Page 64 of Cherry Moon

It did.

“Anyway, I didn’t like what they said. They were basically forcing you to pick between G or the blade. No. Absolutely not.”

I smiled, which quickly died. “And now you have all this responsibility without the intended tenshi blood.”

“I think they’re a bit gutted.”

Then they needed to be straight with me.

He shrugged. “I’ll work harder, prove I don’t need angelic blood.”

“Zach…”

“These healed quicker than normal.” He held up his palms, showing me those marks, the skin healed. “So, I’m pretty robust already.”

True. “New powers?”

“Apparently, I can self-heal a little bit,” he replied. “But not like I should.”

A flicker of hurt in his eye.

Ah, shit. That grated on my patience. If the tenshi had a problem with him, then they could shove it. They were lucky they had themselves a Sakura Chosen.

He shrugged again. “I’m stronger, fitter, and I feel great. I’m ready for some adventure.” He took a moment to carry on. “I love my brewery, but I’ve been drifting. I need something new, a big change.”

Then take up golf, I thought, keeping it to myself.

He regarded me with an extreme intensity that made me shudder. “Let me take over. I know you still have to defend yourself, but let the biggest burden be with me this time.”

I flinched, hating this for him as much as I hated myself for the sprinkle of relief over my decision.

How much damage had I done?

Damn. It left a sour taste in my mouth.

“What about what you told me?” I wondered. “Don’t you want to explore that?”

“Who says I can’t do both?”

Touché.

“I might be this Sakura Chosen guy now,” he tapped both tattoos, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t find myself a love interest along the way. Whoever they might be.” A cheeky grin.

I liked the cut of his gib. “True.”

“By the end of the Cherry Moon,” he continued, “I’ll be ready for what comes next.”

“And I’ll help you,” I said. “I mean, I’ll kind of be a line of defense for those pricks who pay me a visit. Don’t need a Cherry Blade to take them down.”

He tilted his head. “Thank you. I’d rather they didn’t come for you.”

“I’m ready for them.”

Some things change, some things don’t. Like me being a magnet for drama.

Ugh.

He stared at me for several long beats. “Talk to me.”