A Touch Mortal (18 page)

I
t was snowing as they made their way across the street. A flashing half-burnt-out marquee proclaimed the place “Aerie.” Below the name of the club, black letters spelled out:

7:30 pm six foot shovel

9 pm dawn’s supernova all ages show

“Kristen said Gabe would be at that second one.” Eden grabbed Adam’s hand as they neared the club and the crowd thickened. She left out the part where Kristen had told her it was a bad idea, that Gabe would find her if he needed her.

Outside Aerie, the sidewalk was a clustered mass of black clothes and skin paled by makeup. Next to Eden, a Goth girl squealed and clomped her eight-inch striped platforms past Adam to join a group of near clones,
Manic Panic purple hair trailing behind her.

“OMG!” the girl cried, pronouncing each letter. “Can you actually believe we’re going to see DS? Singer is
hot
.”

Eden heard Adam scoff. She turned toward him, her eyes playful as she surveyed his light blue sweater and jeans. “Now you see what I meant by ‘restricted palette’?”

“Clearly.”

Eden laughed, tugging at the pleats of her black skirt. Her legs were covered by her usual knee-high boots, this pair laced up the side with a white ribbon. A few hot pink clips in her hair and a matching tank top hidden under her peacoat completed her outfit. No one gave her a second look, but there were more than a few whispers behind glittery black nails as Adam led the way to the double doors.

A muscled thug sat on a stool at the door, the word “Staff” ironed onto his too tight T-shirt. Even he was wearing eyeliner.

“What’s the cover?” Eden asked.

“No cover. Need tickets,” he growled, barring their way with his trunk of an arm.

“How much?”

“Sold out. Next!” Eden tilted her chin, glaring at him in frustration.

“Well, fuck.” She spun to face the crowd, zeroing in on the first person she saw wearing gloves. “You.” She
pointed her finger, stopping him. “You have tickets for this?” she asked. The kid nodded. “Two?” Another nod. “Good. I want them,” she said, digging in her pocket. “Hundred for both?”

The kid laughed. “Not a fucking chance.”

“You’re serious?” Eden snorted. “Fine. Make it two.”

“Just forget it, Eden. We’ll do it another time.” Adam grabbed her arm as she went for her pocket again. “Jarrod…”

“Is a phone call away if he needs us,” she said, digging out the rest of the cash she carried, not bothering to keep anything for the cab ride home. “This is important, Adam.” She looked up, meeting his eyes. “I don’t want you to pass in here. If it gets to be too much, we can go. You ready?”

“Yes, but…”

She turned back to the boy, dropping a tightly wound tube of bills into his hand and snapping up the tickets. She handed one to Adam. “Your proof is in there. And you’re going to get it.” She smiled sweetly as she handed hers to the bouncer.

They both held out their wrists for the neon yellow wristbands reserved for the underage crowd. She swung open the heavy door, holding it for Adam to follow.

Heavy bass lines throbbed through the floor and wound up her legs. Each relentless note rattled into her
lungs, ready to break her apart a particle at a time. The lights cut on and off, pulsing in time to the heartbeat of the bass drum, highlighting hundreds of arms raised and waving like tentacles. A guitar screamed chords over a techno beat so fast Eden’s heart sped up in a struggle to compete.

The lights died.

Eden froze, disoriented. Without her sight, the only sensations left offered up the scent of sweat and a collective gasp from the crowd. In that moment, when the gasp stuttered into silence, before they had time to breathe again, a voice sliced across the room. The deep baritone fell from the air around her, the guitar crying out again as the singer moaned into the microphone. No words, just an escape of pleasure.

A single spotlight shone down, but the singer crouched low. Eden rose onto her toes, trying to catch even a glimpse of him.

He stood suddenly and stepped forward to the edge of the stage, giving her a clear view as he searched the crowd, his gaze hunting prey.

Leather pants clung to his legs. Even though the stage lights had to have been searing heat down on him, he wore a long-sleeved black shirt so tight it was a second skin. His head bobbed as he flashed a grin at the drummer. Sweat flew from the drenched inky curls hanging
to his shoulders. His boot counted off the beat, and he swung an arm down, silencing the drums on cue.

“Without your hideous…beautiful…” he purred, searching the crowd. With a whispered breath, he moaned, “Love.” It rolled from his lips like a promise, echoed layer after layer. Deep inside her, something shivered. “Can you love me?” he asked the crowd, prowling the stage. “Do you DARE?” The room surged forward. Screams drowned out his laughter. He held his arms out, head bowed, reveling in their reaction.

