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  “I was in the neighborhood. I stopped by to see you and Patty.”

  “Patty took the day off.”

  “It looks like you have a friend. He seems to be in a lot of pain. Are you okay, Claudia? What’s going on?”

  “He tried to…” I stopped. Ryan was wrong to do what he did, but I knew him. I had never seen that side of him. Whatever the reason, I knew he would be sorry when he came to his senses, so I decided not to tell Austin. But looking at the scenario, I knew Austin would get the picture.

  “You should be careful of who you hang out with,” Austin scolded, cocking his brow.

  “Excuse me!” I huffed. He had no right to say that to me. Come to think of it, didn’t I lock the front door? How did he come in? Hmmm…maybe I thought I did and didn’t. “I can take care of myself, thank you.”

  “Looks like you can—right where it hurts the most. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now.”

  I needed to find a way to get Ryan out of here. “Were you planning on going somewhere?” After all, it was Saturday night.

  “No, I don’t have any plans. Like I said, I just stopped by.”

  “Can you do something for me, please?” I pleaded. “I’ll owe you one.”

  “Or two,” he said smiling. “I’ll take him home.”

  He knew what I wanted. “Thank you so much. He can’t stay here, and I wouldn’t want him to drive in his condition.” I was grateful to him again. He had been the one to take me to the hospital to see Gamma, and now this, taking home a guy he didn’t even know on my account. Austin was really one of the “nice guys.”

  Austin went inside the storage room and dragged Ryan out. Ryan still looked like he was in pain, which served him right. He gave me an apologetic look and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

  It was difficult to look him in the eye, but I did anyway. I wanted him to see the pain and disgust in my eyes. I didn’t know what had come over him to do what he’d tried to do; regardless, this was something I couldn’t just forget.

  “Shut up, scum bag. You’ve said enough.” Austin sounded appalled. He took Ryan to his car and shoved him inside his black Infiniti.

  I don’t know what came over me. Feeling grateful that Austin was there, I gave him a genuine, warm hug, and I found myself comforted by his embrace. “Thank you,” I said. “I’m glad you stopped by.”

  He sighed lightly. “You’re welcome. Want me to take you home?”

  “That’s all right. I’ve already locked up. I’m gonna leave right now.”

  He grabbed my hand, leading me to my car. I couldn’t decide if I should let him hold my hand or pull away, but by the time I decided what to do, we were already at my car. With a click of my remote, I unlocked the door. He opened the door like a gentleman, and I got in.

  “Give me your cell phone,” he said.

  I did as requested. I didn’t ask why as I dug inside my purse to take it out.

  A few seconds later, he gave it back. “I just punched in my cell number. If you need me, just ring. Or if you want to talk, that’s okay too. You go first.” He closed the door. “I’m right behind you.”

  “Thanks,” I said again, and I smiled. Then I thought how lucky I was tonight that he came to visit. I wouldn’t have known what to do, and I was glad that he was someone I could call a friend.

  He headed toward his car, and when he got there, he stood outside as he watched me pull out of the parking lot. My last thought was that I was never going to stay here alone, ever

  again.

  Chapter Four

  When I got home, I went straight to my room. Mom had to work the late shift, so I was home alone. It was a little after ten, but feeling exhausted, I decided to get ready for bed. After I tucked myself in, I lay there, unable to fall asleep. The wind hollered, making the night a bit creepier, and the familiar shadows that portrayed from the oak tree outside the window looked spookier than before. Wearily, I forced myself up, closed the blinds and slid back under the covers, telling myself that everything was fine as I glanced at the crystal-beaded butterfly necklace Michael made me for my birthday. Recalling the first time it vibrated and turned solid black when fallen were nearby, the crystal-clear color confirmed I had nothing to fear, so I took a deep breath and relaxed.

