Found

by Kimberly Odum Wells

  I stood in front of the mirror in my closet closely inspecting her midsection. I knew it too soon to show but I was so excited. I couldn’t keep my hands from my belly and the constant beat of the baby’s heart was the sweetest kind of torture. In seven months I slipped the dress over my head and heard squeals of delight from the front of the house—Amara. Amara stopped short before throwing herself into my arms.

  “I am not a fragile flower about to be crushed by either of you. I’m just pregnant,” I said in mock frustration. I smiled at my sister and opened my arms.

  We stood there in the hallway holding each other. We were still standing there when I saw Mom come in the front door. I reached for her. She dropped her handbag on the floor and rushed to me. Amara tried to step away, to give her space, but I held on to her tight. I loved these two people so much. I could not imagine going through life without either of them. My heart was full. My mom took my elbow and led me to the kitchen. I rolled her eyes at Lucius. Really, this was going to have to stop. I was like five second pregnant and everyone was treating me like I was about to go into labor any minute.

  “Good morning, all,” Sarah said in her regular sing-songy voice.

  She came to cook for us. We had long since given up trying to get her to stop. Sarah was preoccupied with removing her coat and hanging it on the coat tree next to the front door. She didn’t see Amara and Mom until she’d turned to walk into the kitchen.

  “Oh my, we have guests. I love guests. I hope you’re all hungry. Today is the first official pancake Tuesday.” Sara pulled her apron from the peg on the wall next to the phone. She was tying it behind her when Lucius offered to help her with it.

  “Sarah, Wila is with child.” I looked at Lucius. My mouth hung open. We had not discussed telling anyone.

  She was the first person not to treat me like an eggshell. Her hug was strong and rough and welcomed.

  “Queen Mother, I am very happy for you and King Lucius.” She took Lucius in a bear hug he could not help but return. She was the older version of Amara; I think that’s why we all liked her so much.

  “Sarah, please. Call us Wila and Lucius.”

  She insisted on addressing us with formal titles. This fight we continued to have.

  Sarah straightened, looked my husband straight in the eye and said, “I most certainly will not.” She went to the cupboards and started taking out ingredients for our first official pancake Tuesday.

  “How do you feel?” Mom asked.

  “I feel great, I’m sorry that we didn’t come over last night but Lucius was in such a state when he got back.” I looked over at him.

  “Of course he was,” my traitorous mother said, and patted Lucius hand that was still holding mine.

  “She’s so lucky to have someone so devoted to her,” Amara’s joined.

  “We should all be so lucky,” Sarah put her two cent in.

  I sat, opened mouthed and looked around the room—four against one. The odds were not stacked in my favor.

  “Okay. You all win. From now on I will let you wait on me hand and foot. I will let you all dote and smother me with all the love and over protectiveness you can muster.” I thought that my little speech would help them see how ridiculous they were all being, but all I saw was four faces full of relief.

  “At last,” Lucius said.

  I felt through our bond a feeling of calm I had never experienced before. I’d been joking, but to feel such peace in him was enough to make me know I’d have to try. He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

  “I’ll give you some time with Ruth and Amara.” I knew he wasn’t going far. Yesterday was too much for him. I counted myself lucky that he was willing to let me out of his sight.

  I put my hand on his forearm to stop him. “Will you go and speak with Maalik please, I think he’s worried and I forgot to ask you to go to him last night.”

  “Of course, ladies, if you would excuse me.”

  I watched him walk off, strength radiating from him like a physical thing. He stared at me endlessly, I always felt like I gawked when I looked at him for longer than a few seconds.

  “Tell us everything. When did the crown of flowers show up? Did you know as soon as you saw them? What did Lucius say when you told him?” Amara was so excited she squirmed in her seat.

  “The crown changed as I was getting dressed for bed.”

  “And did you know what it meant,” my mom asked.

  “No, not at first, it was confusing. It hadn’t changed since I knighted the angels.

  Lucius told me that the crown changed to a large spike crown on the night of our wedding. The night Sariel showed up the defectors, our army. By the time we’d made our way back to the house it was a slim band of gold again. It was the default shape for the crown. I was glad. I didn’t know how I’d feel if it’s regular shape was too big. Not that it mattered since it didn’t come off.

  “When did you guess?” Amara asked, and I noticed Sarah listening from her place at the counter.

  “Come join us Sarah.” I said, motioning for her to come and sit next to me. She didn’t argue.

  “Well, let’s see. I don’t think it was too long, because I spent about thirty minutes trying to get it to change into something else.”

  “Why?” Sarah didn’t miss her turn at asking a question.

  “Well, I wanted Lucius to be the first to know, and I knew that someone would ask about the crown when they saw it.”

