I stepped out from under the dark porch to watch Lucas in blatant awe as he rose into the sky, skimming the top layer of the forest. There were no wings behind his back, but when he'd left the ground, two bursts of wind had caused dust to swirl into the air, making me wonder if I simply couldn't see them.
Nick reached out softly for my arm before I could step further away from the cabin. "Come on, let's get inside. We don't know how well his barrier will hold up if we stay outside."
I nodded thoughtfully, as if I understood the mechanics behind magical barrier spells, and followed. I locked the door behind us and flipped the light switch on the familiar red and brown walls, making sure the thick curtains were drawn shut. I hadn't ventured here in the dark before, and it gave the cabin an ominous feel when combined with the isolating quietness of the forest. Everything was as we'd left it when I'd been here with Jackson and Lucas. The medical kit was still strewn open on the coffee table in the living room, and the kitchen's bin was stuffed with Jackson's bloody bandages.
None of this escaped Nick's notice as he slowly glanced around the cabin with a pained expression.
"Lucas bought you a cabin?" He asked, running his hand along the rough wall. If I hadn't been so attuned to his voice, I wouldn't have heard the alien vulnerability between his words.
I tried to force a reassuring smile. "He didn't buy it for me. He just thought I could use a place to study when I was sick of being cooped up at school."
"Seems a little excessive," He scoffed, but again, there was that peculiar undercurrent of tired envy.
I didn't know if I had it in me to comfort him right now, but I still tried. I reached out for his hand, gently interlacing his fingers with mine. The touch seemed to jolt him awake, and he met my eyes for the first time since we'd left the school. I had no idea what would come in the morning, but I didn't want to think about that. Not right now. We were safe, and drowsiness was keeping any nagging reservations I might have about Nick at a drowned distance.
"Come on, let's get some sleep." I insisted. "I don't know about demons' sleep schedules, but I'm definitely going to need a nap before fighting a horde of heavenly hosts."
"Nice alliteration," he said through an abrupt yawn.
I only stopped for a moment before leading Nick into one of the upstairs bedrooms. It was strange enough that I was staying here with Nick when the cabin had been intended for me and Lucas, so I didn't have time to mull over the situation I was now faced with. Nick already looked half-asleep, so I knew I didn't have to overthink sharing a bed with him, regardless of what I might or might not want to happen. Still, I was about to sleep in the same bed as the boy I knew I was falling for. The worry stirring in my gut didn't make much sense, but it still felt as though I was surrending a small amount of control, having Nick see me when I slept so closely. So vulnerably.
Nick of course seemed unaware of what I was struggling with, and shuffled forward with his eyes shut. He collapsed onto the bed without a second thought, and kicked off his shoes a minute later. Oddly enough, his obliviousness seemed to ease my mind. This was just Nick. Not a demon, or whatever else he might claim himself to be in defence of his actions. Just the boy I'd met at the river, the first person to offer me some semblance of peace since Steph's accident. I quickly shook my qualms from my mind and stepped through the door. I left it ajar, and kicked off my own shoes. The sound seemed to rouse Nick, and he ruffled his hair sluggishly.
"Do you want me to go grab another bed?" He mumbled through another dazed yawn.
I felt my lip quirk up before answering with a soft kiss on his cheek, and crawled around to the other side of the bed.
"Good night," I whispered softly, although I was sure he was already sound asleep.
But a moment later, he answered with an inaudible murmur and shifted closer to me. He reached out, startling me as he gently wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me back closer to his chest. It took me a minute to unstiffen, feeling his breath in my matted hair.
It was a novel feeling, the safety he provided with his arm around me. The safety I wanted him to provide. If I stayed, I had to give up a level of control, but what I was given in return was much greater.
Nick was submerged well into the depths of unconsciousness, and once I relaxed, I felt the pull of sleep weigh down my eyelids. Despite my head running rampant with all the ways our stay here could end in pain... I couldn't help the smile pulling up my cheeks. For now, all we could do was sleep, and take comfort in the unexpected shelter we'd found in each other.
