“I do need help,” I finally said. “And it’s not because of what happened between us. It’s…something else.”
“What is it?”
Still, I was afraid to say it out loud. I didn’t even know how to get into this and sound halfway cohesive. “What Connor said about me earlier. About me being a nexus…”
He searched my face. “It’s true, isn’t it?”
I just nodded. I half expected him to push back from me, maybe go inside and tell the others, but he stayed right where he was.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
I tried to catch my breath, but that seemed impossible right now. “I didn’t know, not until tonight.”
“How did you find out?”
I hesitated a moment before I said anything else. “I didn’t know for sure that I was adopted until earlier tonight. All my life, I had no idea…” I trailed off, looking up at him with uncertainty.
He gazed back at me with undivided attention. “Who told you about this? How did you learn the truth?”
“The Source,” I said it so softly it was no more than a whisper. “It’s my aunt. My real father’s sister—she’s a demon.”
Anyone else would have reacted with shock or, more likely, total disbelief. But not Bishop. He took it in stride.
“You’ve met her,” he said.
I nodded and it took a moment before I could continue. “Natalie’s the one you’ve been looking for. And you were right…she does go to Crave regularly. That’s where I saw her tonight—Tuesday night, too.”
“Is she the same demon as last time? The anomaly I told you about?”
I nodded, feeling ill. “She was pushed into the Hollow.”
He frowned deeply. “And she’s back? How?”
“I don’t know how, but she is. And now if she kisses someone—she can create more who have the same hungers as she does. Before, it was just her.” My brain felt like it had the consistency of mush as I tried not to make the situation even worse than it already was. “She told me my mother—an angel named Anna—was killed. And my father jumped into the Hollow after her. He must be back, too. Natalie and my father both escaped the Hollow. So it’s not what everyone thinks it is. It must mean that if they can, then there are others that aren’t killed, that were just sucked in by accident, or whatever, that can escape. It’s not one-way—or at least, it isn’t anymore.”
If my words shocked Bishop or freaked him out, he didn’t let on that they did. He braced a hand against the brick wall behind my left shoulder and studied me intently, absorbing every word I spoke. “I’m glad you told me this.”
“I was going to keep it a secret, but I couldn’t. You needed to know.”
He cast a glance back at the door to the church. “Don’t tell the others about the reason behind your abilities. I don’t want them to know. Connor was only guessing before. Like I said, it’s incredibly rare. Heaven and Hell…well, they don’t have a great appreciation for anything outside of regulations. And that’s exactly what a nexus is, especially the ones they’re not even aware exist.” His eyes met mine again. “They’d view you as something very dangerous.”
I took that in. “And how do you view me?”
“Very dangerous.” His gaze sank into me for a moment, but then his jaw tensed. “I want you to introduce me to your aunt.”
I tensed. “Bishop, I don’t know…”
“I need to understand what her plan is, what she wants. And if she can stop this before it gets any worse.”
“She told me she thinks the other grays’ hunger will fade. That my hunger will fade. Then grays won’t be a risk anymore. Is that possible?”
His brows drew together. “I don’t know. I hope so. This is why I need more information.”
My breath caught. “Roth seems to go hunting for the fun of it. Does he care which kind of gray he kills?”
“Roth’s…different. The demons view this mission as more of a scoreboard. But I’ve made him well aware of the rules. And if I can talk to Natalie, figure out some other solution, maybe this can end without anyone else getting hurt.”
“Do you think you might be able to help her?”
He nodded. “If she wants to be helped.”
“You mean it?”
“I mean it.” He stroked my hair back and pushed it behind my ears, keeping his warm hand on the side of my face. His heat sank into me. “When we first met, I thought there was something special about you.”
“And what do you think now?” The closer he got to me the more difficult it was to think normally. Or logically. He smelled so good it was all I could focus on.
He raised an eyebrow. “You really want to know?”
I nodded.
“What do I think now?” he whispered. “I think that even though you keep saving me, I’m still in danger whenever I’m close to you.”
I could barely breathe. “Danger? How?”
“Like every single time I’m close to you, I want to do this.”
When he brushed his lips against mine, I stopped thinking. My hands tangled in the soft material of his shirt, then slid up over his shoulders.
