Chapter 26

After the funeral, Mom took our grieving guests out to a late lunch. When we got home, I told Mom that I was tired, and that I desperately needed a nap. As I headed to my bedroom, the anticipation of finding them there was beating out of my chest. When I opened the door, my heart sunk deeply when I didn’t see them. Maybe they had to do something first, I thought and decided to wait for them. After all, Michael did say, ‘We’re here. See you at home.’

After I changed into my comfortable clothing, I decided to take a nap. When I woke up, I didn’t realize how long I had slept, until I opened the blinds. The sun was setting, with hues of violet that spread across the horizon. While I was marveling at its beauty, I took a deep breath, disappointed that they weren’t here yet. Had I misread the letter? When I went to my desk to reread the letter, I saw a new letter.

I miss you more. See you at The Cliff.

In my heart, in my soul—M

My spirits lifted, and my frown turned into a smile. I placed the letter back on the desk. I nearly flew across the room, startled by Davin’s appearance.

“Hello, there,” he said, cheerful as always.

“Davin!” I shouted and hugged him tightly. I was so happy to see him.

“Claudia, I’m not Michael,” he teased and returned the hug.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so happy to see you. Is everybody all right? I haven’t seen you or heard from any of you in a while. I just can’t believe you’re here.” I couldn’t stop talking. He just stood there and let me say my peace.

“We’re fine, and Michael is better. I told you the next time I saw you would be when you were in danger, but…”

“I’m in danger?” I asked frantically.

“Calm down, Claudia. Everything is fine. I guess I should have picked my words better. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that,” Davin said, as he placed one hand behind my back. “What I meant to say was…the next time I saw you would be when you were in danger, but you’re not, and here I am.”

“Oh,” I said, relieved. “I guess I overreact sometimes. I should have known better and let you finish. Where are Vivian and Caleb?”

“They were sent back before the funeral ended. Phillip found out about Gamma and gave us permission to pay our last respects to her. Vivian and Caleb wanted to stay, but Michael thought it was best for them to leave.”

“Oh.” I felt disappointed that I didn’t get to hug and thank them for going to the funeral.

Davin sensed my sadness. “Don’t worry, they’ll come back. I’m actually here to take you to Michael.”

My face lit up. “You are?” Then I wondered why he asked Davin to take me to him. Why wasn’t he here himself? Maybe he was still weak from the injury? After all, Davin said he was better, but didn’t say he was completely better. “Where is Michael? Is he all right?”

“Don’t worry. He’s fine,” he said quickly, and changed the subject.

“If he is better, why isn’t he here?” I asked again, wondering what he was up to.

“You’ll see. I’m not supposed to say. You’ll just have to see. Do you want to go or stay here all night?”

Just as Davin asked the last question, I jumped up and stood right in front of him.

“Not fashionably late this time?” he teased.

“You didn’t steal a car, did you?” I asked, teasing him back. He gave me a sly look.

“Borrowed,” he said and gave me the biggest grin I had ever seen on his face.

“No, you didn’t,” I was trying not to laugh.

“Same car, 540 horsepower,” he exclaimed.

Before I knew it, Davin grabbed me, and we were headed to the car.

He was driving slightly over the speed limit, but when we got on the freeway, he started driving faster – faster.

“Ahhh! Slow down!” I yelled. “You’re giving me a heart attack!”

“Don’t worry, I’m a really good driver,” he said, driving over a hundred miles per hour, weaving in and out of lanes. “Isn’t this great? It’s like flying, but on the ground.”

“No!” I yelled, covering my eyes as I continued to hang on to my seatbelt for my life.

“You’ve been flying with Michael too much,” he teased.

“Not enough,” I mumbled.

He was thoroughly enjoying himself, and I enjoyed watching him get so much pleasure out of something so simple. I knew that his vision and coordination were more than perfect, so I let him be. After all, when would he have this opportunity again? And if I could, I would do it too.

When we finally reached our destination, my body was plastered to the seat. We were at the same campground. With my knees still shaking, I managed to get out of the car. I was about to fall flat on my bottom when I felt a pair of strong arms around me.

“Michael,” I turned and threw myself at him. His embrace felt so warm, and I felt complete.

“Davin,” Michael said, in a scolding tone.