***
I woke up early the next morning, despite only finding a few hours of sleep. I laid contentedly in Nick's arms for a while before untangling myself from his embrace, and headed downstairs. I really needed a change of clothes, but a quick look through the three bedrooms' wardrobes revealed only a handful of male dress shirts- presumably Lucas'. I tried not to think about it too much as I grabbed a navy button-down and quickly stepped into a shower.
I spent a good ten minutes scrubbing at my skin, peeling off the grime that I'd accumulated running through the forest. I found shampoo and conditioner in one of the bathroom cupboards, and let the shower's glass panels fog up with scalding water. With the thick heat, I could barely see my own reflection in the glass, from my wildly knotted hair to the scratch across my cheek- I must have run into a branch last night. I could still see my eyes, though, staring back at me with an unfamiliar awareness.
Turquoise, Nick had once called them. They stared back at me inquisitively, and I tilted my head as I tried to remember just when my features had become so unrecognisable. My eyes were lit with an involuntarily excitement that changed them from sea-green to something brighter, and my right cheek seemed permanently quirked up instead of the flat line I tried to press it into. It was as if my reflection knew something I didn't. Was taunting me with it.
I swiftly dried myself and threw on the navy shirt and my jeans before the fog cleared from the mirror. I left my crusted white shirt on the bathroom bench and headed downstairs, feeling my stomach rumble. Jackson's protein bars had curbed my appetite, but the remnants of the peanut flavouring and soft texture stuck to my mouth with a bitter vengeance. I'd managed to find an unused toothbrush before showering, and had tried to replace the stale taste with mint, but only food would do the trick. And caffeine. Caffeine solved everything.
I'd wolfed down four pieces of toast and three mugs of coffee by the time Nick appeared on the stairs, staggering slightly and rubbing his eyes. He came towards me in the kitchen, and surprised me with a kiss, just a warm brush of our lips, as if we'd done it enough time to have already become a habit.
He stretched his arms behind his head. "Morning, darling."
I felt a smile hitch up my lips. "You've called me a few pet names lately. Darling, dear, sweetheart... Any particular reason?"
"Just trying to find one that sticks. I was going to go with angel, but that's a little on the nose, no?"
I laughed as he moved toward the kitchen's cupboard and began rifling through cereal boxes.
Nick had said that the angels wouldn't be able to see the cabin, so I went over and opened up the nearby curtains before returning to the bench. Morning light filtered onto the walls, turning the harsh paint to a rich red.
"How long do you think the angels will stay in Faith Heights?" I asked, glancing out the closest window.
Nick shrugged, but his shoulders were tense. "Once they've scoured every inch of it. Lucas' wards should keep the cabin from their sight, so once they've skimmed the forest, they'll leave. Then we'll be free to go wherever we want."
I couldn't help but smile at his wistful tone. If only it could be that simple. I wondered when Lucas would return, hopefully with more answers. Thinking of Lucas reminded me of last night, when he'd thrown himself from the ground without aid.
"Why couldn't I see Lucas' wings last night?" I asked.
Nick took a seat at the kitchen bench with a bowl of dry cereal. "You could if he wanted you to. An angel's wings don't typically exist on earth's plane. He would have to summon them."
"Is it the same with your wings?" I asked, leaning my chin of my hands. He'd referred to himself as an angel yesterday, so I assumed that angels and demons weren't as dissimilar as I'd originally thought.
His jaw locked. "I don't have any wings."
I frowned, thinking back to when I'd jumped off the cliff. Nick had helped redirect me into the water, saving me from a jagged death. There was no way he'd been able to catch and throw me like that without flying.
I repeated as much to him, but he merely shook his head. "I'm strong. But I don't have wings." He repeated stonily, taking a spoonful of cereal.
After a minute, he added under his breath, "I lost them when I fell."
I could tell there was more to the story, but the pain darkening his eyes stopped me from delving any further.
Before I could change the topic, Nick's head whipped toward the door. After a tense second, he clenched his jaw. "Lucas is back."