  “That’s sweet,” my mom said. “

  Amara rubbed my mom’s arm. She’s always so attentive. My mom had an angel’s reserve. She almost never let her feelings show. I was being taken from her a little at a time. I was grateful for Amara. They’d kind of adopted each other and Amara was just as much a daughter to mom now.

  “So tell us what Lucius was like when he got back,” Amara asked.

  “Well, I came in and stood in the kitchen doorway because I didn’t know if he would knock me down coming in the house.”

  “Smart girl,” Sarah said nodding in agreement. She knew how Lucius was.

  “But then I worried that he would break the door down, so I opened it for him”

  “That was really taking a chance. I would have thought something had happened if I saw the door standing wide open in the middle of the day,” mom said.

  “I would have come straight through the roof,” I’d felt him return and we all turned to look at Lucius. Standing next to him was Maalik and a couple of other angles that were on Amara’s and mom’s protection detail.

  “I know my love, which is why I decided to stand in the door. So that you could see that I was okay, and not ruin our lovely home.”

  Sarah moved out of the seat and Lucius took the five steps to get to me as if he had not seen me in an eternity.

  “I couldn’t get back to you quick enough. I will never leave you again.”

  “I would have it no other way.”

  Lucius didn’t sit he stood above me, staring at me with a gaze that promised safety and love everlasting. I knew my expression mirrored his.

  “You were right, Maalik was very worried, but not about me or my wrath, but only for you and your safety,” my husband stared at Maalik, who had not entered the kitchen, but stood in the hallway with the rest of the angels. They’d all taken a step back from him. I was a little worried and I planned on defending him if I needed to. He had been an excellent guardian to me.

  “Wila, I’d like for you to see something.” Maalik came into the kitchen and stood next to Lucius.

  Maalik wasn’t as old as Lucius, he had been created after but still he was timeless, millions of years older than me, but I felt like he was a younger brother. I don’t know how to explain it, it just was. He walked in the room, making the room seem smaller with all his height. Maalik slowly unfurled his wings. They were not the wings he had yesterday.

  Every pair of angel wings I’d seen had been beautiful, but yesterday his wings had been smaller. The tops
stopped at the top of his head and the bottoms, just behind his knees, their color a soft bluish grey. They were not the same wings. They were as impressive as Lucius. He rolled his shoulders as if he was still getting use to them. They were bright and pure white, with a tint of pale blue. The tips of his wings brushed the tile floor and the tops brushed the ceiling. It was amazing for something to look so soft and delicate but at the same time so strong.

  “Only the most dutiful of angels are honored with these wings. These are the wings of a Warrior Angel.”

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “I worried that I was not strong enough to keep you safe and hoped only strength enough to fight until Lucius could make it back to you.” His voice was low but he looked in my eyes as he gave the answer.

  My sweet Maalik was ready to fight to the death—for me.

  Mom and Amara convinced Sarah to let them help cook breakfast. We’d invited the angels to join which made our head count twenty. The dining room was too formal and the kitchen area too small, so we decided to set up the food buffet style outside.

  “I’m glad everything was okay.” Maalik took a stack of plates that I was carrying.

  The humans weren’t the only ones fascinated by the large white wings Maalik now sported. As it turned out, no angel had gotten new wings since the destruction of the fall. That had been over three thousand years ago.

  “The first half of my existence I hunted you and the second half I pretended. No one really knows Azriel’s plans. But I think he’s very dangerous. We may all be underestimating him.” Maalik’s brutal honestly was refreshing—terrifying, but appreciated.

  “You’re very strong. I saw that the day of your wedding and again yesterday, but so is Azriel.”

  I stopped Maalik by placing my hand on his shoulder.

  “Maalik, my whole life has been dictated by this one angel. Not one second more will I give him of my life, including this one. Yesterday I realized I’m pregnant .” The angel’s eyes widened and he looked at my stomach. “My child will not enter a world where I have to hide her.”

  “My love I didn’t know we were telling everyone,” Lucius joined us and placed a protective arm around my waist. I gave him the evil eye. Had he not told Sarah?

  “Maalik isn’t everyone he’s my guardian, and the guardian of our unborn daughter.”

  “True. I suppose it’s only fair that he knows what’s at stake and what he protects.” Lucius said looking at Maalik.

  The expression was what I called angel blank. It had the ability to look both menacing and neutral. It wasn’t a good look. Since his return home yesterday Lucius emotions were off the chart. I didn’t need him to say with words that his over protectiveness had grown. I could feel it covering my body like a warm embrace.

  “I trust Maalik with our life,” I said. My eyes never leave Maalik’s.

  I wanted him to understand that we were one but I trusted Maalik to protect me. He had proven himself. His new wings were testament to this.

  A feeling of doubt washed over me and I felt Lucius’s hold tighten around my waist. His wings came out and so did Maalik’s. They both looked at me. I smiled.

  “Welcome Maalik, you now share our bond.”

  Chapter 12: Sveva