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Zach Wiche bolted awake, one hand pressed against his aching chest.
He’d had the dream. Again.
Falling, endlessly, such agony tearing through him he knew death would be the only way to escape it. He always woke before he hit the fast approaching ground, with an ache in the center of his chest that took hours to go away, and his tattoo of flaming sword and wings, that once marked him as a guardian, glowing and angry.
This time, he had almost reached the ground, his fingertips touching damp grass just as his conscious mind jerked him out of the dream. A dream he had a feeling was a memory.
The memory of him falling.
***
“Hey, bud.” Annie Sullivan—Malone now, he reminded himself, wondering how he made that mental fumble when she and Eric had been married for over a year. He must be more exhausted than he thought. “Good job holding up the front counter.”
“Thanks.” He pushed off the granite countertop and took a deep breath. He usually found solace in Mom’s shop, surrounded by the low hum of crystals and the soft scent of lavender, but it wasn’t working today. “How’s business?”
“Booming. Nothing like summer to bring in the curious tourists.” She flashed him a smile, her blonde curls brushing her shoulder as she tilted her head. “Rough night?”
“A few of them. I keep having dreams. I wanted to talk to Mom about them.”
“Talk to Mom about what?” Claire Wiche stepped to his side, appearing in that silent way she had. She laid one hand on his back and rubbed, slow, soothing. “You look worn down, sweetheart. Why don’t you come and sit while I sort my latest box of crystals? I have half of my roast beef sandwich left from lunch.”
“Lily’s?”
She smiled, her silver-edged blue eyes lighting up. “Who else?”
“Deal.”
He followed her back to the round table she used for tarot readings. It was draped with a blue velvet cloth, silver stars spread across it, winking in the overhead light.
Mom gestured to the chair closest to the back room before she walked back there, reappearing with one of Lily’s signature brown bags, a big bag of chips, and a bottle of water. She set them in front of Zach and sat in the chair opposite him, her hands clasped on the table.
“What is hurting you, Zach?” Her low, gentle voice lodged tears in his throat.
He knew exactly what she had given up to help him become human. She still fought the demon she thought had died that day, the silver in her eyes telling him how much of the demon still held her.
“I’ve been dreaming—and I think they’re memories. Of when I fell.”
“Oh, Zach.” She stood and moved around the table, wrapping her arms around him. Her warm presence felt so good, the love he had never questioned filling him. “I was hoping you would never remember.”
“So—it’s possible?” he whispered. “This could really be what I think?”
“Tell me about the dream.”
He took a shaky breath, waited for her to drag her chair closer and take his hands.
“It’s dark, and I’m falling. I feel so cold, and the pain, Mom—it’s agonizing. I can’t escape it, any more than I can stop falling.” She closed her eyes briefly. “You know what I’m talking about.”
“It’s a pain that is never forgotten. What you feel, in the dream, is your grace being torn from you, your wings taken as you change from angel to mortal. We were not given the gift of forgetting, like many of the fallen now.”
He reversed their grip, tightened his hands over hers. The most amazing and unbelievable thing he’d learned about his mom was that she was one of the original fallen, banished for standing with Lucifer. He still had so many questions about her life, questions she always put off for another time.
“Last night,” he whispered, the memory still fresh, the feel of the grass on his fingertips so real. “I almost landed. My fingers touched grass, and I woke up.”
Fear flashed in her eyes before she could hide it. “Simon caught you, before you could hit the ground. Since you moved through the dream to that point, they may end now. I will give you a crystal you can keep under your pillow, to help with sleep.”
“Thanks.”
“Anytime, sweetheart.” She kissed his forehead and stood. That was when he saw the triquetra pendant, almost hidden by the neckline of her shirt.
“Why are you wearing a triquetra?”
Her hand moved to it, then dropped as she let out a sigh. “The demon has been pushing at my barriers, so I added another.” She pulled the pendant out. “The silver covers iron.” Zach’s eyes widened. “The silver layer is heavy enough that I can’t feel the iron, but the demon can. Now that you have told me about your dreams, I understand why. You used my grace to fall, Zach, and dreaming about it riles the demon.”
“Mom—I’m sorry—”
“Never apologize, Zach. I made my choice that day, to help you escape the prison of your existence. If I had to do it again, I would make the same choice, because it gave me you.”
He hugged her, not surprised to feel how thin she was. She had always been good at hiding it, but the lack of rings, except her wedding ring, was always a giveaway.
She eased out of his arms and brushed hair off his forehead. “Now, my beautiful son, I want you to eat. Call Lily for delivery if you need another sandwich. Or two.” She winked at him and stood, using the table to help her.
“Mom—”
“I’m as fine as I can be, sweetheart. Marcus is helping, every night. I have lived with the demon for a long time. We just need to come to new terms, and I’m still—working them out. Annie doesn’t know, so please don’t say—”
“Annie knows now.” Arms crossed, Annie stood behind Mom, fury and fear in her blue eyes. “How could you hide it from me, Claire, after all we’ve been through?”
“I didn’t want you to worry, not with Lizzie—”
Annie cursed. “This is why you’ve stayed away from her lately. She’s been crying, Claire. She misses you, and so do I.” She stalked forward and wrapped her arms around Mom, all six feet looming over her. “Best friends don’t keep secrets like this. Got it?”
“Got it.” Mom rubbed Annie’s back, the same soothing rhythm she used on him. After a few shaky breaths, Annie freed her. “I still don’t quite have all the friend rules down. Annie is my first.”
Zach stared at her, then at Annie. “Seriously?”
Annie grinned. “I may have been a little obnoxious about it, but yeah, I finally convinced her that we could trust each other. The trust thing took longer on her end.” They exchanged a look, one that told Zach there was a history he didn’t know about.
“I’m learning, Annie.” She brushed one hand through Zach’s hair. “Eat, sweetheart. We’ll be up front, running a business, if you need anything.” The front door bell chimed. “Speaking of business.”
She walked away, graceful and beautiful. Even if she was his mom, he noticed stuff like that.
Annie gave him the stink eye. “You tell her everything, bud?”
He sighed. “Yes, Annie.”
Her laughter wrapped around him. “Come to dinner sometime this week. Lizzie misses you. And bring the gorgeous Misty with you.”
“I—okay.”
He watched her head to the front of the store, feeling better, and nervous at the same time. He knew exactly why Annie had invited Misty to dinner.
She wanted to interrogate.
He shuddered, and drowned his fear in roast beef and chips. Misty could handle Annie just fine. The questions about their future were what left him shaky, especially since Misty had just graduated.
Zach knew he wasn’t good enough for her, no matter how much she defended him. How do you tell your filthy rich family that you’re in love with a fallen angel who can, by the way, search out just about anything with a carefully worded request?
He loved Misty, more than he thought he could stand sometimes, but he knew that sooner or later he would have to let her go.