As clearly as if I was thinking it myself, I knew how much Seb disliked Alex knowing this; the fact that he could change his aura was something he’d always kept secret. You wouldn’t have guessed it from his body language, though. He looked like the definition of “casual” as he stood there against the statue.

“You can see auras,” he said. “Most humans can’t.”

Most humans. The words gave me a start – Seb didn’t see himself as human. And I still did, somehow, even though I so clearly wasn’t.

“I’ve been trained,” said Alex shortly. “Answer the question.”

Seb flicked a glance over him; you didn’t have to be psychic to see that he didn’t like being ordered around. “It isn’t smart, with angels around,” he said at last. “So I changed it.”

“Wait – you can change your aura?” repeated Alex, his eyes narrowing. “Like, at will?”

Seb’s forehead creased; Alex said something in rapid Spanish, and he nodded. “Yes, at will.” A wry smile. “Your Spanish is very good, amigo.”

Alex gave him a look at the word amigo, and I knew he was still thinking of Seb holding my hand. “Yeah, thanks,” he said. “So are there lots of half-angels, or—”

“No,” said Seb and I together. “No,” I went on, clearing my throat. “Seb – he’s never seen another one. He’s spent most of his life looking.”

I could see Seb realizing the depth of what I’d gotten from his hand. Did he get anything from mine? I wondered suddenly. Did Seb know me just as well as I knew him now? At the feel of his steady gaze on me, my face warmed; I couldn’t meet his eyes. God, what was wrong with me? Why was I getting all flustered just because some half-angel boy held my hand?

Alex had fallen silent. I could almost see him turning all this over in his head. “Another half-angel,” he murmured. “Jesus.” Watching Seb carefully, he rested against the railing of the bridge with his arms folded over his chest. The sleeves of his blue sweatshirt were pushed up, showing his toned forearms.

“How did you find her?” he asked finally.

“Someone stole your things in Chihuahua,” said Seb, speaking to me rather than Alex. “Some clothes, and a picture. I bought them at the marketplace, and when I touched them I could see...everything.”

I have your shirt, your picture. It all became clear. Seb had seen my dream from my shirt – I’d been worrying about what it might mean for hours the last time I’d worn it.

“And after that?” asked Alex after a pause. “How did you know where we’d gone?”