“I was trying to get here as fast as she wanted to get here,” he said innocently.

“You know you can travel faster than a car,” Michael reminded Davin.

“But it’s not as much fun,” Davin said lightly.

“Leave the fun part to yourself,” Michael said seriously.

Davin shrugged his shoulder. “Sorry, Claudia, I thought it would be fun for you too. I forget that you don’t feel the same rush as me.”

I turned to Michael and shook my head, so he wouldn’t be mad at Davin anymore.

“Next time I get to drive,” I winked.

He smiled, pouted, and gave me a hug. “See you when I see you.”

Unexpectedly he placed his fist out, and I looked at him with a questioning expression. He took my hand and banged it on top of his fist like a hammer. And then he took his fist and banged it on top of mine. “You know the handshake people do to say hi and bye?”

I got the idea, but I didn’t know he knew it. “Oh, now I know what you were trying to do.”

“Get a clue, Claudia, you’re acting more like an alkin than a human,” he teased.

Then he turned to Michael. “See you later, Mr. Ruin the Fun. Don’t be too late.” Then he flew straight up and disappeared.

Alone at last, and I was suddenly struck with shyness. “Fly with me, Claudia, I’ll show you 540 wing power.” Michael winked and we were already up in the air.

We didn’t fly high like last time; instead, we flew up to The Cliff. As we drew closer, he told me to close my eyes. Closing my eyes meant he was up to something, and I did so without hesitation. I couldn’t wait to see what he had planned. When I opened my eyes, my body stiffened, fixating on the same space where Aden had floated. I knew with every fiber of my being that Aden was dead and that he couldn’t hurt me any longer, but just the thought of him brought back horrifying feelings that coursed through me.

Suddenly, Michael’s wings enclosed me, and my fear subsided. My body was relaxed and at ease. I knew this warmth, this place I wanted to be for all eternity. Slowly I turned, and I was lost in his eyes. I glided my hands up to feel his soft wings. The wounds had healed completely; no evidence of his injury could be seen. No matter how many times I had witnessed the strength that it exerted, it still amazed me.

“Claudia, look.” He lowered his wings. Then he turned me around.

My eyes opened wide in surprise to see many white lights strung above the trees, sparkling brilliantly. The lights intertwined from the tops of the branches and dangled as they reached the bottom. Hundreds of lit candles were placed throughout the surrounding woods. We walked further in, and the whole place was glowing. It was like we were in some enchanted forest, and he was my prince. It was the most romantic scene I could ever have imagined. I was deeply touched by all of his efforts that had gone into planning such a perfect reunion. This was the reason he had asked Davin to bring me to The Cliff. I continued to stare in awe, and my eyes glistened with tears of happiness.

“What do you think?” he asked, wiping my tears.

“I can’t believe you did this for me.”

“You’re worth all this trouble and much more,” he said, still wiping my tears.

“Sorry. I’m just way too emotional these days.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s been overwhelming for you. I wish I could make it go away.”

Wanting not to spoil this beautiful ambiance, I stopped the tears from falling, wiped the last tear myself, and lightened up. “A good-looking alkin told me things happen for a reason.” I ran my fingers down his shoulders.

“Who’s this good-looking alkin? Are you cheating on me?” he asked, nuzzling my neck, knowing I was referring to him.

“I didn’t know we were dating. Would you feel jealous?” I asked, enjoying his nuzzling.

“Extremely.”

“You’re un…unbelievable,” I said, barely making out the words, lost in his arms.

Suddenly he stopped, and I had to catch my breath.

“I know,” he said, trying to hold back a laugh. “You told me that the first day we met. You remember? I wanted to prove it.”

I giggled, recalling the first day we met when I was extremely mad at him. “Of course I remember. But this time, I mean it in a good way.”

“I know you do.” Then he changed the subject. “I’m sorry I was away, but I asked Davin to keep an eye on you.”

“You did?” I asked in surprise and pulled away to look at him. “But I never saw him.”

Since you were not in immediate danger, I asked him to keep an eye on you from a distance.”

“Aden is dead. Why would I be in danger?”

“It’s nothing. I’m only trying to be cautious.” Then he brushed off my question.

“Michael, you didn’t answer my question.”

