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Zoe
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When Kieran walked into the den and handed me my drink, I noticed he’d put on a new button-down shirt in the few seconds he had been in the kitchen. He slouched in the wingback chair in front of the fireplace, leaving Shay to sit next to me on the couch. My skin grew increasingly warm with him so close, and I leaned away, pulling my legs up under me and averting my eyes. I hoped he didn’t notice my flushed cheeks.
Slightly exasperated, I grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and formed a barrier between us. Now I was ready for the discussion. Or as ready as could be expected, anyway. I’d been pretty tolerant so far. Seriously. I could have lit into Kieran or had a breakdown at the warehouse, but hadn’t. I’d trusted him. Now it was his turn.
“So, spill.”
Shay faced me, draping his left arm over the back of the couch, and when I stole a glimpse in his direction, he smirked.
Focus, Zoe.
“Shay has already told you he’s a Nephilim,” Kieran said. “Which means he is half-human and half-angel.”
I nodded, glad for the distraction and much better at watching Kieran than I was ignoring Shay.
“I told you in the warehouse that I was assigned to watch over you.”
Finally. I leaned toward him, needing to understand. “Go on.”
“Okay. The truth is ...” He hesitated, and his cheeks turned slightly pink. “I’m an angel.”
My arms flailed. That was unexpected.
“You now know about Heaven, angels, and demons.”
I nodded, becoming aware that my jaw hung open. I snapped it shut.
“And there is a prophecy,” he continued, his eyes slightly glazed, “that has been told over the centuries. It’s so old that I don’t remember its origin, but I think it was from the fairies.”
I blinked at him, speechless, then grabbed onto the one word with which I could vaguely connect. “Wait a minute. Fairies?”
“That’s what I think.” Kieran nodded, as if all this were as normal as anything else. “You are familiar with Guardian Angels. Well, I’m yours. I’m a member of the Third Hierarchy of Angels. Archangels are members of the Second Hierarchy of Angels. Seraphs are in the First. Each level has particular gifts.”
What he described seemed incredible. And yet his face didn’t show any emotion. Shay’s expression hadn’t changed either, so this was nothing new to him.
“Huh.” I frowned, determined to understand. “If angels are real ... then the other creatures in the myths are true, too. Right? I mean, Shay said those guys in the warehouse were ... demons. So you’re suggesting there are other beings besides angels and demons.”
Kieran stood and started to pace the room. “Yes, but not all myths are true or real. Witches—”
“—are real,” Shay interrupted. “But mermaids are not.”
Kieran looked sideways at him. “Oh. Those are real.”
“No, they aren’t.”
“Yes, they are.” Kieran narrowed his eyes. “I’ve seen them. Have you been in the depths of the ocean? I didn’t know Nephilim could hold their breaths for that long.”
“What about werewolves?” I asked, attempting to diffuse the situation.
“Real,” Kieran said.
I frowned. “Come on. You’re talking crazy now.”
He stopped pacing and glared at me. “Why? Is it so hard to believe that humans are not the only ones inhabiting the earth? Many people believe in angels and demons according to whatever religion they follow.”
“Of course not. But I’d never considered there might be an entire population of mythical creatures here. Then again, myths must have come from somewhere.”
Kieran sighed and continued, “There are three Orders of Enlightens: Eternals, the Naturals, and the Ordinaries.” He held up one finger. “Angels, demons, and fairies make up the Order of Eternals, because they live forever.” Another finger joined the first. “Werewolves and Nephilim are in the Order of Naturals, since they live longer lives.” He paced toward the windowsill and then leaned against it, holding up his third finger. “Normal, everyday people are called Ordinaries.”
I’d give him points for that one. “That makes sense. Who named the Orders?”
“I’m not certain, but guessing the fairies again. Typically, Ordinaries think all angels are good, and all demons are bad,” he continued. “Over the centuries, we have discovered that generalization isn’t true. Within each Order, there may be some good elements and some bad.”
My expression must have shown something, because Kieran left the window and sat on the arm of the chair across from me. “Evil has always been around, but it’s getting more powerful all the time. More countries are going to war, human tragedies are on the rise, and unexplained natural disasters keep occurring.”
“Why?” I asked.
“The King of the Underworld, Sammael, is recruiting forces and unleashing them on the world. So now our side has to recruit as well. We need to get ready for the coming war.” I was surprised when he knelt in front of me. “If evil prevails,” he said earnestly, “the world as we know it will cease to exist. Every creature God has put on this earth—including Ordinaries—will die and their spirit will go somewhere else. Waters will dry up, the desert lands will spread, and the earth’s temperature will rise to scorching degrees. In the end, only demons will run wild. God will not intervene as He still believes in humans’ free will and thus he left it to the Council of Angels to deal with it.”
I breathed a deep sigh. My brain felt like it had been launched into overdrive. “So. You’re saying ... angels, demons, fairies, and werewolves are all real?”
