Just as I was pulling on my top a knock flutters on the door. I sigh heavily before answering it. "How are you feeling?" Alexander asks.
"It's getting better. I can walk almost normally too." I tell him.
His eyes trial down my body before backup to my eyes. "Your friend Eric has stopped by. Said it was important."
Alex grabs a silk robe for me and I put it on. "I'll linger near the door. Just in case."
"Alright."
I move down the hallway and work my way down the stairs. I could feel Alexander's presence close behind me. After a few short strides, I open the door. Alex moves behind the pillar as Eric walks in. "Can we talk outside?" He asks.
I roll my bottom lip back and bite down on it. "Yeah."
As the door closes I say, "How did you know I was here?"
"I assumed you were coming here after I saw you and Alexander Woods walk into that restaurant." He replies, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I might be too late to ask you this but can we go out? You can come with me around the world and-"
"I'm sorry but I can't." I interrupt.
The smile that had been on his face falls. "If I could I would have thought it over but Eric. We have this great friendship and I don't think Katie would like it if we left her out." I say slowly.
Eric curses under his breath. "Sorry for asking but it was worth a shot."
He then steps back and leaves. I stare at his retreating back. Confused at why he asked me. I go back inside to find Alexander gone. I peer around the pillar he hid behind but he wasn't there. I start to check all the rooms. I step out onto the balcony to find him leaning against it. "There you are." I say, making him jump.
The woods stretched out far in the distance. His backyard below us. "What did he want?" He asks.
I stand next to him and shrug. "We just talked about stuff. Not a big concern." I tell him.
He turns and looks at me. "Why are you giving me that look?"
"I feel like you're lying to me." He mutters.
I playfully hit him on the shoulder. "I'm not alright."
Alex turns away and I sigh. "Now you made it awkward."
I step back and go inside. I prop the door open and turn back around. I run back out into the balcony and leap off. "Madison!"
The air makes my hair snap until I hit the water. I sink at first before I break through the surface. "Try it. It's fun!"
He kept staring at me and I smile. Then he vanishes. I move back a bit just as he appears over the balcony. The splash knocks me back. I burst out laughing. I feel something grab onto my legs and I get lifted out of the water. Alex throws me upward before catching me by my knees. Then he tosses me. "Alex!" I scream as I gasp for air.
"What? I thought we were having fun?" He pouts.
I glare at him before racing over to him. I climb onto him and bring him under. He shoves me back and shakes the water off his face. "That was kinda rude."
"I thought we were having fun." I mock.
I shift on my perch. "What information did you get on Madison Fox?"
Mary looks over at me before back down at the two adults. "There is no history of her real birth parents. Once had an adoptive father and mother but they left when she was eighteen." She tells me, pulling out a file that had been tucked underneath her wing.
I grab it, moving until it rested on my knee. I flipped through it as she continues, "I got some news from the Silver City." She adds. "Supposedly she's the daughter of your father's general of war. They are paying big to get her back. That means-"
"I can get into the city and kill my father." I finish.
"Is there anything else you wish for me to explain, sir?" Mary asks.
"No. You may go."
She nods once before turning and taking off. I close the file and lower myself onto a different branch. The two were still in the water. Laughing and shouting.
"Here." Alexander says, handing me a shirt.
"How are your legs?" He asks, turning his back to me.
"Better after that run." I reply as I slowly change.
I pull his shirt over my head and wring out my underwear before I put them back on. I jump as I feel Alex run his fingers through my hair. He starts to do something with it, tugging strands of it into place. "There." He mutters. "Your room is just across the hall. I had some clothes brought to you."
"Thank you."
"Of course."
I turn around and look up at him. I move onto my tip-toes and press a kiss to his cheek. "Goodnight."
I turn and leave the bedroom, my face hot. I find the room he was talking about and I go inside. I move over to the bed, my legs stiff. I crawl under the covers and press my face against a pillow. Alexander was a great guy but is he boyfriend material? I sigh heavily and shake my head. I shouldn't be thinking about that right now. Technically speaking, I was his girlfriend. Maybe I should have said no. Should have said to be only friends. I roll onto my stomach. I just need some space to think it over.
I wake up that morning in a cold sweat. I sit up quickly and look around the room. Golden beams of sunlight were streaming through the window. I couldn't shake away the words that I heard come out of Madison's mind. Was I too quick on the ball? "I just want my wing back to normal." I mutter.