“It’s really nothing. I shouldn’t have said anything,” he replied, not able to look at me.

“Please tell me,” I begged. “You know I won’t stop asking.”

He gave a short laugh. “That’s true. I don’t want to worry you, but I’m just being cautious. There are many fallen who might have the same ideas as Aden. Not that I was suspicious of anyone. Please don’t trouble yourself and put a lot of thought into what I just said. When it comes to your safety, I’m overly protective, that’s all. Promise me you won’t worry?”

“Okay,” I said with hesitation. Although I just promised him that I wouldn’t worry, I knew a part of me would. But I was more curious to know where he was and what he had been doing. “Where were you?” I asked, changing the subject.

“I needed to think about what we are going to do with you.”

“I think you should just whisk me away to where no one can find us. Fly with me, Michael,” I said, giving him my most puppy-eyed look, even though I knew it was impossible.

“If only it were that simple. I would take you anywhere you pleased.”

I knew he meant it. “If only,” I whispered. “What are you going to do with me?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t want to tell Phillip that you have the Holy Spirit’s soul because he will take you to the Royal Council. It’s possible they would make you stay with them. It may be a place without me. And I can’t be without you.” He then placed his head gently against mine. “They know Aden is dead, and I’m going to have to explain why he was after you. Unless I can come up with a good explanation, it will be out of my hands.”

My heart sunk.

He lifted my chin, and my eyes met his. “If they do find out somehow, I will do everything I can to stop them from telling the Royal Council. I honestly don’t know what the Royal Council will do, but I’m not willing to take any chances of them separating us.”

“What do we do in the meantime?”

“The plan is that you go back to your normal life, whatever normal is for you now.” He cocked his brow. “Since Davin, Caleb, Vivian, and I got permission from Phillip to see you more often, I’ll get to visit you, even if you’re not in danger.”

“Did you ask or tell Phillip anything else?”

“I told him about us.”

“You told him about us?” I repeated his answer, unsure of what he had just said.

“Yes, and he also knows I kissed you!”

I was in shock. “What! He knows?” Suddenly I flushed with embarrassment.

“And I told him that I am in love with you.”

“What?”

“I also told him that you make me absolutely crazy.”

I finally caught on to his playfulness. “Did you tell him that you’re making things up?” Then I pushed him gently across his muscular arms, frowning. His fingers tickled the sides of my ribs and I arched my back from the tingling sensation. Without warning, he scooped me off my feet, and I was wrapped like a cocoon inside his wings. I could tell we were floating off the ground. I traced my hands along his face to memorize every turn and every angle. “Can I ask you a question?”

“I was waiting for you to ask me that,” he laughed.

“How did you make Alexa Rose float? And I heard your voice the day of Gamma’s funeral. How did you do that?”

“I reached out to Margaret when I was away. She taught me how to make people float, and how to transfer my thoughts to you on the day of your grandmother’s funeral,” he said excitedly. “I’m not good at it. And it takes a great deal of energy, but with practice, I can do better.”

“Can all angels learn special skills like that?”

“No, I’m the unlucky one who has the ability to learn. It’s what makes me different from the other alkins, besides my wings and the fact that my father is, or was, one of the Twelve,” he said humbly.

“Unlucky?” I asked, remembering when Aden said he would have taught Michael everything he knew.

“It’s the only reason why Aden was interested in me,” he said with shame written all over his face.

“I’m so sorry, Michael,” I said, feeling so much compassion for him. “I think you have a wonderful gift, and you can use it to do good things.”

He let out a huge smile, “For you, I will learn to do anything.”

I didn’t know what to say; instead, I placed my hands on his cheeks and asked him another question. “Do you wish to be human still?”

“No.”

“I don’t understand. I thought you wanted to be human. When did this all change?”

“After I became your guardian angel, I never wanted to leave your sight. I wanted to protect you and keep you safe. If I were a mere human, I couldn’t do that. I found my purpose.” He paused, setting his eyes deeply into mine. “If I had to die to save you, I would. I would do it in a heartbeat. Life isn’t worth living, unless you have someone worth dying for.”

I knew what he meant. “I would do the same for you,” I said as I traced the outline of his lips with my finger.

“I know you would. But if you died and I lived, I might as well be dead. You are my breath of life. Without you, there is no purpose. You are my reason. I need you for my life to make sense.”

