"You know, this isn't a bad little house. It reminds me a bit of where my late wife lived when we met." Michael commented.
It was half an hour after we'd freed Lacy Manson, and we'd settled into my old house again. Of course, it had been interesting from the moment we'd left that abandoned house in the woods. Michael had insisted on coming back with us and visiting, even though Zane had been more than unhappy about it. His distrust of Michael Renaldi was pretty obvious in the way he spoke to him, and even in how he looked at him, so it had been left to me to keep the peace. It wasn't easy though. I had to keep reminding Zane that it was in our benefit to be friendly towards the clans.
Of course, there was also another reason that I was trying my best to be friendly to Michael. It was because of my curiosity about him.
Michael was born a Pure Light, and yet he was so similar to us that it was strange. I had the feeling that the only real difference between us was the bloodlines, and I wanted to find out what his life was like as a Nephilim. I had the feeling that it may not have been easy either. Even though Michael acted cheerful and sweet, there was something deep within his eyes that told me that he had seen a lot of hardship too.
Zane watched him from where he sat on the couch, "It's not that typical for us to live in homes like this. This was more of a transitional home for Ariana before we found her and she changed." he informed him.
"I see. It sounds more and more to me like the Shadow Wings go through a lot of the same things we do. Interesting. Maybe we have a lot more in common than they want to say right now. But it does seem like this has been a delicate subject, even with our leaders." Michael admitted, looking a bit thoughtful.
I shook my head as I walked in there with an shirt that I'd found in storage. I believe it had once belonged to Mama's husband.
"It seems like it." I agreed, offering him the shirt, "Here, you can use this until you get back to change your shirt."
Michael flashed me a smile as he took it, "Thanks. I owe you one. Besides, I can't say that this has been that comfortable. It's been a bit of a curse with these wings when it comes to shirts."
"No kidding. It seems like it to us too." I acknowledged.
I went over and sat beside Zane. I wanted to be close to him now. I needed his familiar warmth with everything that had happened in the last few hours.
I had been thinking about Lacy Manson ever since we'd left that house. With everything that had happened back then, I'd had mixed feelings about her for a long time. But now, I realized that I felt sorry for her; because now, I understood her truth. Lacy really didn't know what she'd been getting into. She'd just blindly followed that man and let herself love him, and eventually, she had feared that perhaps she would suffer the same fate as Faith.
My attention was drawn back as I watched Michael take off his coat and what was left of his shirt. He was a very nicely built man, fairly tall with a well-defined upper body. But that wasn't the biggest thing that caught my attention. It was what I saw when his back was partially turned to us.
Michael had very large scars on his shoulder blades.
Zane immediately noticed this too, "You have scars from your wings?" he asked him.
Michael stopped, looking back at us, "Of course. We all have them. It's an undesired effect left from when we get them." he responded. He pulled his arms through the shirt sleeves and began buttoning up the front of the burgundy shirt, but he seemed to be thinking over our question as he did, "I'm going to take it that Shadow Wings don't have them."
I shook my head, "No. None of us have any kind of scars from our wings." I confirmed.
"Perhaps it's chastity. It would make sense with the teachings that I'd heard from my uncle. Obviously, the Fallen wouldn't come under such things." Zane reasoned, though he still looked puzzled.
"Perhaps. It's at least some food for thought, as my older brother would put it. I'm sure he'll probably be upset over the fact that I've met some of you first. He's been looking into this for years, but has never been able to find even a single Shadow Wing. I think all of you are better at hiding then we could ever be." Michael admitted. He sat in the nearby armchair, resting his arms on his legs and looking amused.
"Yes. We have heard that the clans can have siblings. That's a new one for us. We don't get that luxury, at least, not with the same mother." Zane told him.
"So we've heard. It is strange to me though. There seem to be drastic differences between us and the Shadow Wings with such things from what I've been hearing. I know that there's a difference in the darker bloodlines, but some of it still surprises me." Michael admitted.
"You really have an older brother?" I asked.
That fascinated me. I'd never had any siblings, and obviously never would. At least not from Faith Kent. Saffron didn't seem that interested in having any other children aside from me either.
Thinking about him, I glanced at the Heretic Stone. Was he still mad at me over what had happened earlier? I hoped not. For some odd reason, I didn't like thinking that Saffron would be angry with me.