He nodded.
“Okay.” I frowned. “Well, not okay, but whatever. Let’s just say I’m buying all this. I understand who Ordinaries are. Is there a way to tell if someone is an Eternal or a Natural?”
“They will have a specific mark on their body,” Kieran said. “Angels and demons have wings and a special symbol. Male angels have theirs on their upper arm while female angels get theirs on the undersides of their wrists.” He turned his body slightly away and rolled up his sleeve.
“Um, I hate to disappoint you, but you don’t have a tattoo, Kieran.”
He grinned, then cupped his hand over a spot on his bicep. I stared as a small spotlight landed on two gold, iridescent wings, opened around a kind of triangular Celtic knot, also in gold.
“What ... Kieran! Is your hand glowing?” I grabbed his arm and twisted it, so I could stare at his palm. A soft, white light seemed to pulse from it. I didn’t even bother to shut my mouth this time when I looked up at him. “What ...?”
He nodded, unconcerned, and put his hand back over his arm. “That’s called Angel Light. It’s the only way you can see this on an angel.”
“What’s that?” I asked, touching the triangle. “It looks familiar.”
“It’s called a Triquetra symbol.”
“Tri-ket-er-a. It’s pretty.”
“Thanks.” He grinned. “Fairies have a different kind of mark. They have either a blue or green lily. And werewolves have a paw print.”
“Why a blue or green flower?” I asked. Even I understood about the werewolf.
“The winter fairies are blue,” Shay said, “and summer fairies are green.”
Of course. I blew out a long breath. “So. Angels,” I blurted out. “Angels are real.”
Shay snickered. “Yes, we are real. Even us halfies.” He gestured toward Kieran with his chin. “Kieran, as an angel, is a protector by nature. If you know what to look for, you’ll see he looks a little different from an Ordinary.” Shay glanced at Kieran, who nodded once, then both of them looked back at me. “What do you see, anything different about him?”
What did I see? My best friend. The boy I’d always known. “Um, he’s tall, with fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. He has a great ...” I blushed then proceeded. Why not? Things were already pretty strange. “I guess model-like build.”
“Yes, now look closer at him.”
So I did, but it felt awkward, staring like that. I mean, I always saw him, I just avoided looking. This time I didn’t notice anything unusual at first, but Kieran just stared back, trying to make it easier on me.
Then, well, I thought at first it was my imagination. I checked to make sure the lights were working, because while I watched, his body began to glow. It was as if he were bathed in a soft white light. Then all of a sudden, he flickered out of sight. Poof.
A couple of seconds later, he was back. Plain old Kieran.
I threw off the blanket, thrilled. “Oh my god, K! Did you just disappear? That was amazing! What else can you do? Do you have any other super powers? Are you like a ghost? Do you have wings? Can you fly?”
Chuckling, Kieran said, “Yes, I have some other ‘super powers,’ and no, I’m not a ghost, but I can make myself transparent like one. And yes. I have wings. So yes, I can fly.”
He had wings? “Way cool! Can you show me?” He opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped him. “Better yet, will you take me flying?” I turned to Shay. “And what about you? What can you do?”
Shay grinned. “I don’t have any super powers, but I do have wings. The Nephilim are God’s warriors, so I have amplified Ordinaries’ qualities.” His sparkling eyes moved to Kieran, then back to me. “And when the Heaven’s Mark appears on your eighteenth birthday, you’ll get wings, too.”
I stared at him, not comprehending. “I don’t get it.”
Kieran’s mouth twisted to the side a bit. If I had to guess, I’d say he looked sheepish. Shay just smiled. “Sure you do,” he said.
“You’re not saying ...”
They both continued to stare at me, waiting.
My whole body tingled with the possibility. I took a deep breath. “Are you trying to tell me I’m some kind of angel, too?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“That’s crazy!”
“Maybe, but it’s true,” Shay told me. “And now with the prophecy—”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“I think it’s you,” Kieran stated flat out. “I believe the prophecy is talking about you.”
I huffed. “You are crazy!” My arms flew into the air, almost knocking Shay in the face.
He ducked and then grinned. “You think what we can do is amazing, well, you’ll have more super powers than anyone! We’ve been waiting for you, Zoe. To lead us.”
This was getting out of hand. “No way! Stop it. You can’t just show up one day, fight demons, disappear into thin air, tell me you have wings, inform me that I’m an angel, then say I’m the answer to a prophecy! That’s just wrong!”
“I know,” Kieran said gently.
Stunned into silence, I slouched into the couch, then suddenly I shot out from my seat. Both sets of eyes followed me as I paced around the small den, stopping so I could lean against the mantel. I stared through the large window. The sun dipped toward the horizon, and a breeze tugged at new leaves. The early grass had started to turn green, lit in places by adventurous, young tulips. Winter was over, spring had arrived.
This is insane! I’m only seventeen. I can’t lead a war.