I close my eyes and snuggle into his shoulder, inhaling his scent of forest pine and leather. My body relaxes. This is what I’ve needed all day long. Here, with him holding me, I feel like I can say anything. “We’ve already got a lot stacked against us, Lincoln. Maybe you’re better off with someone like Adair.”

“Really?” He kisses the top of my head, gently. “Did you know Adair thinks Simia demons are cute?”

I roll my eyes. “You’re lying.”

“I wish.” He slides one hand up my back. “You’re hiding your eyes again, Myla.”

Damn, he is a good hunter.

His fingers entwine with the back of my hood, slowly pulling it away from my face. “I already told you. I like it when your eyes turn red.”

I grit my teeth and steel my shoulders. It takes everything I have just to keep my gaze level with his. Once he understands what I really am, this could be over, big time.

Lincoln’s forehead furrows. “Your eyes are blue.” His mouth thins to an angry line. “Did someone from the House of Striga cast a spell on you? So help me, I’ll—”

“No, it’s not that.”

He cups my face in his hands, his features drawn with worry. “Are you sick?”

“No, nothing like that either.” I open my mouth, ready to tell him I’m the Scala Heir. What comes out is a fragment of the truth. “My father is an angel named Xavier.”

Lincoln’s mismatched eyes stretch wide. “The archangel Xavier? I studied him at the citadel. Greatest warrior in history. Legend says he never loved anything but battle.”

I let out a high-pitched humph. “Until he met my mother.”

“I can see that. If she’s anything like you.” The Prince eyes me carefully for a minute, his face creasing with confusion. “I don’t understand. That would make you—” He swallows. “That’s impossible.”

“I thought so too.” I bite my lips together. How do you convince your kind-of boyfriend that you’re a one-of-a-kind soul-swapping super being?

Only one way, really.

Inhaling deeply, I close my eyes and call the igni to return. At first, their music is tinkling and distant in my mind, then quickly growing rich and loud. Child-like laughter rings in my ears; my mouth quirks with a smile. Having them return is like welcoming an old friend home.