Angel Burn (46 page)

Alex rubbed his thumb against my fingers. “I don’t know,” he said. “But, Willow, if it happens, I’m right there with you.”

Alarm jolted through me. “I don’t want that! Alex, I’d want you safe —”

He touched my cheek. “Forget it,” he said. “I will never, ever, let you face anything like that alone again.”

My chest clenched. Moving closer, I leaned against him, hugging his waist. He wrapped his arms around me, and I nestled against his solid warmth, so grateful that we still had each other. Finally I cleared my throat, trailing a finger along his forearm. “Mexico sounds  . . .  pretty good, actually.”

He pulled away, peering into my face. “Are you sure? We wouldn’t have anything great there, but we should have enough to survive for a couple of months — long enough to get things going, with luck.”

Still stroking his arm, I nodded. “I’m sure. Very sure, in fact.” After these last two days, the thought of just being together — loving each other, spending time together — was like sunshine after rain. Even knowing what lay ahead, with new angels in the world and Alex one of the few people who could fight them.

A chill touched me as I again saw the shining stream of angels, their wings burning with the sunset as they flew through the cathedral. “Do you think they’ll realize where we’ve gone?”

Alex knew exactly who I meant, even though I hadn’t said the word. He grimaced. “Once I get some AKs together and we start hunting them? Yeah, they’ll figure it out. We’ll stay as protected as we can, but  . . . ” He stopped.

Our eyes met. Neither of us spoke. I knew that Alex felt exactly the same way as me; I could sense it without even trying. No matter how dangerous the future might be, or how much we simply wanted to live our lives together,
not
fighting the angels wasn’t an option.

It just wasn’t.

I cleared my throat and sat up. “So what will I be doing, while you’re finding new AKs?”

His dark eyebrows rose in surprise. “Helping me, I hope. Willow, I really need you — you get feelings about things; you can tell just by touching someone what they’re like.” He grinned suddenly. “Plus you get to be the one to fix the bike if it breaks down.”

I laughed. “Psychic consultant slash mechanic  . . .  yeah, OK, I accept.” My smile faded as I looked down at the bedspread. “I just wish I could go home and say good-bye to Mom somehow. I mean — not that she’d realize, probably, but  . . . ”

Alex squeezed my hand. “I’d take you there in a second, if it was safe,” he said softly.

“I know.” I sighed and shook the thought away. Mom was all right; that was the main thing. And at least I’d be doing something to fight the beings that had hurt her. “Hey, you can teach me how to speak Spanish,” I said after a pause.

He kissed my nose. “What do you want to learn how to say?”

“How about  . . . ” I gazed at Alex, taking in his dark hair, the firm lines of his face, and remembered the first time I’d ever seen him — the way his blue-gray eyes had caught and held me so that I was barely able to look away.

I could barely look away now.

Swallowing hard, I touched his lips with my finger, tracing their outline. “How about, ‘You make me so happy, and — and all I want is to be with you for the rest of my life’?”

The look in Alex’s eyes was so warm that I felt myself falling. “I’ve already taught you that one, remember?” he said. Leaning his head down, he kissed me, his lips lingering on mine. “
Te amo,
Willow.”

And somewhere inside of me, I knew that my angel was smiling.

Every story is a journey, for its author no less than for its readers. This particular story has been a longer journey than most; I’ve known and loved Alex and Willow for many years now and am thrilled that their tale is finally being told. As some readers may be aware,
Angel Burn
was originally published in the U.K. under the title
Angel,
so I’ve been through this journey twice now! A lot of people have helped me along the way, and it’s only right that I take the time to thank them:

Liz Kessler and Isobel Gahan, whose staunch belief in the story helped keep its fires burning over the years (even though it eventually turned out to be very different from what I’d first envisioned!). Linda Chapman and Julie Sykes, who keep me sane on a daily basis and who read early drafts and reassured me that it wasn’t terrible — huge thanks to both of you; your enthusiasm as the first readers meant more than I can say. My agent, Caroline Sheldon, for her steadfast support and guidance and for loving the story right from the start. Usborne Press in the U.K. for giving the book the honor of being its first-ever teenage title and for doing such a sterling job of sending it out into the world. My U.K. editor Megan Larkin for her wonderfully insightful input. My U.K. editor Stephanie King for all of her help and for being so calm when I was having panic moments. Candlewick Press for its immense enthusiasm for the story and for bringing it to the U.S., which was a dream come true for me. My U.S. editor, Deborah Noyes Wayshak, for helping to fine-tune the story and make it exactly the one that I wanted to tell. U.S. copyeditors Hannah Mahoney and Erin DeWitt, for their much-appreciated eagle eyes. Julie Cohen, who gave just the right advice at just the right time. Katie Beat, for her help with the Spanish translations in the text. Neil Chowney for his advice on car engines and useful suggestions in the breakdown scene. All the early readers who wrote such glowing reviews — there’s no greater lift for a writer than realizing that other people love something you’ve written as much as you do. The musicians Sarah Class, Karl Jenkins, and Bear McCreary, whose work I listened to over and over during the writing of the book. And finally, my husband, Peter, who has been there on this journey with me from the beginning and whose practical support during the writing of
Angel Burn
will be forever appreciated. Because of him, I was able to concentrate solely on writing for weeks at a time — a luxury that very few writers enjoy! Thank you for being there, Pete. I love you.

L. A. W
EATHERLY
is the author of several books for young adults, including
Child X
. About
Angel Burn,
book one in a trilogy, she says, “I’ve known Alex for a long time. He first came to me as a character almost twenty years ago, when he was a thief in a fantasy setting — an expert with knives rather than guns. Nothing came of that particular novel, but Alex stayed with me. In fact, he refused to go away. And over the years, I began to wonder about redoing his story completely and placing him in a contemporary setting.” L. A. Weatherly was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and now lives in England with her husband.