“Evan, no! I can’t come in here!” I protested, embarrassed.

  He took the camera from around my neck and put it on a bench together with my book. “Yes you can, if you’re with me.” Pushing me against the wall, he began to kiss me with burning desire, drawing me into his whirlwind of passion.

  “Oh, Evan, stop,” I panted as his lips touched my neck to then nibble my shoulder and his warm hands explored my body. Oh, Evan, please don’t stop, I thought, consumed by the fire he’d ignited. “Someone might come in. The match is almost over.”

  His hands slid under my skirt and I moaned. Unable to hold back, I took off his shirt and stroked his bare shoulders as he devoured me with kisses. In a flash he’d freed me of my sweatshirt. I arched my back, dying to feel him closer, to feel him inside me, and he pushed me against the wall, pressing his erection against me.

  “Oh, Jamie,” he whispered as I melted.

  “What’s going on here?!” The gym teacher’s voice boomed through the locker room and Evan pulled away from me to face him, his expression suddenly violent.

  “Get. Out. Now,” he warned, his face an inch away from the man’s. “Gemma went home. You gave her a permission slip. Stop looking for her.”

  The teacher glanced at me and blinked, deep in thought. I sheepishly covered my chest with my arms. Nature hadn’t been generous with me as far as that went, but recently I’d been spilling out of my bra. He left the room. A crowd of boys walked in on his heels and my eyes widened.

  “Put your shirt on,” Evan ordered me. I quickly slipped it on, but one of the boys spotted me in the process and whistled. Evan rushed him and slammed him against the wall before the boy knew what had hit him. “Don’t even look at her,” he threatened.

  “Calm down, bro. I didn’t do anything.” The boy raised his hands, scared. No one in the room dared get close to Evan.

  The locker room door opened and Peter walked in. His smile of victory died the moment he saw me there. “Gemma, what are you doing in here? What’s up with your—” He moved closer, studying my eyes. I blinked, afraid the darkness had returned, and he pulled back, confused.

  “Pet, I’m fine. Don’t worry. We were just leaving.”

  Evan let go of the boy and picked his shirt up from the floor. “Yeah,” Peter replied, staring at Evan’s bare chest, “I can see that.”

  “Let’s go, Gemma.” Evan took my hand and I squeezed his with both of mine.

  “Talk to you later,” I told Peter as we left the locker room. Looking deflated, he nodded and disappeared behind the door as it closed after me.

  “But it isn’t over yet! I have to take pictures for the yearbook. What was all that about a permission slip?” I asked Evan, following him down the hall.

  “I’m taking you away. They’ll survive.”

  “Away? But where?”

  “Where no one can disturb us.” Evan stopped and pulled me against him. “I want to be alone with you,” he whispered in my ear. “I can’t stay away from you any longer.”

  My knees trembled from the desire his warm, sensual voice aroused in me. “Okay,” I murmured, at the mercy of his spell.

  He let me get my things from my locker before dragging me out of the school, where he took my hand again and led me to his car. I got into the big BMW, my heart pounding. I had made love with Evan a thousand times, but the desire I could see in his eyes sent an electric current through me, melting me. Two fires were poised to merge and spread, and the anticipation was as scorching hot as the air separating them. When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars was playing on the radio. As we drove off, Evan lifted my hand and kissed my palm, taking his eyes off the road to look at me. It was one of the gestures I’d missed most when he was in Hell, and a smile spontaneously blossomed on my lips.

  “Now would you mind telling me what got into you back there in the locker room?” I’d felt the wall shudder when Evan slammed the boy against it. I hoped someone had taken him to the nurse’s office.

  Evan looked at me and kissed my palm again. “You’re mine,” he said, looking me in the eye.

  “I think everyone already knows that,” I joked. After all, the guy hadn’t done anything wrong. Evan’s reaction had been a bit harsh, and yet part of me was smiling at how he’d defended my honor. He’d been jealous because I was stripped down to my bra in front of a bunch of other boys. I recalled how his back muscles had tautened when he was holding the kid against the wall, and for a second I got lost in the memory.

