Page 60 of Living with Death

I lick my lips. “Okay. I’ll do better.”

“Good.” We stand in silence for a moment, and he removes his hand, rubbing his jaw.

“I…”

“I…”

I laugh as we both try to speak simultaneously, and he says, “I know you have more questions, and I’m going to answer them, but before I do, I’d like to take you somewhere.” His glowing eyes fill with emotion.

I look down. I have questions, but are they so important that they can’t wait for a night? You’ve been waiting days, Mabel.

I know, but one more night won’t hurt. What will change from now and then, anyway? We can do whatever he wants, and then I can ask him everything tomorrow.

“Okay. Should I change?”

“No. Just put your coat on.”

I nod. “Are we flying?”

“A drive first, and then we’ll fly.”

Chapter Eighteen

Azrael

A day earlier

“What were you thinking, Azrael?” Michael’s starry eyes glimmer. The golden glow around him brightens.

“I needed her to fall in love with me quickly.”

“You broke the rules. You took a mortal’s life without it being her time.”

I lift my shoulder. “To be fair, Mabel didn’t technically die.” I pluck a grape from the bowl beside me. She wasn’t even close to it. That minor hit on her head wouldn’t have been her end. I just needed her to think that.

Michael scrubs a hand down his striking face, standing toward the wall of windows. “And what if she would have said no to your little proposition?”

“No human will turn down the opportunity to have a second chance at life, brother.”

He looks at me, eyes like diamonds. “This was not part of our agreement. Once you found your mate, I told you, you had two weeks. I didn’t say find her, take her life…”

“I didn’t—”

“You gave Mabel no choice in the matter,” he interrupts. “She isn’t falling in love with you authentically.”

I sit in my chair, placing my hands on the long table. Fruit covers it, and a plate of roast with carrots and red potatoes handpicked from a garden. Anger begins to swirl around me, blackness lurking like an animal hidden in the bush, ready to strike. “Did Morgan fall in love with Hypnos authentically?” I ask. “He invaded her dreams. He took advantage of his powers, just like I did.” I wave my long fingers dismissively. “Honestly, what’s the point in having them if we can’t work them to our advantage occasionally?”

“Because it is not the way!” Michael yells, causing the floor to shake beneath my feet and rattling the crystal chandelier above my head.

Fighting is not something we do, but arguing––that we’re perfect at. I don’t always see things the way my brothers do. Our existence is not the same, and we usually don’t interfere with one another’s lives, except for Michael. But it’s his job to interfere with all.

He calms himself. “And I’ve already told you, you and Hypnos are not the same. Your powers change the balance. You showed Mabel who you were. You showed her the In-Between and then let her remember it.” He runs a pale hand through his silver-silken hair.

“Brother, you only gave me two weeks. How is any person supposed to fall in love with another in that short time?”

“True love can take only a simple look, Azrael.”

“Possibly, but I had to show her who I was. She needed to know from the start.”

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