I dig through my pack and find the last styrofoam cup of dried noodle. I walk to the door and leave it outside.

“What are you doing?”

I think about explaining to him about my mother but decide against it. “Nothing.”

“Why would you leave food outside in the rain?”

How did he know it was food? It’s too dark for him to see the cup of noodles.

“How well can you see in the dark?”

There’s a brief pause as though he’s considering denying that he can see in the dark. “Almost as well as I can see in the day.”

I squirrel away the intel. This little piece of information may have just saved my life. Who knows what I would have done once I found the other angels? I may have tried to hide in the dark as I snuck into their nest. That would have been a nasty time to find out just how well angels can see in the dark.

“So, why would you leave valuable food outside?”

“In case my mother is out there.”

“Wouldn’t she just come in?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

He nods as if he understands, which, of course, he couldn’t. Maybe to him, all humans behave as though they are crazy. “Why don’t you bring the food in, and I’ll tell you if she’s nearby.”

“And how would you know if she’s nearby?”

“I’ll hear her,” he says. “Assuming the rain doesn’t get too loud.”

“How good is your hearing?”

“What?”

“Ha ha,” I say dryly. “Knowing this stuff could make a big difference in my chances of rescuing my sister.”

“You don’t even know where she is, or if she’s alive.” He says this matter-of-factly, as if he’s talking about the weather.

“But I know where you are, and I know you’ll be headed back to the other angels, even if it’s only to get revenge.”

“Ah, is that how it is? Since you couldn’t get the information out of me when I was weak and helpless, your big plan now is to follow me back to the nest of vipers to rescue your sister? You know that’s about as well-thought out as your plan to scare off those men by pretending to be an angel.”

“A girl’s gotta improvise as the situation changes.”

“The situation has changed beyond your control. You’ll only get yourself killed if you follow this path, so take my advice and run the other way.”

“You don’t understand. This isn’t about making logical, optimal decisions. It’s not like I have a choice. Paige is just a helpless little girl. She’s my sister. The only thing up for discussion is how I’ll rescue her, not whether or not I’ll try.”

He leans back to give me an appraising look. “I wonder which will get you killed faster—your loyalty or your stubbornness?”

“Neither, if you’ll help me.”

“And why would I do that?”

“I saved your life. Twice. You owe me. In some cultures, you’d be my slave for life.”