Angel's Veil

Chapter 10

"Oh my goodness," Eve whispered, eyes snapping open at the sight of the angel casually sitting in the corner of her room like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Blinking, she reached under her pillow, now fully awake, and pulled out her phone.

15:22.

She groaned.

"You just ruined my nap, Cal," she mumbled, burying her face into the pillow as she mentally prepared herself to get up.

"Cal?" the angel echoed softly, voice laced with genuine confusion.

"Cal," he repeated, like he was tasting the name for the first time.

"Are humans really so lazy they shorten everything?" he asked, tilting his head.

That made Eve roll over and laugh—and that, surprisingly, put a smile on his face.

When she caught the expression, her laughter faded. She stared at him, caught off-guard by how gentle and human the smile looked.

A moment of silence stretched between them.

“This is actually what I wanted to talk about,” the angel said quietly, not looking away from the girl whose cheeks had gone faintly pink.

“What, your nickname?” she replied dryly, though deep down she knew that wasn’t it.

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” he said plainly, as if he’d heard her thoughts.

Her eyes widened. “Wait—did I say that out loud?!”

He didn’t answer. Just, “I’ll explain later.”

She nodded, slowly. Waiting.

“There’s no simple way to say it,” he began, pausing for just a beat. “But I think we’re soulmates.”

Eve blinked.

Of all the things she expected an angel to say, that wasn’t it. She had met an actual angel. She had seen demons. But this?

This was a whole new level.

It took a second to sink in.

He just said mates.

“Soulmates?” was all she could manage before a sharp laugh broke out of her chest. Not delicate. Not polite. A full on cackle.

Maybe it was the funniest thing she’d heard all day.

“Yes, soulmates,” he repeated, unfazed. “And I know you know what I mean.”

He pointed at her bookshelf, crammed with hundreds of fiction novels, most of which were clearly from w*****d.

“Yeah, those are fictional,” Eve said, one brow arched, arms folding across her chest. “Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?”

“You and I both know I’m not lying,” he replied calmly, his voice level but eyes sharp. “Do you think I’d joke about something like this?”

He stood up, and Eve’s body tensed at the sudden motion.

She followed his movements with guarded eyes. “Fine,” she muttered, cautiously. “Let’s say I do believe you. How would you even know we’re soulmates?”

“I said I think, not I know,” he corrected, stepping toward her.

Eve instinctively shifted back on the bed, her hand gripping the blanket without realizing it. He tracked the motion, pausing mid-step.

Something twisted in his chest...tight, hot, and unfamiliar.

He didn’t know if it was the bond reacting to her pulling away… or if he just liked watching her move like that.

“Can you feel that?” he asked suddenly, pressing a palm against his chest.

“Feel what?” she said, her brows knitting, clearly not following.

He looked faintly puzzled, almost disappointed. “I guess you wouldn’t. You’re human. It probably won’t manifest until… after we bond.”

“Okay, no. Stop,” Eve said, waving a hand sharply. “Can you please start explaining whatever this is? Because right now, you’re sounding like a very pretty crazy person.”

She shifted to the side, making room on the bed. It wasn’t a conscious decision just instinct but he caught it and took the invitation.

He sat down beside her, the bed dipping under his weight, the mattress groaning softly.

The space between them was warm.

He exhaled slowly. “Okay. Thursday, after we split up, I went back to the warehouse. The demons had already started escaping, but I caught one before he escaped.”

She didn’t interrupt, but her brows furrowed.

“I interrogated him,” he continued, shifting his weight as the sheets rustled beneath them. “At first, he played dumb. But then he started talking.”

Eve turned slightly toward him, her knees brushing his leg.

“He knew who I was. Exactly who I was. Not just my name, he knew what I am. He knew Ava too. He said I was the angel destined to find a soulmate… and that I already had.”

He met her gaze, and this time, neither of them looked away.

“He said I hadn’t recognized you yet. That I wouldn’t. Not until it was too late.”

Eve’s breath caught, but she said nothing.

“He also went on a rant about Ava,” Cal added darkly. “Called her a little snitch. Said she’d ‘get what’s coming to her.’”

“What did she do?” Eve asked quietly.

“He didn’t say,” Cal muttered. “He just kept talking. About you. About me. About the so-called ‘destined pair.’” He paused. “He said if we bonded… if we chose each other… we’d trigger something.”

“Something like what?”

He looked down at his hands. “A war. Between Heaven and Hell.”

Eve blinked.

He looked up again. “And… something about the Veil breaking.”

⌦ ✩°｡⋆⸜ 🎧✮ ⸝⋆｡°✩ ⌫

After Cal dropped that bomb on her, Eve had barely managed to string a sentence together. She’d told him, barely holding her composure, that she needed time to think.

She wasn’t in denial. She believed him. That wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that everything had suddenly become too real.

And Ava.

There was something off about her. Always had been, if she was being honest with herself. But now?

Now Eve couldn’t ignore it anymore. Ava wasn’t who she said she was, and Cal clearly knew more than he was letting on.

She’d get answersone way or another.

She had told Cal to give her an hour. Just one hour to breathe.

To try and make sense of a universe that suddenly felt like it had turned inside out.

It was now 16:49. He’d be here any minute.

Eve sat cross-legged on the kitchen counter, a warm bowl of ramen cradled in her hands.

Steam curled lazily into the air, but she barely noticed it anymore.

She’d hated the stuff at first—the smell, the taste, the way it clung to her throat like glue—but after months of being lazy and exhausted, it had become… tolerable.

Even kind of comforting.

She slurped up the last few noodles and sighed, leaning back slightly.

The hum of the fridge was the only sound in the room.

Sliding off the counter, she padded barefoot across the tile and rinsed her bowl, letting the water run longer than necessary just to fill the silence.

You might be wondering where everyone else was on this weirdly peaceful Saturday.

Well…

Elias was off at tutoring—again.

The kid was sharp as hell, but lately he’d been a little too eager to disappear into books and extra lessons. Maybe he knew more than he let on too.

Jayden was still holed up in his room, probably staring at the ceiling or brooding over something she wasn’t allowed to know.

He hadn’t spoken much since he came from Jordan's place.

Jonathan was at work, of course. Mr. Consistency. Naomi too.

As soon as the snow had cleared, everyone had been expected to resume life like nothing had happened.

School was officially back in session Monday.

Eve groaned at the thought, resting her forehead briefly against the cabinet door.

As if she could handle math class now that angels and demons were real and she might accidentally start a war by holding hands with one.

She rinsed the bowl, wiped her hands dry, and exhaled slowly. Her nerves were humming. She didn’t know why, but every cell in her body felt like it was buzzing.

Cal was probably already in her room by now. Punctual as ever—of course the angel wouldn’t understand the concept of “give me a minute” the way humans did.

She headed up the stairs, the quiet creak of each step somehow making her more aware of the silence in the house.

The hallway was dim, sun leaking lazily through the high windows, casting long stripes across the floorboards.

She passed Elias’s door. Still empty. Jayden’s was shut tight, as usual.

The house felt hollow, like it was holding its breath.

When she reached her own door, something in her chest pulled tight. Her hand hesitated on the knob.

Why did it suddenly feel... off?

She frowned, heart thudding a little faster. Shaking the feeling off, she pushed open the door—

—and froze.

Dead in her tracks.

Her body locked up before she could even scream.

Because Cal wasn’t alone.

And what she saw inside her room made her stomach drop straight through the floor.