Michael smiled, "Actually, I'm one of four. I have an older brother, and my younger sisters were twins. One of them is gone though. She died when she was sixteen."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." I responded.
"It's okay. We've had our time to grieve, and there are others, including my daughter and my brother's children, not to mention a few grandchildren, although I admit that I don't really like thinking about that. Even if I don't look it, it makes me feel rather old." Michael laughed a little at his own words.
Zane seemed more interested in the conversation now, "Wait. You have a daughter?"
"Yes. Her name is Mia." Michael replied.
Zane visibly stiffened as he heard that. I'd never seen him look so startled.
"Zane?" I said, hesitation marking my voice.
He just stared at Michael as though he didn't hear me , "Tell me something, did you ever live in Miami with her?"
Michael blinked in surprise, "No, I personally didn't, but she did live in Miami with her mother and grandmother for a while. It's a rather complicated story, but she did live down there for most of the year until she was sixteen, then she came to live with me in Maryland." he explained.
Zane put his head down as he heard that, shaking it slowly, "So that's why." he muttered.
I think both Michael and I were catching on now.
"Did you by chance know Mia back then? She's never mentioned to me that she met a Shadow Wing, though I admit that she didn't know anything about her heritage at the time either, so she may not have been aware of what you were." he asked him.
"Know her? I was in love with her." Zane softly confessed.
The room became very quiet. All I could hear was the slight crackle of the fire in the fireplace near us. My mind was spinning as I let his words sink in. Zane had been in love with a clan Nephilim?
Michael watched him, but I didn't see a hint of anger from him. He finally spoke again, "I'm sorry, but I'm a little confused. I don't recall Mia ever mentioning meeting someone like you down there. Though now that I think about it, she doesn't really talk about her time with her mother, even now. Are you sure that she's the same girl you're thinking of?"
"I'm quite sure. You look so much like her. You have the same hair and eyes, even the same facial features. Well, I say the same eyes in a way. Hers were two different colors."
"Yes, that is her most unique trait. It seems that you really did know her then." Michael lamented.
"I did, but I'd imagine that she wouldn't like talking about me. She was only fifteen when I met her. We were both in an art class at the recreation center, and things immediately clicked between us. I wasn't aware that she was one of the clan Nephilim though. At the time, I only thought that she was a beautiful, if kind of sad, young woman. It was very easy for me to feel a deep connection with her, but I knew that I couldn't keep it with what I was, and when things started getting too active in Miami for me, I had to leave. So I just broke things off and disappeared after about four months." Zane explained.
Michael nodded, looking like he understood now, "So that's why." he murmured. It sounded like he'd had some kind of revelation.
"You've never mentioned Mia before." I noted as I looked at Zane.
"I'm sorry. To be honest with you, I've spent years trying to forget. Like I said, I didn't realize that she was an un-awakened clan Nephilim. I'd always thought that she was a normal human girl, and I didn't want to cause her harm, no matter how deeply I came to love her." Zane told me.
He looked so sad now, but I could understand why. No matter how he felt about this girl, she would never be able to be with him. They were from two different ends of the spectrum, not to mention how dangerous Astaroth made things around Zane. I'd already seen that first-hand.
"Yes, I think I see the big picture now. To be honest with you, I've always wondered about that time. That particular summer when Mia came to stay with me, I'd noticed that she'd seemed very down about something, but she'd never talk to any of us about it, even her cousin Raziel, whom she's always been extremely close to. She's still never told me about it either." Michael admitted.
"I guess Mia still feels something too." I surmised.
It certainly sounded like it. Maybe Mia had loved him deeply in return. That was almost tragic when I thought about it.
"Perhaps, but Mia's moved on with her life as well. She's been happily married for quite a while now, though I admit that the relationship was a bit much for us to accept at first. But it's worked out very well and she has grown children of her own." Michael explained.
Married with grown children. So, Mia had moved on.
Zane let out a long sigh, "It's probably for the best. Nothing good could ever come to her with me. Not with my father. In case your kind isn't aware of it, some of our fathers will actually hunt us themselves to make sure that we stay strong enough. If not, then they'll take our lives." he informed him.
