Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

S uda stares cautiously at my ring, and I can’t help but touch it, absentmindedly twirling it on my finger.

“Be careful, Zarla. I can’t imagine what some would be willing to do to you to get that ring.”

Her words twist my stomach. She’s right. I quickly slip the ring off and tuck it into my pocket.

“Wise idea,” she notes.

The musky scent of the book refocuses me on the pages, and I turn them, eager to learn of the remaining four weapons. But there’s no more information about the weapons. I flick through the pages, but there’s nothing. Suda steps forward and frantically searches through the book before slamming it shut.

“Gods above!” she shouts, and then she holds her hands over her mouth as she paces the small room.

I frown at her. “What is it? Where are the remaining pages?”

She waves a hand toward the book. “They’re gone. Someone’s taken them.” She curses under her breath. “If your father finds out, he will put me before The Throne.” She continues pacing, her features wrinkled with worry.

“It’s okay, Suda. It’s not your fault,” I tell her, placing my hands on her arms to stop her.

“You don’t understand, Zarla. I am the only one who holds the key. I keep it with me at all times. How could someone have gotten in here? It’s not possible. Unless…” Her voice drifts off as she stares at the door.

“Unless what?” I ask.

Her gaze finds mine, her eyes brimming with fear. “Unless someone has found another way in.”

Is that even possible?

“How?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “I have said enough. I think it best you leave now, dear. Wouldn’t want to put my foot in it any more than I already have. But please, no one can know of this,” she pleads, pressing her hands together.

I reach out and take her hands in mine. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

I head back to my quarters, carrying the ring in my pocket for fear of anyone else seeing it. So far, Amaros, Zalore, possibly Finlay, and now Suda know. I can’t risk anyone else finding out, especially now that I know how powerful it is.

Something she said about my father concerned me. Why was he so hell-bent on hiding that book? Was it simply because he didn’t want it to end up in the wrong hands? Of course, that would make sense. But something unsettles me by it. By his need to hide that information. And I can’t help the anxious feeling building within.

How have I lived a full eighteen years and never once learnt or heard about these weapons of the gods? One of which my mother had. Where did she get it from, and did my father know she had it? My thoughts drift to my bed where I have hidden her journal beneath the mattress. Perhaps I will find the answers in there.

The corridors of the castle are silent as I make my way back to my quarters. I’m thankful not to bump into anyone on my way. The last thing I need is someone to pick up on my nerves. I’ve always been a terrible liar. I hate lying, and I would rather avoid it.

As I touch the handle to my door, a sudden wave of power washes over me, and I fall to my knees. Gods above, what was that? I scan the corridor, thankful I’m still alone as I climb to my feet.

And then it hits me again. I brace myself against my door, taking several deep breaths.

Kyle. This power is coming from Kyle.

Kyle, I’m coming , I say through the bond, not that he can hear me.

Zarla? What’s going on? Is Kyle okay?

My body shakes as anger builds. Finlay isn’t with Kyle, again.

Where the hell are you, Finlay? I demand through the mind link.

I am met with silence, which stretches on for far too long.

Finlay?

They called me back to the Kingdom and forced me to ingest something that prevented me from mind linking with you. I had no choice. I’m sorry.

How long ago was this? I ask, fearing the answer.

I’m not sure, a few hours maybe. My minds a bit hazy.

A few hours? Gods above, anything could have happened to Kyle in that time. But I haven’t sensed him in danger, which is a relief. I soar down to Earth, to Kyle, as my mind runs like crazy, imagining why Finlay was called back to Silanthia, and why this keeps happening. Someone’s trying to get Kyle alone and unguarded on purpose.

I’m nearly there. He’s not in danger. I would know it. One of us needs to be with him at all times, and I can’t believe they don’t understand that. Father has allowed me to return to guardian over Kyle, so I won’t leave him unguarded again.

I’m met with silence before he finally responds. Zarla, I’m sorry. I really am.

I don’t bother responding. I believe him, but it still bothers me he would leave him unguarded again. Did he even question the order? Or ask if someone could let me know so I could go back to Earth and guard him? Something tells me that no, he didn’t.

A sick feeling twists my stomach as I wonder if it was all a plan to get Kyle alone.

