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  Mr. Thantos put his fork down. “What is stopping you?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What is stopping you from spending the time you want with her?”

  Anj smiled. A long time ago, he and Mr. Thantos had established that nothing was off limits between them. If the angel happened to catch Anj’s thoughts and felt they needed to be discussed, then he did so. “Because of what she did, and don’t pretend you don’t know. You’ve known for a while.”

  “I have. And you understand why I am not able to discuss it.”

  “Unfortunately, and I heard you tell Zes what the school board wants. It’s still disappointing to me that Jewl would do something so heartless.” Anj shrugged, trying to not let the extent of his emotions show.

  Mr. Thantos sighed mockingly, like he was the lovesick one. “Jealousy does a number of things to a person. Do you blame her for seeing Cheyenne as a threat? You used her to get a rise from your then-ex. Jewl lashed out. Caring for Cheyenne, and for your feelings, went out the window because of your actions.”

  “So this is my fault?” Anj raised an eyebrow, turning on his magic so he could make eye contact with his mentor. He loathed doing it, but it was necessary.

  Mr. Thantos held his gaze for a moment before casually dishing more food onto his plate. It was a strange sight to get used to, because the angel was in his natural form. Instead of hiding his wings under clothing, they were sticking out of the dark green button-down he wore. Mr. Thantos’s wings were a black, broken mess. One was completely ripped and tattered, with only a few feathers hanging off the remaining bones. The other was full-length, but many of the black feathers were shredded. Most students were not used to seeing the angel so casual. Few got the privilege.

  “For every action, there is a consequence. I am not saying it is solely on your shoulders that this is happening. However, you cannot deny being one of the catalysts,” Mr. Thantos stated matter-of-factly.

  “So you think I should forgive and forget basically?” Anj asked.

  “I am saying you cannot be too hard on her for making a mistake. We all make them. What she did was not a wise decision, but a number of the things you have done fall under the same category. You clearly love her or this would not cause you so much heartache. She is important to you or you would not feel so much turmoil over what to do. Do you still believe you are destined to be together for the rest of your lives?”

  “Yes,” Anj said, absorbing his teacher’s words. Mr. Thantos had a way of painting things in a new perspective.

  Mr. Thantos nodded thoughtfully. “Then do not lose heart. Talk with her, and I am sure you will sort things out. Forgiving her will not make you weak, nor is it a betrayal of your brother.”

  “He doesn’t even know yet. I told her she’s the one who’s going to have to tell. When things die down, of course.”

  “Of course. It is good to be in the know of all of your major life issues. It helps me do my job well. I am assuming you have not given the ring to Jewl yet?”

  “You assume correctly. It almost happened over Christmas. Something always gets in the way,” Anj said.

  “And something always will. Take my advice before you end up like me. Seize the opportunity, or you may lose it forever.” Mr. Thantos averted his gaze to the table, and his lone, black, tattered, and broken wing drooped. “Granted, I do not condone rushing into something like marriage, but given your history together, I do not see any problems entering into such a commitment. Besides, it is not as if you have to actually perform the ceremony as soon as she accepts your proposal.”

  “One of the reasons I’ve been waiting, but you’re right. Something is always going to come up.” He sighed.

  Mr. Thantos couldn’t make skin-to-skin contact with another creature without killing it. Naturally, it caused a lot of problems for him and any potential romance. It was one of the many reasons he kept to himself and was so cynical. How could anyone have a relationship without touch? Anj couldn’t imagine it. So much of his emotions were expressed through that one sense.

  Still, the angel knew a lot about true, deep, unrequited love. He was in love with a married woman. Anj didn’t know the whole story, just that before Mrs. Orinda had become a missus, the two had met. The angel had yet to confess his feelings to her. Since she was married now, there was probably no point to it. Mr. Thantos had only talked about it with Anj once and demanded they never speak of it again. But Anj had a good memory, and he knew the angel was right. He didn’t want to be alone and living in regret for the rest of his life. If only it were so simple.

  There’s a lot to think about. There’s a lot I wish I could say, but you know I can’t. There are rules. They’ve given me a new kind of ultimatum, her or my brother. My abilities are growing. I don’t think anything will go back to being simple. He watched the angel nod, and Anj turned off his magic, conserving the rest of it.

  From what he understood, the Elders didn’t monitor his thoughts, not even Neil who could read minds. It was one way for Anj to talk about his secret gifts without actually talking about them. Getting advice was harder. Mr. Thantos couldn’t reply without someone knowing. Anj had no idea how the Elders knew so much and were able to watch every moment of all the Fates’ lives. It was kind of unsettling, because there were aspects of his life he’d like to keep private.

  “I feel desperate,” Anj whispered at last, breaking the silence.

  “Desperation brings out our strengths and highlights our weaknesses. Your relationship will work out well. The two of you have come too far to give up now. It would make all your past turmoil a waste. I know you will make the right decision.” Mr. Thantos’s gloved hand settled on Anj’s back firmly.