"Yes, I have heard that. Out of curiosity, who are you fathers?" Michael asked us.
"Mine's name is Saffron." I answered.
I looked over at Zane, but it was obvious by his sitting back with his arms crossed that he wasn't going to answer. Perhaps he even feared calling attention to us.
"Saffron." Michael repeated, sounding thoughtful. He apparently had decided not to push things with Zane anymore, maybe out of respect for the past, "I do recall hearing that name, and I've met one several times that they claim was involved in partnerships with him in the past. They both had interesting names for Fallen Angels."
"You mean you've met Jade?" I asked, sounding more hopeful than I wanted to. But this was huge. If Michael had seen Jade recently, then maybe he'd heard something about Chris.
"I have. I saw him about a month ago just by chance. My brother Raphael and I ran into him down in New Orleans. I was kind of surprised that he'd decided to speak to us, but apparently, he was looking to speak to Raphael about something. I'll admit that my brother has a bit of a reputation within the Veil for being one of the more powerful of us. Jade seemed to know a lot about it, so he was seeking him out." Michael explained.
"Really? Why?" Zane asked, sitting up more.
"I'm not completely sure." Michael admitted, "He caught us by surprise at one of the cafes there, and had us sit down with him to talk about the recent activities with Kinsley and the others wanting to stop the hunts on the Shadow Wings. He didn't seem particularly opposed to it, although he claimed that he was concerned over that one named Saffron. He didn't say exactly what those concerns were, but he did mention something about Saffron's child being with a Shadow Wing that was above the others."
Jade was concerned over Will. I now understood why too. Saffron was always aiming at me getting close to Will before, but his plans were ruined somewhat by Lucifer deciding to keep Will away from me for a while. I wondered why that was. What was Saffron plotting?
"Trust me, what he spoke of there was with good reason if it's what I'm connecting. Did he mention that Shadow Wing's name?" Zane asked him.
Michael shook his head, "No. He refused to, but he did say that he was above the others and the oldest of them. Along with that, he also has a lot of power within him; power that could put even Raphael to shame. Of course, I believe that he said that because Raphael is the oldest of our kind right now and he's quite powerful too."
"Yes, usually the oldest are, but like I said, he is correct in telling you such a thing about this particular Shadow Wing. I know him myself and have for quite a while. He can be very dangerous in many different aspects. I wouldn't doubt that Saffron would enjoy using him as he thinks he does with me." Zane agreed.
"Michael, can I ask you something?" I spoke up.
"Yes, of course." Michael nodded.
"When you saw Jade, was there anyone with him?"
Michael thought about it, "Well, there wasn't anyone with him when he sat down and spoke to us, but he did leave with someone that was in there near us. He was a young man that looked like he was maybe in his late teens. I remember specifically that he had different eyes, kind of like my Mia, but they were brown and green. The green caught our attention because it looked very similar to Jade's eyes." he answered.
I breathed a sigh of relief as he said that. There was no doubt in my mind that he'd seen Chris. He was alive. He really was alive.
Zane didn't seem as thrilled, "Of course that eye did. He is Jade's son." he informed him.
"So, he was a Shadow Wing as well. Now that's interesting. We didn't even connect it at the time." Michael noted, nodding thoughtfully. But before he could say anymore, his cell phone began ringing in his left pocket. Sitting up slightly, he took it out and looked at the number, "I'm sorry. Can you excuse me for a moment?"
"Of course." Zane agreed.
Both of us sat still as we watched Michael get up and walk to the kitchen to answer the call. Once he was out of earshot, I looked over at Zane.
"Chris is alive. There's still hope." I whispered.
"Yes, well, I can't say I doubted it that much. None of us did. After all, Chris has always been a very strong Nephilim. But what concerns me more right now is what Jade's doing." Zane replied.
"What he's doing?"
"Think about it Ariana. Jade's made it his point to get into contact with the most powerful clan Nephilim in existence right now. I've heard many stories about Raphael Renaldi through the grapevines of the Veil's worlds, and I can tell you that he's no pushover. He's on level with Will on the opposite side of this. For Jade to contact him like he's done, he has to have something more in mind. Personally, I'm worried about what trouble this is going to cause. I don't think our running into Michael now is a coincidence." Zane explained as he glanced back at the entryway to the kitchen.
