Page 60 of Claimed by the Fallen
“I need water.” I walk to the kitchen. The two angels followme.
I grab a water bottle from the pantry and twist open the cap. I swallow several gulps, but the water does nothing for the dryness in my throat or the pit in mystomach.
“There’s nothing,” I hear Adrian call from upstairs. His steps travel down the stairs and he appears in the entryway of the kitchen. “I foundnothing.”
“Neither did I.” Gabe arrives at hisside.
“So how will we find them?” I ask, looking between the four angels. Each of them avoids meeting my eye. I focus on the one angel I’ve known thelongest.
“Zeke?”
He releases a breath and runs a hand over his blond scruff. “We aren’t sure yet,Ron.”
“Well, what will it take to be sure? What do you guys need? What can I do?” I’ll do anything to find my parents. Absolutelyanything.
“Nothing,” Adrian states. “We don’t need you to doanything.”
I frown. “But I canhelp.”
“If yancor demons are responsible, we don’t need you anywhere near this situation,” Zeke explains, using a milder tone. His brother narrows his gaze but remains silent. Heagrees.
I’m not so easilyconvinced.
“Look…” I pause and formulate my next words carefully. “If this has something to do with being yourbashert,please don’t let that make you exclude me from this. I canhelp.”
Gabe and Mr. Cohen suck in air. Adrian and Zeke freeze. The room becomes unnervinglyquiet.
Then, Gabe growls, “You are not theirbashert.”
I blink, knowing I’m walking on thin ice. I don’t want to cause an argument, I only want the angels to not coddle me because of some crazy soulmate connection they think we have. I plan on arguing with them about the subject at a later time, once my parents are safelyhome.
But before I can say a word, Adrian growls back, “This isn’t any of your business, lightboy.”
“It most certainly is,” Gabe steps forward, but Mr. Cohen places a staying hand on his shoulder. Still, Gabe continues, “Considering she isours.”
I’ve made a dumb decision. I shouldn’t have saidanything.
Adrian sneers. “We’ve been over this. She is not yours. Veronica is linked tous.”
They’ve talked about thisbefore?
“You’re wrong,” Mr. Cohen states calmly, “She is linked to us. It’s how we felt her first transformationpains.”
“We felt them too,” Zeke returns with equalcalm.
“I thought all angels would be able to feel my transformation?” No one pays me any mind. They continue talking as if I’m not standingthere.
Gabe snorts, “A fluke, one we will seek to rectify once ourbashertissafe.”
“Call her yours,” Adrian growls, tensing his shoulders, “one more time and I will, personally, rip those pasty wings from yourback.”
Mr. Cohen tightens his hold on his brother, and Zeke reaches out to do the same toAdrian.
The threat of violence hangs in the air like a smothering blanket. I’ve had enough. “Will you all stop talking about me like I’m not standing right here?” Ishriek.
At once, four pairs of angelic eyes land on me. Their expressions range from apologetic todetermined.
“I don’t care what any of you think about this soulmate crap,” I say. “My parents are missing. We need to findthem.”
