Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, exposing her neck. I was about to glance away when I noticed a mark on her neck.
"Did someone bite you?"
"Lovers all bite…" She smiled. "If they're good."
"Oh."
"Hey, relax. We're shopping. This is fun. You get to spend your mate's money, and you get me as your personal shopper for the next few hours."
I forced myself to smile and embrace the moment. "You're right."
"Course I'm right." She turned up the music and started singing at the top of her lungs.
By the time we'd made it downtown, we only had a few hours until I had to be at work.
Shopping with Stephanie was like an Olympic sport. She took me from store to store, tossing clothes in my empty arms and ordering me to try them on before I'd even told her I liked them.
She knew my style well. Not fussy, comfortable — but cute. I tried on several pairs of jeans, bomber jackets, shirts, boots — the list went on and on. I needed more coffee if I was going to make it through the rest of the day without passing out.
Or maybe I just needed Ethan.
He would be nice too.
"Hey!" Stephanie knocked on the door to the dressing room. "Hurry up in there. We only have a few more minutes."
I rolled my eyes and stared at my reflection. "Can I ask why you put me in a black evening gown?"
"Because!" She laughed. "Ethan will want to show you off."
"Fine." I pressed the heavily beaded fabric against my stomach. It was strapless and ridiculously heavy. Black with silver beading cascaded from floor to ceiling, it seemed.
I was like a walking pageant queen. "Stephanie, I don't think I like this."
No answer.
"Stephanie?"
With a sigh, I opened the door. Words died on my lips.
"Hello." His white eyes matched his long white hair. He tilted his head to the side as if examining me. "Come."
I stepped back and shook my head. "Where's Stephanie."
"Come." He held out his hand. His body was massive, bigger than Cassius and Ethan combined. He stood at least eight feet tall. Why was no one else running and screaming? He was beautiful, but it was a deadly type of beautiful. I don't know how, but I knew if I touched him, I'd die.
When he ducked into the dressing room, I gasped, covering my mouth.
Wings. He had wings.
Gold feathers that appeared then vanished right in front of me.
Ethan! My mind screamed.
Cassius… he could read my thoughts; he was powerful enough. I started yelling for him in my head, hoping he was tracking me, hoping in vain he would be able to find my scent. There was no way I was escaping the immortal in front of me.
"You're an archangel," I whispered.
"And you're the human."