“That’s kind of a coincidence,” I whispered. “Because I feel exactly the same way.”
“What is it?”
Still, I was afraid to say it out loud. I didn’t even know how to get into this and sound halfway cohesive. “What Connor said about me earlier. About me being a nexus…”
He searched my face. “It’s true, isn’t it?”
I just nodded. I half expected him to push back from me, maybe go inside and tell the others, but he stayed right where he was.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
I tried to catch my breath, but that seemed impossible right now. “I didn’t know, not until tonight.”
“How did you find out?”
I hesitated a moment before I said anything else. “I didn’t know for sure that I was adopted until earlier tonight. All my life, I had no idea…” I trailed off, looking up at him with uncertainty.
He gazed back at me with undivided attention. “Who told you about this? How did you learn the truth?”
“The Source,” I said it so softly it was no more than a whisper. “It’s my aunt. My real father’s sister—she’s a demon.”
Anyone else would have reacted with shock or, more likely, total disbelief. But not Bishop. He took it in stride.
“You’ve met her,” he said.
I nodded and it took a moment before I could continue. “Natalie’s the one you’ve been looking for. And you were right…she does go to Crave regularly. That’s where I saw her tonight—Tuesday night, too.”
“Is she the same demon as last time? The anomaly I told you about?”
I nodded, feeling ill. “She was pushed into the Hollow.”
He frowned deeply. “And she’s back? How?”
“I don’t know how, but she is. And now if she kisses someone—she can create more who have the same hungers as she does. Before, it was just her.” My brain felt like it had the consistency of mush as I tried not to make the situation even worse than it already was. “She told me my mother—an angel named Anna—was killed. And my father jumped into the Hollow after her. He must be back, too. Natalie and my father both escaped the Hollow. So it’s not what everyone thinks it is. It must mean that if they can, then there are others that aren’t killed, that were just sucked in by accident, or whatever, that can escape. It’s not one-way—or at least, it isn’t anymore.”
If my words shocked Bishop or freaked him out, he didn’t let on that they did. He braced a hand against the brick wall behind my left shoulder and studied me intently, absorbing every word I spoke. “I’m glad you told me this.”
“I was going to keep it a secret, but I couldn’t. You needed to know.”
He cast a glance back at the door to the church. “Don’t tell the others about the reason behind your abilities. I don’t want them to know. Connor was only guessing before. Like I said, it’s incredibly rare. Heaven and Hell…well, they don’t have a great appreciation for anything outside of regulations. And that’s exactly what a nexus is, especially the ones they’re not even aware exist.” His eyes met mine again. “They’d view you as something very dangerous.”
I took that in. “And how do you view me?”
“Very dangerous.” His gaze sank into me for a moment, but then his jaw tensed. “I want you to introduce me to your aunt.”
I tensed. “Bishop, I don’t know…”
“I need to understand what her plan is, what she wants. And if she can stop this before it gets any worse.”
“She told me she thinks the other grays’ hunger will fade. That my hunger will fade. Then grays won’t be a risk anymore. Is that possible?”
His brows drew together. “I don’t know. I hope so. This is why I need more information.”
My breath caught. “Roth seems to go hunting for the fun of it. Does he care which kind of gray he kills?”
“Roth’s…different. The demons view this mission as more of a scoreboard. But I’ve made him well aware of the rules. And if I can talk to Natalie, figure out some other solution, maybe this can end without anyone else getting hurt.”
“Do you think you might be able to help her?”
He nodded. “If she wants to be helped.”
“You mean it?”
“I mean it.” He stroked my hair back and pushed it behind my ears, keeping his warm hand on the side of my face. His heat sank into me. “When we first met, I thought there was something special about you.”
“And what do you think now?” The closer he got to me the more difficult it was to think normally. Or logically. He smelled so good it was all I could focus on.
He raised an eyebrow. “You really want to know?”
I nodded.
“What do I think now?” he whispered. “I think that even though you keep saving me, I’m still in danger whenever I’m close to you.”
I could barely breathe. “Danger? How?”
“Like every single time I’m close to you, I want to do this.”
When he brushed his lips against mine, I stopped thinking. My hands tangled in the soft material of his shirt, then slid up over his shoulders.
“That’s kind of a coincidence,” I whispered. “Because I feel exactly the same way.”