In front of Eden, a girl fainted. Two massive bouncers struggled to her. Each of them took an arm and pulled her away as if they’d been expecting it.

“Pretty good, isn’t he?”

Eden jumped at the voice, a guy next to her clapping wildly as he screamed into her ear to be heard.

“Who is he?” she asked, unable to take her eyes off the stage.

“
That
,” he said, “is Dawn’s Supernova.”

N
o, Gabe thought, watching the pink clips bobbing in and out of sight through the crowd. He covered the distance quickly, slamming past shoulders, and grabbed Eden’s arm.

Whipping her away from the Goth kid at her ear, he yelled, “What are you doing here?” into a face as shocked as his own must have been. The guy who lived at her apartment tried to claw his hand away, but Gabe ignored it.

Eden raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say that if I needed anything…?” She was trying to give off an air of amusement, but her blue eyes were strained, the teasing smile a mask.

“You’re not in trouble, are you?” he asked. Gabe maneuvered her by her elbow, turning her so that her back was to the stage. “How did you find me here?”

“I have my ways,” she laughed, twiddling her fingers in
his face, but her laugh was false. Gabe cringed.

“What do you
need
, Eden?” he prodded, unsmiling, tensing as the music stopped. He eased when the band dove full throttle into the next song. Eden’s face grew serious.

“I need you to tell Adam what you are,” she said, seeming like she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to ask at all. “I tried to, but he didn’t believe me. I need you to prove it.”

“Eden…”
Damn it
, he thought. They’d risked showing up to corner Luke. Try to find out if he knew anything about the dead Sider. But he couldn’t let him see Eden.

She threw a hand on her hip. “You owe me, Gabe. He’s my second in command. He deserves…”

“Second in command? Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

Eden blushed.

“Sorry, bad form.”
You’re sure about this?
he mouthed. She nodded. He would have done anything to get her out of the club.

He turned to Adam. “You must be the nonbeliever.” The guy glanced to Eden. Gabe followed his lead.

She nodded in time to the music. Though the stage was no more than forty feet away, her eyes were concentrated much further and glassy. Gabe snapped his fingers. “That’s your cue, sweets. We need introductions or something. It’s getting awkward.”

“Gabe, Adam. Adam, Gabe…” she said, turning away from the stage with a series of long blinks.

“Goth rule number one. No pastels,” Gabe said, grimacing at Adam’s light blue sweater. “Please tell me she at least hassled you a bit. If not, I’d seriously rethink the whole friendship.” Gabe offered his hand. When Adam hesitated, he reached forward and pumped it once. “Doesn’t affect me,” he said. Adam watched as his fingers pulled away, waiting for the glow.

“So Eden wants you let in on a few secrets,” he said, leaning in as if passing along a juicy piece of gossip.

“Gabriel!” The shriek came from their left, cutting off the conversation. A petite girl, hair done up in curled twists of pigtails, threw herself into Gabe’s arms. When she pulled away, a trace of excess glitter from her cheek sparkled against his black shirt.

“Valerie!” he lilted, kissing the air on either side of her wide grin.

“Can you even stand to look at him?” she asked, pulling away. “That voice! I’m putty!”

Gabe looked to the stage, where Dawn’s Supernova had just launched into the next song.

“He’s
so
not my type. You know the bad boy thing just doesn’t do it for me.”

Gabe caught the wrinkling of Adam’s brow at his words, but the look was there and gone.

“Oh! I’m sorry. You’re here with someone!” Valerie gasped, turning to Adam. She raised her arms, leaning in to throw them around him in a hug. Adam’s eyes went wide. Gabe stepped between them before she could complete the move and twirled her away from Adam.

“Not quite.” Valerie stared up at him, confused. “Friend of a friend,” he explained.

She winked at Gabe, no doubt thinking it was some sort of blind date. “Well then, I’ll let you two get to know each other.”

Gabe watched her wander into the crowd. From the corner of his eye he saw Adam leaning down to Eden’s ear.

“Eden. Seriously?”

Gabe caught the remark, raising an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?” he asked.

“An angel…who’s gay,” Adam said, as if the contradiction should have been obvious.

“You seem like a smart guy, Adam.” Gabe threw a hand on his hip. “God creates a race of beings, whose
sole
purpose is to love. Think He would do that and not expect them to love each other? That’s just daft, especially when you mortals are off-limits.”

“But her and…”

Gabe tsked, cutting him off and turned to Eden. “Someone has been a bit chatty, hasn’t she?”

“He needed some backstory. It’s important that he
knows what he’s up against.” She balked. “Believe me, I don’t talk about Az unless I have to,” she added quickly.

