fine as far as I know. I don’t think you have to worry about him. As for Jenny, I’m afraid I can’t say the same.” He ran his fingers through his hair, letting each strand fall over his left eye.
“Could you be more obnoxious?” I grabbed Gavin by the neck, then a strange feeling overtook me. I let it. I flew him up to the ceiling, clutching his neck as the cottony blanket fell back to the bed.
“Temper, temper!” Gavin said, out of breath as he looked down at me, smiling. His hair framed his reddened face. “Remind me not to piss you off again, Archangel Grace Ann Miller.”
“Archangel?” Mom—Vivienne—had said I was the daughter of a seraph.
“Yes, Archangel. Has no one told you what you are?” He sighed, and his look turned from snide to concerned in seconds. He used my distraction to break my hold on him, grab my arms, and place them behind my back. He held me there long enough for me to be embarrassed by how closely he held me to him. I wanted to explore my feelings, but, as I stared into his eyes, I felt myself getting tired, weak, and listless.
Then, I was exhausted—not just tired, exhausted like I’d completed a triathlon and then climbed Mount Everest. My limbs ached, burned, and trembled beneath him. He lowered me slowly down to the bed. My back and shoulders felt like they were on fire, and my head pounded.
I could hardly keep my eyes open.
“Grace, listen to me,” he pleaded and placed my head gently on his pillow. “You must talk to your parents—er, Gabriel and Vivienne. They are supposed to teach you, to prepare you for the war that’s coming. I can hardly protect you if you have no idea what you need protection from. Your family and I agree that you should live with me here at Kheiron. I will protect you until you are able to fully protect yourself, which from the looks of things isn’t too far away. But you must be careful; using your celestial talents now will only weaken you, since your ascension is not complete. That’s why you’re so weak. When you wake next, you’ll need refuge. You will be hunted. Let me take care of you. Let me protect you.” There was pleading in his eyes and a strain in his voice.
Your family and I decided? What am I, five? And what does he mean I can’t use my talents? I fought giants and eyeball demons, won. Shows how much he knows. As for their arrangement, it feels an awful lot like being traded in some sort of arranged marriage. And not fully ascended? That’s news to me.
Gavin put his arms around me, then his large, black wings. Inside his cocoon, I felt safe, safer than I’d ever felt. I also felt anxious and slightly cold. Odd since I had felt so warm last time. He spoke to my mind.
Grace, today I understand the human expression “mixed blessing.” I have held you in my thoughts and in my heart since the day you were born. Today I hold you in my arms, yet my heart is breaking. To know I may never do so again may finally be the death of me. I have watched you become a remarkable woman: caring, kind, loving, and slightly neurotic. If things get crazy and I forget to tell you, happy birthday. He hurried toward the end, and there was a smile in his tone as he offered his last term of endearment. I have come to love you deeply, desperately, and without regret. Sleep well, my angel.
***
I woke, disoriented and with no idea how long I had been asleep. It seemed like hours, but could totally have been minutes. Images danced around me of Mom, Remi, Dad, the Larsons, the hospital, the Garden, school, Gavin, the winged bears, mega dogs, and Kip Jones, the lead singer of Remi’s sorry band, of all people. What a dork. But I would have given anything to see him right then, to feel normal again.
Thoughts of Kip’s uneven smile, giant feet, and red hair were drowned out by the sound of beeping and voices. I squinted, realizing I was no longer at Gavin’s, but all I saw was blinding white light. I jerked my head back into the pillow and shut my eyes tightly to avoid the tiny dust particles that headed straight toward me, and the light that threatened to sear my corneas.