"Angelo. It is nice to finally meet you," I say.

"I wish it were under better circumstances."

Jace and I exchange a look and when no one says anything right away, I blurt, "Is anyone going to explain? What the hell is going on?"

Dad gives Angelo an apologetic look and shifts his gaze to me. "Desideria, please—"

I chew the inside of my cheek and my face heats in embarrassment. "My apologies. But could someone please let me in the loop?"

Angelo leans forward and clasps his hands on the table. At this proximity, I can see that his pupils are dilated, and it is obvious he is stoned out of his mind. Despite my curiosity about whatever is going on here, I am absolutely floored; the leader of Pax is not at all what I expected.

"I'll keep it short and to the point. I have a rogue angel loose in your realm."

My eyebrow dips and I glance at Jace who asks the question before I have the chance.

"So? From what Desi explained to me, the angels don't mean anyone any harm and you all don't even really fight each other beyond the friendly rivalry the two of you have? Why does this affect Desi?"

Angelo's cheeks burn bright red, and it is not from getting too much sun. Like a child caught eating candy before dinner, he shrugs a shoulder. "I learned that Desi was here looking for a husband. I thought I would make matters hard on her and throw a little kink in Chaos' plan. It turns out the angel I assigned to have some fun with you," he smiles, like that will calm the fury boiling inside me, "hasn't checked in for almost two weeks. I have it on good authority that my little winged problem child doesn't plan on returning to Pax. I'm not sure what the angel's plan is, but I wouldn't put it past the sneaky cherub to use you as bait, Desi."

I open my mouth to speak but Jace, again, beats me to it. I can feel his anger rippling through him, his fingers squeezing mine almost too tightly. "Bait? Are you telling me this asshole is going to hurt her? Over my dead fucking body!"

Something inside my chest swells at the burst of protectiveness that's just erupted from him, but I'm too upset to revel in it for long. And the sinking feeling from before is only getting worse. "Are you saying I'm in danger?"

"He is," my father says. "I know I promised you three months to get everything situated with an Eternal Partner, but you need to come home."

"What?" I choke out, tears springing to my eyes unbidden.

I'm supposed to have three more weeks with Jace. All those days we were going to spend together. Every moment exploring each other's bodies, remembering every little detail about what makes him laugh, him teasing me about all the human things I'm still clueless about...the attempt to make up for all the time we'll never have.

If I leave now, all of that is gone.

"Dad, please, I can't leave yet—" I beg, glancing at Jace, feeling panic rise to my chest when I see the same look of devastation in his eyes.

"I understand this is unexpected, Desideria, but I can't risk losing you. The only place you are safe from this angel is at home."

"But Jace has things going on with his business. He just signed a new deal." I'm so careful with my words. I don't want to lie to my family any more than I already have, so I stick with the truth and let them fill in the blanks how they wish.

My father's green eyes soak in me and Jace, and he releases a long sigh. "I'll give you three days to tie up any loose ends. I don't want you leaving Jace's sight during that time. Limited trips out of the house, don't invite strangers over, and you summon me at the first sign of trouble. Do you understand me?"

Jace and I answer at the same time, saying, "Yes."

Angelo clears his throat, and his red-rimmed eyes are full of regret. "I'm sorry, Desideria. I never meant for this to get so far out of hand. I just wanted to give your dad a hard time."

I shake my head. "I know you didn't. Has this angel ever shown any signs of violence before?"

"This angel has always marched to the beat of their own drum and is very determined. It's hard to imagine one of my little peace-bringers hurting someone, but this one could. I wouldn't allow one of my angels to hurt a demon, so I don't put it past this one to use you to twist my arm to give them a promotion."

I grimace and lean against Jace, who pulls me into his side. "Suddenly I'm really freaked out." My mind flashes to Meredith. Surely she...no way. There's no way she could have anything to do with this. I look up at Jace. "Can we stay here one more night before we go back to reality?" I shudder against him. "What if this angel is, like, lurking outside our house in the shadows or something?"

Jace looks to my dad for guidance. It's a smart move and one that no doubt earns him extra points with the ruler of Infernis.

My dad nods. "I'll place demons on patrol outside your hotel and have them check the house before you get home."

"Thank you, sir."

My father nods, and Angelo stands saying, "I'm glad we got that worked out. I have to go. I'm late for a baking session."

"I bet you are cooking something with marshmallows. I always took you angels as marshmallow lovers," Avaros says.

The King of Pax brushes his palm over my brother's head like he is a cute kitten. "Aren't you precious. But no. Me and a few angels sit around watching the energies in this VW van I got. We pass around a bong and just bake in that sweet marijuana smoke."

Despite everything, I cover my mouth with my hand and stifle my giggle. Who would've guessed that Angelo would be a total pothead?

My father stands and Jace and I follow suit. My father pulls me into a hug and says, "I know you were excited about spending the full ninety days here, but you already found your partner, so it's going to be fine. You'll get to spend forever with him at home. Be safe and I'll see you in three days." He plants a kiss on my temple, and before I realize what's happened, he, Angelo, and Avaros are all gone.

God, if only that were true.

Jace and I step out onto the sidewalk, and I turn to him, my eyes filled with tears. "This fucking sucks," I blurt, an unexpected sob rattling my body.

He pulls me into his arms and smooths my hair. "I know, but don't think about leaving yet. We have  three days, and you've got your backup plan. Let's just make the most of the time we have left together."

I nod against his chest. "You're right." Blinking away the tears, I look up at him and slide my hand up the front of this shirt, needing to feel his skin against mine. "Like right now," I murmur, standing on my tiptoes and brushing my lips against his. "I don't want to waste another second."

He lifts an eyebrow. "Right now?"

I nip his bottom lip with my teeth. "Yes. Right now."

Jace wastes no time flagging down a taxi and opening the back door for me. He crawls in behind me and leaves no space between us. After giving the driver the name of our hotel, he drapes an arm over the back of the seat and places a hand on my thigh. His fingers are in constant motion, each stroke bringing him closer to the apex of my legs.

I shift in my seat and lift my hips, trying to push his hand closer to where I want it—between my thighs, pressing against the place that's already throbbing for him. I lean into him and breathe in his ear, "How much longer until we get there? I'm about to come out of my skin."

"Ten torturous minutes." He presses a kiss to my lips and drags his index finger along the seam of my jeans. "I'm going to have you so fucking wet for me before we get there."

"Fuck," I whisper against his mouth before opening to him and pressing against his finger before he moves it away. "I already am, Jace. Can't you feel how wet you've made me?" I make sure the driver is focused on the road before my hands drop to the snap on my jeans. I unbutton them and lower the zipper, dipping my finger under my panties and pulling out a damp fingertip, holding it out to him. "Or maybe you need to taste and see."

The corner of his mouth lifts and his eyes say it all. He is pleased with my bold move. Holding onto my wrist, he licks my finger before sucking it. Oh God, help me. The things this man is able to do with his mouth. I'm desperate to feel it on me, sucking, licking, biting. I want it all.

"And?" I manage, my voice nothing more than a rasp. My eyes dance across his face, taking in every detail of him, drinking him in. "Do you like what you taste?"

"It would be better from the source. And trust me when I say I plan on taking directly from the source more than once tonight."