Kyle’s house comes into view below, and I put my veil in place, not wanting a repeat of the last time, and land softy in the yard. I suck in a sharp breath and stare wide-eyed at Kyle, who is standing at the edge of the yard, blasting power out into the field, which illuminates the darkness in magical bursts of light. He lifts a tree from the ground as if it weighs nothing, raises it high into the air, and rips it in two before sending both halves shooting across the field. They land with a loud crack.

“I know you’re here. I can feel it,” he says into the night air, and then he creates a ball of dark, smoke-like power in his hands and blasts it across the field.

How is this possible? I walk forward and stop twenty feet away from him as I lower my veil. His focus shifts to me, and we stare at one another for some time.

“Hi, Kyle,” I whisper, unsure of what else to say. His name rolls off my tongue, as if I have spoken it thousands of times before.

He yields his power, which I am still confused about, moves closer, and stops before me.

“I wasn’t sure if you would come back,” he states, his eyes searching mine.

My heart aches at his words, feeling the sadness laced amongst them. I should never have left him the way I did. Finlay showing up gave me little choice, though. If he found out I didn’t use my veil around Kyle, he would tell his father. And The Throne would get involved, and that would be it.

“I will never abandon you. I promised I would return,” I firmly say.

His gaze shifts out to the field where he was using his powers. Powers I am still unsure how he has. The silence stretches on, but I wait. He needs time.

“Am I like you?” he finally asks, turning to face me. “An angel?”

My brows knit together. Is that what he is? It makes no sense.

“I’m not sure. I don’t understand how it’s possible. The gods bonded me to you. To guardian over you. Why would the gods do such a thing if you weren’t even human?”

He shakes his head and shuffles from one foot to the other. “I don’t understand what that means.”

“Sorry,” I say. “It’s just… It makes no sense. But you’re clearly not human. You have powers much like my own. How long have you had them?”

He flicks his gaze up to the stars before settling it back on me. “Ever since I was young, I always felt different. When I was thirteen, I woke up in a field in the middle of nowhere with no idea who I was or where I came from. I have no memories before that. And then tonight, I had this feeling,” he says, touching his chest, “like a deep instinct inside me. I walked out here, and I could feel something building, and then this dark power just blasted out of my hands.”

My lips part as I listen to his story. I have never heard of anything like it. If he is an angel, how did he end up down here on Earth?

There’s a sudden shift in the air, and I turn just as two female angels land in the yard behind us. One is older than the other, and they’re both beautiful. They have the same deep-red hair that hangs down their backs in long waves. The next thing I notice are their black wings. They’re from Zarquon.

Before I have time to react, the younger one blasts me with a ball of dark power that smashes into my chest, sending me flying into the field. I land amongst some tall plants, coughing as pain radiates down my back. I stumble to my feet to see Kyle standing at the edge of the field with his back to me and his hands raised.

“Stay the hell back!” he shouts at the two females.

The older one takes a few steps toward him, and he aims at her, stopping her in her tracks.

She raises her hands. “Kyle, it’s okay. We’ve come to help you.”

I frown at her words. Come to help him? Why?

The younger one smiles at him and steps to the side, raising her hands in my direction. I immediately raise mine in defence, but Kyle steps into her path, blocking her from me.

“Don’t even think about it,” he warns.

He’s protecting me. The younger one lowers her hands a little so she’s not aiming at Kyle, and her features soften as she looks at him. How do these angels know him? And then it hits me like a bolt of lightning. He’s from their Kingdom. He’s one of them.

“Kyle, please,” the younger one pleads. “You’re in danger. She is our enemy. She cannot be trusted.”

My gaze darts between the two females, and I slowly move closer to Kyle as the instinct to protect him kicks in. Despite my feelings about our enemy’s Kingdom, Kyle is mine to protect. And clearly he grew up here on Earth. He may be from Zarquon, but he isn’t one of them. He isn’t evil.

“No, I’m not. She isn’t a threat to me,” he states. “Who the hell are you?”

The younger one looks to the older one, and she shakes her head. There is some sort of exchange between them I don’t understand.

“Kyle, you need to trust us,” the older female says. “She is the enemy. If we don’t kill her , she will kill us .”

He looks over his shoulder at me and frowns, confusion twisted into his perfect features.

