BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (83)
  1. Copyright Page
  2. Prologue
  3. Part One
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. Part Two
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. Epilogue
  82. A Preview of "Witch & Wizard"
  83. 1

I stopped and looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but my own reflection, as usual. “Just you and me?” I repeated, barely hanging on to my suavity by my fingernails.

His eyes were unreadable. “Yeah.”

“Hawaiian food?”

“Yeah.”

I was still grossed out by the Brigid display and wanted to coolly brush past him with a mild, “I’ll think about it.” But the combination of having Fang all to myself, plus fun food, was rapidly pummeling my self-respect into the dust. Then I remembered something.

“The last time we… left the flock, all heck broke loose,” I reminded him.

He grinned, one of those rare Fang grins that lights up his face and makes the sun stop in its tracks.

“This time they’re protected by the U.S. Navy,” he pointed out.

I laughed, relief flooding through me. “Well, okay. You got me there.” Oh, boy, did he have me.

41

WAS THIS A DATE? Those four words kept swirling through my mind, over and over, and it was getting to the point where I wanted the old Voice back, just for a change of pace, to hear someone who at least pretended to be rational.

Which I so wasn’t. The whole thing was like a dream. All I knew was that we were in Honolulu. There were festive streetlights and store windows everywhere, crowds of people walking past, many sailors in uniform, an ocean, kind of all around us, and…

Me and Fang. Holding hands and eating ice cream.

And the flock was safe on a giant naval base where you couldn’t even spit without hitting an antiaircraft missile.

If life got better than this, I didn’t think I could take it.

I wanted time to stand still, and not in the creepy, someone-injected-drugs-into-my-brain-so-time-has-become-meaningless kind of way but just… every second had weight. My skin was tingling, my brain was racing, and everything seemed extra whatever it was. Extrafun. Extrabeautiful. Extrayummy.

The hand holding Fang’s seemed to have three times as many sense receptors, and I hoped it wasn’t some new ability showing up. I was still worried about gills appearing.

This totally felt like a date.

And the beautiful part? He’d turned down Dr. Stupendous to be with moi. He’d dissed her and dismissed her, so he could eat kimchi and ice cream with yours featherly.

“Max?”

I suddenly became aware that Fang had said my name like three times. Now he stopped and looked at me. “Are you okay? Is the Voice back, giving you instructions?”

“Uh-huh. It’s in the middle of the crossword of the day.”

He smiled, and we kept walking.

“No, I was just spacing out,” I said, licking my ice cream. I had gotten a double scoop of mint chocolate chip and orange sherbet, two great tastes that tasted great together.

“Well, tomorrow we leap into action,” he said. “So, last chance to space out for a while.”

“Yeah. I just hope —”