Page 13

ISABELLA

When we were informed that Jona, the Watching Angel, arrived, Rosie squealed with joy and ran to the entrance of the castle. The woman is a queen, yet she behaves so plainly. Sometimes, I see myself in her – the silly parts, that is. She is not damaged like me.

The sun is high, its rays seeping into the room from under the roof and behind the white columns. There is not a single breeze to help with the hot and humid air, making the fabric of my blouse stick to my skin. It’s much cooler inside than here.

I stroll next to Jacob. A few servant girls eye him and giggle. Jealousy sinks its claws into my heart, so I slide my fingers through his and stand a little closer. Maybe I should be ashamed of such ridiculous things, but he is mine, and I am not sharing him. Jacob gives my hand a squeeze and keeps looking ahead. Because I need them to know that he is off limits, I look around again to make sure they understand.

Isabella, you are being obnoxious. Nonetheless, it feels good when he tugs me closer to himself.

A tall, blond man with neatly cut hair stands next to Rosie. His shoulders are wide in his white shirt. He looks tall, but maybe that is because Rosie is standing next to him. No, Adrian is there as well, and the man is just as tall ashim. His blue eyes shine against the sunlight with such kindness that it makes me tilt my head a little.

“This is Jona.” Rosie introduces him as we get closer.

Jacob said this man raised Rosie from birth, but he does not look a day over thirty-five. Then again, he’s a Watching Angel. I suppose it’s reasonable for beings like us; age affects us differently.

“Good day.” He smiles and bows to me politely. “Isabella, I assume. Beautiful name.” He stands tall again, his eyes never leaving my face.

“Nice to meet you.” I hand him my hand, my lips stretching wide.

There is comfortable warmth radiating from him. I like it. It’s still hard to believe he raised two kids – Rosie and her sister. A few maids pass us, their gazes scanning Jona. Adrian rolls his eyes, but Jona does not seem to notice the girls or Adrian. Or maybe he is pretending to be oblivious.

“Jacob, it’s always good to see you.” Jona turns to Jacob with a friendly nod.

“You as well.” Jacob laughs, his hand never leaving my waist.

The aura that Jona brings with him is peaceful. I wonder if that is because he is an angel or if that is just the way he is.

“I hear you have some angel in you,” he says, moving his glance back to me, the soft expression still on his face.

“That is what I hear as well,” I respond and chuckle.

“Interesting woman you are. Vampire and angel,” he comments.

Another maid passes by, offering Jona a small smile. He returns the gesture, making the girl blush. There are a lot of female maids out today, I notice.

“Yes. It would be nice if I could use my power,” I respond.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you.” He grins, his bright expression filling the room.

These people barely know me, yet their kindness is unmatched. They don’t know me, but they offer their help without asking for anything in return.

Jona and I are standing in the middle of the open training ground. It is large and empty, but I assume there is no one here per Jona’s request. The sand sinks around my feet as I look at him, his form tall and magnificent, so I straighten as well. That makes him smile. It’s endearing, so I don’t mind.

“In cases like yours, it’s always about how two different powers work together,” Jona starts and looks directly at me. Normally, a gaze from a man his size would make me look away and feel small, but my confidence has grown over the last few days. “You have a vampire part and anangel part. The balance needs to come from tucking away one while you’re using the other. Otherwise, both will be fighting for control. Balancing them is hard even for those who have been alive for hundreds of years.”

This seems like it’s going to be a lot of work and difficult. I nod anyway. Tengu has already taught me some things. I am not clueless.

“Did you know my mother?” The question comes out of nowhere, but Jona looks so much like her in the paintings I saw in my father’s office – blonde, beautiful, powerful, and kind.

“No.” Jona’s answer is soft. “She was the angel of peace. Her job was to calm. I am a Watching Angel.” His lips twitch up a bit.

