Caleb didn’tanswer for several seconds. “I missed you too, Evie,” he saidquietly, his voice thick with emotion. “I can’t tell you how much Iregret what I did.”
In threestrides, he stood before her and reached for her hand.
She yanked itaway and swiped at her tears instead. He regretted having sex withher. More tears threatened. She didn’t regret they’d made love, notfor one second. Those few hours of blissful happiness would beengraved on her memory forever. Damn him.
“I’m so sorryfor the way I treated you, Evie. You have to believe me,” he wenton. “If it makes you feel any better, I hate myself more.”
It didn’t,strangely. “I don’t hate you,” she whispered. I loveyou.
“Youdon’t?”
Hope lit hishandsome features, and she knew she’d lost the battle. Her angerslipped away.
Caleb touchedher hand. She didn’t move it this time but let it hang limp beneathhis warm fingers.
“Let me healyour wing, Evie, then you’ll never have to see me again.” He let goof her hand. “Turn around.”
His wordsdidn’t register. She did as he instructed, wincing at the pain inher ankle.
He held herwing tenderly, his fingertips brushing the scorched area. “You’retaller,” he said.
“It’s theheels.”
“Inoticed.”
She frowned athis husky tone.
He continued tostroke her feathers, the movements oddly sensual.
A sensationlike being coated in warm honey spread over not only the damagedpart of her wing but both wings in their entirety. The warmthtrickled downwards, over her coverts, her secondary feathers andthen her primary feathers, right down to the tips of her wings.
Closing hereyes, she floated in a heavenly trance. Even the throbbing in herankle lessened.
“You can openyour eyes now, Evie.”
Caleb’s softwords broke the trance, and she opened her eyes, facing him oncemore. “What did you do?”
“Healed yourwing. Give it a go,” he told her, a whisper of a smile lifting thecorners of his mouth.
Evie circledher shoulder. Sure enough, the pain from where Malcolm’s demon handburned her was gone. But there was something else too. Power likenothing she’d ever experienced ebbed and flowed through her wings,compelling her to spread them out.
She opened herwings to their full span, the speed of the movement taking her bysurprise.
Evie gasped asshe caught sight of the golden glow on her wingtips. “Caleb…?”
His smilewidened. “Congratulations, Evie, you passed your training.”
She clasped herhand to her mouth, tears of joy welling in her eyes. She’d neverseen anything more striking in her angel life… except for Caleb inall his naked glory. She blew out a breath. “I did?”
“I neverdoubted you would.”
“I can’tbelieve it.” A sudden, overwhelming urge to try out her new wingshad her heading towards her window. Her ankle no longer hurt.
“Believe it.You’re an absolute angel now, you know that?”
She stopped inher tracks, and half smiled back at him, despite everything he’dput her through. “Takes one to know one,” she replied.
Caleb rolledhis eyes and laughed; the Caleb she remembered.
“How did youfind out I’d passed my training?” she asked.
“Ophelia andRaphael paid you a visit to share the news from Above, but youweren’t here.”
She sobered.“But you were,” she accused, still not sure why he came into herflat in the first place.
His smilevanished. “I’m sorry, I did enter your flat. I should haverespected your privacy, but I had this dumb idea…”
“What idea,Caleb?”
“I… I wanted toapologise…” He shifted from one foot to the other, displaying thevulnerability she found so endearing and so sexy. “I brought astupid peace offering,” he gestured to the wine and glasses on thecoffee table, “because I wanted to tell you something, but itdoesn’t matter. You’re a fully qualified angel now. You don’t needme anymore.” He turned away from her, his gaze sweeping thefloor.
Hope flickered.She touched his arm. Electricity sparked through her fingers andalong her forearm. “Wait, what did you want to tell me?”
He tugged hisarm away this time, but she wasn’t going to let him get off thateasily.
“Caleb, tellme.”
Caleb expelleda long sigh. “I wanted my best friend back, Evie, but it’s toolate. I see that now. I’ve ruined everything between us.”
Friends?He wanted them to be friends, nothing more. How could they befriends when a ragged hole was ripping through her heart? For asingle moment, she imagined they could be so much more, but thefriend zone? It was almost too much to bear.
But whatalternative did she have? The thought of never seeing him againfilled her with sadness. If being friends was all he could offer,then she would take his friendship. She’d done it before—howdifficult could it be?
“You haven’truined everything. I meant what I said earlier. I miss my bestfriend too.”
He nodded, theslight movement oddly curt. “Back to being friends again?”
She thought shecaught a glimpse of sorrow in his eyes, but no, her imagination wasplaying tricks with her again. Maybe she still had too muchchampagne in her system. “Yeah, friends,” she replied, her heartheavy with disappointment.
Silence cloakedthem, the tension almost palpable, the space between them fizzingwith unspoken words.
Caleb held outhis hand. “Would you like to fly with me, Evie?”
Evie stared athis large hand, mesmerised, recalling how he’d ripped her pyjamasoff and caressed her skin.
Friends,Evie.
She bit her lipand focused. Her new wings twitched with anticipation, not tomention flying would take her mind off Caleb and his capable hands.“I thought you’d never ask.” She took his hand, ignoring how itswarmth and gentle strength made her belly tingle.
He grinned andled her to the window.
Evie steppedonto the fire escape first. Without waiting for him, she climbedonto the wobbly railing and executed a perfect launch—with herstill wearing Mary’s ridiculously high stilettos too. No moreclumsy emus for her now she had her golden wingtips.
She flew overthe city, the moon low in the sky, the dawn imminent.
Her magnificentwings were more powerful, her speed unprecedented as she soaredinto the night, enthralled, the rapid purr of the wind ripplingthrough her end feathers.
Despite hernewfound speed, Caleb caught up with her and then overtook her.
She matched himand flew close, their wingtips mere inches away from eachother.
Caleb flappedhis wings hard and