  Cryptic, but I think I understand. He had to suck it up and talk to Jewl.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Zes played with the dog on the floor while he listened to his brother talk on the phone with Jewl. Naturally, he had to eavesdrop because it sounded like an intense and interesting conversation. He had no idea why they hadn’t spoken to each other much over the past couple of days. Any time he tried to ask Anj about it, the subject got dodged.

  “I’m still mad… Are you sorry?… Then that’s what matters most… Yes… You bet you are… I guess you could say I realized I’ve done things just as bad… I love you. That’s what matters the most in the end. We’ll never get beyond where we are if we can’t forgive things, and we said we were going to build up trust again. I’d be a hypocrite for dumping you because you told the truth… Yes, we’ll work through it…” And then Anj walked out of the room.

  With a shrug, Zes went back to focusing on the chocolate Labrador puppy. Guy was almost full size but about six months old, so he had a playful spirit. He was a beautiful animal. It’d take him a couple of years to fully grow and mellow out, but apparently, he was at an appropriate age to learn his job. Zes still couldn’t believe he got to help take care of the pup.

  “Good boy. Go fetch,” he said, tossing a ball across the room and being mindful of not throwing it by Anj’s room. By the time the dog brought the ball back, his brother was off the phone and coming back into the den.

  Anj rubbed at his face, closed his eyes, and sat down in his favorite recliner. “Girls.”

  Zes couldn’t help but laugh. “If I had a nickel for every time you said that, I think I’d be a millionaire by now.”

  “You already are a millionaire,” Anj said.

  “I meant not because of the inheritance. You totally missed the point,” he said.

  “No, I understand. I say it a lot. You’re funny.”

  “You’re grumpy.”

  “Tired.”

  “I thought you took a nap?” Zes eyed his brother curiously. “Did I miss something?”

  Anj shook his head. “No, you didn’t miss anything. I did take a nap. It wasn’t quite enough, but I think tonight I’ll be able to sleep just fine. At least I’m not having nightmares right now.”

  The nightmares were the worst. Somet
imes they hurt his brother. Zes couldn’t count how many times he’d woken up to find Anj shaking in bed or paralyzed. At least Anj wasn’t conscious of those things happening to him, but the physical effects of his dreams still impacted him a lot.

  “Things better now?” Zes asked, changing topics. He knew how much Anj hated talking about the dreams, which was respectable because Zes hated talking about his, too. Most of the time he didn’t dream about anything, but when he did, they were vivid and strong, twisted even, yet hardly ever bad. Not until recently, at least. Sometimes he dreamed about the underworld.

  “Yes, things are better,” Anj said.

  “Good, because I can’t go out on sappy double dates if you two don’t stay made up,” he teased, trying to keep everything light.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time. Glad there’s finally a girl who can see what a catch you are. I mean, we’re identical, so you’re just as awesome as I am, if not more so.”

  “Aw, shucks, I’m blushing.” Zes rolled his eyes.

  Anj laughed. “Mocking me? Fine, but honestly, now I won’t feel so guilty about hanging around. This is the kind of thing I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. It’s our last semester together.”

  “We need to make it count,” Zes agreed, scratching Guy behind the ears. In his gut, he knew this would be the biggest semester of his life. Everything was falling into place right where it belonged, which was exactly how he’d imagined his last year of school ending. All questions answered, all what-ifs known, and the path for his life clear.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Class always made for a good way to pass time quickly. Once Anj dove deeply into his schoolwork, the days of the week breezed by. One week passed, then two, and now he was almost three weeks through the new semester and hardly anything felt abnormal. He still had visions, of course. Most were short and vague or a repeat of something he’d seen before. He had no idea what they all meant, but he figured it was all probably a test from the Elders to see how much he “noticed.” For being so eager to train him, they were also being awfully quiet.

  Or maybe they want to see what happens, he thought as he made his way to the library to work on a project. The library was his favorite place to be. There was just enough noise to keep him from feeling isolated but not so much that he felt overwhelmed. The smell of all the books was relaxing as well, a subtle mix of old paper and leather.

  “Left, Guy,” he told his dog. Anj missed his cane, but he was determined to give the dog a chance. Rather than leave the animal back at his room, he put him to work. Anj liked having a purpose; he figured the dog would too. The only drawback was having to go outside in the cold after every class to let him use the bathroom. Guy was so well behaved during class, Anj completely forgot about him being there until it was time to be led out.

  Toward the back of the library was a table tucked away in a dark corner where he liked to work. Anj was used to the dark, so low lighting didn’t bother him in the slightest. It wasn’t as if it did anything to his vision. All he had to do was make it through a hopefully small amount of obstacles.

  Someone grazed a hand along his shoulders in a seductive manner. It was a female, he could tell by the feeling of her long nails, the floral perfume, and the soft skin that made contact with his collarbone as she trailed her hand around his back and over his chest. She briefly touched his cheek as well.

  “Gracie, hello,” he said. Only one girl in school wore the flower perfume. Cheyenne smelled like flowers as well, but it was a natural scent, not an artificial one.

  With a giggle, Gracie squeezed his arm muscle. “How do you always know it’s me? Do you have eyes on the back of your head? Or maybe you’re just kidding about the blind thing. Oh, cute puppy! I didn’t know we could have pets.”

