“I don’t know. Maybe he wants you and Celeste out of harm’s way first. Remember, he wants to see you.”
Bran grunted. “I’m tired.”
“You can nap here. I’m sure you don’t want to deal with your sour-faced guests.”
He chuckled. “I meant I’m tired of Gavyn’s bullshit. I’ve given him chances, always hoping he’d change only to see him blow it.” He got up to make another sandwich. “I thought Celeste would make him change, but his hatred for the Guardians keeps growing instead of lessening.”
“So you’re not going to see him?”
“No. I don’t want to listen to any more of his excuses for betraying me.”
This was what I’d wanted to hear since I’d fallen in love with Bran, yet now it made me angry. Gavyn was a poor excuse for a brother and always managed to drag Bran down. This time he had gone too far.
“What about Celeste? She loves both of you.”
“I’ll go see her before they destroy the portal. Want to come?”
I wrinkled my nose. He was lucky he got a free pass to go whenever he pleased after the CT proved he was Tariel’s grandson. “No, thanks.”
He paused in the process of removing another slice of bread and cocked his right brow. “The CT never said you can’t visit.”
“They never said I could, either.”
“You just want the red carpet, marching bands, and confetti,” he teased.
That he could find humor now was so amazing. “Why not? I’m the wielder of the Kris Dagger. We took out Coronis, stopped the demons from electing a leader, and rescued the Specials. I should get a hero’s welcome.”
“Not going to happen. Instead of marching bands, we have archangels gunning for us.”
And we were back to my nightmare. I sighed. “Actually, they’re gunning for me.”
“You mentioned that before and I went with it. Why are you so sure about that?”
I explained what Raphael had said. Bran’s eyes darkened the more I talked. He piled meat on top of the slice of bread absentmindedly. “What if there’s a connection between Gavyn’s rants and what Raphael said? According to Dante, the Chosen One will unite the Nephilim and lead them down the path to ascension. What if it’s already happening? Without me, you would never have switched sides or fought on Jarvis Island. Without me, the Specials would still be with the demons and Coronis would still be alive. Without me, Dante and Kael might not have found love.”
Bran shot me a skeptical look. “What?”
“They love each other. It’s really cute.”
“Are you sure about that? It doesn’t matter. The archangels won’t win. Like I said, we won’t let them.
I should have stopped talking right there, but I couldn’t. “What if Valafar is alive?”
Bran scowled. “I’m beginning to hate this game. You know, when you say ‘what if and I come up with an answer.”
I pouted. “It’s not a game. I’m serious. What if he survived the attack on Jarvis Island?”
His green eyes darkened. A shrug followed. “Then wherever he is, he’s too weak to do anything. The last time we saw him, he was a shriveled old man. A shadow of the powerful nature-bender he once was.”
“Physically, yes, but mentally…” I shook my head. “He could be behind this mess.”
Bran shrugged and asked, “How are your powers?” His attempt to change the subject was pathetic.
“We have to explore all possibilities, Bran. About Valafar, the archangels, Gavyn’s agenda.”
He pushed back the hair from his forehead, his expression angry. “What do you want me to say? That there could be some truth to what Gavyn said about Valafar and that the thought of losing you to the archangels is already haunting me? Or that I blame Gavyn for all of the above? Is that what you want to hear?” he asked sharply.
“Yes,” I snapped right back. “I need to know exactly how you feel, so I know I’m not the only one feeling like this. I’m scared, Bran. Terrified. I keep thinking that this time we won’t win. That no matter what you or anyone says, this is it.” My voice was shaking by the time I finished talking.
“Come here.” Bran put his sandwich down and pulled me into his arms. “You drive me crazy, you know that?”
“I know.”
“But I love you anyway.”
“I know.”
“You are never alone, and we’ll find a way to beat them,” he vowed.
Should I tell him about the Goddess using me as a vessel? No, that would be too much information for now. There was always the chance that I’d ascend and escape the archangels once she was done with me.
Not liking my thoughts, I stepped away from Bran’s arms. Even though he picked up his sandwich and bit into it, his eyes stayed on me. I started making my own sandwich, wishing I’d eaten something at Kieran’s.
“How’s your headache?”
“Gone.”
“Your powers?”
“Steady for now.”
He nodded. “That’s good.”
“Do I look different since the attack?” I asked when he continued to watch me.
“You mean other than the glow and the sparkle in your eyes, or the fact that you’re the most beautiful girl in the entire world? Because that’s not different.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks at the compliment. “I’m serious, Bran. Something happens to me every time my powers are off. My heartbeat shoots up, I get hot and—”
“Release lots of pheromones,” he finished.
“Phero…what?”
He chuckled. “The chemicals that make humans act like idiots around us. Nephilim release them. It’s what makes us so irresistible and,” he licked the mustard off his finger, “gives us a higher sex drive.”
Everything that happened after the attack rushed back—the way we’d made out in my room, Remy’s stare, Gavyn’s disgusting fascination with me. This was something I didn’t want to deal with now.
“Never mind.” I scooped up the bread, even the sandwich I’d started making, and dumped them in the fridge, then retrieved a bottle of water. “I have to report to Master Haziel.”
“Whoa, stop.” Bran blocked my path. “This is nothing to stress about. Most of us start releasing at eighteen. You started early. The attack may have something to do with the sudden spike in pheromones.”
“Then it can’t be good.”
“No, it is. We almost made it to third base.”
His words were slow to register. When they did, I smacked his chest. “Did you just use a baseball metaphor? That’s so Sykes.”
Bran made a disgusted face. “If I can handle your pheromone overload, so can you. Without feeling embarrassed. I’m the one who must fight even harder to resist you.”
I wasn’t worried about him. He could control himself in any given situation. “Do the others know?”
“I don’t think so, but they’ll eventually figure it out.”
I made a face.
“You know why?”
“I don’t want to know.” I twisted the cap off the water bottle and took a sip. I didn’t like the look in his eyes as he went back to his sandwich and took a bite. “Okay. Why?”
“When you’re tense or excited, you release more. When you panic or get pissed, any drastic change in emotions triggers them.”
My eyes narrowed. “Now you’re just making stuff up.”
He gave me a wide-eyed innocent look. “Would I lie to you?”