  I was just about to fall asleep as thoughts of Gamma and the good times we shared helped me ease my mind when I was suddenly startled by a soft, repetitive noise. It sounded like someone was tapping on the window, but that would be impossible since it was a second story room…unless. I reached over, turned on my lamp light, and squinted from the brightness. Hesitantly, I walked toward the window. My pulse became rapid as I carefully peered through the small opening of the blind. To my surprise, Michael was floating in mid-air. His fists were resting on his hips and his wings were visible but not fully extended, and my heart burst with elation.

  “Michael!” I exclaimed excitedly, placing the palm of my hand on the window as if I could touch him. “Why are you out there?”

  “Look, Claudia. I’m Superman.”

  My hero, I thought. He was too adorable, and I couldn’t help but smile giddily. The last time I’d made a comment about Superman, he hadn’t known who he was. “Superman, can’t you come in?”

  “I wanted to ask for your permission first. I can’t just show up in your bedroom. What if you’re changing? I wouldn’t mind watching, but I would be invading your privacy. I did promise, after all.”

  “You kept your promise. You may come in,” I said happily.

  As soon as he appeared in my room, I wrapped my arms around the strong back of his neck. He held me tightly as I lay my head on his chest, then gave me a soft kiss on my forehead and released me. He looked so good in his jeans and olive-colored button-down shirt, slightly untucked. It complimented his brown hair while bringing out the chestnut brown in his eyes. And his scent, sort of a musky smell, just about brought me to my knees; I could breathe him in all day. We continued to look into each other’s eyes as if we could make time stand still.

  “How are you?” he asked finally, leading us to the foot of the bed.

  “I’m fine,” I replied, but I wasn’t sure how I really felt.

  “The fallen and demons have been quiet. What I mean is that either they don’t care for their revenge, or they’re strategizing. We have been watching very closely, but no movement has led us to believe they are on the attack any time soon.”

  “Hopefully they decided to just leave me in peace,” I said angrily. My heart ached, realizing no danger also meant no Michael—forever.

  “I hope so too. It pains me to see you in danger and more so, afraid.”

  I was silent; I didn’t look at him.

  “What’s on your mind?” Michael asked worriedly.

  It was hard to keep anything from him; he was always intuitive about my feelings. “What constitutes me being in danger?”

  “What do you mean? I don’t understand your question.”

  “I was attacked by Ryan. He…”

  He didn’t let me finish. He stood up, looking furious. “What? When? How? Are you okay? Why didn’t I know?”

  “That’s my point. You weren’t there.” I walked away from him, plunked myself on the head of the bed and hugged my pillow tightly. I knew it was wrong for me to accuse him of not knowing as I didn’t understand what it meant to have a guardian angel…or exactly what “danger” called for one.

  “I’m so sorry. Please tell me what happened,” he asked.

  “He tried to take advantage of me.” That was a mild description of what he was trying to do. “So…I kneed his precious jewels. He fell to the ground.”

  Michael gave half a smile. “Ouch. That would paralyze him for a while! I’ll bet he learned a lesson. I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” he said sincerely. “You know I would be there in a heartbeat. I just didn’t know. But looks like you handled it pretty well,” he said carefully.

  “He deserved it, but for a little while, I was really scared.”<
br />
  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I am guessing since you were able to get out of it quickly, there was no need for me to be there. Next time, try to be in danger a little bit longer,” he joked, trying to make me laugh.

  “Why, you…” I said playfully, throwing the pillow I held and several other pillows at him.

  He blocked the pillows and floated them back calmly to my bed, landing them softly, as if they were never touched. The next thing I knew, Michael was using his power, pulling me toward him until I was tucked inside his embrace. Michael held me tenderly, making me quiver, and I forgot how to breathe. I became weak, and I thought my knees would buckle.

  Feeling shy, I started to ask him questions. “How’s everyone?” I was referring to Davin, Vivian, Caleb, and Alexa Rose.

  “They’re fine. They wanted to come, but I wanted to spend some time with you, alone.”

  “You did?” I said happily, looking up at his beautiful, chestnut brown eyes, so inviting, so alluring, completely spellbound by him. All that was on my mind was how much I wanted him to kiss me. My thoughts were broken when I felt a presence.

