The knock at the door made me groan. I grabbed my robe and followed close behind Lucius as he said something about duty calling. Sariel, Maalik and the menacing angel, Sam, stood on our porch.
We all walked to the formal dining room. The table seated twenty two people. I’d wondered who on earth would ever entertain that many at once. The house was huge and I had only been in the room once.
Maalik was seven feet tall, I didn’t have to guess or estimate I’d measured him myself after I’d asked and he said he didn’t know. He was the tallest being I’d ever seen, human or angelic. He was slim like most people who had that kind of height but the ropes of veins that mapped his exposed forearms spoke of hidden strength for any human who didn’t know Maalik could bench press army tanks. Since the defection of the angels Maalik had become a semi-permanent fixture at our home, although he took turns in Amara’s security detail. He was still a little stiff to pass for human but he was acclimating to the surface quite nicely now that he didn’t have to return to heaven.
If Maalik was stiff, Samiel was...resolute. His time on the surface hadn’t softened him any. The scar that ran the length of the side of his face had ruined his eye and he wore a patch. He was the only angel I’d seen with any imperfection and when I asked Lucius about it he said he didn’t know and he wasn’t going to ask. Enough said. Samiel was my mom’s permanent security lead, he’d asked. Who was going to say no? He wasn’t as tall as Maalik but he was big, bigger than my impressively bulked up husband. He was just…more. He rarely spoke but he had the respect of every angel, or maybe it was fear.
“Maalik returned late last night with news of two twins, one deaf and one blind, that are attending a small college in the south,” Sariel said, as we took our seats.
“What makes you think its Enid and Amala,” I asked.
“I’ve watched them for two months and even for twins they are eerily the same. They move as if one is telling the other what to do but no words pass between them when they are alone. I am certain that they are the ones,” Maalik said.
“When are we going to make contact?” Lucius took my hand because he could feel my anxiousness.
First my heart fluttered and a feeling of complete panic took over me. Then the iciness of fear washed over my body to the point of being unbearable and actually shuddered in my seat. Our bond had grown exponentially. We’d been drawn to each other before, but now we shared our emotions and could communicate through it. Not actually speaking, more of an understanding or feeling. These were not my emotions. They were my husbands. These were the emotions that he felt at the thought of being away from me, for fear of my safety and at the thought of anything happening to me.
“Lucius, I think you and I should be the one that make first contact with the Mothers,” Sariel said.
“Sariel wouldn’t ask if he didn’t think it was important.” I said, still struggled against the assault of his emotions.
“I would be happy to watch over the Queen Mother and act as her guardian while you are away Lucius,” Maalik offered, and I couldn’t help but smile. I liked the young angel.
“See, my love, we already have a volunteer.”
I could see the wheels turning in his head. He would go because he knew I wanted him to, but it would not stop him from feeling anxious the whole time he was away from me.
“She’ll five guardians at all times when she leaves the house. There are to be angels posted outside each window and door and around the perimeter of the house.”
Lucius’ request would have been comical except for two things; I have not seen an angel laugh and the look on my angel’s face. Lucius pulled me from my seat. We walked out of the room without saying good-bye but only made it as far as the hallway before Lucius turned and took me in his arms. His heart was beating too fast and I concentrated very hard on trying to get it so slow down. Lucius saw my struggle and I was released from the vise of his emotions as he calmed.
“As long as you exist no one will hurt me,” I said in a low voice.
He put his nose in my hair and breathed deep. I pulled away from him. I kissed his cheeks, his eyelids, his nose and his forehead before kissing his lips. He looked only slightly less pained.
“If anything happens to you...” My angel could not finish the sentence.
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