“I need you too.”

“But I need you more,” he said softly.

I closed my eyes, letting his words sink in, and repeating them inside my head.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“Just that I can’t believe you’re here. I can’t believe you’re real.” I ran my hands along his face, memorizing every curve, every line, every crinkle when he smiled, knowing that we would be apart again. “Where will I be when I wake up?” I already knew the answer to my question, but I asked anyway.

“I want to be able to tell you that you’ll still be here with me, but I have to go soon. You’ll be safe in your bed,” he said, gently stroking my hair with his hands. It was a sure way of making me fall asleep. I didn’t want him to, but his caress was so soothing.

I closed my eyes, spellbound by his touch. Then he spoke again.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked.

“That’s my line, and I could use all the pennies you give me. You’ll go broke if you want to know what’s on my mind.”

He chuckled. “That many? Ask away. We’ve got all night.”

“When did you first start to have feelings for me?” I asked shyly.

“When you first looked at me with those eyes that said I want you.”

Flushed with redness, I asked, “That obvious?”

“It’s when you first looked at me, speechless, and fought back with your words. You looked so cute when you were mad at me. And when you smile, it makes me absolutely crazy for you.”

“Then why were you so mean, rude, obnoxious, arrogant, and—”

He interrupted before I could finish. “I get the point. Let me explain. I had feelings for you before you even crossed over to Halo City. I’d already fallen for you. I had loved you…even before we met. I would wait for you to come, and it was always for a short period of time. After you crossed over, I didn’t know what to do with the feelings that appeared stronger than I was, feelings I was told not to feel. They were feelings I’ve been suppressing for so many years. And when you came along, it was as if you had taken me over. I didn’t like it. I thought that if I tried to be rude to you, the feelings would go away. But it just grew stronger every time I saw you, so I just decided to do what Phillip told me to do.”

“What did he tell you to do?” I asked, overwhelmed by his words.

“Follow my heart.”

I gave a huge grin. “I’m glad you did.”

“I know you are,” he said arrogantly with a smile. “Following my heart would be like following you. For you are the reason I want to be who I am.”

My eyes peered into his beautiful eyes. It didn’t matter how many times I looked into them, I got those same quivering butterflies dancing in my stomach, feeling just like the first time. And without a word, he stole a soft kiss. I closed my eyes and let him steal more. When he stopped, I opened my eyes to see his eyes gazing lovingly into mine.

“Ask me,” he said. “I can tell you have more questions.”

I started laughing. He was right, I did. “You know me so well.”

“More than you know.”

I refocused and rethought the question I wanted to ask. “Before I forget to ask, do you think that Gamma may have been wrong about me?”

“Why would you say that?”

“I don’t have a single birthmark on my body.”

“It’s because you don’t know where to look.”

“I don’t know where to look?” I repeated his words, remembering when he lifted his right arm to show Aden his fake birthmark.

As if he could hear my thoughts, he said, “I made a fake birthmark on my arm, so I wouldn’t have to turn my back to Aden. Also, I had the advantage because he didn’t know about it—what it looks like or where to find it.” Then he turned me on my side and lifted the back of my hair. Lightly, he traced a small area on the back of my hairline. What was he tracing? He went up, curving around and then back down. It was the upside-down horseshoe—the omega sign. “There it is. Now we know for sure. It’s small and hardly noticeable.”

“Oh,” I frowned. There was a part of me that was still having a difficult time accepting who I was. Michael noticed my mixed emotions. Apparently I was not good at hiding them.

“I’ll be there for you. Don’t worry. Don’t fight what you cannot control. Fight for what you can.”

He was right. Like Gamma said, I couldn’t fight destiny.

He continued, “I’ve been here for you, haven’t I?”

I nodded solemnly.

“Then we do this together, okay?” He cupped my face.

I nodded. “I love you,” I whispered.

“Decorde totaliter et ex mente tota, sum presentialiter, absens in remota,” he whispered back.

I had no idea what it meant. “Say it in simple language,” I said, remembering the time when he had been rude to me. He had spoken his first Latin words to me, and then told me that he would say it in simple language.

He looked at me in surprise and started to laugh hard. “You remember that?”

