“Howdy! Nice to meet you, sir.”
“May I say that’s a lovely blouse, ma’am. Brings out the color in your pretty eyes.”
“Here, let me help you lift that box, ma’am.”
I clutched the seatback as I listened to Hunter making his way to the back of the bus. Threads stretched and strained under the pressure, ripping apart the cheap vinyl covering each seat. Each greeting that came from the smooth cowboy’s mouth clawed at my nerves like a fork scraping across a plate. He shook everyone’s hand and made a point to give a compliment to everyone he met. Hunter was respectful, kind, polite. He was…perfect. He reminded me of Dorian.
Wisely, Calder had taken the first empty seat on the bus. He had insisted I take the window seat, thereby blocking me in. I might have been insulted, except the seat happened to be directly across from Dorian and Jo. Dorian’s annoyed expression was comical. He’d even switched places with Jo, despite selfishly having kept the window seat for himself the entire journey thus far.
“Hey there, cutie. Aren’t you as pretty as a peach?” Hunter said, patting the top of Gracie’s head.
Gracie giggled, her eyes lighting up as she pressed up against her mother, making space. “You can sit here with us, right Mom?”
“Ain’t that sweet. How neighborly of you. My compliments to you sir, ma’am, for raising such a fine child.” He tipped the front edge of his cowboy hat to Gracie’s parents. “Maybe you can help me sing some songs later. Would you like that?”
“Ooh, yes! I love singing.”
“Good. I’ll see you in a bit. I’ve got some business to take care of first.” His voice dropped into his chest, sounding husky, as he gazed at the back of the bus, watching Karenna.
Karenna pulled up her hair into a ponytail and tossed off her jacket. The heat inside of the bus caused her t-shirt to mold to her slender body. Loose tendrils of hair fell across dewy cheeks. She dug through the boxes of supplies and luggage, sitting in the back of the bus, oblivious to Hunter’s gaze.
He took in her every move—the way she rolled her shoulders, her chest lifting when she pulled them back, the gentle curve of her neck as she rolled her head, stretching. When she bent down to lift a box, she inhaled sharply. She jerked up, wincing as she reached behind her to rub the muscles at the back of her shoulder.
Hunter made a beeline for her, tossing his bag and guitar case on an empty seat. He drew up close behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Here, let me.”
Karenna gasped. “What are you doing?”
A red haze fell over my eyes. The steel frame of the seat I shared with Calder groaned under the pressure of my tightening fingers. Calder’s calm voice seemed to call out to me from a distance. All I could focus on was Karenna.
“Let me help you. Some say I have magic fingers if you know what I mean,” Hunter drawled, waggling his eyebrows.
“Thanks, but I’m…uh…oh…oh my god.” Karenna dropped her head, letting out a moan. The intimate sound tore through me, creating a fissure in my chest.
“You like that, don’t you?”
“Yes, it feels so good.”
“Tristan? Are you okay?” Calder asked.
I tore my eyes away from Karenna, who now sat on the edge of her seat, as Hunter massaged her shoulders. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not. I hear them too. Here. Go back there.”
“How did…?” I stared at the tube of superglue in the palm of his hand.
“I had a feeling something was up.” He smiled.
“I can’t step over the line. Blaze—”
“You’re trying to be helpful. That’s our job, isn’t it? To help humans?”
“Right, helpful. That’s all.” I snatched the tube out of his hand and made my way to Hunter before reason resurfaced. I was helping a person in need. It had nothing to do with the way the suave cowboy was touching Karenna.
“Were you looking for this?” I tossed the tube to her.
She caught it and beamed. “I was looking everywhere for that. Thank you.”
Karenna was too busy placing herself on the seat across from Hunter to notice the scowl flashing across his face.
“Lucky for us you found it,” he said.
“Yes, it was.” My eyes locked with his as I sat. I wasn’t falling for his Mr. Nice Guy act. He was up to something.
“Okay, Hunter, hand over your boot. Might as well take off both of them. From the looks of the other one, it could use some repairing too,” Karenna said.
“So, Tristan, tell me about the Revelationz,” Hunter drawled as he took off his boots and handed them to Karenna. “I bet the show was a chick magnet.”
The air grew still as Hunter looked me straight in the eye. I stiffened. Red heat flowed from the pit of my stomach to my fists. I fought the urge to flick out my wings and use them to knock the smirk off his face.
Karenna’s forehead wrinkled with intense concentration as she carefully spread the quick-drying liquid, unaware of our face-off.
Warring voices competed in my head. A small voice pleaded with me to go back and sit with Calder. I was crossing a line. I shouldn’t be jealous. Hunter was Gibbor and so was she.
No, this wasn’t jealousy. I was being cautious. He was a stranger. I would’ve protected any of the other girls on the bus just the same.
Wouldn’t I?
“Hunter, dear, come join us. I’m sure the children would love to hear some music.” Marmie’s strained voice broke the tension.
I blinked suddenly, noticing I was on the edge of the seat in a semi-crouch with arms spread. I had positioned myself into a power move I’d learned in combat training in the academy without even realizing it.
“Sure thing, Marmie. I’m ready and rarin’ to go,” Hunter replied, grinning wide. “And maybe Tristan could do some of his card tricks.”
