Page 102 of Baking and Angels

“What is that?” he asked, even as he stood, steadier than he had been before, to take it.

“Your battle armor,” she quipped.

He looked inside, but all he could make out was a bundle of dark cloth at the bottom. It took a second before it hit him what it was.

“Oh. I see,” he said, setting the bag onto the couch so he could draw out the chef’s coat. He held it up, but Honey took over, taking it by the shoulders to hold it against him, her eyes roving as she checked her measurements.

“Yes, I think that will fit you perfectly. The whole thing is in there, so if you want to go into the bathroom and change, that will give me enough time to find my keys. There are even shoes in the bottom,” she added before whirling away toward the kitchen.

“Honey!” he called, stopping her just before she passed the threshold. “I know…” The weight not to say what he knew pressed on his chest, but he pushed past it. “I know things now, but I still don’t understand.”

“Knowing something is one thing. Understanding it is something elseentirely.”

“I am different now,” he said, pressing against his chest, which felt looser than it had in centuries. “But I’m not sure why. Somethingis gone.”

“You paid your price. Finally,” sheaffirmed.

He blinked at that, his mind struggling to comprehend what he knew was true. “But I’m still here.”

“Yeah. Funny that,” she smirked, setting her fists toher hips.

“But… but my mother…” He growled. “I knew all this on the other side but here… What happened to her?”

“She returned,” Honey said, her gentle smile slipping. “There are no words to describe it, so it would be best not to try.”

He shook his head. “So everything that I understood when I was a demon was wrong.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what you understood. I am not you. You will have to figure it out. That’s why we’re here, after all,”she said.

“It is?”

“Well, it’s why I’ve decided I’m here,” she said, her sweet smile returning. “What you’re here to do is up to you, but I think you already know that.”

He nodded. It was true. “But do I have the right tobe here?”

“Oh, Rafferty. What does that matter? You are here,” the angel sighed. “Go getchanged.”

Chapter 39

Renegotiations

“Now, you go on ahead. I’m going to drop you off here,” Honey said as she came to a stop in the alley behind a fairly large building. There were lights at both ends of the alleyway with another light over a familiar door.

“Of course, she booked this building,” Honey said as they cameto a stop.

“What about the building?” Rafferty asked, looking through the window at a structure that seemed similar to all of the other buildings inthe city.

“This is the Wrightwood Ballroom,”she said.

Rafferty’s heart jumped inhis chest.

“You didn’t recognize it?” Honey asked.

He shook his head. “I never saw it from the outside. When Helena summoned me, she did it from inside thebuilding.”

Honey nodded. “Sure, that makes sense. Be carefulin there.”

Rafferty’s legs shook as he got out of Honey’s car, a very unassuming white Camry.

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