced the alley. I peered down, first glancing around the area to make sure none of my guards were trailing behind him, then looking at Nikolas himself. He lit up a cigarette and then looked up at me, motioning me down with a crook of his finger.
The only reason I'd made it up here in the first place was because of Zephyr. I couldn't even levitate but a few inches off the floor.
Getting down was easy.
I stepped over the ledge and landed on the concrete hard enough to give it a crack and rattle my teeth. Standing, I gave my jaw a rub, and then headed to where Nikolas was parked.
He flashed a grin at me. "Hop on, princess. Let's go for a ride."
"You have such a way with words." I climbed onto the bike behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "See any of my guards along the way?"
"Not a one." He grabbed one of my hands and pushed it down to his crotch. "Wanna stay lost a little longer?"
I nuzzled into his neck, holding on tight as the bike started moving. "Depends on what you're offering."
"Just me," he said, almost to himself.
And just like that, the promise of being alone with Nikolas woke my body up in ways I could never describe.
"Then you'd better find someplace close."
When Nikolas and I were together, it was as if nothing else in the world existed. It was nice being with someone I considered pack; an equal to my own alpha status. Someone besides Lucien that I could just let go completely with, and not have to worry whether I let him in too close or kept him too far away. Xander had been that person for me for well over a year. But too much had changed. The dynamics between us irrevocably shifted the moment I transitioned.