I move closer. “Kyle, it’s not true. I would never hurt you. Those angels are the enemy. One of their kind killed my mother. They can’t be trusted.”

The older female lowers her hands. “Let’s just all take a deep breath, shall we? No one needs to get hurt.”

By now I’m at Kyle’s side, relief washing over me since he appears to trust me. “Why are you here? I am Kyle’s guardian, and I demand an explanation.”

The younger one laughs, and my blood practically boils as I clench my fists.

“Kyle, you don’t remember me. That much is clear. My name is Em, and this is my mother, Klara. You’re an angel from the Kingdom of Zarquon. Our Kingdom. We have been on high alert for decades waiting for Silanthia to attack. That’s where she’s from,” she says with a nod in my direction. “We can’t trust them. She is lying to you.”

Something doesn’t add up here. Why do they think we are the danger? From what my father told me, they are the danger to us. The confirmation that Kyle is one of them sends my mind into overdrive.

Kyle’s eyes blaze with what I can only describe as anger. He grits his teeth as his entire body tenses. “I have lived here on Earth since I was a kid, feeling confused and afraid. I woke up in a field when I was thirteen years old with no idea who the hell I was or how I got there?—”

“Kyle,” Em interrupts, but he stops her.

“No. I have felt alone my entire life. As if I don’t fit in. And you show up now , and threaten the only person— angel —who has given me any explanation. How dare you!” His voice booms through the property, echoing the pain and anger he is feeling, and rightly so.

I place my hand on Kyle’s shoulder, sending warmth through him to help calm his nerves. He glances at my hand, and his features soften a little. My gaze shifts to Em, who is glaring at me.

“I can see that you’re hurt, and I don’t blame you for feeling that way,” Em says, “but we didn’t know where you went. You disappeared. We could no longer sense you anywhere. We searched and searched. Your family never gave up looking for you. I never gave up looking for you, even when they all said you were dead. They even reached out to King Harlum of Silanthia, and he refused to speak with them. I never gave up hope of finding you.

“And then tonight, out of nowhere, we sensed you, your power. We came down here immediately to see if it was true. If you were really here on Earth.”

I stare wide-eyed at Em as she explains everything to Kyle. What in the gods happened to him, and how did he get here? There are so many questions buzzing through my mind that it’s making me dizzy.

“Then why didn’t my family come?” he questions.

Klara’s expression softens. “They were afraid it might be a trap, so we offered to go.”

Kyle drops his hands at his sides as he stares out into nothing, connecting the pieces in his mind.

Em steps toward him, but I block her path. Kyle looks at me and gives me a tight-lipped smile that doesn’t touch his eyes.

“It’s okay.”

I move aside as Em wraps her arms around him. My entire body tenses as she touches him, my protective instincts kicking in. But he doesn’t return the hug, which somehow calms me down a little. But there’s something else happening inside me I don’t understand. Is it jealousy?

“I’m so glad we’ve found you. It’s going to be okay,” she whispers.

I really don’t like her touching him or being close to him like that, but I hold my ground. Starting a fight is not a good idea right now.

Just breathe, Zarla, I tell myself.

Klara rubs his shoulder as she looks at me. “I can see you care for him, and I am a pretty excellent judge of character. I believe you won’t harm him. But be warned—if you do, it won’t end well for you…?”

“Zarla,” I say, “and I appreciate your concern for him, and believe me when I say that the last thing I would ever do is harm him. It goes against every sense inside me as his guardian.”

She narrows her eyes at me as something in her features clicks, and she gives me a nod, as if deciding she can trust my word.

Kyle steps back from Em and moves to my side. “I need time to process all of this.”

“Yes, we understand,” Klara says.

Em’s gaze quickly shifts to her mother’s. “We’re not leaving him here. He’s coming with us where we can keep him safe. His family needs to see him.”

Klara places her hands on Em’s shoulders. “In due time. We will alert them he is safe. We know where he is, and we can return when he is ready.”

Em doesn’t look pleased as she pouts, but she gives her mother a sharp nod.

“If this is all true, then why don’t I have wings?” Kyle asks.

I hadn’t even thought about that. Maybe he just didn’t know how to release them?

“May I?” Klara asks, and he nods.

She lifts his T-shirt up, and my focus drops to his chiselled, toned body. I swallow hard as she glides her fingers across the skin on his back, searching for his markings.

