“Not so fast.” He pulls the ring box back, farther away from my grasp. “Aren’t you at all curious why you were able to retain your office?”
“Nope.” He scoffs at that. “What? Do I haveyouto thank for that?”
“Yes, in fact, you do. I require your thanks at once,” he drawls. I roll my eyes in response. “They didn’t realize how much time you spent there, so they thought removing it from your possession would be an easy call. I persuaded them otherwise.”
“Thank you.” I bow sarcastically, snatching the ring box from his grasp. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with an enchanted ring.”
“Cleo. It’s no secret I’ve come to enjoy our friendship over the years. Well, I mean, the other Archangels don’t realize we’re friends, so I suppose it’s a secret in a way.” He runs his hand through his black wavy hair and shrugs nonchalantly. “As yourfriend, I came to warn you that what’s coming is bigger thanyou can comprehend. I implore you to have an open mind. And tonight, when you transfuse your magic into that ring, you’ll lose your tether to your Guardians below until further notice.”
“That’s not suspicious at all.” I use his own words against him, shoving him and sighing. I’ll miss keeping an eye on my Guardians. It makes my stomach churn to think of Stephen reassigning them to other Watchers tomorrow. He nudges my foot playfully with his, bringing me back to this moment. Truthfully, Nial is one of my only friends in the Middle Realm, and we aren’t even very close. “If you came here to speak in riddles, I’d consider it a job well done.”
He raises his brows and walks toward my front door to leave. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I fear I cannot say more than that. It will be a while before we meet again. You know where to find me should you need anything.”
I bow, smiling softly. “Of course,Your Grace.”
“Glad to see you remember who you’re talking to.” He smirks, nodding his chin at me, then runs his hand through his black locks as he exits, tucking his massive set of wings inward to fit through the doorframe. He rarely visits me, let alone at night.
The first time we crossed paths after my guardianship ruling was years later, after he had a particularly bad day—riddled with bad rulings, disagreeable council meetings, and exhaustion. We ran into each other on the selenite bridge to the headquarters. We quite literally bumped into each other. At first, I scowled and released a groan as I bore my gaze into his and reprimanded him for not knowing how to observe his surroundings properly.
He pulled theDo you know who I am?bit, to which I responded,Yes, of course I know who you are, Your Grace.
He looked at me with a keen fascination I hadn’t seen him fashion before. He walked me to my quarters, telling me all about his horridday while I listened—remember, I’ve always been a good listener. Since then, we’ve kept in touch; we have always only been friends, nothing more. It’s been nice to occasionally chat about our bad days.
However, despite the nature of our relationship, I knew he wouldn’t exercise any bias when voting on the ruling for us earlier. Ultimately, his Archangel duties outweigh any fleeting moments of friendship in his ancient existence, within reason. I respect it and wouldn’t have held any negative outcome against him personally.
Well,most likelynot.
Sue me. At least I’m being truthful.
As I watch him stroll down the breezeway, I admire his colossal sparkling wings while he fades into the air, no doubt teleporting back to his manor.
While watching him walk away, I catch myself wishing he could stay longer.
Although I enjoy alone time, sometimes I miss spending time with loved ones. In my mortal life, I was the oldest of three, and throughout my childhood, every waking moment outside of school was spent with my siblings. I helped teach them how to read and write. I even packed their lunches with my mom sometimes. I loved them fiercely—so fiercely, they teased me for being overprotective often.
My mom appreciated the extra support in caring for my brother and sister. She had a lot on her plate. Between raising three kids while my dad worked full-time and running a tailoring business from our home, she was often scattered. She thanked me frequently—so frequently, I found myself wondering if I may have been doing too much. I’ll admit, I didn’t sleep well and stressed a lot about their well-being.
My dad didn’t quite share the same outlook as my mom. He appreciated my help. That much was clear. But there was more to it.
I remember, one night, shortly after my thirteenth birthday, my dad invited me to sit on our front porch together for a hot-chocolate chat. Hot-chocolate chats were our thing. Anytime one of us had a particularly rough day, we’d resort to a hot-chocolate chat. Sitting on two old wooden rocking chairs, I swayed mine in peaceful bliss, savoring the warmth of the cocoa on such a chilly winter day, when my dad broke the silence.
“You do too much for your age, Clo.” I cut a glance at my dad, tilting my head.
“What do you mean? I’m thirteen now. I think… I could probably do even more.”
He shook his head fast and took a sip of his cocoa upon hearing my response. “Not on my watch, kiddo.”
“Why not?” I asked, using my spoon to swirl the marshmallows around my light blue mug.
“As you all get older, your brother and sister need to be able to stand on their own two feet. You’ll always be their guiding light, being their big sister and all, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to focus on you and your needs.” I stared into his big brown eyes, not quite understanding. Up until then, I thought taking care of them was my responsibility as their big sister. I didn’t have time to think about my own needs. “Just promise me to take care of yourself the way you take care of them, okay? With grace and love.”
Not fully understanding the deeper meaning behind his words at the time, I nodded slowly. “I promise.”
Then, I took another large sip of my hot chocolate, coating my upper lip in a thick chocolate stache and grinned widely at my dad.
“Nice, Clo. But you’ll never beat mine.” He smiled mischievously, then dipped hisrealmustache in his hot cocoa, coating it in chocolate and marshmallows. I giggled and rocked excitedly in my rocking chair. I closed my eyes and leaned back, finding delight in this quiet moment with my dad.
Snapping out of the memory, I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. I walk back into my haven and shut the front door behind me, heading back into the bathroom to gaze at my reflection one more time before resting.