  “Actually, I didn’t listen,” Davin said, appearing in my room, arching his brows at Michael, mostly wondering if he would be upset. “I did win first after all.”

  “Davin!” I called, happy to see him.

  He pulled me away from Michael’s hold and squeezed me tightly. “I told him to share,” Davin chuckled.

  Michael looked surprised and instead of being upset, he let out a chuckle. “Fine, I’ll give you that.”

  “Cool,” Davin said naturally.

  Michael looked at Davin, most likely wondering what he meant as I looked at both of them, wondering what on Earth they were talking about. Then, as expected, Vivian and Caleb appeared. “We didn’t listen either,” Vivian said, beaming a smile.

  I was so excited that I just grabbed both of them into a group hug and squeezed them.

  “Sorry, Michael, we just stopped by, but we’ll be on our way,” Vivian said.

  “It’s been too long, and we just wanted to say hello,” Caleb seconded, flashing a guilty look.

  “Just as long as you make it quick; Claudia missed all of you too,” Michael replied. “How can I refuse?” he said sarcastically, knowing he had no choice.

  All of us managed to find a comfortable spot on my bed. We chatted away about life on Earth; Davin wanted to know about slang words and when to use them. He also asked if there was another birthday party we could attend in the near future because he enjoyed dancing. Not surprisingly, Michael gave him the “are you kidding?” look and Davin frowned. Vivian wanted to talk about fashion, while Caleb just sat and listened. Wanting to hold onto this moment, I took some pictures of us with my phone. The alkins stayed for a little while until Michael told them it was time to go. They promised to come and visit again soon.

  After they left, it got quiet. Michael smiled and looked at me with his loving eyes, and my heart burst with joy; just having him there was enough. I wanted to run to him and kiss him, but I was suddenly overcome by shyness; I was also unsure how he would respond.

  “It’s getting late, and you need your sleep,” Michael said.

  “Sleep is the last thing on my mind,” I said. “I can live without sleep.” I can’t live without you, I wanted to say, but didn’t.

  “It’s been several weeks in your time, but to me, it’s been far too long.”

  I knew what he meant. “I feel the same way,” I said softly.

  “Then let’s not waste another minute throwing pillows. Fly with me, Claudia.” He reached his hand out, ready for me to place mine in his. “I’ll never let you go.”

  I couldn’t refuse. I reached for his hand. “Promise me you’ll never let me go?” There was a deeper meaning to the promise I was asking for, but I already knew he couldn’t promise me forever.

  “I promise,” he replied with a wink.

  But those were just words—a promise he couldn’t keep no matter how much he wanted to. My heart ached. I was slowly dying, knowing this would all end sooner or later. I wanted to cry, but I stopped myself because I didn’t want to ruin our time together. Don’t ever forget me, I wanted to say, but I couldn’t. I was too afraid that I wouldn’t be able to control my tears, so I quickly forced a smile and placed my hand in his.

  The second our hands touched, we were already outside, gliding with the wind. His wings had expanded, full and magnificent, and he held me tightly as we flew higher and higher. I could see the multitude of tiny specks from the colorful lights below; it was like looking at an enormous Christmas tree, lit up for a spectacular show.

  As we flew even higher, higher than he had ever taken me, I was mesmerized by brilliant stars still too far away to reach, but I knew I was closer than any human would ever get by non-mechanical means. We became one with the stars—a sea of fireflies lighting up the sky. It was truly a magical moment. At first, I was nervous about how far I could fly with Michael comfortably. It wasn’t normal for a human to fly this high, unless it was in an airplane. But flying with an angel had its range of benefits.

  “Thank you, Michael,” I said warmly.

  “Only for you,” he replied, looking into my eyes.

  “Must we go down?” I asked.

  “Not at this minute. I want to show you the world.”

