The tree wasn’t broken, but it was more sinister. It was a beautiful mess of pain and danger, and my eyes widened when I spotted the new addition. A rope. It coiled gently down the trunk before diving low to join the roots.
I traced the rope, and the bond between us throbbed. Goosebumps pebbled along his skin, and I gasped.
“What is this?” I didn’t know if I meant the appearance of the rope, the dark shift the tattoo had taken, or the significance of the tattoo in general.
“It showed up after we bonded,” he said. “It’s what finally convinced me that the bond was real. Why else would the symbol of my power be wrapped around your tree?”
That brought me up short. “My tree?”
“Your tree,” he repeated, gaze never wavering. “It’s always been your tree.”
Gaping, I studied the tattoo. “How did you know about the tree in my center?”
He startled and turned around. “This tree is in your center?”
I nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was embarrassed,” I said. “I thought it would say too much about my feelings for you.”
“Noel and I have been dreaming of this tree since the day we were created,” he said, and that… that was unexpected.
“What?”
“Every couple decades, we’d dream of this tree,” he said, his voice filled with awe. “The day we were bonded to you as your Guardians, we dreamed of it, and then, every night on the year anniversary, again.
“I didn’t know until I saw Noel’s sketchbook where he’d drawn the tree over and over. And when we figured out that the dream repeated on the anniversary of us being your Guardians, we… well, we assumed it was because of you. Noel tattooed the design on my back when you were fourteen as an added security. Because the Council was stopping us from protecting you. Because we needed to do everything we could to take care of you. Because you were ours, even then.”
He laughed. “Fate has a sense of humor.”
“I thought the tree was in my center because of your tattoo, because of what you meant to me,” I said.
A callused finger dragged over my jaw. “The tree is tattooed on my back because it’s in your center. We were dreaming of you the whole time.”
“How?”
Jai shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“I feel like it should, but honestly? I like that these permanent marks were for me. Does that make me terrible?”
His hands framed my face, and I squeaked as he softly pressed his lips to mine. He separated us but stayed close, our noses brushing.
“No, it doesn’t make you terrible. I want to bear your mark, just like you wear mine.” His palm warmed my chest over my heart. “Even if I can’t physically see it.”
Our bond flared.
“Cool.” I popped onto my toes and reconnected us, and he smiled against my lips.
After I’d showered the remaining evidence of last night from my skin, I dressed and headed toward the kitchen. Jai clomped down the stairs in a pair of dark, holey jeans and a black T-shirt. He took my hand, twined our fingers, and led me into the kitchen.
Gideon leaned against the counter near the sink, arms crossed over his chest. Noel stood bent over the island, elbows propped on the counter, hands clasped together. Their expressions were pinched. Their hushed whispers cut off the moment we appeared, and I straightened my spine, my senses on alert.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded.
Noel looked to Gideon. Gideon lowered his arms to his side and said, “Nothing’s wrong.”
“Did something happen?” Jai asked.
“I just need to discuss some things with Riley,” Gideon said. “Calm down. The world isn’t ending.”
“Yet,” I muttered darkly, and Jai squeezed my hand in reprimand.
“Can it wait? He hasn’t eaten,” Jai said, and Noel jumped into action, grabbing a bagel from the cupboard and shoving it into the toaster.
As Gideon retrieved the cream cheese from the fridge, Jai guided me to a stool at the island, then poured himself a cup of coffee. Noel smeared cream cheese on my toasted bagel. Gideon leaned back against the counter once more, sipping his coffee, studying me.
Insecurity flared, and I smoothed a hand over my short curls. “What?”
Gideon cocked his head. “You look different.”
Jai fumbled with the coffee creamer, spilling some on the counter. Noel’s eyes narrowed a moment before he passed me the bagel. I tried not to blush too hard.
“I slept good last night,” I said, taking a bite of bagel.
Jai dropped the spoon he was using to stir his coffee, and it clattered loudly against the stainless steel sink. This time, both Gideon and Noel sent him a weird look. He cleared his throat and drank his coffee, avoiding eye contact. It took all my self-control not to laugh at his complete lack of chill.
“It’s about time those bags under your eyes went away,” Noel said, dragging a knuckle over my cheek.
Chewing my bagel, I smiled instead of speaking. Gideon didn’t buy my excuse, but I didn’t plan on explaining. What Jai and I had shared was personal. We’d tell them when the time was right, but for now, I was happy leaving it between us.
I caught Jai’s eye and grinned. He winked. I snickered around another bite of bagel.
When I finished my breakfast, Gideon set his empty mug aside and gestured toward the back of the house. Noel sidled up next to Jai, whispering in Utopian. I caught my name in the mix, but I couldn’t decipher the rest. I really had to learn faster so they couldn’t keep secrets.
I hopped off the stool and trailed behind Gideon through the house and onto the back deck. He sat down on the top step, and I copied him. He clasped his hands between his knees. He opened his mouth, then closed it.
“Am I in trouble?” I asked as my stomach twisted into knots.
“What? No.” He reached over and ruffled my hair. “No one’s in trouble. It’s just… the Council has made some decisions.”
Wonderful. More strangers who thought they knew what was best for me.
After the debacle of the past year and a half, the sitting councilmen had stepped down from leadership, and a new Council had been appointed. Malachi wasn’t the only angel feeding information to Lucifer, and a huge internal investigation was still ongoing within the Archangels, Seraphim, and Cherubim. Several angels had been apprehended, but I was sure there were more moles that the Council would never discover. Deception, I was learning, was rather easy to accomplish.
Given the upheaval in the Grand Hall, I had yet to be summoned before the new Archangel Council. Gideon ran interference, but other than my official interview with Michael, Raphael, and Uriel, the Archangels never asked to speak with me. Out of sight, out of mind. Or so I thought. Apparently, I was wrong.
“Oh?” I said, picking at my thumbnail.
“They decided to create a special unit for you,” Gideon said, voice tense. “Lucifer has made it clear that he wants war. He’ll come, and we need to be ready.”
“The Council wants me to train in a unit? Like a soldier?”
Gideon’s jaw clenched. “In a way. The Council believes you would be an asset, but your inexperience is problematic. They believe surrounding you with a unit of trained fighters will eliminate the danger to your life while still allowing you to… fight.”