“I’ve decided I don’t care about what they think anymore, Mel. They’re control freaks. Like I said, I’m yours, and you are mine. Nobody gets to take that away from us.”
She began to tremble in my arms. No doubt, defying Paradise was a terrifying aspect. “In the bathroom at Siren’s, you said they would take your wings away. I can’t let you risk the very essence of what you are for me.”
Grasping her shoulders, I held her back to look at her so she could see just how serious I was. “As long as I have you, that’s all that matters. If losing my wings is the price I have to pay for you, I’ll do it.”
She opened her mouth, probably to argue, but my lips were already on hers, turning her protests into a small, delicious moan. We fell back on the bed, consumed in one another.
She broke the kiss and snuggled into the crook of my arm, her body pressed against mine. “What’s it like? Paradise, I mean?”
“That’s a loaded question.”
“Is it anything like what humans imagine?”
“Something like it. Most of it is just…empty. Think of the Midwest only fields of clouds rather than corn.”
She snorted. “That doesn’t sound like paradise at all.”
“The Silver City is beautiful. Remember when we watchedThe Lord of the Rings,and you wondered why I wanted to watchReturn of the Kingso much but not the others?”
Her brows scrunched, giving me a cute eye-roll. “Yeah. Super weird, everyone knowsTwo Towersis the best.”
“Psh. Only if we’re talking about the extended edition with the forty-five-minute Helm’s deep battle.”
“Well yeah.” She grinned wide. “Extended editions or bust.”
“Anyway,” I laughed, tugging playfully on a lock of her brown hair, “the capital city of Gondor, Minas Tirith inReturn of the King,reminds me a little of home.” I grinned. “So much, in fact, I’m almost certain a celestial was one of the graphic artists on the crew.”
“Wow.” The wonder in her gaze shifted to something resembling guilt. “Do you miss it?”
I felt my lips curving into a warm smile. “Never. My life is better here. I’ve built a beautiful life that most guardians are envious of. Most only dream of integrating this well into human society.”
“Well, you had me fooled. I feel foolish for not guessing sooner.”
“Don’t. I feel foolish working so hard to fool you. I did such a good job, I fooled myself. Most of the time, I feel more human than not.”
I could see the question banked in her eyes. But she hesitated.
“You can ask me anything, Mel Bell,” I urged softly. “No more secrets. No more lies.”
“Was it all just a cover? Your parents weren’t really your parents, were they?”
“They were,” I smiled at the thought of them. “They’re guardian class angels, with no wards assigned to them at the time you were given to me, so this allowed them to relocate with me.”
“What about school? Did you really graduate?”
“Of course I did. That shit was hard. I chose computers because they really did fascinate me. We don’t have computers in Paradise. Just magic.”
“Justmagic,” she chanted, with a shake of her head, like she couldn’t believe her ears. “And are you really only twenty-seven?” She peeked at me through her bangs, clearly nervous about my answer.
“Yes. I’m truly just a year older than you. I was the youngest ever graduate in the Guardian Program.”
“What other types of angels are there?”
“Oh, many. Guardians are one of two warrior classes. Valkyries are battlefield warriors, and you don’t see too much of those anymore. Paradise hasn’t gotten involved in a holy war in hundreds of years. But guardians are more bodyguards, each guardian assigned a human who is designated as Paradise’s property.”
Her eyes widened with shock, then narrowed with anger a second later. “Just because one of my ancestor’s swallowed a piece of their stupid city doesn’t mean they own me.”
“They think they own a lot of people, Mel. Including me.”
