Burned

from his arms.
    He kept holding me when I cried for Heath, and he told me about how Heath had made the choice to move on, and how brave he’d been.
    Stark hadn’t really had to tell me that part, though. I knew how brave Heath really was, just like I knew his bravery was part of how I’d recognize him again. That, and his love. Always his love for me.
    After I was done crying and mourning and remembering, I wiped my eyes and let Stark help me to my feet.
    “Are you ready to go home now?” I asked him.
    “Oh, yeah. Home sounds good. But, uh, Z, how am I getting there?”
    I grinned at him. “By trusting me.”
    “Ach, well, it’ll be a wee easy trip then, won’t it?”
    “Where the heck did you get that Irish accent?”
    “Irish! Are yie deaf, wumman?” he growled the words at me while I frowned at him. Then Stark’s laughter filled the grove. He hugged me, and said, “Scottish, Z, not Irish. And you’ll see where I got it real soon.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
    Stevie Rae
    As the sun set, Stevie Rae’s eyes opened. For a second she was super confused. It was dark, but that didn’t disorient her—that was cool. She could feel the earth around her, cradling and shielding her—that was cool, too. There was a slight movement off to her side, and she turned her head. Her keen night vision was able to differentiate one depth of blackness from another, and the huge wing took form, followed by a body.
    Rephaim.
    Everything came back to her then: the red fledglings, Dallas, and Rephaim. Always Rephaim.
    “You stayed down here with me?”
    His eyes opened, and she felt her own widen in surprise. The blazing scarlet within them had calmed to a rusty color that was more amber than red.
    “I did. You’re vulnerable when the sun is in the sky.”
    She thought he sounded nervous, almost apologetic, so she grinned at him. “Thanks, even though it’s kinda stalkerlike of you to watch me sleep.”
    “I did not watch you sleep!”
    He said it so quickly that it was obvious he was lying. She opened her mouth to tell him it was okay—that he didn’t need to do it all the time, but that it was real nice of him to be sure she stayed safe, especially after the day she’d had—and her phone chose then to chirp its “You have voice mail” sound.
    “It has been making noise. A lot of noise,” Rephaim told her.
    “Crap. I can’t hear nothing when I’m ’sleep like that.” She sighed and reluctantly picked up the iPhone from where she’d set it beside her. “I guess I’d better face the dang music.” Stevie Rae opened the screen, saw the battery was almost dead, and sighed again. She tapped to the missed-call screen. “Ah, crap. Six missed calls. One from Lenobia and five from Aphrodite.” Heart pounding, she clicked into Lenobia’s first. Putting it on speaker she glanced at Rephaim. “You might as well hear what’s goin’ on. They’re probably gonna be talkin’ ’bout you.”
    But Lenobia’s voice didn’t sound all “Holy crap you’re with a Raven Mocker and I’m gonna have to come hunt you down!” She seemed totally normal.
“Stevie Rae, call me when you awaken. Kramisha said she wasn’t sure where you were, but that you’re safe even though Dallas ran off. I’ll come get you right away.”
She hesitated, lowered her voice, and added,
“She also told me what happened with the other red fledglings. I’ve sent prayers to Nyx for their spirits. Blessed be, Stevie Rae.”
    She smiled up at Rephaim. “Aw, that was nice of her.”
    “Dallas hasn’t reached her yet.”
    “No,” she said, her smile going out. “Definitely not.” She turned her attention back to the phone. “Four missed calls from Aphrodite, but she only left one message. Here’s hoping it’s not scary bad news.” She clicked the play button. Aphrodite’s voice sounded tinny and distant, but no less bitchy.
    “Oh for shit’s sake, answer your fucking phone! Or are you in your casket? Goddess! Time zones are annoying. Anyway, update: Z’s still an eggplant, and Stark’s still checked out and being sliced up. That’s the good news. The bad news is my newest vision stars you, a hottie Indian kid, and the biggest baddie of all the Raven Mockers, Rephaim. We need to talk ’cause I have one of my feelings about this, which means Not Good. So hurry the hell up and call me. If I’m sleeping, I’ll actually wake up and answer you.”
    “Big surprise that she hung up without saying bye,” Stevie Rae said. Not