Chapter 40

Aiden thought maybe he should eat something, but his little apartment’s kitchenette was too far, and assembling anything edible was too complicated, and he wasn’t hungry anyway. Instead he just yanked on his warmest pajamas and climbed gratefully into bed. It was still cold under the light blanket, but his winter duvet was in storage in the basement. He dragged himself out of bed and put on a sweatshirt. Aiden was still shivering when he finally fell asleep.

He woke from a nightmare of drowning in an iced-over lake to a tremendous crash.

Aiden surged upright, gasping. It had gone evening while he slept, the room barely lit by the dim glow of twilight. Eskandar was in a crumpled heap at the foot of Aiden’s bed, like he’d been dropped there from a height. His eyes were closed, no sign of his wings. His warrior’s garb was so dull it was gray, and his halo was nearly invisible.