“I don’t think he’s much of a touchy-feely kind of guy.”

“Leda, everyone is talking about what happened last night. How you blazed across the Black Plains to rescue Nero from a vampire army. Half of the Legion thinks you’re really brave. The other half thinks you’re out of your mind.”

“And what do you think?” I asked her.

“That you’re a little of both, of course.” She paused, a slow smile twisting her lips. “Harker is saying you’re a hero.”

“Whatever that means.”

She shrugged. “Apparently that you have the perfect balance of bravery and insanity.”

I laughed. “At least someone is happy with me. I swear Nero is still thinking up a way to punish me.”

“For saving him?”

“For disobeying orders.”

“Well, he is an angel,” she said, as though that explained everything. It probably did.

Or did it? After our discussions last night, I was beginning to realize Nero was more human than I’d thought. I wondered if he realized that too. Then again, maybe he was in denial. He probably saw humanity as a weakness.

A knock sounded on the door. Weird. In the whole month that we’d called this our room, no one had once knocked on our door. I was not counting the gigantic spitballs the brats had launched at it from across the hall. Honestly, I sometimes felt like I was living in a high school.

I walked to the door, my surprise only growing when I opened it to find Harker standing on the other side.

“I need to talk to you,” he said to me. “Alone.”

“I’ll be right back,” I told Ivy, then followed him into the hall, closing the door behind me.

He stood opposite me, his arms folded over his chest in a way that accentuated the muscles of both. But I wasn’t here to admire his physique. He obviously had something to say to me. His mouth was hard, set, like he didn’t know where to begin. I’d never seen him so nervous before—if I could even call it that. Harker hated to be the bad guy. He was probably just getting himself psyched up to say something I wouldn’t like. Maybe he was here to deliver Nero’s punishment.

“How’s Nero doing?” I asked, inviting him to get on with it. Dragging it out would just hurt more.

“All right. Better than all right, in fact. That’s what I’m here to talk to you about.”

“Oh?”

“Nero is completely healed from his ordeal last night. It’s nothing short of miraculous. From his report, his captors drained him of magic and blood. He was in a sad state when you found him. It should have taken him a week or at least an appointment with a good healer to be back to normal. And yet here he is in perfect health less than half a day later.”

“He’s an angel,” I pointed out.

“After the vampires were through with him, he would have been too drained to heal himself.”

I shrugged. “Magic works in mysterious ways.”

Harker gave me a hard look. “He drank from you, didn’t he?”

“What did he say?”

“I’m asking you.”

But I was keeping my mouth shut. I had the feeling Nero wasn’t supposed to have done that. Had he not protested that it wasn’t standard procedure?

Harker sighed. “Nero won’t admit to it either. It must be the first time he’s ever lied to the Legion. Don’t worry,” he said quickly. “I won’t tell.”

“Is drinking from another Legion soldier against the rules?”

“Not exactly, but it is frowned upon. Especially a blood exchange between an angel and a first level soldier. The disconnect in power is too great. You drank from him too. Back before we left for the mission, after you’d sipped from the Nectar.”

I didn’t say anything. Maybe I was starting to learn the value of keeping my mouth shut.

“Nero is struggling with his inner darkness. I hope you know what you’re doing, Leda.”

Calli had said the same thing.

“Nero is your friend,” I said.

“Yeah, he is. But he’s also an angel. When you get your wings, you change. Like even more than you change when you first join the Legion.”

“So you don’t want to be an angel?” I asked him.

“Oh, I do. More than anything.” A happy smile spread across his mouth. “And you?”

“I’m not sure I’m angel material.”

“Oh, I think that you are. You’re resilient.”

“But I have trouble doing what I’m told.”

He laughed. It was a beautiful sound, so encouraging, so full of good intentions. In the past couple weeks, I’d come to really appreciate Harker’s laugh.

“Indeed you do,” he said. “There’s a party in Heaven tonight.”

“I don’t think I’m invited.”

“Heaven, the Legion club,” he clarified, laughing again. I could just listen to that laugh all night. “You should come and unwind. That’s really important after a mission like the one last night.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“I look forward to seeing you there.” He took my hand, lifting it to his lips, then with a wink, he turned and walked down the hall.

As soon as I stepped back into my dormitory, Ivy practically pounced on me.

“And?” she asked excitedly. “What did Harker want?”

“He told me about a party at Heaven tonight.”