Page 14 of Written In Flesh

I turn to my friend, only to find him already watching me. “Are you evil?”

“Depends on who you ask. To some, I’m Death, whom they fear. To others, I’m my true self. An angel sent to collect their souls. You can see me, but I look different to your aunt because of her magic. And to strangers who I pass on the street I look like a normal, mundane person they won’t even remember the next day.,” he explains.

My eyes fall to the table, trying to process. The life I thought I had has been torn apart. My normal has been replaced by something that feels imaginary; yet, I knew it all along, didn’t I? The dreams. The constant energy that has been running under my skin that I’ve been foolishly ignoring.

“Witches and angels.” I glance back at Loreli. “You said my dad came to get me. Is he a witch or a warlock?”

Loreli scoffs. “No one in River Falls practices the magic that we do on the North Shore. Our covens are separate for a reason. Gavin and his family are from a long line of protectors. But their magic borders on the edge of being dark. It has to be for what they do.”

Azriel chuckles. “Tell her how you really feel.”

My aunt rolls her eyes. “Like you view them any better. You’re essentially the same.”

Azriel’s eyes flare, and his jaw locks. “I am not the same as a reaper.”

“A reaper? Like the guys in black cloaks with the long scythes? That’s real?” My mouth drops open. Loreli and Azriel share a look between them.

“Most things that you imagine or hear of are real, yes,” Azriel announces.

Loreli shakes her head at him. “She needs a minute. Skully, just because they’re real doesn’t mean they are exactly how you imagine them. I wish I could remember the analogy I used for this last year to explain myself better.”

Azriel snorts and moves to sit next to me. He takes my hands from Loreli’s. “Your aunt wants to protect you, and so do I. But we have different ideas on that. I think we should just rip the band-aid off and tell you everything, and then you can process and ask questions.”

My gaze connects with his, giving my silent permission. “Rip away.”

“Witches exist. So do Vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, and reapers.” He finishes, “Reapers, like your dad, are usually descendants of one of the five families that live in River Falls. They are born and die like humans; yet, they have ancient magic that closely resembles mine. Only I do not die. I have looked the same for over a thousand years. I come for souls that are ready to move on. A reaper is more like a guardian. It’s their job to protect this world by keeping the evil and demons locked where they belong. I like to think of them as guard dogs.” Azriel smirks and winks at me while Loreli scoffs.

“Don’t say that to her. She is part reaper. She is part of Gavin. Skully, your father’s line is one of the most powerful of reapers. His line was strengthened a hundred years or more ago when they struck a deal with a warlock and intertwined their magic,” Loreli explains, opening up so many more questions.

“So let me get this straight, my mom was a witch, and my dad is a really powerful reaper.” I glance between them and notice my aunt’s pinched face. “What am I missing?”

“Emerald was a witch, yes, but that was from our mother. I don’t know the magic that came from her father’s side, and your grandmother never said. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to, but more that she couldn’t. Which leads me to believe they were something other than a warlock. Your mom’s abilities far surpassed my own, Skully. She could heal, yes, and potions were no issue for her, but she tiptoed on the line sometimes. Just as she could heal a life, it was almost like she could take one as well.” My aunt’s voice trails off, and she glances at Azriel.

He’s studying her, reading something more into her words than I could possibly understand. “Like she was part angel?”

My aunt’s shoulders tip up and drop heavily like the admission was too much for her. “Possibly.”

Azriel’s brow dips, and his eyes move over me, assessing. “For my kind to procreate with another paranormal, they would have to be very powerful, usually a high-ranking superior. Angels do not step outside of their species, and even when they do copulate, it’s rarely about love but only about having offspring.”

I scoff. “You’re making me sound like a science project. And we don’t know for sure if I’m an angel at all.”

Azriel’s purple eyes stay pinned on me, and he moves closer, taking my hand in his. “Give me your blood.”

“Excuse me?” I yank my hand back, a small prickle of fear sliding up my neck.

He shakes his head. “Don’t be scared of me, S. I’d never hurt you, girl. I just need a drop of your blood, and I’ll take it with me to confirm.”

Loreli moves in front of us, her hand lying gently over his hand that is gripping mine. “Gavin already tried, and he couldn’t get any information.”

“Is that why he moved me in with him?” I glance sharply at my aunt who flinches. “It is, isn’t it? He didn’t care about knowing me beforehand, but once I showed signs of my magic, he wanted to keep an eye on me.”

Tears roll down Loreli’s face. “I couldn’t stop him. I’m so sorry, Skully. I didn’t think that living with him would do this to you. You wanted the chance to know him back then, and he promised you’d be taken care of, that he would figure out your lineage so you would be safe. He promised.”

A harsh laugh escapes my lips, and I back away from both of them, my arms wrapping around my stomach. “Well, we’ll never know, will we. Because I can’t remember. I don’t know what happened or who I am or anything he might have told me. Just the minute I lost everything, he let me go again.”

“Skully.” My aunt wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a tight hug. Emotions I had been holding onto since waking up in that hospital room pour out of me. I really thought I had cried all the tears out of my body, but a new floodgate opened. “He didn’t abandon you, sweetheart. We both thought it would be safer to be here with your unexplained injury. You didn’t remember, and your memory was lost nine months back. That’s excessive, even the doctor thought so. Sweetie, I have to tell him you know about your magic again.”

I shake my head. “No, I can’t go back, Aunt Lore.” Him. Those light gray eyes and his cutting words. I don’t believe that I’m capable of being evil, but he said I was. I know you lie and cause destruction. So when your aunt gets here and wants to take you home…go with her. Stay in California and forget about this family, my friends, me, and River Falls altogether. We don’t want you here anymore. You aren’t welcome here.