  “Hey.” I shook myself out of my thoughts and realized Evan was staring at me. “You with me?”

  “What is it?” I asked, worried, quickly lowering the visor to check my face in the mirror. “Are my eyes okay? Is something wrong with me again?”

  Evan laughed. “No, Gemma. There’s nothing wrong, believe me.” His eyes slid down my body, stopping on my miniskirt. I was wearing over-the-knee socks, but my thighs were bare. “I was just admiring how sexy you are in that outfit. I’m jealous of my own eyes, because they can explore you while my poor hands are forced to stay on the wheel.”

  His impatience made me smile. “We’re almost there, Evan. In a matter of minutes they’ll be able to touch me all they want.”

  He rested his hand between my thighs and when I slowly opened them he slipped it beneath my skirt and stroked my underwear with his thumb. I held my breath, my heart skipping a beat, and a wave of heat flowed like lava to the spot where he was touching me.

  “I’m going to do a lot more than that,” he said, his gaze brimming with promises.

  My body trembled. When he stared at me, Evan never hid his desire for me. He wanted me. He wanted me to be his. At every moment. He never got enough. Neither did I. We were hungry for each other’s vital essence.

  The car stopped outside our hideaway, the house on the lake. I reached over to open the door, but Evan put out a hand and stopped me. “Aren’t we going in?” I asked, confused.

  “No, it’s snowing. Let’s stay here. Have some alone time.” Evan raised an eyebrow and leaned in to kiss me. His lips still on mine, he climbed over the gearshift and sat down beside me on my seat. He was so close it made me tremble. I slipped my knee between his legs to entwine mine with his. Evan gazed at me tenderly, the creases under his eyes driving me wild, and swept the hair off my face. My lips were so close to his I could smell the scent of his breath.

  “People seem to interrupt us nonstop,” I murmured, impulsively raising my chin to kiss his lips.

  “No one will do it here,” he assured me. He kissed me back, gently brushing his tongue against mine.

  Just months ago, I’d been afraid an Angel could never succumb to his carnal desires, that it was forbidden to him. Even if that had been true, it wouldn’t have mattered to Evan. Together we had explored the universe, losing ourselves and rediscovering the light. Every time.

  “Evan, will you ever get tired of risking everything for me?”

  “I’ve already broken all the rules I know of to be with you, and if I discover more I’ll break those too.”

  “Will it always be true? Even if I—” He rested his finger on my lips, keeping me from going on, but I took his hand and lowered it. “Even if I get lost during the transformation?”

  He swallowed and looked me straight in the eye. “Then I’ll find you and bring you back.” He slid his hand down my nape and rested his forehead against mine. I knew his outer confidence was only a mask and that just beneath the surface hid the fear it might actually happen.

  “I’m afraid I was what set you off in the locker room,” I confessed bitterly.

  Evan chuckled and stroked my hair. “The only fault you have is being so beautiful it made me lose my mind. Your power didn’t drive me to go at the kid, Gemma. If it had, I would know it. I’ve always felt the urge to kill anyone who gets close to you. You don’t know how many times I’ve been on the verge of doing it. Especially with your friend Peter. I’m an Angel of Death, Gemma. It’s an innate impulse. When those guys walked in and saw you half-naked, I . . . I lost it. Forgive me.”

  “Don’t feel bad.” I smiled and kissed him, holding him tight. “I like it when you fight for me,” I admitted as the radio whispered the notes of Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey. I thought back to when I’d heard it in that same car on the way home from the long journey that had given me back my great love. After all the hardships and challenges, he was still there, supporting me, protecting me. Loving me. My future was uncertain, but there was one thing I had no doubt about: he would always be there.

  “Think it’s wise to skip school to be here?” he asked me suddenly.

  “In my future there are Witches, a horde of celestial creatures dead set on killing me, and it’s highly likely I’m going to become a plague to humanity. I don’t care if it isn’t wise to be here.”

  Evan leaned over and buried his nose in my hair, speaking in my ear. “I meant being here with me.”

