Aodhan looked up from the huge canvas he’d laid out on the floor, his face dotted with bits of paint and his hands a mirage of color. His eyes were unfocused, and for a moment, Illium felt a sudden strange panic. But Aodhan hadn’t gone away as Illium’s mother had done; he snapped out of his art and into the present in a matter of heartbeats. “Did you pass the squadron entry tests?” A quick, eager question.
When Illium screamed out a yes, Aodhan threw down his brush and rose in a glitter of light to grab Illium in a bear hug. Despite being younger, he’d grown to be a little taller, a little wider of shoulder, and being hugged by him felt like being enclosed by light, powerful and loving.
They laughed as they drew apart, Aodhan slapping him on the shoulder. And even though he wasn’t an angel who liked big parties, he said, “I’m throwing you a celebration! Does Eh-ma know?”
“No! I’m flying to her next! I’m so proud, Adi.” He’d wanted to be in Raphael’s forces as long as he could remember, but he’d known he’d have to earn it.
He’d wanted to earn it.
That he’d just done so at the earliest possible age he was eligible to take the test—a hundred—was a thing of incandescent joy. His day of birth would forever also be the date he became the most junior member of Raphael’s most junior squadron.
“She’ll be so happy.” Aodhan was smiling as hard as Illium. “Let’s go.”
As they went to move out of the studio, their wings companionably crushed against each other, Illium said, “Are you going to take the test when you’re eligible?”
Aodhan was powerful, and had trained alongside Illium after the archangels made it clear Aodhan needed that training so he could better handle his growing strength. Illium hadn’t known until then that the Cadre had a team that kept an eye on the little angels in the Refuge, to ensure no unruly powers went off into the world.
“It wasn’t in my plans,” Aodhan said with a grin rare and beautiful. “I want to be an artist, not a warrior.”
“Too bad you’re so powerful.” It had been made clear to Aodhan that he was too strong at too young an age to be left to his own devices. Either he aligned himself to a particular archangel’s court after his majority, or he ran the risk of being considered a threat by all.
“I talked to Raphael.” Aodhan ruffled Illium’s hair, his happiness for Illium a dazzling brightness. “He told me I can work as a courier for his court after I come of age—it’ll give me more time to decide, and I can keep up my sparring with you.”
Joy burst to life inside Illium. Even though it was his dream to be in Raphael’s forces, he’d hated the idea of being separated from Aodhan for significant stretches of time. “Good plan. I know you want to focus on art, but you know you get frustrated without a physical outlet.”
Aodhan wasn’t like Illium’s mother, content with weeks, even months, of solitude; he and Illium would’ve never become friends if he hadn’t also had a wildness inside him. Only three days earlier, it had been Aodhan who’d talked Illium into a late-night session of gorge diving.
“I’d like to be in a squadron with you,” he admitted, knowing it was a selfish need—but it wasn’t one he could fight, not when Aodhan was one of the solid foundations of his life. “If you don’t want to, though, it’s all right. You just have to be aligned to a court—you don’t have to actually be part of a squadron.”
“No, that won’t do.” Aodhan threw an arm around his shoulders. “I have to pass the damn test now—just to keep you out of trouble.”
“Ha!” Illium elbowed his best friend. “You wish. I’m going to be the one riding to the rescue, Mr. Turtle.”
“We’ll see.” Another grin. “So what’s the first thing you’re going to do now that you’re an official adult?”
Illium’s cheeks grew hot. “The girl I saw in the meadow when we did that overnight flight? I found out her name. Kaia.” As an underaged angel—even if only by a few months—Illium hadn’t been allowed to land or speak to her. Angels were only permitted to interact with mortals after they gained their majority.
“Yeah?” Aodhan’s eyes twinkled. “Are you planning on courting her?”
“I’m going to try. I look at her and I can’t breathe, Adi.” He rubbed a fist over his heart, massaging away the ache.
“Just flutter your pretty eyelashes at her, and she’ll fall.” After ducking to avoid Illium’s mock punch, he came up smiling. “Seriously, though—congratulations, Blue. One of these days, you’re going to end up second to an archangel.”
“No. That’s Dmitri’s spot—and I’m not leaving Raphael for any other archangel.” Illium’s loyalty was a thing of blood and stone. Once given, it would take an earthquake of monumental proportions for him to shift allegiance.
Eyes yet bright, Aodhan gave a slow nod. “No, you’re right. I can’t see either of us being happy in any other court. Is it arrogant to say that Raphael and Dmitri and Naasir and Jason are like family now?”
“Not when it’s the truth.” It was Raphael who’d taught Illium how to raise a sword, Dmitri who’d tutored him in strategy, Naasir who’d shown him the wild places in the Refuge and taught him the value of stealth.
Jason was different; quieter, more distant, but he was also the one who’d passed on advice about the motives of certain people in the Refuge. He’d also made sure Illium knew to protect his mother from the attentions of those who’d take advantage of her generous soul and fragmented mind.
The four had mentored Aodhan nearly as much. And not only because he and Illium were always together. No, it was because Aodhan had scholars for parents. Menerva and Rukiel’d had no idea what to do with a son so powerful.
“Family isn’t only blood,” Illium added. “Dmitri and Raphael are each other’s family, too.”
Aodhan gave him a thoughtful look. “Are we family?”
The answer should’ve been easy, but Illium hesitated. “No,” he said at last. “We’re beyond that.”
Aodhan nodded, his expression suddenly solemn. “Yes.”
27
Today
Illium was already putting together a sandwich in the stronghold kitchen by the time Aodhan made it there. No sign of Kai. When Aodhan touched his mind to Li Wei’s, she told him that the staff was in another wing, closing it up room by room. But they’d be in the kitchen in five to ten minutes, for their lunch.
Damn.
Shelving his discussion with Illium for now, Aodhan made his own sandwich, then the two of them ate standing up. Neither one of them had to be reminded to use high-energy items, but Aodhan ignored the Medjool dates that Illium snacked on, instead choosing a handful of dried fruit.