“Nice of you to clarify.” Gabe turned back to Adam.

“What do I need to know?” Adam asked. “She apparently thinks you have all the answers, being as you’re all knowing and whatnot.” At his side, Eden was tense.

“What’s he been told?” Gabe asked as he scanned the room looking for the space thickest with people, where she would be least likely to be spotted.

“Not much.”

He palmed a bill to Eden, but never took his eyes off Adam.

“Your boy will have a Coke, with a shot of cherry juice. His mom used to make it for him that way. One of his favorite childhood memories. Three cherries, right?” he asked Adam. The question was rhetorical.

Adam swiveled between him and Eden, his face unsure. “I haven’t told anyone that. Not since I became a Sider.”

“I did some checking,” Gabe said, waving it away. “You’ll forgive my intrusion; I’m a little…protective of my friends,” Gabe said, turning back to him. “This one especially,” he added, sliding an arm around Eden’s shoulder. He looked pointedly into her eyes. “I only do what’s best for her.”

“But, there’s nothing to check on with me,” Adam said.
“No one remembers me.” He shook his head. “No, it was just a lucky guess.”

Gabe checked the stage, annoyed. On it, Luke pranced across it like an idiot, winking at girls in the audience. If he didn’t get Eden out soon, there would be a whole new set of problems. Of course, Eden was too stubborn to leave without Adam being convinced.
Time to turn things up a notch
, he thought. “Not checking on you, my friend, but your little brother. Barrett was easy enough to look up. I took a chance that you had the same taste. You should know he’s doing really well, Adam. So is your sister.”

There was an awkward pause as Adam choked back a shocked breath. Gabe turned to the stage, his head bobbing to the music as he gave Adam a moment to compose himself.

“So you tracked down my family? That doesn’t prove anything.”

Gabe sighed hard as he spun toward Eden. “You always go for the hardheads.” Pecking her on the forehead, he added, “How about those drinks? Grab me a bottle of water. I need a few minutes with Adam here.”

E
den pushed her way through the dancing bodies to the front of the bar, but the crowd was still too thick to get any service. She moved with the flow, winding her way around the edge until the people thinned out near the corner. Her hands she kept close to her sides. She cast a glance onto the dance floor while she waited, but Adam and Gabe were lost behind a curtain of colored strobes and flesh.

Eden tried not to notice the skin. Everywhere, it danced in creams and darker hues, shades of ivory. She dug her fingernails into her palms, hoping Adam was managing to cope. Finally, the bartender took her order.

She slid Gabe’s cash over as the drinks were set down, picking up the glass. Before she could twist her fingers around the necks of the bottles, an arm slid around her waist, a man’s voice yelling over the lead singer’s syrupy wail.

“I’ve got hers.”

A hand covered her own bill after slapping down two twenties. Eden jerked her fingers away. If she passed Touch once, opened the floodgates, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop. She plastered a fake smile on her lips. Swiveling in the embrace to glance over her shoulder, she caught sight of him.

In her hand, the glass slid, condensation puddling against her fingers as they grasped too late, catching just enough of the lip to send it in a lazy spiral. It crashed against the floor, splinters slicing into the skewered cherries. A sneaker smeared the dirty pond of reddened cola, tracking bits of it away. Eden’s hand froze, empty.

“Oh, fuck me,” she said.

“That happy to see me, huh?” Az tightened the arms already snug around her waist from behind. His hair against her neck, his head nestling onto her shoulder the way he had always done broke the spell. She ripped away, twisting to face him.

Her first thought was that Kristen had been right about the Emo phase. His dark brown curls were gone, dyed black and practically ironed. The hair drifted over one of his blue eyes; the one she could see was lined in kohl. He was sinewy, the tight black thermal clinging to him, defined muscles strange on arms she remembered far less skinny than they were now. Her second thought
was that Kristen had been wrong about him looking like shit. He looked incredible.

“Seriously?” she asked, thrusting him away, ignoring the shiver that passed through her when her hands met his chest. For once, the feeling had nothing to do with Touch.

“You’re pretty pissed, huh?” He offered her a weak half smile of apology, one of his shoulders rising as he cringed.

“You can’t think that wounded puppy shit is gonna work on me?” Anger dislodged the words she’d wanted to say for so long. “Not after what you did.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not gonna cut me
any
slack? I mean, I died for you.”

“Yeah, and I died because of you. Only for me it wasn’t an act.” She stepped back, glass crackling under her boots. Az reached for her wrist. “Don’t touch me,” she seethed.

He pulled his hands away, lifting them to show he meant no harm. “I just don’t want you to get cut.”