“You little—” Before I could pounce, Hunter was padding down the aisle, guitar case in hand.
“Ankle socks. I don’t know any self-respecting cowboy who’d wear ankle socks.” Karenna chuckled, watching him. “Did you say something, Tristan?”
Yeah, Hunter’s a smooth-talking jackass.
Marmie caught my attention, her eyes drifted down to my fists. I let out a breath, flexing my fingers out.
Stupid. Careless fool.
I was supposed to be helping Karenna. I wasn’t Dorian staking a claim on my woman. It didn’t matter if Karenna was Gibbor. We could never be together. And here I was, acting like a jealous boyfriend when I had no right to. If Marmie had noticed, who else had?
I scanned the bus. Everyone’s attention seemed to be on Hunter. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned. He’d been on the bus for only a few minutes and, already, he had them eating out of the palm of his hand, Gibbor and human alike.
“I, uh…do you need any help?” I finally asked.
“I thought I saw some binder clips. Would you look for it? It’s probably in the box with Aunt Marmie’s name on it. Right there.”
“Sure.” I lifted the box and sifted through its contents. Anything to keep myself distracted from the oohs and ahhs Hunter was getting as he flashed his smile and took out his guitar.
Hunter strummed the guitar for a few moments before playing an upbeat country song I’d heard played frequently along the Vegas strip by sidewalk musicians.
The gloom that weighed on the bus over the last few days lifted. Voices, young and old, joined with Hunter’s. Javi and Neto clapped off beat, making Jo laugh. Even Dorian appeared to be having fun as he tapped his fingers on the seatback.
Hunter swayed, leaning into each person, as he crooned about cloudy skies not breaking him and being given a fresh new start. Then the music shifted, and his tenor voice drifted above the others, singing about a boy spreading his wings and having to kiss a girl goodbye. My head jerked up and met his gaze. Each word cascaded from his mouth as if meant for me.
The wings beneath my shoulder blades vibrated angrily, demanding release.
With every ounce of strength, I turned away and dove into Marmie’s box with gusto. It was a hodgepodge of items—spatula, calculator, rotary phone, tongs, pasta maker. Pretty soon I was going to find a full-service tea set for eight.
“He’s very talented,” Karenna said, as she tapped her feet to the song.
My eye twitched. “I guess…ah, here we go. Binder clips.”
“Hand me one, please. So, you don’t like country music?”
“It’s okay.”
“You prefer rock music.”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“The entire Revelationz show had rock music. There!” She clipped the toe of the boot to its dilapidated sole and held it up, looking proud. “Not bad, huh.”
I chuckled. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“Aunt Marmie, of course.” She picked up the other boot, examining it. “I was wondering if…” her cheeks grew pink, “Never mind.”
“What?”
“It’s not important.”
“Okay, now I have to know.” I sank on to the seat, positioning myself so no one could see her. I could feel Hunter’s eyes boring into my back. “We’re friends, remember? You can ask me anything.”
Slowly her lashes lifted, and soulful eyes gazed into mine. “Why did you start the Revelationz? I mean, the Watchers have been down here for a long time doing other types of jobs, preparing for war. It was like they were almost hiding, but you...and the social media…never mind. It’s none of my business.”
She turned her attention back to the boot, carefully dotting glue into the crevice.
My jaw clenched. In under ten minutes, Hunter had opened the door I thought I’d closed forever.
“It’s not what you think. I’m not a coward,” I said.
Her eyes flashed up to mine. “I didn’t say that! You are the bravest person I know. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, you should know.”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
“You’re right. I don’t have to tell you. I need to.” Nothing scared me more than having her think I was weak. “When I left home…no scratch that. I ran from there. My life had fallen apart. My mom, she…left. And Father, he…well, you know that story. I was empty, lost. When I came down and worked for Remi, I didn’t think I’d ever get back to my old self again. All the attention I got for simply walking down the street. It was an amazing feeling. I wanted more.”
“The girls…I get it. You don’t need to tell me more.” A hurt expression flashed over her face.
“There were no girls.”
She blinked. “I thought…everyone said…”
“We had lots of groupies come in and out of the greenroom. But I never…let’s just say rumors made for good publicity, but that was all it was, rumors.”
“Oh….” she gazed at me, bewildered.
“Even with all the attention, it was short lived. But when the applause died and I left the stage, I was empty again. At least with the Revelationz, I could pretend. Pretend that I mattered to someone.”
“You matter…to me.”
With those words, everyone around us disappeared and we were alone, only the woman I adored and me. I reached out, cupping her warm cheek.
“Since meeting you, I don’t feel empty anymore.”
She placed her hand over mine, holding my gaze. My heart thrummed against my chest, counting out the minutes her simple touch was keeping me captive.
A murmuring of male voices pierced the bubble encasing us, bringing me back to reality.
“It’s Erga.”
“She’s using Erga.”
“Yep, she’s definitely an Eljo.”
“But Aunt Marmie vouched for her.”
“Don’t care what she said. No angel would dare touch a Nephilim like that.”
Gracie’s father and two other Gibbor men glared in our direction.