As soon as Angel was settled—cleaned up and in fresh clothes, but still pale and worn out—I left her sleeping peacefully, with Nudge and Gazzy in charge and Total curled up at her side. I needed to be alone in the woods for a minute to get my emotions under control—otherwise I’d be a crying mess when Angel was finally ready to talk about what had happened.
So it wasn’t necessarily the best timing when Fang crept up quietly behind me, just like he always used to, and scared the stuffing out of me.
“We need to talk. About you. And me.”
I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. “There is no you and me, per your instructions,” I said, my jaw clenching.
“I don’t know about that,” he said.
“Oh, please. You left,” I said accusingly. “Twice, actually. You threw any us we had in my face! Then you decided to get all hot and heavy with Maya.” That last part came out before I could stop it, and I cringed, remembering what Ari had said.
“Maya’s dead,” Fang said tensely, confirming what I already knew. I winced at the grief in his voice. “And this isn’t about her. It’s about the connection you and I have—will always have, no matter what.” I opened my mouth to retort, but nothing came out, so Fang forged right on, breaking my heart with his honesty.
“I heard a Voi
ce, Max,” he said, gripping my arm, pulling me closer, “and it told me I needed to come home to you. Even though I had to practically walk the whole way. Even though I was close to dying. I came back. To you. And I wanted to tell you—maybe I never told you very clearly before…”
My heart was racing so fast I thought I was having a heart attack.
“I wanted to tell you that I—”
“Stop!” I cried, putting my hands over my ears. “Just don’t, okay?”
But Fang looked determined, and there was only one thing to do when he looked like that. I took off.
If I pour on the speed, I can hit almost three hundred miles per hour while flying—faster than any recombinant life-form I’ve ever heard about. Faster than anyone. Except Fang.
I was probably already a couple of miles away, still sniveling and cursing, when I felt a hand grab my sneaker. He stayed with me, matching me stroke for stroke without releasing his death grip on my ankle.
Finally it was too hard to stay balanced, so I put on the brakes. I banked steeply and whirled around to face him.
“Fang, I can’t hear this right now!” I shouted, tears streaming down my face. “My life is hard and confusing enough without you making it harder! Everything’s just really, you know, complicated, and…” I trailed off, thinking of the complicated things in my life. The other complicated someone.
“I’m not trying to make it harder or more confusing,” Fang said quietly, smiling that lopsided smile of his. Warm emotion showed in his black eyes, and for a minute I actually had to concentrate on staying airborne. “I’m trying to tell you what you already know. I just… need you. We need each other.”
“But I just can’t do this.” I flailed my arms around, indicating whatever this was—encompassing everything. “With you. Not now, not today, not after everything we’ve been through with Angel, so…” I swallowed, trying to ignore my stupid heart. “Just don’t say any more,” I whispered. “Please.”
But if I could hear the catch in my voice, I knew Fang had picked up on it, too.
He had moved closer. We were nose to nose now, our wings almost overlapping as each stroke took us up ten feet, then down again. We’d been flying together our whole lives, and keeping in perfect rhythm was second nature to us. My arms were crossed over my chest, my elbows almost brushing against him, and Fang reached out and held my arms, below my shoulders. He let his thumbs brush against my skin, slowly.
I shivered. Fang’s touch was so familiar. How many times had he done this? Old times and new all jumbled together. Emotions and memories became indecipherable. The only thing I knew was that we’d grown and changed. It was almost like he was a new Fang. I felt almost like a new Max. Could we still… fit together?
“Max.” He said my name like it was a life raft. Like it was a religion. His warm fingers stroked up and down my arms.
“What?” I whispered. Or had I even said it aloud? I didn’t know what to do, so I stared into his eyes for the answer. And I let them rest there. I didn’t want to be the first to look away.
I reached out and put my hands on his shoulders, felt his strong, light bones under his skin. I remembered what he had carved into a cactus once.
MAX + FANG—4EVER.
58
TEARS POURED DOWN Dylan’s face. He dashed them away angrily with the back of his hand, flapping his wings powerfully and putting as much distance between himself and them as he could.
He’d been in a tree a good half mile away from them—not spying, just… seeing. Seeing his past going up in flames, his future crumbling into dust. He wasn’t about to stick around to watch Max and Fang finally have their little private reunion party.
He’d thought what he and Max had was starting to grow into something… real. She’d let him sleep in her room. And that night in the tree house… He remembered the feel of Max’s skin under his fingertips, her wildly tangled hair brushing against his cheek, the look she gave him just before their lips met….