  He gave her his ever-famous coy smile, the one that apparently drove all the girls crazy, according to Jewl and his brother. “He’s a working dog, sorry to disappoint you. And don’t insult me, Gracie, I couldn’t forget you,” he said honestly. He’d never met another girl who was quite so vapid.

  “Yeah, but how do you know?”

  Anj grabbed her hand and ran his fingers over the tips of her nails. “There are few girls who get such fancy manicures on a daily basis. Plus, you always touch me the same way every time you say hello. Like I said, I couldn’t forget you.”

  She giggled again. “Come sit with me and help me with my history homework. You always take the best notes.”

  He gave her hand one last friendly squeeze while gripping her wrist. “I would love to be of assistance to you, but I have a deadline on a senior project. Perhaps another time.”

  “I’ll hold you to that, then.” She let go of him. He waved to be polite, hoping it was done in the right direction.

  Ten steps farther and he was stopped by Brent, the captain of the football team. He recognized the deep, rough voice instantly.

  “You catch the game over the weekend? The score was just unbelievable,” Brent said.

  Anj smiled. “Wrong brother. Zes should be in Calculus right now. But I did hear some of the game this weekend. It sounded intense.” He hated listening to sports on the television. The TV was all ambient noise more often than not, and there was no description of what was actually happening. The radio was easier for him to follow along with, but Zes hated listening to the game on the radio if he had the opportunity to see the action.

  “Man, was it ever. I’ll catch him at dinner. See you around.” Brent clapped Anj on the back so hard he almost lost his balance. Guy whimpered a little as he helped Anj stay steady.

  Leaning down, Anj scratched the dog behind the ears. “We’re almost there. Right.” They turned, and he could sense the narrowness of the book aisles surrounding them. He loved it. Like a warm blanket, it brought about comforting feelings of security.

  Just as he settled into a chair, his vision blinked on, and he was engulfed by another daydream.

  Once again, his father appeared. He was so real, Anj thought he could touch him. He wished he could. A few memories of his father’s touch remained in his mind. The man had been strong and warm with rough skin from working so hard, yet he had a gentle hold. He was with the Elders again, sitting in a chair.

  “I told you I didn’t want to pick him,” his father said, voice terse.

  “Oops? Must have heard wrong.” Neil smirked.

  Kale glared at Neil. “We heard your request, but we decided Anj would make a better candidate than Zes. Both have the capability to see things, and both would be strong. But Anj’s magic is much weaker than Zes’s, and we feel that will make his reception much stronger. We will be tapping only his powers and locking the other brother’s, as was part of our agreement. You requested only one be given the gifts.”

  “Yes, and I picked Zes for a reason. Anj is going to have enough hardships in his life,” Ilo said.

  “The gift has already been imprinted on him. Don’t worry. He will have a normal childhood and won’t be tapped until he’s of proper age. That’s fifteen years from now. Your newborn boys are beautiful, and you should only be concerned with enjoying the moment,” Francis said. “Congratulations, dear.”

  “Thanks,” Ilo replied.

  “The Fate massacre has left our numbers weak. We need to create the strongest Fates possible to make up for it. I’m sure you understand,” Kale added.

  “The power of ninety-nine…” Ilo said.

  “One-hundred when it’s time,” Neil stated.

  The dream faded. Anj put his fingers through Guy’s fur, clutching it tightly for comfort. He didn’t want to pick me? Anj had a hard time absorbing this information. If there was one thing he’d always been certain of, it was that his father had picked him to carry on the family legacy for a reason, but now he’d learned that his father had tried to protect him from it. Why hadn’t he wanted Anj to take on the responsibility? Did he think I couldn’t handle it? Was it just as he said? All he wanted was for my life to be as easy and normal as pos
sible? Or did he think Zes would be better? Did Dad care about him more?

  Anj shook his head. “That’s stupid. Don’t get jealous,” he said to himself.

  When their father had been alive, both their parents had done a good job of making sure neither brother got more attention than the other. Anj’s blindness had given him the potential for special treatment. His mother had always babied him, but that was what mothers were supposed to do, right? It was in their nature to nurture. His father, on the other hand, had treated him as if there was nothing wrong with him. Anj couldn’t do all the same things Zes could, but there wasn’t a whole lot on his list of forbidden activities either. I still wish I could ask him, so I could know for sure, he thought with a sigh. The other thought running through his mind was why he was seeing it at all.

  Anj closed his eyes for a moment before digging around in his messenger bag for the details of his project. He needed a distraction, a break. The actual due date on it wasn’t for another month or so, but he always liked to be ahead. The dreams had a tendency to impact his physical health, so he’d rather finish all his work as soon as possible and then relax, rather than scramble around at the last minute. Plus, he could then work at his own pace, take his time reading, and not drain himself of magic. Not all his books were available in formats he could use without his vision. This system of being ahead of schedule gave him the reputation of being an overachiever. Many students wanted him for a study buddy. He rarely received anything less than an A.

  “You think I should? Ask her out, I mean?” Teague asked, his voice becoming loud and recognizable. Anj could hear his timid footsteps come closer. Beside them was a much more confident-sounding step.