“No! He’s your guardian. Something is going on in the underworld. None of the angels know what it is. So Xavier left to come here to protect you and the other demi-angels in the group.”
“So his move from there to earth is completely altruistic? No other motive? Because it feels like he’s flirting with me, Dad, and it’s getting in the way of Chay and me.” I followed my dad around the kitchen while he made dinner. He shoved the cutting board and a tomato at me, and I started dicing while we talked. I wasn’t sure putting a sharp knife in my hand was the best move on his part, but whatever.
“It may feel that way, but you have to remember he isn’t from here. How to act and what to do and say to a human, even a half angel, is all new to him. What you see as flirting, he probably sees as being friendly.” My dad picked up the cutting board and swiped the tomato into a salad bowl.
I wasn’t so sure I believed what he was saying. If they were the guardians of humans, then they had to see how humans acted. And if that was the case, he knew what he was doing. But I kept my opinion to myself for a change.
Later that night, I was watching television next to my dad on the couch when my vision started to fade in and out.
Me. Standing in the kitchen. My back is facing the person in the room with me. I see myself through their eyes.
I clutched my head to squeeze out the pain as the images scrolled through my mind. I heard my dad call my name. His voice sounded slow and deep, like someone had put time in slow motion. I couldn’t understand what he was saying.
A hand squeezed my shoulder and I screamed, the sound echoing in my ears, bouncing around in the painful chasm of my brain.
“Milayna,” he called. He sounded so far away. “Are you having a vision?”
I think I nodded. Or maybe I said yes. I wasn’t sure. The images were flashing so quickly through my brain that it made me dizzy and bile rose in the back of my throat.
Me. My back turned. The person is advancing on me. A hand taps my shoulder. I turn and smile. It fades, replaced by a look of shock. The person glances down. My hands are holding my stomach. I pull them away. Blood. So much blood. It covers my hands and drips to the floor.
Screaming, I put my hands to the spot on my belly I saw in the vision. I looked down; there was no blood. I gasped for air. One hand clutched my head, fingers fisted in my hair. My other clutched the place I was stabbed. I could feel the sizzling pain, the gushy, warm blood as it oozed between my fingers.
It’s not real. It’s not real.
Slowly, the pain eased, and I opened my eyes and saw my dad’s worried face.
“Are you okay? What did you see?”
Closing my eyes, I shook my head. I couldn’t speak; the pain in my skull was still too crushing. It seemed to reach into my lungs and suck out the air.
Breathe in… breathe out… breathe in… breathe out… It’s not real… It’s not real…
Finally, the last of the vision dissolved and with it, the horrible sight of my blood spilling onto the kitchen floor. The pain disappeared, and I opened my eyes again. My dad’s face came into focus. Behind him was another face. One I loved just as much, but differently, than my dad. Worry lines creased his forehead, and his blue-green gaze searched mine.
“Chay,” I said, my voice cracking.
My dad smiled and moved out of the way. Chay took two long strides and reached out to me, pulling me against his chest. He gently caressed my back, whispering to me.
“I love you,” he said in my ear, his warm breath fanning my hair against my neck. He kissed the hollow behind my ear, sending shivers through my body. Even after the horrific vision, his touch sent my body into a tailspin.
“What did you see, Milayna?” my dad asked from across the room.
“Me.”
“What happened? What about you?”
“Someone stabbed me.” I looked down at my stomach again to make sure it wasn’t real.
“Who?” The question was from a new voice. Someone else in the room. I recognized it—I knew who it belonged to, and I didn’t want to see him. Xavier.
I looked up, and Chay’s face was hard. Clutching his arms, I looked into his eyes. “Don’t.”
“What?” he whispered. If you could yell and whisper at the same time, that was what he did.
“There’s nothing for you to be jealous about, Chay. I love you, remember?” I held up my ring finger, showing him the commitment ring he put there just days before. “You.”
He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. “Are you feeling better? Do you want something to drink?”
“Yeah, something to drink would be great.”
Chay started to stand to get it when Xavier said, “I got it.”
Chay shrugged and settled back on the couch next to me, pulling me closer to him. I snuggled deep into the crook of his arm, soaking up the comfort he gave.
This is where I belong.
Xavier walked to me and handed me a Coke. “Thanks,” I said, reaching for the glass.
“Who stabbed you?” Xavier asked again.