Looking down, she realized her hands were empty. Behind her, the bottles were gone from the bar, stolen while her back was turned. Az took a step back. She hesitated before filling the space, stepping out of the puddle.

“What do you
want
, Az?” she asked, wondering if he heard the tremble in the words.

“Just to talk.” He hesitated, just enough to let her know he was moving, and then brushed his hand across her cheek and back to her neck. “You cut your hair,” he said,
twirling a bit between his fingers. “I like it.” He caught her gaze before she thought to turn away. His eyes, they pulled her deeper into them, drifting into cold blue whispers of comfort.
Remember us, Eden
, they begged.
Remember how we were.
She forced hers shut, breaking the hold while she could, surprised by the effort it took.

“You try to pull that shit on me again and I swear to God, Az.” She didn’t fill in a threat, couldn’t think.

“I can make this right,” he said, but without her sight she heard the uncertainty. She wasn’t the only one he was trying to convince. “Just talk to me. We can grab a cup of coffee or something? Anything. Please.”

“You’ll never be able to make this right. I really don’t need to hear this bullshit.” She opened her eyes, searching for a break in the crowd, an escape. It had been so much easier when he was on the phone; she’d just tossed it away.

“I know,” he mouthed, too quiet to be heard over the guitar riffs. He swayed closer, his lips now only a breath away. “Give me a chance and I can tell you why. Let’s get out of here. Name a place and we’ll go. Me and you.”

He dropped his head forward, brushing his forehead against her cheek. Eden froze. Lips finding her neck, he kissed her once, a tentative brush against her skin. When she didn’t move away, he wrapped an arm around her back, the fingers begging her closer.

She surprised herself, let her head roll back, the feel of
his hand against her hair rushing goose bumps down her arms. His mouth pressed harder this time and she drew a breath, her body remembering the familiar pleasure of it whether her brain agreed or not. Dizziness stole over her the way it had earlier, with Adam.

Adam.

“Az, stop.” She lifted a leaden hand to his shoulder, turning her head in a faint attempt at breaking away. “Wait.” Opening her eyes, she glanced over his shoulder toward the dance floor.

A spiral of twisting strobes pounded across the only face she caught, the only one staring back at her.

“Adam!” she yelled, charging past Az. She felt the hand slide down her arm as Az tried to catch her, watched as Adam’s shoulder butted against Gabe’s while he headed for the exit. “No!” She swatted the fingers away, trying to keep track of Adam’s back bobbing through the sea of people.

Gabe caught her around the waist as she tried to pass, holding her back. “He’s gone, Eden. Let him go. I’ll call you a cab.” He ushered her toward the front doors.

“You sold me out!” she screamed, turning on Gabe. Her hand cracked across his face, nails raking his cheek. “You set me up!” Her eyes blazed as pinpricks of blood wept into the welts.

Gabe’s jaw hung slack. His eyes burst a morbid rainbow
from amber to maroon, the angry red so deep it was almost brown. He swiped his palm across his split lip.

“Is that what you meant by doing what’s best for me?” she yelled. “You knew I didn’t want to see him! You did this on purpose? Answer me, damn it!”

His body seemed to swell, rippling with unchecked anger. She flinched, taking a step back, shocked by the rage on Gabe’s face. It left just enough room for Az to slide between them. Reaching behind his back, he took Eden’s hand in his. She was too startled to pull away.

“You found
me
, Eden.” Gabe rocked forward. “I sent you to the bar, hoping he wouldn’t see you.”

“Gabe, you need to calm down, right now,” Az said. “I’m sure she didn’t mean it. She’s upset.” He laid his other hand on Gabe’s shoulder, but the dark eyes never faltered from her face.

“Maybe you should ask her why,” Gabe spat. Az turned back over his shoulder, eyes catching on Eden.

“Who was that guy?” he asked, confused. Eden hesitated.

“Tell him, Eden,” Gabe prodded. “
You
wanted answers.
You
wanted honesty. He’s been pining for you like some brokenhearted schoolboy, and what were you doing?”

Az tugged her hand, pulling her next to him, not letting go. “Gabe, stop it! What’s wrong with you?”

Gabe finally broke the gaze, eyes shifting to the stage.
The last chords of a song drifted across the crowd as the band announced a fifteen-minute break. “Forget it.” His anger had flashed and gone, but a weight hung on his words. “She needs to leave. Now. The last thing we need is for you two to be seen together.”

“Gabe. It’s too late.” Az squeezed her hand tighter, rings digging painfully into her fingers. “He’s looking.”