  “I’m not afraid of you. I never have been.”

  “I’m the one who’s afraid of me and what I might do to you, if you only . . .” he whispered, staring steadily at my lips.

  “You don’t need my permission,” I replied, at the mercy of my emotions, and Evan kissed me passionately.

  “It’s cramped in here. Are you comfortable?”

  “I’m fine,” I murmured. He shifted and straddled me to leave me more room. “Do you ever think about your Ferrari?” I asked out of the blue. It had ended up in the water below the bridge after our accident. Ginevra could have gotten it back or given him a new one, but he didn’t want her to. “You know, I have to admit I do miss it myself sometimes.”

  “Me too. But then I remember we couldn’t do this in it.” He reached out and the seat swung back. I laughed from fright and rested a hand on Evan’s chest as he laughed too. A silence fell between us and my eyes found his. How was it possible to love someone so much? To the point that my heart ached every time I looked at him? Like this, with him on top of me, his arms extended to avoid crushing me and the dog tag dangling from his neck, he was more handsome than ever. Suddenly the distance felt unbearable. I wanted to have him closer, to meld with him. I pulled him to me as the notes of All of Me filled the car.

  Recognizing the song, he looked at me and smiled, whispering the words against my skin like he’d done in my dream when we’d made love immersed in the magic of the colorful paints. What would I do without your smart mouth? Drawing me in, and you kicking me out. You’ve got my head spinning, no kidding, I can’t pin you down. What’s going on in that beautiful mind? I’m your magical mystery ride. And I’m so dizzy, don’t know what hit me, but I’ll be all right. My head’s underwater but I’m breathing fine. You’re crazy and I’m out of my mind. His hands slid down me, slowly exploring my body, his voice caressing my neck. I closed my eyes, swept away by emotion, and his lips touched my ear, sending a thousand shivers through me.

  Give your all to me. I’ll give my all to you. You’re my end and my beginning, even when I lose I’m winning. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him against me, erasing the distance between us. My hands made their way under his shirt and pushed it up to caress every muscle in his firm abdomen. He straightened up, grabbed it behind his head and pulled it off, refocusing his attention on me. Taking off my sweatshirt, he swiftly unhooked my bra. My heart pounded at the touch of his hot body against mine, skin against skin, as the snowflakes brushed against the car windows, peeking in at us.

  “Want to make love with me?” he whispered against my skin.

  “Every second,” I said softly.

  His hand slipped beneath my skirt. Suddenly it was very hot, and not because the heater was on. I unbuttoned his jeans and lowered them, grabbing his behind to move him closer. He held me tight and rubbed his erection against me, making me melt.

  “Oh, Evan . . .” I whispered, intoxicated.

  He pulled off my underwear. “Say it again,” he whispered in ecstasy. “Say my name. Tell me you want me.”

  “I want you, Evan. I want you inside me.” I slid my hands into his boxers, pushed them down and clasped his firm buttocks. He parted my legs with his knee and I arched my back, offering myself to him. Sensing my need, he entered me, drawing a moan from me and then another as he kissed my neck, my shoulder, my breast. I surrendered to him completely, to his lips that sent hot tingles all through my body, to his ragged breathing that mingled with mine, to the heat, all our own, as the forest all around us turned white.

  His hand gripped my arm, his fingers grasping my hair tie and pulling it tight as though wanting to tear it off me. I sank my nails into his skin and he accelerated his pace, thrusting harder to fuse with me, filling my entire being with quivers.

  “Stay with me, Jamie,” he begged, rubbing his forehead, damp with perspiration, against my chin.

  “Forever,” I promised. No transformation would stifle our love. Evan gripped me tighter and his heat flooded my body as he climaxed inside me. He kissed me passionately and trapped my lip between his teeth. I moaned against his mouth, reaching ecstasy, and our breathing became one.

  Evan rested his cheek against mine and cradled me in his arms as I wrapped my legs around his waist to stay connected to him. “Stay inside me, Evan,” I begged, demanding from him a promise I desperately hoped I would be able to keep myself. Whatever his answer was, though, it would be a lie, because the choice wasn’t up to him. Still, it was a lie we both needed.

