Immortal (Page 66)

Immortal (Fallen Angels #6)(66)
Author: J.R. Ward

Ad took a long draw off the rim of his coffee. Eddie had made the java along with the dessert they were having for breakfast, and both were so fucking good—as was sitting across the table from the guy. It was almost like the separation had never occurred.

Almost.

“Ad? I need to know if you can fight in your condition.”

“I don’t think I’m compromised too much.” Ad put his mug down and resumed digging in. Was this his second piece? Or third? “Bit of a limp, that’s all.”

“And the eye.”

“Whatever.”

“Can I be honest?”

“Please don’t.”

Eddie’s chair creaked as he leaned back. “I’m really impressed by you.”

Ad’s brows popped and he lowered his fork. “I, ah…”

“Talk about unselfish.” Eddie nodded. “Respect, man. Big respect. And I gotta tell you, it’s not something I would have thought you’d do.”

“Your death changed the rules for me.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.”

Ad frowned. “What are you saying?”

“I should have heard that harpy. I should have been paying more attention.”

“No, it’s my fault. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve replayed that whole thing. I let you down.” He put up his palm to stop the arguing. “No. I’m supposed to have your back, and I dropped the ball. Matter of fact, that’s the way it’s always been between you and me. I’ve dragged you into more dumb-ass shit and dangerous situations—”

“But it’s been fun. It’s been so fucking fun.”

Ad recoiled. “Okay … that’s not what I thought you’d say. Ever.”

Eddie finished his last bite and smiled. “Every straight arrow needs a little chaos in his life. You’re mine. We’ve had some crazy-ass adventures, and yeah, some of it was probably avoidable and very definitely dangerous, but without you? Boring. My immortal life would be very fucking boring.”

Ad ducked his eyes and smiled a little. “So this guilt I’ve been carrying around?”

“Lose it. I make my own choices, too. I could have ditched your ass centuries ago. But the truth is, I’d rather be crashing into some wall with you than going out for a Sunday stroll with anybody else.”

“You say the sweetest things.”

“Plus, let’s face it. With my colossal lack of game, I would never have gotten laid without you.”

Ad stiffened. “Yeah, about that. I’m … ah, I’m out of commission from now on.” As Eddie sucked in a little gasp, Ad shrugged. “But I can still get ’em for you. In fact, you say the word and I’ll go on the prowl. Hell, I can live vicariously through you.”

“Jesus…”

“Come on, it’s not like true love was in my picture anyway. Besides, there are only so many ways to pick up a penny, and I’ve done them all about a hundred and fifty thousand times at this point. Sooner or later, the shit was going to get old, and now I don’t ever have to worry about tenting up my pants over some hot piece. So there are advantages.”

There was a long silence.

Ad shifted around in his chair, making the thing creak. “Okaaaaay, it would be really great right now if you wouldn’t look at me like that. I still have all my arms and legs attached, you know. I’m fully functional, or sufficiently functional, in all other respects.”

“Of course.” Eddie cleared his throat. “Absolutely.”

Ah, hell, he could so have done without the awkwardness, but the guy was going to find out sooner or later. Might as well be now—

Jim and Sissy appeared in the doorway, the pair of them looking like they were on the way to a funeral. Clearly, the decision had been made.

“We’re ready to do this,” Jim said, putting his arm around the woman and moving her close—like maybe he wished his body were the one that was going to get metaphysically sliced open. “I guess we need a trip out for supplies.”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, we do.”

And that was that, Ad thought as he got to his feet. They’d gotten the band back together … and now it was time to rock ’n’ roll, so to speak.

He just wished it wasn’t performing an exorcism. On Sissy.

Chapter Thirty-six

Of course it was the same damn Hannaford, Sissy thought, as they pulled into a parking lot that was full of average-cost cars and trucks. And yup, everything was the same as she remembered it: the lines for parked vehicles angled toward the store, the cart corrals intersecting them, the constant in and out from the store’s automatic entrances creating a bustle of activity.

Eddie put the Explorer in park and cut the engine. All at once three doors opened and the angels got out; she just put her hand on her handle and stayed in her seat.

Jim glanced over his shoulder, like he’d expected her to be right with them. Then he seemed to pale.

Ad and Eddie glanced at him, and their mouths moved like they were asking him something. As he shook his head, he said a couple of words—and abruptly the other angels looked like they’d been kneed in the balls.

Ah, clearly none of them had done the math about where they’d ended up: the very place where she’d been abducted by the demon.

But whatever, she needed to get over herself. It wasn’t as if going into the store again was going to change anything. The evil had already happened.

Forcing her door open, she got out and tugged her sweatshirt into place. “I have the list. Let’s go.”

She pushed her way through all their heavy bodies and strode to the entrance. As she went along, she passed a mother with two kids and three hundred dollars’ worth of groceries stuffed into a cart … an older man with a single bag and a jug of orange juice … two middle-aged women who were talking a mile a minute over each other.

For a second, she mourned the fact that back before all the crap had fallen on her head, she had never noticed the people around her: How beautiful it was to see a young family out buying Popsicles and Hamburger Helper. Or how noble a lonely eighty-year-old could be as he braved a trip out to the supermarket by himself. Or what a special thing it was to see an enduring friendship in its natural habitat.

Humanity was beautiful. In all its different shapes and sizes, from its survival modes to its triumphal strutting, in both its poverty and its wealth.

And most of all in its everyday, moment-to-moment activity.