“I remember everything. Mr. Rude, Mr. Arrogant, Mr. Mean…”

“I get the point. I guess I was all that, but it was for your own good,” he teased.

“No, no, no. It was for your own good,” I reminded him.

“True.” He nodded. “What do I get if I tell you what I said in simple language?”

“You get a kiss,” I said proudly.

“Nope, not good enough.”

“A long kiss?” I questioned.

“Nope, not good enough.”

“My shirt?” I giggled. My eyes widened to ask if I was on the right path.

He smiled and said, “You know I could see right through it if I wanted to.”

I gave him a “you wouldn’t dare” look. “You promised,” I said, reminding him.

He laughed softly. “Yes, you’re right. Now where were we?”

“My shirt, I think.”

He laughed again. “Nope.”

“Okay, I give up.”

“A smile.”

“That’s it? You just want a smile?” But I couldn’t produce one, knowing that he wanted to see me smile.

“That’s all it took for me to fall madly in love with you,” he said sincerely.

I flushed with redness, and the joy in my heart erupted into a huge smile, no effort needed.

“There. Now it’s my turn.” He planted tender kisses up and down my neck and finally said, “In simple language…with all my heart and all my soul, I am with you even though I am far away.”

I couldn’t fight it any longer. His touch, his words, his kisses drove me absolutely wild. I pulled him closer and showed him how much I cared for him, giving him long, passionate kisses. We were lost in our own little world, just Michael and me. It was perfect.

After a while, Michael stood up. The candlelight framed his silhouette with a glowing radiance. He looked like an angel appearing out of my dream, and my heart was overflowing beyond anything I could possibly describe. He pulled out a blue blanket and a picnic basket from behind a tree. “Time to eat,” he said, gently laying the blanket on the grass, and pulled out a container from inside the basket. “Compliments from Italy this time. Seafood linguini.” Then he opened up the huge container.

I grinned steadily the whole time as I watched him. “My favorite,” I said softly. The aroma that escaped as he opened the container made my stomach ache with hunger. He laid out everything in front of us and set the place for two instead of one. He must have seen the look on my face. “I’m eating with you this time. Can’t have my date eating by herself.” He winked and sat across from me.

“I would love that. Thank you for everything,” I said, gazing deeply into his eyes, hoping he would know how grateful I felt.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Don’t worry. You’ll make it up to me.” His brow lifted, giving me a flirty smile.

After dinner, we lay side by side on the blanket and fed each other strawberries. I didn’t know what time it was, but I knew it was late. Not only was I getting tired, but the lights that shone millions of miles above us were clear evidence. I hadn’t noticed the stars until now. In Michael’s presence it was hard to focus on anything but him.

Looking at the stars reminded me of my friend, Claudia, my real mom, Sofia, and especially Gamma. I thought about how Gamma touched my life. My Gamma was an Earth angel. I was one of the few lucky ones who had been blessed to have known and be loved by her. My Gamma was up there looking down on me, I thought, as I searched for the brightest star. Then I turned to Michael, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes, they are. But I’d rather stare at you.” He turned toward me, gently stroked my hair and slowly traced his fingers up and down my side. “It’s getting late.”

“No,” I said, not wanting tonight to end. “Can you freeze time so we can stay like this forever?” I asked, with my eyes closed.

“I wish I could. I’m just your guardian angel, not God.”

“Some guardian angel,” I joked.

“Hey…,” he said and scooped me closer to him.

I rested my head against his chest, breathed him in and listened to his heart beat. I tried to hold on to every part of this moment, not knowing when I would see him again.

His supple wings gave me warmth and comfort. It was extremely difficult to stay awake. Before I fell asleep, I needed to tell him once more. “I love you as high as the sky and as deep as the sea,” thinking no words could beat the depth of my love for him.

Slowly all the senses in my body lost control as I was succumbing to sleep. Tender kisses were planted on my forehead and gentle touches on my cheeks. Before I was completely lost to darkness, I heard Michael whisper, “Multiply my love by infinity and take it to the depths of forever, and you still have only a glimpse of how I feel for you. I love you more.”

I felt full, full with this feeling I could not describe, bursting with warmth in every part of my being. He always said he loved me more, but it was me who loved him more. It was the reason I felt complete.