Awaken the Soul (Havenwood Falls High)(7)

There’s no escaping the ego that tugs a smile across my lips. “I saved you.”

She inhales through her nose, her shoulders lifting as a hand moves to her side. Her fingers brush her ribs where she was injured. “My clothes?”

“Ruined.”

The door knob jiggles behind Vivienne’s back, followed by two knocks. She steps away, glancing at me before looking to the door. I still—waiting for her next move.

“Someone’s in here,” she says after a moment, and I release a relieved breath.

She’s not running. It’s a start. The reaper is nearby. His imprint, much like Vivienne’s fear, is detectable in the air—a unique marker with the sole purpose of notifying other angels of Death’s presence. He is nearby, and he shouldn’t be. He should have left Havenwood Falls, or moved on to the next soul in need of reaping. He shouldn’t be lingering around Vivienne. The way he looked at Vivienne, the possessive hunger in his gaze . . . Anger spreads across my shoulders, and I roll them, forcing my wings to remain concealed.

Vivienne closes the gap between us, her head tilting back. “Why did you save me?”

If only I knew. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“We’re not friends, Breckin. Granted, we’re not enemies, but you’ve never given me a reason to believe you’re the knight-in-shining-armor type.”

“But I’ve given you a reason to think I’m not?” Her comment affects me. I’m not one who is affected by humans. It matters none to me, yet I ask for clarification anyway. “That’s what you think of me?” She moves back, her head high, her eyes searching for answers she will not find, and I move forward. “You know so little of me, but you think I’d leave someone for dead in the woods?”

Her feet still. She sways, her jaw dropping. “I was dying?”

The answer is in her head. It’s all there. Hints of the afternoon, still frames of the horror. They wait for her to recall them fully, because swiping her memory didn’t work as it should have. The moment she looked through her window last night and her eyes connected with mine, I knew it hadn’t worked. I was cloaked. She shouldn’t have seen or sensed my presence. She heard me laugh at her joke at the store. She felt my presence when I should have been invisible.

She awakens emotions and instincts I’ve never known. Something happened between us yesterday. I need answers, which means speaking to Father or Elias. And that means having her come with me, because I’ll be damned if I’m leaving her out in the open for a reaper to stalk.

“Was I dying?” she asks for a second time, her hand grabbing a fistful of my shirt.

My gut twists. “You were basically dead, Viv.”

Her head shakes, refusing my words, as her lips tremble and tears form on her dark lashes. “I don’t understand. I don’t—”

My wings tear at my back, itching for release, and I grit my teeth, holding myself together. “Come with me, and I’ll explain.”

“I can’t walk out of here with you. I have friends out there, waiting. I’m supposed to go to the movie festival tonight.”

She’s right. It’s not as though most of the people out there don’t know me. The place is filled with kids from school and other locals. There’s no reason Vivienne and I couldn’t be friendly, but I’m not friendly. It’s not my MO, and her friends would question her endlessly. The fewer questions, the better. I could cloak us, and we could walk out of here together, but that would still leave her friends guessing.

My mind grapples for a solution. “Doesn’t your mom work night shift at the clinic? Is she working tonight?”

“Yeah. She’s always on shift, since Dr. Nance died.”

“Good. I want you to go out there and tell them you don’t feel well, and you’re going to see your mom. Tell them to go to the movies without you. I’ll wait here for a minute, then sneak out and meet you by the front door.”

Vivienne twists her hair over her shoulder and backs into the door. “This is crazy. You’re crazy.”

“Trust me.”

Forcing my hands not to reach for her, I wait as she considers my request. I sense her fear and hear the anxious beating of her heart, but beneath that is more. There’s an acceptance, a light, hiding behind the darkness.

She cocks her head and grabs a strand of hair, twisting it. “You’ll explain everything?”

“Everything I can.” Not a total lie.

Agreeing, Vivienne peeks into the hallway before giving me a look over her shoulder and slipping out the door. I immediately make myself invisible and follow. Skirting around tables and patrons, I head for the exit, all while keeping an eye on Vivienne and her friends. My sensitive hearing picks up their conversation.

“I got sick in the bathroom,” she says weakly as she stands at the end of the table. “You guys should go to the movies without me. I’m gonna go see my mom.”

“I’ll drive you over.” The offer comes from Zara, who’s already sliding out of the booth. She holds Vivienne’s jacket out to her.

“No,” Vivienne says with too much force. “I mean, it’s practically next door. I’ll walk. It’s fine. Plus, if I have the flu, I don’t want you to get sick.”

“Viv?”