Zane was right. I had no doubt in my mind that Jade may have had it out for me. I couldn't help picturing Chris's face though. He'd said that he would always protect me. Was he lying? Was he turning against me on Jade's orders?
I was pulled back to reality by the sound of footsteps coming back into the room. Looking up, I saw Michael putting his phone back into his left pocket.
"I'm sorry, but I need to get going. It seems that Malakai wants me back with the others now." he apologized.
"Yes, of course. It's no problem." Zane agreed, getting up to show him out. I followed too.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stay and talk to you longer." Michael continued as we stepped outside,
"Trust me, we can understand why. It's not like you can disobey your creator." Zane told him.
"Not at all. Hopefully we can meet again though, and I'll be sure to tell Mia that you're doing well."
"Trust me, it's better to just let it be, especially now. But I appreciate the thought."
"Be careful out there Michael." I added.
"Don't worry. I will. Take care of yourselves." Michael agreed.
With that, he turned and began walking away with his hands in his pockets and looking at the snowy sky. Zane and I stood out there, watching until he disappeared into the distance.
"That was unexpected, but it was worth our while too. Now we know more of what we may be dealing with." Zane commented. He gently patted my back, leading me inside.
"Do you really think that Chris is plotting again us?" I had to ask him as he closed the door, the sound echoing in the empty house.
Zane shook his head, a sad look in his eyes, "I don't know. Honestly, I'm not that sure about anything right now. All of it was quite a revelation." he admitted.
I touched his cheek. It was so soft and warm, despite the cold we'd been out in.
"Zane, you really did love that girl, didn't you?" I guessed softly.
"I did." Zane confessed, "But it's in the past now, and she's very happy in her marriage, so there's nothing more left for me there."
I think I understood at least a bit of Zane's sadness. He'd lived such a long life, and it seemed like nothing was ever constant for him, even his friends. He'd confessed to me before that losing Chris had been very painful for him, and I knew how it had affected him when Will disappeared on us. Zane always played the tough act, but inside, he was in a lot of pain over all the things he couldn't control. I wished I could help him ease that pain more.
"Zane..." I started.
But before I could say or do anything, the moment was interrupted by the sound of three loud bangs on the wall behind us. I spun around to see Saffron standing there, his fist still against the wall. There was a slight indent in the mortar under it.
"Well, it looks like I had to interrupt again." he said, smiling at us. It wasn't friendly at all.
Truth be told, I didn't think that Saffron ever liked me choosing Zane over Will as what he referred to as a 'consort'. As for exactly why, I had no clue.
Zane shot him a dirty look, "You've decided to come back instead of using the Heretic Stone. How convenient." he commented.
"It seems that you've been taking a lot of liberties lately with my own, so this was necessary. I told you that you are a consort when that other is not around. Don't get a thick head about it." Saffron warned him.
He stood up straight and walked over to us. I gasped as he wrapped an arm around my collar and pulled me against him.
"Cut it out! You're going to hurt her!" Zane protested.
"And what would you do about it?" Saffron challenged, "You know that she's mine. If I choose to use her in whatever way, you could do nothing about it, just like you couldn't do anything but walk away from that beautiful clan Nephilim. You weren't that stupid. You knew what she was, and you still tried to love her. You even bedded her a few times in hopes of making it last."
Zane growled in his throat, throwing his right hand to his side. I was thrown aside as Saffron stopped his dark flaming sword from coming down on his head with one hand.
"What a temper you've developed. It seems that you don't like Ariana knowing all of your dirty little secrets." he continued.
"Shut up!" Zane breathed. He caught himself as Saffron easily tossed him back against the front door.
But Saffron wasn't done. In a flash he was over there, holding Zane up several inches off the floor by his throat.
"Did you think I wasn't aware of any of that? I know all about you. You've always been one of them that warrants watching. I also know all about that little sister of yours. Did you try to compare Mia Renaldi to her when you first met her? She certainly resembled her enough." he continued.
I quickly got up, running over there and grabbing Saffron's arm.
"Stop it! Let him go!" I yelled.
"You really think I wouldn't break you now? You knew that I wouldn't allow you to have this one, and you're still trying to have your way!" Saffron went on, ignoring my pleas.
