She smiled at me. “Spill. I want to know all about that angel’s lips.”

“It’s classified.”

“His lips are classified?”

“Yep.”

“Come on, Leda. I’m dying here. You have to give me something.”

“Fine. Nero asked me out on a date.”

Her eyes sparkled in delight. “And how was it?”

“I don’t know. It hasn’t happened yet. We’ve both been too busy the past four months.”

“He asked you out four months ago, and you still haven’t gone on a date?”

“Pretty much.”

“But you have kissed him right? And exchanged blood with him? What was it like?”

Not for your ears, little sister. I stretched out my arms and yawned loudly. “Wow, would you look at the time! I have to get up really early tomorrow, so I’d best be going to bed now.”

“Coward,” Tessa muttered.

“I’m going to go to bed too,” Bella said, following me into the bathroom.

After we’d brushed our teeth, we headed into the bedroom we’d shared since we were kids. Our old bed waited for us. We dove in and pulled the blanket over our chins.

“You disappointed Tessa,” Bella told him, her mouth twitching.

“When you want to know everything there is to know in the world, you’re going to be disappointed now and again.” I hugged my sister to me. “I did want to ask you something, though.”

“Oh?”

“It’s about the gods’ Nectar.”

“I think you know more about Nectar than I do, Leda. The offices and buildings of the Legion are the only places on Earth you can find it. We witches don’t have access to Nectar.”

“But you do have access to knowledge. You must have read about Nectar,” I said.

“A little. I know it’s a poison, more powerful than any poison on Earth. That’s why Legion soldiers can’t be poisoned. Your bodies have already survived the strongest poison known to man—and it changed you, bestowing you with powerful magical gifts.”

“What do you know about what happens when someone drinks the Nectar?” I asked her.

“If the person is uninitiated, the Nectar either kills them or it unlocks their magical potential. The initiates train and then drink the Nectar again, this time in a less diluted form. Those who survive gain the gods’ first gift. With each new level, each new ability, you drink a stronger, less diluted Nectar. I’ve heard it’s an agonizing ordeal.”

“Yes,” I said, remembering the faces of everyone I ever saw drink the Nectar in a promotion ceremony. “It’s agonizing. For them. But not for me. Nectar doesn’t hurt me. It makes me drunk.”

Bella went very still. “I remember reading a case of someone who had that reaction. Both his parents were angels.”

“Nero has the same reaction to Nectar, and both of his parents are angels. He’s the only person I know of with two angel parents, in fact. Maybe you read about him.”

“Maybe. The study didn’t list names.”

“Bella, do you think it means… Do you think it means both my parents were angels too? That I’m a brat of the highest tier?”

“A brat?” she asked, amused.

“It’s what Legion soldiers call the recruits with an angel parent.”

“I see.” Bella paused. “Leda, I can’t tell you if both your parents are angels, but it might explain your reaction to the Nectar.”

“Do you recall the title of that book?” I asked her.

“Poisons and Potions.”

“Thanks.” It looked like I would be adding another book to my reading list when I got back to New York.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered in the dark. “It’s been too long.”

“Yes, it has.”

We closed our eyes, holding to each other, two sisters, two friends. Just like the old days. Things had been so much easier back then, so much more peaceful. I fell asleep, expecting the sweet dreams of those happy golden years.

Instead, I dreamt I stood back-to-back with Nero on the Black Plains, fighting off the horde of monsters closing in on us. It was a long battle, a hard battle, but we were finally victorious. We celebrated our survival by having sex on the back of Nero’s motorcycle.

Yeah, my life had definitely changed. And there was no going back.

5

Law of the Gods

The next morning, I woke to darkness. It was so early that not even the birds were chirping yet. It was the quietest hour of the day, before the early risers opened their eyes and after the party animals and drunks had gone home to their bed—or passed out cold on the streets.

The window was open, letting in the air. It was warm, even before the sun broke the horizon. The heat and humidity hung in the air like a fleece blanket, hot and smothering. I couldn’t help but marvel at the bizarre February weather. I should have looked outside to see ice-laden trees and snowy sidewalks—not this.

I put on my wilderness wear, thankful for the shorts and tank top. My black leather Legion uniform would have been unbearable in this heat. Even in my light clothing, a hot layer of sweat coated my skin. And it was only going to get hotter from here.

As I stuffed my night clothes into my backpack, I watched Bella sleep. She was so quiet, so peaceful. I kissed her gently on the forehead, then left the room, closing the door behind me.