| |
Zoe
––––––––
My body jerked awake, and I fumbled for my phone to check the time. Midnight. The bedside light was still on, but the house was silent. Everyone would already be in bed. I closed my eyes, hoping for sleep. When something ticked nearby, I bolted straight up in bed. The sound came again, except louder. It sounded like rain tapping on my window.
Demons!
“Zoe?”
I didn’t recognize that voice, but it sounded husky, as if whoever was calling was trying to be quiet. I listened hard, not answering, wondering if I’d just imagined it. Then I heard my name again.
“Zoe? Are you awake?”
I climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the window. My stomach flip-flopped when I saw Shay standing on the grass two stories below.
“Are you okay?” he mouthed, motioning for me to open the window.
I slid it open as quietly as possible. “If I said I was fine, would you believe me?” I whispered back.
“No. May I come up?”
“No!” I cried. “If my dad found out I had a guy in my room, he’d kill us both!”
He tilted his head to one side, mulling that over. “I don’t think he could kill me. Not unless he has a sword dipped in Hell’s Fire or from the River Styx.”
“Not funny.” I shook my head. “Did Kieran send you?”
“No. Please. Can I come up?”
“It’s midnight!”
“I know. And it’ll be even later the longer you keep me standing out here.”
“Why didn’t you come earlier?” I listened behind me, but I didn’t hear any sounds from the rest of the house. Still I hesitated. “I don’t know. Can you be quiet? How are you going to get up here?”
“Back up a little.”
Shay’s shirt suddenly disappeared, and I stared at the two huge silver wings which framed his back. They flapped a few times as he rose from the ground, sounding like laundry on a line when the wind gusts past. He hovered outside my window, grinning at me. Once I moved past the wings, I found myself staring right at his perfectly sculpted chest. Oh man.
I finally figured out he was waiting for me to get out of the way. I stumbled back from the window, scrambled over to the end of my bed and sat, hugging my knees to my chest. Shay slipped inside, protecting his wings as he moved. I stared, rendered speechless by his beauty and the massive silver feathers protruding from his back. And this was only a half-angel?
As he made his way into the bedroom, a soft glow enveloped everything, turning my lavender walls white. I couldn’t tell if the light came from his body or from his wings. Guessing I’d be curious, he unfurled them for me to see, and they took up almost the whole width of my room. It was the most exquisite thing I had ever seen. My eyes swept over his half exposed body, taking in his tanned skin, his muscled arms, and the lean waist which narrowed and fit nicely into his black jeans. He still wore the black combat boots I’d seen him in that afternoon. Once again, my cheeks warmed, and I dropped my chin, embarrassed. I’d just blatantly checked out his body.
“Hey, don’t do that,” he whispered. “Don’t hide your beautiful face.”
An electrical jolt coursed through my body when he cupped my chin between gentle fingers, forcing my eyes to meet his. Shay’s eyes widened, and I realized he’d felt it, too.
Wait. He just said I was beautiful.
I scooted off the bed and stood on wobbly legs in front of him, the top of my head coming to just under his chin. Warmth radiated off his body in waves. His tender gaze was on me as I walked around the room, admiring me, and when I returned to face him, he wore a small, knowing smile.
The wings were the whitest of anything I had ever seen, dotted by silver specks. I wanted more than anything to feel them, so I raised my right hand, my silent gesture asking if I could touch. He nodded, giving me permission, and my fingers lightly grazed over the feathers. They felt like silk, and his whole body shivered under my touch.
“They’re so soft,” I marveled. I bet just like his skin.
His eyes danced. “Would you like to go flying with me?”
I nodded, but my body didn’t move. Oh my God! I’m going flying! He turned me so I faced away from him. He guided me toward the window, and once again, as soon as he touched the small of my back, electricity streamed throughout my body. His fingers twitched.
“Climb out and stand on the sill,” he said. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right behind you.”
I grabbed a hoodie from the back of a chair and threw it on over my tank top, then I darted into my closet to slide black yoga pants over my shorts. Shay shook his head, smirking as I climbed out the window.
“What?”
He winked. “Nothing. It’s just, well, what you had on before was just fine with me.”
Typical guy.
I stood on the sill with my hands pressed on the frame, bracing myself and wondering what on earth I was doing. Then Shay’s body pressed up against mine, and I felt entirely safe. He wrapped his arm around my waist and drew me closer, and the electric current danced through us.