I get out of bed and leave the room. I nudge the door open and glance inside. Madison was turned away from me but I could see the slow rise and fall of her chest. I close the door before moving over to the stairs. I go down them two at a time, stopping by the kitchen. I quickly stop. My father's head turns and he gives me a smile. "Son. I was wondering when you were to wake up."
He slides off the stool and gestures me over. "I wanted to talk to you before Fox wakes up."
I take a seat on the stool and my dad leans against the counter. He pulls out a file and slides it over to me. "I found some stuff on your lady friend. Things that even she doesn't know."
I look up at him before back down to the file. "What kind of things?" I demand.
"She's the daughter of my father's general of war. On the lunar eclipse I will be bringing her to the Silver City. With or without your approval." Lucifer straightens his back and flashes me a smile. "I will not see you weakened by her."
Before I could reply, he was gone. After a few seconds, I focus on the file. I flip through it, reading everything quickly. Then I saw the picture of the war general. She looked so much like him. Along with her mother. I hear the floorboards creak and I quickly shove the file under the stool cushion next to me. "Shouldn't we be heading to the office?" Madison asks, coming into view.
Her hair was ruffled and she was still blinking sleep out of her eyes. "There is still an hour left until we have to go." I answer.
She takes a seat next to me. I cough loudly to cancel out the noise of crumpling paper. "I can make breakfast while you're getting ready if you want." She suggests.
"That would be great, thank you." I say.
She gets up and starts grabbing things out of the cabinets. I grab the file and hurry out of the kitchen.
I watch his retreating back. My eyes land on the thing between his side and arm. A file. I shake away the thoughts that entire my brain and focus on making food. But the curiosity about what was in the file made me freeze. Was it about me? "Thinking about the file?"
I jump at the voice and turn to see Amenadiel. "What are you doing here?" I demand.
"I came to check on how Alexander was doing. I didn't realize you were going to be here." He gives a shrug before taking in what I was doing.
He grabs the bowl and starts to mix the batter for me. We work silence before I say, "How did you know I was thinking of the file?"
"A lot of angels can read minds." He tells me as he sets the bowl down. "And that file is about you. I think Lucifer had Mary dig up some stuff about you. A lot of it is terrible things. Especially your past."
"How is my past terrible? Were my adoptive parents that bad?"
Amenadiel looks over at me, shocked. "You don't remember?" He asks.
"Remember what?"
He grabs the spacula from me and flips a pancake. Clearly thinking of his answer. "Your father was an angel. General of War in the Silver City. Lucifer's father's second in command. Your mother was human but she died after you were born." Amenadiel looks over at me. "You have angel blood in you but not the powers or the wings."
I go to say something but stop. "It's a lot to take in. You might not even believe me."
"I do." I mutter after a brief hesitation. "My adoptive parents never talked about my real ones. It always seemed that they were hiding something."
"They must have known about him then." He plates the pancakes and looks down at me. "The Creator waited until you were old enough to take care of yourself to kill them. I have no clue if my words are true but I think they are."
I go to say something but he stops me. "Alexander approaches. He will tell you himself when he's ready."
Amenadiel grabs a plate for himself and takes a few pancakes. He sits down and just as he was tearing a pancake apart, Alexander walks in. "Amenadiel, what are you doing here?" I could hear annoyance in his voice.
"I just wanted to check on how it's going with your father." He says, dipping a pancake in syrup.
"It's going fine." Alex snaps.
Amenadiel looks up at him and smiles. "It's not, isn't it. You're just scared once you try to kill your father, he is going to go after Fox. Is that it? I can feel your emotions Alexander. You cannot hide them from me."
He stares at him before sighing. "Fine, Amenadiel. Maybe I'm a little worried-"
"A little?" Amenadiel interrupts.
"A little worried that he will come after her. You know the power my father has. He broke both of your wings." Alex's tone becomes deadly.
"It was over a family conflict. You know that Alexander." Amenadiel's tone keeps steady. "But I'm not the foolish child that almost got himself killed for a whore."
Both the grown men's wings appear and they glare at each other. "She wasn't a whore!"
"Then what do you recall that day Alex? The day you walked in on her with your father."
Alexander becomes still. I stand there, not knowing what to do. "I better get going. I'm sure Madison here has questions."
Amenadiel looks over at me. He finishes his pancakes before he gets up and leaves.