“Angels…” He sighs, unsure how to proceed. “We see a lot. Good and bad. We have a tendency to be guarded, but when the shield is dropped, we commit completely. It can be painful,” he explains softly. I can tell that saying those words out loud is hard for him.

My mother was a good woman. She just loved too easily. I wonder if Jona is like the angels he described. Has he fallen in love before and had his heart broken? A man as powerful as him would not let anyone fool him. He seems like the cautious type.

Jona clears his throat, snapping me out of my thoughts, and changes the subject to me. “Tengu mentioned that your wings came out, and you have been hesitant ever since?”

It hurt! I want to say. That would sound whiny, so I stay silent and nod. Next thing I know, Jona’s wings are behind him. They stand a few feet above his head and reach the ground at the tips, their color a magical white. They are beautiful against the bright rays of the sun.

I blink and they are gone. He got them out and tucked them in with such ease that it seems impossible. His facial expressions did not show discomfort as well.

“Do you want me to do it again?” he asks with a small grin.

Yes. The way he moved them with such grace is incredible.

“No, that’s fine.” I laugh at his offer.

“Do you want to give it a go?” he asks with a smirk.

I chew on my cheek for a few seconds and nod. The agreement is hesitant, but if I am to be a strong woman and defend myself, I have to do what is needed.

“Good. No need to feel rushed or force it. Just think about flying. I know the first time, it was a survival instinct, but this time let it just be you and the wind,” Jona says as if he has not a single doubt in me.

It was not survival. I only wanted to save Jacob . But I keep those thoughts to myself.

“Close your eyes if you think it will help,” Jona adds.

Inhaling, I shut my eyes. Pushing away the thought of pain, I focus on the breeze and the sensation of wings. Flying. A tingling surge rushes through my skin and collects between my shoulder blades. I exhale and flutters of wind flow my hair from behind me.

My eyes snap open, and my heart skips excitedly. Did I do it? To make sure they are there, I turn my head. White feathers shine against the sunlight, making me smile. It did not hurt, and I did it on my first attempt.

With a large grin that hurts my cheeks, I look at Jona. Images of flying overwhelm me as I remember the fall into the river. The wings move forward, lifting me off the ground. Frazzled by the motion, I flail my arms, and Jona chuckles, his voice soothing. Stabilizing myself, I adjust to the weight of them behind me.

“We can fly if you want.” He offers with a shrug. With the wings behind me, I feel powerful. The idea sounds wonderful. “It will be rough, but I won’t let you kill yourself.”

I laugh at his encouraging words and say, “Let’s try it.”

What is the worst that can happen?

Jona’s wings come out with ease – powerful and majestic. I watch in awe as he allows them to move back and forth, gracefully lifting him off the ground. I follow his action, and my feet float over the sand. I panic from the loss of support from under me.

“You wings sense your fear,” Jona says, hovering over me. “Control your fear. Control the wings.”

Easier said than done .

He has been nothing but patient with me, so I focus on the task at hand.

These are my wings. I control them .

The wings move, and I elevate further. My heart is hammering in my ribcage from fear, excitement, and disbelief. Jona is floating at my level, guiding me. I make the mistake of looking down. We are at least ten feet up, and everything below me goes fuzzy. Before I have a chance to recover, I am going down, my wings unresponsive. I hit the grass a few feet away from our lift-off location. Everything on my body aches, my wings including, as I peel myself off the ground.

“Ow…” I mumble, pushing up with my elbow.

“Are you okay?” Jona asks, but he does not seem to be worried about any injuries.

“I think so.” I get up, my wings following me.

“Do you want to stop?” He offers a way out, but his expression says I can do better.

He would be right. I can do better. Flying is a part of me – my power and my blood.

“No,” I state.

I will master it today, no matter the cost .

A proud smile stretches across his face, filling me with hope. My shoulders are still throbbing, but I straighten out and plant my feet firmly on the ground, determination coursing through my veins.

Fluttering my wings, I move up again. Trees blend into the mountains, and the urge to look down takes over. We are a few feet over the treetops. It takes a moment to register that, but once I do, my wings stop working and I am going down again.

