6. Kiera

Iwas up and dressed early in the day, but Rhys was reluctant to leave until he was sure I could defend myself. It was sweet that he cared about me and my wellbeing.

I don't think he was thrilled that I was unwilling to summon weapons from heaven, but I knew I didn't yet have the justification for it. I'd left behind some of my own, but I wasn't prepared to steal the powerful weapons I sensed he was interested in. I could've asked, but it would've been necessary to explain myself and even then, my angelic superiors would likely have refused. I didn't want to give them the opportunity to recall me from Earth, so the less I said the better.

I wanted to help Rhys in his mission and allow him to help me in return. I tried not to let my desire to please him interfere with what I was trying to do, but those thoughts were always at the back of my mind, just as my feelings were tugging at my heart.

I didn't want to fall in love. That was what humans did, wasn't it? And yet, as a divine being of light, it was my nature to feel love for all that was good or pure in the world. Rhys was morally grey, rather than outright good or evil, and I knew I had feelings for him. Making love had only solidified them.

"Kiera, are you paying attention? I'm going to swing this sword and I want you to defend yourself."

"I would fly out of the way," I replied matter-of-factly. I didn't see the point of this, even though Rhys's heart was in the right place.

"Don't tell me. Just do what you're going to do," Rhys insisted, as he drew his katana from its scabbard and brandished it at me.

I unfurled my wings and let them carry me back in the air, until I was hovering just out of Rhys's reach. This brought me precariously close to the living room ceiling, but I was careful enough not to hit my head. If the ceiling fan had been switched on, I might've been at risk of being decapitated by it.

Rhys took a step closer and lunged at me, thrusting his sword. I reacted with magic and the sword came to a sudden stop about a foot in front of me.

Even with all of his strength, Rhys couldn't pull it away.

"That's interesting," Rhys said, as he let the hilt go. "You could've used that to stop the arrow fired at us."

I nodded, but I hadn't seen the arrow coming or thought of it at the time. When I released the spell, the katana fell to the floor, landing on the soft carpet.

"I want you to attack me," Rhys said. "Don't hold back. I want to see what you're capable of, Kiera."

"But what if I hurt you?" I asked him.

I was glad when Rhys remained quiet, rather than suggesting there was little chance of that. He might be fallen, but he was still capable of being a gentleman when he chose to be.

I reached into heaven with my mind and grasped the hilt of my sword. Slowly, I pulled it into the mortal world, and with the hilt firm in my hand, the rest of the sword slid into being.

Rhys's smile widened when he saw it.

While Rhys's sword had a Japanese design, mine was a western short sword. It glistened with a row of magical runes, which rendered the sword unbreakable and guided its actions toward the greater good.

I slashed at Rhys's arm, but held back a little, as I didn't want to harm him. Rhys easily parried my blow.

"Come on. Try harder!"

I noticed the glint of crystal at Rhys's neck, and remembered he was wearing the magical arrowhead. Now I had something of my own to prove. I wanted to ensure wearing the arrowhead didn't make Rhys more vulnerable.

It probably would if someone struck it dead on, but what about just wearing it? Could it affect the wearer? It was another reason Rhys probably would've been better off without it, but he already seemed attached to the crystal.

I readied my sword, and sidestepped Rhys, avoiding his parry. With nothing blocking my swing, I nicked the side of his arm with my sword tip. A red cut sprang to life, and just as quickly healed. That was normal for an angel, and presumably a fallen one. It eased my mind as I didn't want Rhys to be weakened by the crystal.

"I won't be using a sword today," Rhys said. "How are you with guns?"

"I don't use them," I replied. "I'm prepared to defend myself with the skills I naturally possess, but I'm not going to shoot anyone. There are less ways to use a gun defensively."

"Alright," Rhys said, probably realising I wasn't going to budge on the matter.

I sheathed my sword, and as I turned, Rhys whacked me on the ass with his. I spun back around, and saw that he'd already set his sword against the wall. I knew who'd done that. After all, we were alone in the room. Rhys promptly took my hand and pulled me into his arms.

I touched my lips to his, tentatively at first, and then our kiss deepened. He felt so good, and I loved the way he held me, like I belonged to him. I suppose, in a way, I did.

Rhys kissed my ear, and then kissed me tenderly on the side of the neck as I held him too.

"We should get going. Otherwise I'm going to take you against the wall and it's going to be hours before we go after this assassin."

I grinned knowingly, and what's more I believed him. As tempting as the notion was, I reluctantly let the back of his shirt go.

"Lead the way."

I let him decide what that meant.

* * *

We setout shortly before noon and now that Rhys had mostly recovered, we could fly. We weren't invisible to humans but their gaze slid off us like water off a duck's back. Technology was more of a problem, but we did our best to avoid cameras.

Rhys looked impressive and just a bit threatening – not to mention handsome – with his dark wings carrying him. It was hard to talk in the air, even when I raised my voice, so I waited until we'd set down on the rooftop of a tall building. I didn't know the city of Dublin well enough to recognise it, but we were in the centre of the city.

Rhys stretched his shoulder after we landed, then folded his wings against his back. They faded out of sight, but as another angel, I could tell they were there.

"How are we going to find this assassin?" I asked him.

"I know where he lives," Rhys replied. "I didn't tell you yesterday, but I followed him through the city. It's how I found you."

He gave me a small smile, as though he saw the romance in it. Was it strange that I did too?

"So we're going to his house?" I asked, thinking this might be easier than I'd expected.

"Something like that," Rhys replied. "If he isn't there, I'm going to take the opportunity to ransack the place."

"And if he is?" I felt mildly concerned by that possibility.

"Then we can either wait for him to go out or we can break in and question him ourselves," Rhys replied.

I could see how it might get out of hand, but Rhys and I were both capable people, and I was sure we would muddle through.

"Do you intend to kill him afterwards?" I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. I was sure Rhys would take offense at them. What surprised me more was that he didn't.

"Maybe. We'll have to see if the situation degenerates," he replied.

His expression had turned somewhat grim, but I didn't sense any doubt from him on the matter. It was simply how he was treating the situation. It left me feeling unsure how to reply and concerned about what could happen.

"The assassin isn't the one you've been sent to help?" Rhys asked, speaking of the angelic duty I'd been given.

"No. I'd already have noticed if he was," I replied.

A time was approaching when I should make contact with my charge, but at the moment it wasn't safe to do so. Kelibon wanted me dead for a reason and I still wasn't sure about why. I also couldn't leave Rhys's side, or the fae would be able to pinpoint our locations. It meant for now, I would have to stay away from my charge, unless Rhys came with me – and that didn't seem like a wise option. I, too, would have to play the situation by ear.