"Then go ahead and do it! End my miserable life! I'm sick of it as it is!" Zane managed, still looking at him with defiant green eyes. He didn't bother struggling against him.
"Saffron, stop!" I screamed.
We stood there like that for what felt like an eternity. Then Saffron slowly let Zane go.
"Very well. It's not worth doing this right now. You are worth more to me alive then dead." he stated, brushing his shirt off as though none of the previous fight had meant anything.
"Are you okay?" I asked as I knelt beside Zane and looked at his throat. There were deep red marks on the sides of his neck where Saffron had grabbed him.
"I'll be fine." Zane assured me. I closed my eyes as he held me close. I felt him look up at Saffron as he did, "Are you done taking out your anger about earlier on me? You've already scared her witless!"
"I can do whatever I want to. You keep forgetting that." Saffron responded, sounding very unconcerned about the whole incident.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! You told me before that I could keep either one of them close!" I protested.
"I did, but plans change, and right now we have bigger things that need to be done. For that, I need you to come with me." Saffron announced. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. His grip very tight, causing me to yell out in shock.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Zane demanded.
He tried to get up but stumbled and fell back to the floor. It seemed that Saffron had hurt him a bit more then he'd thought. He tried to stand again but fell to his knees. I watched in horror as he coughed up some blood onto the floor in front of him.
Saffron laughed, "You really thought I wouldn't incapacitate you? I knew you'd try to stop me if I didn't. Besides, what I do with my own is none of your concern, so give it up boy. She belongs to me."
"Saffron?!" I yelled as I felt the cold shadows wrapping around us.
I didn't want to go anywhere with him, but it looked like I wasn't getting a choice. The shadows were moving fast around me and felt like they were suffocating me as they wrapped themselves over my head. The cold was horrible, and the darkness seemed endless. I thought I was about to die.
But within seconds, it seemed like the bitter cold and darkness all faded away. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was lying on a hardwood floor in a darkened room. I slowly sat up, looking around and unsure of what had just happened. I felt a cold mass of air rise up beside me.
"Good, you survived that just fine. You're a lot stronger than any of them will ever give you credit for." I heard Saffron say.
I looked over to see him standing there, a dark silhouette in the dim light of the massive room. Only his blue eyes stood out.
"What the hell did you just do to me?" I demanded. I was trying to hide how much I was shaking inside.
"Stop worrying so much. You know that you're the only one I would never cause harm to. I simply removed you from the situation as I saw fit. Obviously that boy's heart does not belong with you, and there is no sense in continuing a charade when the ultimate goal is at hand elsewhere. As you're already aware, I have no intention of allowing Kinsley's plans to proceed." Saffron responded.
The huge chandelier hanging over us came on as he snapped his fingers. I immediately recognized my surroundings. We were back in Zane's old home in Baton Rouge! I would've known it anywhere. I'd spent my first three months as a Shadow Wing there and learned a lot about myself and what I was meant to be. This home carried a lot of memories for me. I couldn't believe that of all places, Saffron had brought me there.
"We're in Baton Rouge? Why? Why would you bring me back here? You know we left because of what happened!" I argued.
Now I was angry. I couldn't believe that Saffron had brought me back there to throw me to the wolves.
"Calm yourself. I have no intentions of allowing those angels to do anything to you here. Besides, with what's happening, Judiel isn't even allowed to make any real moves yet. Kinsley's tied his hands." Saffron responded.
His words weren't comforting.
"You've got to be kidding me. Why the hell are you doing all of this?!" I demanded, standing to face him.
Saffron still didn't seem concerned. He just smiled at me.
"It's all part of the plan and personally, I don't believe that it's worth keeping you around that other one when his heart clearly belongs to another that he can never have. I won't have my child be a stand in. Our goals can be better realized by the one who's come here. I know that they're here now. We need to make sure that you see them before your love comes back into the picture. My time may be running short with some of that."
I stood still, staring at him. It was odd, but I could detect a hint of determination behind that casual smile. Saffron was clearly plotting and far be it for me to go against him with any of it. That much had been proven already.
"What are you thinking of doing? And who's here?" I finally asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Saffron replied with a slight smile. "Your beloved one, of course."