Shadow Light (Beautiful Beings #3) Read Free Page B

going to go meet him for dinner.  We’re going to meet the replacement for Dr. Kingsley… a Dr. Fitzpatrick.”
    “Fine, Mom.  Don’t worry about dinner.  I’ll fix something.”
    “Well, at least you’ll have fresh baked cupcakes for dessert.”
    “Thanks, and have a good time.”
    I turned to get back to Asher and the Book of Angels, but instead of hearing my mother walk out the door, I heard her come up the stairs.  I grabbed the book from Asher’s hands, threw it on the bed and tossed a cushion over it.
    After a quick rap on the door, Mom pushed it open and popped her head in.  “Hey, Asher.  I know it’s Thursday and I’d promised you a home cooked meal, but I do have to run.”
    He stood and went to kiss her cheek.  “That’s fine, Mrs. Collins.  I already appreciate everything you do for me.”  He held her hands in his.  “I haven’t eaten so well since… well, I really can’t remember when.”
    “It’s always a pleasure to have you Asher, and I promise, I’m going to make it up to you tomorrow.  How does lasagna sound?”
    “Perfect.  I already look forward to it.  And don’t worry about dinner tonight.  I’ll help Lux whip up some great homemade smoothies.  I’m not just a pretty face you know.  I am handy in the kitchen.”
    “I don’t doubt it.”  Mom patted his cheek.
    “That’ll be perfect,” I added.  “So we’ll have something homemade after all.  Practically gourmet.”
    She came to give me a hug.  “Sorry I have to run off like this, but your Dad is waiting for me.  There’s some dinner or something to welcome the new dean.”
    “Yeah, I heard,” I said with a nod.  “Have fun, Mom.”
    “I will, honey, but don’t you kids have too much fun.”
    “Don’t worry, we won’t.  We have a lot of studying to do.”
    “Great.” She kissed my forehead and turned to head for the door.  “I’ll see you later.”
    Asher and I gazed at one another as we listened to her go downstairs, gather her purse and keys and walk out.  Only then did Asher speak up.
    “She doesn’t know?”
    “No, neither of them knows.”  I returned to sit on the bed and pulled the Book of Angels out from its hiding place.  “I haven’t been able to find the way to tell them I’m sprouting wings.  How do I explain that to them, especially since they don’t have any?  Where did I get it from?”
    He sat beside me and pulled me into his arms.  “Don’t worry.  Things’ll work out.  At least you have open and honest communication with them.  I’m sure when you're ready to talk, they’ll be ready to listen.  You're really lucky, you know.  Your parents are great.  I can’t even begin to imagine having such understanding parents.”
    “That may be true, but I still want to keep them out of this.  They’ve already been through so much, watching me grow up as a demon slayer.  I think I want to spare them at least the questioning and uncertainty I’m going through.  I’ll tell them about this when I know what this is.”
     “Who knows, maybe they already know.  They’re pretty smart.  I don’t think my parents ever knew, granted they weren’t around much to notice there was something different about me.  Honestly, I think they wouldn’t have seen a thing even if they’d stayed with me for any amount of time.”
    “I’m sorry you had to do so much growing up on your own.”
    He hugged me tighter and kissed my temple.  “Forget about all that.  Despite everything, I’m grateful; grateful for what I have now.  Finding you was a big relief.  I needed to find someone who was just like me.”
    He cupped my chin and turned me to look at him.  His eyes, so often hard and uncompromising, were now soft and warm, welcoming me into his sphere, into his world.  I knew this was important to him.
    “You have no idea how happy I am that I found out about you.  It’s answered so many questions about myself.  It’s helped me understand so much more