“Strange… I can’t see any sign of wings here.”

I move to her side and check for myself, gliding my fingers across his skin. My breath catches at the feeling building inside me, and I quickly drop my hand, refocusing on the reason I am looking at his back. Markings. But he has no wings. That much is clear.

Every angel I have seen, myself included, has markings where our wings are. We’re able to release them and retract them when needed. Kyle doesn’t appear to have any markings.

“There’s got to be an explanation for it,” Em says, scratching her head. “Maybe it has something to do with how he got here.”

Kyle lowers his shirt and stands at my side.

I instinctively reach out and stroke his arm. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out.”

Em huffs, folding her arms. “You mean, we’ll figure it out,” she says to me, then turns to Klara. “We need to take him with us. We can figure it out back home.”

Just as panic creeps up inside me at the thought of losing him, Kyle shakes his head.

“No. I’m not going anywhere.”

Em lets out a strained breath, clearly unhappy with the decision. I don’t know these angels, and neither does Kyle. There is no way I’m about to let them take him anywhere. Relief washes over me at Kyle being on the same page. I don’t want to have to fight them, but I will if needed.

Em’s gaze darts between Kyle and me. “Keep him safe. We will return soon.”

And with that, she shoots off up into the air. Klara gives us a warm smile before she follows her daughter.

The silence stretches on for a while after they’re gone, and Kyle finally turns to me.

“This is a lot to take in,” he says. “I’ve lived here on Earth as a human for most of my life. It’s all I know.”

A drop of water lands on my arm, and I glance up at the sky.

“It’s okay. It’s just rain,” he tells me.

I can’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry,” I say. “We do get rain in our Kingdom.”

For the first time I have ever seen, a smile twitches his lips, and it’s amazing.

“Sorry, it’s hard to imagine what it’s like in an angel Kingdom.” He pauses, a small frown creasing his forehead. “Why do you think I can’t remember?”

The rain drops grow heavier, and before I know it, we’re getting totally soaked.

“Come on. Let’s go inside!” he calls out through the downpour.

I follow him up onto the porch, where he slips off his boots. I hesitate for a moment before doing the same. He holds the door for me, and I hurry inside. It’s cosy in here, and I spot an open fire crackling away in the corner. It reminds me of my father’s fireplace in his quarters.

Kyle hands me a towel as I stand by the fire, drying myself off. I catch him watching me, his blue eyes filled with curiosity.

“Thank you for the towel,” I say, holding it up in question.

He takes it from me and leaves the room for a moment. I sink down onto his couch, and his dog comes running into the room, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. She wags her fluffy tail and rests her face on my knee. I give her ears a pat, and she licks my hand before curling up on the rug in front of the fire.

“She likes you,” Kyle says from the doorway.

I laugh. “She’s beautiful. What’s her name?”

“Millie,” he says. “Would you like a drink?”

I shake my head. “I’m okay, thank you.”

He crosses the room and sits down next to me. Our arms touch, and that same jolt of electricity passes through me. My stomach does a little flip as I lock eyes with him, and his perfect features move as he swallows.

“Your eyes are amazing,” he breathes. “I’ve never seen green eyes like that before.”

Heat rises in my cheeks, and I look away. He has the strongest effect on me. No male has ever made me feel like this before. I try to refocus, remembering the question Kyle asked me outside before we were soaked.

“Your question,” I say, and then I clear my throat. “I’m not sure why you don’t remember. Maybe it’s a coping mechanism to protect you?”

He shakes his head and stares into the flames. “It feels like more than that. I think it’s deliberate.”

“What makes you say that?” I reposition myself a little so I’m facing him.

He runs his hand through his hair. “It’s just a feeling. I’ve always had strange dreams throughout my life. I think now they’re making sense.”

My brows knit together. “What do you mean? What have you dreamt about?”

He stands and takes a log from a basket next to the fire, then places it into the flames. It crackles, and a comforting scent of burning wood fills the room. “I dreamt about this woman. At least I think she was a woman, judging by her voice. She was like a bright light, and I couldn’t see her properly. She told me I have strong powers, that they will come to me when I’m ready.”

The hairs on my arms rise as I think back to the female in the forest, back in Silanthia, who came to me.

Kyle was visited by a goddess.