“Are you ready?” he whispered.
I couldn’t find my voice, so I just nodded. With no apparent effort, he lifted me then set me back down so the heels of my feet were on the hard tops of his boots. His grip around my waist tightened, then he bent his knees and launched us into the air. For one instant I experienced the terrifying feeling of falling straight down, then his gigantic wings gave one good thrust and we shot up into the starry sky.
I suppose I should have been terrified, but I wasn’t. And I couldn’t close my eyes, because I wanted to take everything in. St. Joseph grew smaller and smaller, turning cars and houses into little dots as we soared toward the clouds and across the countryside.
“Don’t worry, I won’t drop you,” he breathed into my ear. I shivered, but it wasn’t from the temperature. With him wrapped around me, how could I be cold?
“I’m not.” It was true. The absolute trust I felt for Shay was something I sensed in my bones. I relaxed into him. We soared above the clouds, and I eventually extended my arms, feeling free and happy. I heard no worldly noises except the wind whipping past.
We climbed upward for a few more seconds, then he spiraled downward, the downy silver and white of his wings wrapping around us like a cocoon. We breathed in unison, and I felt Shay’s heart beating against my back. He sighed, sounding happy as he rested his chin on top of my head and his other arm crossed over my waist. Suddenly, the most intense shock passed through our bodies.
“Why does that happen when we touch?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. We can ask Kieran tomorrow.” He sighed again, but this time the tone of it was different. “It’s getting late, Zoe, and we have to talk, yet. Ready to go back?”
I turned my head so I could see his profile. “And if I say I want to stay like this forever?”
He chuckled. “I should take you back.”
Way before I was ready, we landed on my windowsill, and he took my hand to help me through. Remembering he’d need extra space for his huge wings, I moved to my bed so he could follow me in. As he did, the wings contracted, disappearing into his back, and a new black T-shirt instantly covered his torso.
“Thank you for taking me. That was incredible,” I whispered, patting the bed for him to sit next to me. “Where does the shirt go and does it have to disappear in order to fly? I mean ... if I get wings ... ah, I don’t want to be topless.”
He chuckled, unlaced and kicked off his boots, but didn’t sit. Instead, he leaned against the desk. “For guys, it’s easier to not have a shirt. But it doesn’t actually have to disappear. You can fly fully dressed, too.”
I released the breath I held. “How come Kieran didn’t come, too?”
“I think he wants to give you time and space. But I’m here because you deserve to know who’s protecting you.”
I nodded and sighed, forcing me to wrap my head around all I was told. “The prophecy ...”
Shay leaned forward and looked me in the eyes, his expression entirely focused. I couldn’t look away. When he spoke, his voice sounded almost as if he were chanting.
“Glory!
Babe born.
First and last.
Heaven and unto Earth.
Receives the highest in jubilation.
Enlightens will unite, they shall band.
Triumph be if darkness is driven back.
Help found who love, the world will stand.”
“What does that even mean?” I crossed my arms.
“I agree with Kieran that you are the babe.” He crossed and then uncrossed his legs. “When you were born, the veil to the underworld broke. So evil has been festering all this time. Waiting. When you turn eighteen, the door will bust open allowing all of hell to descend to Earth.”
“So I caused this?”
“But you’re also the Redeemer who will save us, too.”
“Great.” I shook my head. “Now I feel awful ...”
“We’ll get through it.”
“Yeah.” I laid my head on my knees and turned away from him. “Keep telling yourself that.” I sighed.
“I know it’s a lot to take in.”
“I need to wrap my brain around all that. So, tell me about you and where you came from?”
He took a breath. “My mom, Lindy, was a waitress at a diner in Santa Clara, California, when she met my father. One summer day he had stopped in for a late lunch. It was a slow day, so they had plenty of time to talk. He returned the next day and the next, eventually convincing her to have dinner with him and did whatever other young couples did back in the 1930s.”
He moved away from the desk’s edge and walked slowly around my room. “She knew she was in love with him. She would have done anything he asked.” His eyes went to mine, suddenly serious. “But Gabriel—that’s my dad—finally told her he was an Archangel, and that meant he couldn’t marry her because of the rules of being an angel.” Shay took a seat on the corner of my bed and his mouth curled up. “I was born soon after they had met. That’s when he had to explain to my mom that I would be special. I would be a Nephilim.”