  He looked at me, his dark eyes probing mine, and swept the hair from my face. “Forever.”

  A SOLDIER OF DEATH

  “April thirteenth,” Evan whispered in my ear as I drew a heart on the fogged-up glass.

  “Huh?” I turned to look at him, confused.

  “My birthday. It’s April thirteenth.”

  “Oh, so that explains it.” I pretended not to be interested in the fact that, after my countless requests, he’d finally told me.

  “Explains what, pray tell?”

  I shrugged, keeping him in suspense. “You’re an Aries.”

  “If we consider Western astrology, yes, I am an Aries. So what? Does that tell you anything?”

  “It tells me everything!” I burst out, amused.

  “I didn’t know you believed in astrology.”

  I laughed. “Actually, I don’t. I was just kidding.”

  “Ah, all right. And, just out of curiosity, what are Aries normally like?”

  I ran my hand down his arm to his tattoo. “Brave . . . romantic, and also very protective,” I stated, still drawing the heart on the glass with my other hand.

  Evan reached out and finished my drawing, writing our combined name in it.

  Gevan.

  “I don’t need a horoscope to know you’re all those things and much more,” he whispered when he was done.

  “Yours is a fire sign,” I continued. I, on the other hand, was an earth sign, which was why I was so pensive.

  “All good qualities, basically.” He raised an eyebrow, looking cocky.

  “Don’t get your hopes up. Aries are also very hotheaded and incredibly stubborn.”

  “Me? Hotheaded?”

  “Says the guy who just beat up another guy for merely looking at his girlfriend.”

  “He would always be possessive of her because she was his.”

  “She was,” I said softly, looking into his eyes, “and forever would be.”

  Evan’s hungry gaze slid down my bare body as he touched me with his fingertips. “She couldn’t blame him. She was naked in that locker room and no one else had permission to look at her.”

  “She didn’t want anyone except him to look at her.”

  Evan rested his forehead against mine and sighed. “And yet he was desperate,” he confessed, his voice trembling.

  “Why?” I asked. I slid my hand into his hair and made him look at me.

  “Because he was desperately in love with her. I have a desperate need of you, Jamie.”

  I closed my eyes and kissed his lips, losing myself in him. I knew what was hidden in his sweet declaration: fear. It continued to surface, haunting us like a ghost. Deep in my heart I hoped our love—born and raised amid trials and tribulations—could also survive this, the hardest of all ordeals. “No one can tell us what the future holds. Day after day, we need to live in the present, always hoping we’ll have another tomorrow together,” I murmured, quoting something Evan had said to me some time before.

  He recognized it and chuckled. “Wait.” He pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket. “I want to take a picture of this moment.” Sliding his arm under my neck, he put his face next to mine and gazed at me for a moment, then snapped the shot. Eternal moments of fleeting bliss.

  Evan and I stayed there in each other’s arms for hours, listening to music as snow drifted through the branches like little sprites who’d come down from the sky to spy on us. We talked about our baby, about the Witches who’d invaded our everyday lives, about Devina who’d never stopped longing to claim Evan’s soul. We talked about Peter and my parents, who continued to worry about me.

  At first my father had been against my living with Evan, but no human will could resist the power of a Witch like Ginevra, and she’d convinced him that letting me live with him was the best solution, especially for the baby. My mother was overjoyed to see me smiling again thanks to Evan. She was fine with my going to live with him on the condition that I stopped by to see them or called them every day. And that I finished high school, naturally. I lived up to my word and studied hard, though when I did my homework Evan often came to distract me from my obligations and I could never resist him for long.

  “What are you thinking about?” Evan asked, noticing my smile.

  “How stubborn you are.”

  “Again with the horoscope? And for the record, I didn’t beat up that kid. I just threatened him a little.”

  “Lucky him. If you’d punched him, I doubt we’d be here talking about it. He’d be in the morgue and you’d be locked up.”