Oh, dear saints . I don’t think I will survive this fall. Jona’s arms wrap around my waist, but we are already going through tree branches. The twigs scratch and scrape at my skin and wings, burning pain shooting everywhere, but there’s nothing I can do. Jona turns us midair, and with a solid thump, we hit dirt and rocks. Well, Jona does. I land on his solid chest.

“Oh, sweet Jesus. It has been a while since I fell like this,” Jona groans, releasing me from his hold.

Hissing and grunting, I roll off him, pain searing my skin.

Slowly, I sit up and, through the ache in my muscles and bones, I look behind me. My wings are gone, but the blouse is not even torn where they used to be.

“The wings will often disappear if they sense that they are in the way or not needed. They will repair your clothing as well,” Jona grumbles and sits up as well, rolling out his shoulders.

His wings are gone too, arms full of cuts and scratches. I wince, feeling guilty.

“Sorry.” I cringe at his injuries.

“It’s nothing,” he says, his wounds visibly healing.

My eyes go wide, and my jaw drops at how quickly his wounds close. Technically, I should be able to do that as well. Vampires don’t heal as fast as Jona does, but we have that ability. I should’ve been taught this from a young age.

“We should stop. I don’t want to hurt you any further.” I look away into the woods.

He has done enough for me. The last thing I want is to take advantage of his kindness.

“Oh, no. We are seeing this through. Plus, you’re the one who doesn’t know how to heal yet.” There’s playful mischief filling his blue eyes.

I laugh at him. Truth be told, I am glad he insisted we keep going. I want to learn to fly without falling every time I’m afraid.

The next few hours are torturous. I fall more than once – through trees, on rocks, into dirt and mud. I think at one point, we end up in a swamp. As soon as I manage to fly for a few minutes without crashing, I call it a day.

The stairs to the castle are empty besides a few guards who give us questioning glances. My arms and legs are covered in scratches, and my body feels like it has been beaten with a log. Dragging my feet, I follow Jona into the castle. He looks like he has lived without a shower for a few years, yet he walks with his head held high and a proud smirk on his face.

I feel a piece of dirt on my cheek, so I wipe it with the back of my hand, but smear more along my skin instead. Oh, well. We do not look elegant or graceful, but I don’t care – I flew.

“What is the actual hell?” Slow, baffled, and annunciated words echo through the entry of the castle. “Jona! What happened?” Jacob marches to me, his eyes wide and bewildered.

“She’s fine,” Jona says with a wave of his hand.

“Izzy, what hurts?” Jacob asks me and searches my eyes, worry written on his face.

Everything.

“I’m fine. These are just scratches.” I offer him a smile.

“You have gashes all over your skin. How is this fine?” He winces when he looks through my body.

“I flew,” I tell him, my chest swelling with pride.

He stares at me and blinks a few times, his brows coming together.

“That’s wonderful, but Jona was supposed to take care of you, not throw you in a swamp.” Jacob glares at Jona.

Technically, I was the one who threw us into the swamp.

“I’m okay,” I tell him again.

Jacob’s jaw tightens, and he sighs heavily. He opens his mouth to say something – probably something along the lines of how worried he is. I need him to understand that I am okay. I’m not a fragile doll. Before words escape his mouth, I move toward him and press my lips against his.

I don’t know why I thought that was a good idea in my current state. Jacob presses a hand on my lower back and kisses me back. It was meant to be a small gesture, but his lips move hungrily against mine, creating a fire inside me.

Breathless, I pull away and look into his eyes. I am caked in mud, and I’m sure I have twigs in my hair, but there is desire in his soft greens.

“I’m okay,” I whisper.

“You need a bath.” He runs his finger along my jaw.

Goosebumps cover my skin at his touch, his gaze making me hot. Jona coughs awkwardly, snapping me out of my trance. I look down immediately, my cheeks burning.