I uncrossed my legs and tucked them under me, very aware of his closeness. I thought that was a little odd, since I’d been flying in his arms moments before. Oh God. I have a boy on my bed!
“Being half-angel, I’ll live longer than Ordinaries, and Gabriel loved my mom so much he asked God to grant her a longer life, too. That way she could raise and protect me, since he wasn’t able to be like a normal dad. God has sympathy, but didn’t grant his prayer. So, Gabriel gave some of his own Angel Light to her.”
“So how old are you?” I asked.
“I’m seventy-six years old.”
I twisted my body to stare at him and let that sink in. “Holy crap! You look fantastic for your age.”
“Another angel perk,” he said with a smile. “May I continue?”
I waved my hand. “Please do.”
“I grew up and played games any boy my age would do. Mom and I took vacations, and sometimes Dad even joined us.”
“Was your dad around a lot as you were growing up?”
“I saw him at least a few days a week, for the most part. He just didn’t live with us. By the time I was elementary school age, I knew I was different from other kids. It’s hard to explain.”
Shay scooted closer to me so both our backs were against the headboard. His long legs almost extended to the edge of the bed. “One day, right before I entered sixth grade, Dad showed up and took me for a walk along the river. He talked about the difficult choices he’d had to make in his past and said sometimes he was forced to sacrifice for the greater good. Then he told me that when he’d met Mom, it hadn’t been by chance. He’d been watching her for a while, and he’d seen the good in her. He knew she would make the sacrifice needed for me one day.”
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a moment when he opened them again he gave me a vague smile. “Yeah, he knew before they actually met that he would have a relationship with her, and she would have a son. I was a little shocked by this, but then again, I had suspicions he was different, too. Kind of like me. He told me he was an Archangel, he’d asked Mom not to tell me because he thought he should. He apologized, saying he knew he hadn’t been there for me like he’d wanted to be, but that I’d always been in his thoughts and prayers.”
He looked so sad just then, so I took his hand. It felt like the most natural action in the world.
“So if he knew your mom would be a good mom to you, does that mean he can see into the future?”
“Maybe. He hasn’t confirmed either way even when I point blank ask him. Anyway, he explained I was more special than most kids because I was half-angel. By the time I was a teenager, he said I would have enhanced physical attributes that would mark me as a Nephilim. I would be taller, stronger, and faster. I would get wings and have heightened human senses. I would grow up and look normal, but live a very long life. When I turned eighteen, I received the Heaven’s Mark.” Releasing my hand, he lifted his sleeve and cupped his palm over his bicep to cast Angel Light on a tattoo: two silver iridescent wings with the golden Triquetra symbol in the center. It was the same design as Kieran’s, but with different colored wings. I wondered if the color reflected their real wing color.
“It’s stunning,” I said. Like you. “Why do your wings glow?”
“That’s an angel thing. The glow is pretty faint, though, because I am only a half-angel. Kieran’s are a lot brighter, and the glow of an Archangel’s wings is awesome.”
“What’s the sword I saw you fighting with?”
“It’s a special gift all Nephilim receive. The swords are blessed by God, and they’re a reward for being His servant. And just like our wings can appear and disappear, so does the sword. Each is unique to the individual and plays to his or her strengths.”
I glanced at my phone, checking the time again, and realized the sun would rise soon. I hadn’t gotten more than a few hours of sleep. How was I going to function at school today? I guessed it would be a two-latte day for me. But it was worth it.
He smirked, catching my expression. “I should leave so you can get ready for school. Plus, I should go before your dad comes in and kills me.”
I unfolded myself from the bed while he rose and slipped his boots on. He gazed out the window, watching the sunrise. I joined him there. When our hands linked, small shivers ran up my arms.
“When will I see you again?” I asked.
He beamed down at me. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m never far away.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see me soon.”
“Don’t keep me in the dark.”
“I’ll tell you more later. I promise.” He climbed onto the sill in a crouching position, then he turned back and hesitated. The flicker in his eyes wavered and he pulled back, deflating my hopes to receive my first real kiss. “I’ll see you around,” he said, then dropped down the two stories with no effort at all and walked down the street, leaving me to stare after him.