Eden whirled around to the space where their stares intersected. There were a dozen people milling about, but nothing obvious jumped out at her. She turned back just in time to see fear register on Gabe’s face.

“What’s going on?” Eden demanded. She stepped away from Az, toward the bar.

“We need to get you the fuck out of here.” Az flicked his gaze over her shoulder.

“Move, now.”

Az wrenched her through the crowd. She stumbled behind, a dozen sets of shoulders and hips slamming into her as he plowed through the masses. With each look back, he pulled her faster toward the door. She dared a quick scan over her shoulder toward the stage, but Gabe stepped into her line of vision.

“He’s seen enough, Eden. Don’t look back.”

They burst out of Aerie and onto the street, greeted by a cacophony of cab horns and throngs of club goers gathered on the sidewalk. The sky, lost above the glow of
the city lights, hemorrhaged quarter-sized snowflakes. Already the sidewalks were covered, the awning paled under a cover of pure white.

The air froze the sweat on Eden’s bare arms. Somewhere inside was her jacket, abandoned at the coat check. The snow melted as it hit her skin. Cold droplets trickled down her shoulders, pooling at her collarbones.

The flakes were less slow to collapse on her fingers; they’d already gone pale blue with Az’s touch. The numb sensation spread up her arm.

Instead of taking her to one of the yellow cars waiting at the curb, Az pulled her past the ice-etched windows of shops. Car horns blared as they rushed through a crosswalk. Behind her Gabe’s boots slapped against the concrete, nearly running to keep up.

Her chattering teeth clacked echoes off the walls of the alley Az led them down. A few dozen feet in, a high chain-link fence blocked the way, a fortress of cardboard boxes and trash bags lining the walls on either side.

“I need to go home. I need to find Adam.” Her words jerked apart with her shivers. “Az? Please! What’s going on?”

“She’s going to freeze out here, Az.” Gabe ran an agitated hand through his curls.

Az ignored her question, sliding his hands up and down her arms in an effort to generate heat. His icy fingers only
made it worse. He tried to dust the flakes from her hair, but she brushed him away.

“I’m fine. Don’t touch me,” she said, backing away from him until her shoulders hit the bricks of the wall.

“Take her,” Az said to Gabe, his attention on the sounds from the street. The snow was heavy enough that they couldn’t see the opening to the alley, which meant no one could see them.

“Come here,” Gabe said, wrapping his arms around her. He unzipped his jacket, but instead of offering it to her, he wrapped her in with him, trapping her in with his heat. “Az, we’ve gotta get her out of here. She’s not safe.”

Az’s gaze flicked away. “I know.”

There was an exchange between them without words. Az cocked his head, insistence in his eyes. Gabe shook his head. “No. That’s insane. What if you can’t hold her?”

“You know I can hold her,” he said fiercely. “You can meet us there.”

“Damn it, Az,” he mumbled. She watched as Gabe shrugged off his jacket and held it out to her. “Put it on, Eden,” he said, his voice defeated.

“Wait,” Eden said. “I’m not going anywhere with you! Gabe?”

Az ignored her, throwing an arm back and catching the bottom of his long-sleeved shirt with a hook of his hand.
In a single motion he pulled the shirt over his head, tossing it away. A frigid gust of air spiraled empty cups and cigarette butts in a whirlwind at his feet.

His wings unfurled in a rush of feathers, swooping out to their full fourteen-foot span. He pumped them twice, stretching out the kinks. His shoulder muscles rippled. She could see the concave hollows where the back of his rib cage should have been, where his wings had been tucked tight. He turned back to Eden.

“Ready?” he asked, holding out a hand. Her eyes widened.

“Wait, those actually work?” She pressed herself harder against the wall, unsure. “How come you never…”

“I’m only supposed to use them to get back.”

“Get back?” Eden practically yelled.

“The wings are an invitation to head home. So we’re gonna use them for that. Kinda.” He flicked his fingers, trying to catch her hand, but Eden moved it behind her back.

“What about you?” she asked, turning to Gabe.

He winked at her. Eden guessed he meant it to be reassuring. “One of the perks of staying out of trouble. Faster travel options,” he said, taking her hand in his.

“Azazel!” a voice snarled from the head of the alley.

“Keep him busy,” Az whispered to Gabe.

Gabe held a finger to his lips, and Eden’s eyes went
wide as she nodded. He shoved her with both hands, sending her sprawling toward Az.

Az pushed off the second her arms hit his shoulders. She squeezed herself tight to him in reflex, her eyes closed as wind and windows rushed past, left below. Az’s hands caught around her waist, her hair lashing against her cheeks as he strained, each pump sending them higher. She didn’t dare open her eyes.