With the last of the food eaten and the beach emptied, I sat alone at the picnic table. I didn’t know how much time had passed since Aunt Marmie had brought us a hotel keycard or how long it had been since Mom’s eyes had darted from Tristan to me. She’d kissed my forehead and told me to take my time a few minutes ago—or had it been hours?
Timed seemed to have stopped as I watched Tristan, not daring to move from where I was, as if by doing so I could keep the sun from rising.
Moonlight glowed silver on his wings. They slowly moved as he walked barefoot along the shore. His every move was like a ballet. The curve of his muscled arms, the arch of his wings, he was art personified.
He was more than beautiful. He was strong, compassionate, loyal…my friend.
And he was leaving.
I squared my shoulders and made my way to him. When I neared, he sucked in a breath and stopped. He kept his eyes on the horizon, unable to look at me. He felt it like I did. This was it, our goodbye.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. “You know I’m leaving.”
“Yes,” my voice cracked. I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to stay steady. “You’re going home.”
“I am, but I won’t be staying. Only long enough to stop Father.”
Hope leaped into my chest. “How? I mean, will your father even let you go?”
“I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t…for your own safety.”
“That’s okay. How long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a couple of days? A week at the most.” He turned and gazed down intently into my eyes. “No matter what Father does, I’ll come back to you.”
“A couple of days? That’s all?” I let out a breath. I was worried about nothing. It’ll probably take us twenty-four hours to get everyone ready and back on the ship. “It’ll take longer than that to reach the haven, don’t you think? Maybe Remi can give you the route we’re taking.”
Tristan shook his head, looking despondent.
“Why not?”
“I meant to say two days in Celestial time. Time moves differently on Earth than in Heaven.”
“I remember. You said something about Earth revolutions.”
He let out a shaky breath. “I only used that as an example. It’s not an accurate calculation because time moves faster on Earth.”
“So a week in heaven is how many days on Earth?” My muscles tensed with dread, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.
His eyes dropped, focusing on the wet sand. “There’s not an exact time equivalent.”
“Ballpark figure.”
“Well…”
“Is it an extra couple of days? An extra month?” My mouth went dry when he still didn’t answer. “Please, Tristan.”
Slowly, he looked up. “Four.”
“An extra four days. You had me going there. Why didn’t you—”
I sucked in a breath as tears pooled along the rim of his eyes. His lips parted, but nothing came out. He ran his tongue over his lips and swallowed before finally speaking.
“No. A week is about four months.”
Cold slammed into the pit of my stomach, making me hunch over. Four months. One hundred and twenty days. We would be at the safe haven by then, a place where only an elite few knew the whereabouts of, including my parents.
“My parents have been to the haven. They know where it is. I’m sure they’ll tell us. I’ll get them right now.”
I spun around, ready to run to the hotel and away from what it would mean if my parents gave in to my pleas to reveal the location. Tristan was faster. He latched onto my arm before I could take a step, forcing me to face reality.
“Don’t place them in that position. Don’t make them chose between your safety and your friendship to me.”
“But how will you find us? I won’t ever see you again.”
“Don’t say that. I’ll find you. I promise.”
“You won’t because if you do then that means the warrior angels would be able to find us too.”
He was silent for a moment. His blue eyes glistened as his face filled with anguish. “There’s no way around this. I have to go back. My father will never stop until I do. He’ll take everything I care about to get his way. He already has. It’s time I did what I was born to do. It’s the only way.”
The wind tousled his hair over his eyes. I brushed it off his forehead. If anything defined an angelic prince, it would be imprinted for all to see.
There was nothing but smooth, perfect skin.
“Your circlet. Why isn’t it there?”
“Because I’m not a true Throne. Not like Zac or Val…was.”
“I don’t understand. You’re taking a stand against your Father. You’re protecting us.”
He shook his head, his eyes drifting downward. Warm water washed over the sand, lapping at our feet. “A true Throne is selfless.”
“You are selfless.”
“No. What I’m doing is selfish…well, partially. I do want to stop this war, but that’s not the main reason.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
His dark lashes lifted. Vivid pools of blue glistened. “For you.”
“Tristan,” I whispered, reaching up to touch him. My fingers traced his face—the dark dusting of stubble along his square jaw, the silky arches of his eyebrows, the cupid’s bow of his sensuous lips. I memorized every single inch of his body and soul.
Despite what he’d said, he was doing this for more than me. I knew him. He was doing it for all of us, for gentle Calder, forced for the first time to pick up a sword and take a life. For his valiant best friends, Zac and Val. He wanted to show them they were not alone in this.
“I don’t want to leave you,” he rasped.
In his eyes, I saw it, the doubt he may not find his way back. I blinked fast, fighting against tears pricking my eyes. Fate was cruel for putting me in Tristan’s path. It was like there was a curse between us, making us feel so intensely for each other only to tear us apart.
“What if you can’t come back? What if your father…I don’t know. Maybe he’ll use the Dark Ways to keep you there. Maybe he’ll somehow convince you to stay.”
“I won’t fall for his lies. I won’t ever let go of the hope we will overcome this. And in the end, when this is all over, we’ll be free.”
My heart warred with my mind, knowing he had to go and wanting him to stay. I clenched my jaw, biting back pleas to persuade him to stay.
Please, don’t go. You can’t leave me.
Then he said it, the words that made my heart sing with bittersweet sorrow.
“I’ll be free to love you.”
His lips pressed gently against mine, moving slow and sensuous, tasting every crevice of my mouth. I weaved my fingers into his silky hair, needing to feel him close to me. He responded, his strong arms pulling me tight against his chest. Our breathing grew frantic, and he deepened the kiss. His stubble scraped my chin, chaffing it raw as his kisses grew desperate. He kissed with a desperation of a man holding on for dear life. I tasted a saltiness and was unsure if it came from tears or the spray of waves crashing on the nearby rocks. I didn’t want to know. I wanted to commit this moment to memory and sear every bit of it into my mind.
I pushed up onto my toes, kissing him with passionate fervor. Tristan’s fingers speared into my hair, and I let go with a wild abandon. He was it. He was my angel.
“Karenna,” he murmured my name over and over as if it were a solemn oath, a promise he would move Heaven and Earth to return to me.
When he finally pulled back, we gasped for air. His eyes were wild with emotion.
“Tristan, Remi says it has to be now.”
At the sound of Calder’s voice, I instantly pulled Tristan back to me. I held onto him tightly, knowing I should let go.
“I love you,” I murmured against his chest.
His heart responded, quickening its pace. He kissed the top of my head before gently prying my hands from around his waist. He kissed each of my fingertips before letting go.
“I have to go,” he whispered, dipping his head one final time. I closed my eyes, taking in a feather-light kiss.
There was a fluttering of wings and a sharp gust. Then he was gone.
Two stars shot across the sky. After a while, one broke away, falling back down to Earth while the other continued rocketing upward, taking a piece of my heart with it.
I followed my angelic prince’s celestial light, shining brighter than the brightest star, until it disappeared into the night sky.
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The Reign of Angels series continues in Reign of Angels 3!
