Page 54 of Stealing Embers
Only twelfth-year students are allowed to have their own transportation on campus. Steel’s ride is by far the flashiest vehicle here.
“Oh, now I see what you mean.”
“Huh?”
There’s a familiar twinkle in his eye when I shoot him a perplexed stare. I’m instantly leery. “You need a little break from a certain someone you’re doing your best not to notice.”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
Sterling’s smile ramps up.
“You don’t need to play coy with me. Lesser females have fallen captive to his charms. Our family genes are quite irresistible.” He punctuates his comment with his signature brow wiggle.
He really is a flirt.
“I don’t disagree,” Greyson adds, joining us at the side of the van. “Our family members are known to have a certain dark allure, but what is my brother trying to convince you of this time?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” I climb in the vehicle to the sound of Sterling’s laughter and sit down in a vacant seat next to Ash.
“You keep telling yourself that, Em. But for what it’s worth, I think he’s working just as hard for it to be ‘nothing’ too.”
Ash arches a questioning eyebrow. I shake my head once. Sterling loves to stir up trouble, something Ash is so accustomed to that she doesn’t press me for more information. Leaning against the headrest, I wait for the rest of the students to settle. Hopefully by the time we arrive downtown, Sterling will have moved on.
* * *
“So you’re saying Sable still doesn’t know which sphere you’re descended from?”
“Right,” I answer, before taking a sip of my creamy hot chocolate.
Yum. Just the right balance of whipped cream and chocolate.
The sweet liquid slides down my throat, heating my insides. I haven’t tasted the decadent drink in ages. We’re crammed into a little café with worn blonde hardwood floors, exposed brick, and white-washed walls. The décor is a smidge heavy on hipster vibes, but they know how to make a heavenly cup of cocoa.
Indulging in small luxuries such as this helps me feel human again after my six-month stint of homelessness—or at least, half-human.
“She must have an idea.” Greyson rolls his empty coffee cup between his hands absentmindedly.
“Sable’s best guess is that I’m an angel descendent since I keep getting stuck in a half-phase. Since we don’t know who my parents are, one theory is that they were part of an unaccounted for angel line.”
“Oh man, that blows.”
Ash punches Sterling in the gut . . . hard. An “oof” leaves his mouth along with a spray of caramel macchiato.
“Don’t listen to Sterling. He’s an idiot.”
“Hey!”
Ash silences him with a look.
I wave them off. “It doesn’t really matter.”
“Are you kidding?” Sterling starts, but after a side glance at Ash, he waits to continue until he moves his seat out of striking distance. “You may not be able to do anything cool.”
“Oh right, like I’m going to cry over not being able to turn into a cow.”
“I do not turn into a cow!”
I cover my smile by taking another sip of chocolatey heaven. Sterling is a cherub, like his brother, but doesn’t know which, if any, shifting abilities he’s inherited yet. I’m crossing my fingers that he only turns into a bull.