  He wasn’t kidding! As soon as the words left his lips, we took off through the clouds, flying over different cities and crossing over into different countries. We saw the Niagara Falls in Canada, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Great Wall in China, the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Coliseum of Rome, and much more. Every time we burst through the clouds, we would be somewhere new. The perfection of the night was surreal. Magically, we were invisible, just Michael and me. Not a soul looking up could see us. We were nothing but a speck in the sky no matter what country we were in.

  Unfortunately, this too, like all of our other moments, had to come to an end. When we appeared back in my room, I was still tucked inside his wings. Reality settled in, and my heart sank. Michael led me to the edge of the bed where he took my hand and kissed each finger, one by one.

  “Claudia,” Michael said sadly.

  “I know. You have to leave.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s how we are…no need to be sorry. I’m a lot stronger than you think.”

  “I know. A lot stronger than me,” he said, gently tracing the outline of my hand with his finger.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, enjoying this kind of attention.

  “I want to memorize every part of you. I want to remember the smallness of your hand to the gentle touch it carries. I want to memorize how complete I feel when I’m with you,” he said, guiding my hand flat against his. He slid his fingers to intertwine with mine and brushed his lips against the back of my hand as he whispered, “Perfect.” He continued as my eyes held his. “I want to remember the softness of your hair.” His hands ran through my hair, all the while giving me chills. “I want to remember the delicateness of your face.” He lightly caressed it, making my heart skip a beat. “I need to memorize every part of you. Memories of you are the only thing I will have after it’s…”

  I could see anguish in his eyes. His face became long and pale. He didn’t need to finish his words; I knew what he meant. Sooner or later, this would all end, and memories of each other would be the only thing that remained.

  “When you leave me?” I finished his sentence, trying to make it seem like it was no big deal.

  He stood up, unable to make eye contact. “I don’t want to, but I should leave now. But before I leave your world, I have to take care of something,” he said, deep in thought, looking upset.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, knowing he had something up his sleeve.

  “I told him never to lay a finger on you. He didn’t listen.”

  “It’s okay, Michael. After tonight, he’ll be too embarrassed t
o even look at me or come near me.” Then I thought, why am I sticking up for him?

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt him. I’m just going to teach him a lesson.” He winked. “After tonight, he’ll never lay his hands on you again.”

  It was out of my hands. He did deserve it, after all. And who better to teach him a lesson than my guardian angel?

  “But before I go,” he said, cupping my face, “a kiss to remember me by…until we meet again.” His eyes pierced through mine, luring me to him. He slowly leaned in closer and closer, taking his time. The tingling sensation was building up inside of me as I eagerly anticipated his lips on mine. Then our lips met, and I was pulled into the heaven of his embrace. His lips were warm and soft, molding perfectly onto mine. I could tell he wanted more; his kisses seductively ran down my neck, making my heart hammer faster.

  Playfully, he tugged my nightgown, slowly, pulling me closer, pressing his body against mine. I was completely lost in his embrace, and I melted into him. His lips traveled tenderly, kissing all over my face. And when his lips finally met mine again, I pressed in deeper and kissed him back with desperation and the agony of not knowing when I’d see him again. He tasted so sweet and rich that I longed to taste all of him. I trembled as his hands glided from my back down to my thigh, caressing every inch of me. As the heat of our passion grew, we fell on the bed, with me atop of Michael.

  “You drive me crazy. I can’t be with you, and I can’t live without you,” he murmured.

  How true, I thought, and my body quivered when I felt his warm hands on my bare skin. Somehow, my night gown had pushed up, leaving my underwear exposed. I flushed with exhilaration, wondering which underwear I’d worn. I wanted more of him. The tips of my fingers found their way inside Michael’s shirt, and I ran my hands across his picture-perfect, ripped chest. He took in ragged breaths and I heard him mumbling something, but I didn’t care to listen. Gently, he rolled me to my side. He moved lower and kissed my exposed navel. Ever so slowly, his kisses slid higher and my back arched from the exploding pleasure.