*****

Jayden breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Phoenix entering the room. He knew she had gone outside because she needed time alone. Even though he detected that there was no danger near Phoenix, he still felt better with her indoors. There were no enemy soldiers near the caves, and security was tighter than ever. She thought she was so sneaky, but guards kept an eye on her every second she was outdoors.

He’d allowed her several days to pull herself together, but he was determined to speak to her that day. He couldn’t let her dwell on what had happened for too long or it might be the end of their relationship. He couldn’t allow that to happen. She was too much a part of him and he couldn’t picture his existence without her. He didn’t know what he was going to do about her mortality, but he’d worry about that at a later time. He couldn’t think that far in the future without feeling great pain. He shook off the thoughts, trying to gain control over himself.

Their eyes connected in what seemed like an endless moment as she stood frozen in the doorway. She, like no other, had the ability to cripple him. She had no clue of the impressive power she wielded over him. He had to earn her forgiveness; there was no other option. She slowly made her way to the table.

He sighed when she ignored the place he’d kept open for her and instead scooted people over so she could sit next to Sadie. He should’ve known she wouldn’t sit by him, even if it was the only available seat. He felt his temper rising slightly – not at Phoenix, but at the situation. It was time they got their talk over with; he wasn’t going to stand for the silent treatment any longer.

“You’re later than usual,” John mumbled between bites of food, not too concerned, as Phoenix was notoriously late to breakfast. Jayden knew John would be furious if he found out Phoenix had been wandering outside for the last couple of hours.

“Yeah, sorry,” Phoenix said, not making eye contact. She wouldn’t openly lie, so she didn’t want him to question her any further.

“You know Phoenix isn’t going to speak to us for at least another thirty minutes,” Sadie said with a huge grin. Phoenix gratefully nudged Sadie’s knee with her own, thankful Sadie had taken the pressure off her to participate in the conversation.

“Yeah, we all know how pleasant Phoenix is… in the morning,” Jessica grumbled. Jessica was in her usual bitter mood. She’d been unhappy since Jayden had shown up and ignored her, and then to top it off, Brian hooked up with Sadie. The guys were all getting into serious relationships and she was alone. It wasn’t by choice. Phoenix almost felt bad for the girl. She would have if Jessica wasn’t so spiteful and rude all the time. She mostly wandered the caves, pouting or complaining. It was no wonder she was still single. Phoenix wouldn’t want to date her, either.

Phoenix glanced at Jayden, their eyes connecting again. He obviously wasn’t happy with her at the moment. She knew she was going to have to break down and talk to him. She really didn’t want to give him up. She was just afraid she wouldn’t be able to accept who or what he was.

Phoenix felt her cheeks grow warm as her blushing skin gave away her nervousness. With Jayden watching her every move, she worried he might even be able to read her thoughts. She didn’t think that was one of his powers, but she wasn’t positive. She would’ve bet her life he would never grow wings...

The reality was that she couldn’t imagine herself with anyone other than him, though, and she loved how she felt in Jayden’s presence. Maybe she could just forget about seeing him transform into some otherworldly being and they could go back to being two normal teenagers – simply young and falling in love.

Phoenix lost her appetite as stress consumed her all over again. She drank her tea, grateful for the warmth of the soothing liquid traveling down her throat. It took the edge off the ever-present cold of the enclosed caves, and eased the nausea she was feeling. She took her time finishing her drink, because she knew the minute she got up, Jayden was going to drag her away. She was trying to think of an excuse to put off their conversation for one more day, even though she didn’t hold much hope of avoiding him – not with his relentless eyes following her every move.

“I guess I should find my dad and see if he needs me for anything,” Phoenix said.

“I’ll walk you,” Jayden told her, quickly rising from his seat. Her shoulders tensed but she didn’t attempt to stop him. She tried to catch Sadie’s gaze, hoping her friend would come with them. Sadie purposefully avoided Phoenix’s eyes, taking a huge interest in her cooling breakfast. So much for friendship, Phoenix thought cattily, but immediately felt bad. Sadie never let her down – she just didn’t want to get in the middle of the situation between her and Jayden. Phoenix understood and wouldn’t want to be in the middle if Brian and Sadie needed to deal with a problem.

They quietly walked from the dining hall. Usually, there were several people traipsing up and down the halls, but Jayden lucked out and no one was about. He steered Phoenix toward the car park. She willingly followed him. She hoped her stomach would quit hurting after they spoke. Her parents had always told her to confront problems head on and not run from them.

They stepped into the spacious, car-filled cavern and kept moving to what Phoenix considered their truck. They’d shared many kisses while sitting on the bed of the rusted Ford. Her stomach tightened, just thinking of his lips on hers. He’d brought feelings to her body unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.

Jayden lifted her onto the tailgate of the truck, causing a shiver to run down her spine. He hadn’t touched her in days and she realized she missed his gentle caress. She knew she’d been the one avoiding him but the simple touch on her hips made her wonder why. It didn’t take long for reality to come crashing back to the forefront of her mind, as she’d never forget that night and how creepy he appeared in his dark angel glory.

He climbed up next to her and they sat silently for a few moments in the dimly lit cave. They were both unsure where to begin. She knew they needed to talk, but she wasn’t sure what exactly to say. Hey, what’s up with those huge wings of yours, and are you planning on killing me now that I know what you are? It just didn’t seem like a great conversation starter.

“You can say anything to me,” Jayden finally said, his voice so low she almost couldn’t hear him.

“I don’t know what to say or how to even start,” Phoenix answered after a short pause.

“I know this has been upsetting for you. I’ve been trying to figure out where to start, what exactly to tell you, anything to reassure you,” he said with a weary sigh. Phoenix glanced at him. He was looking at his hands, his hair falling forward, covering his face. He was so stunningly attractive, but that didn’t mean he was a great guy. She shook her head at the thought. He’d never shown her anything but the greatest kindness, loyalty, and even love. He deserved the chance to explain what happened.

“I’ve never been so scared in my life, and that’s saying a lot, considering what we’ve been through over the last few years,” she finally said. He looked up and their eyes connected.

“I’ll start from the beginning. Please let me finish my story and then you can ask me all the questions you like,” he said, keeping his eyes locked on hers.

“Okay,” Phoenix whispered, barely able to get sound past her throat. She was terrified, yet unable to turn away. She needed to know.

“I’m not human. It’s hard to explain, but I was created from a star, not born like you were. I have flesh and blood, and I can die, but not easily, and not from a human’s hand. I have emotions, desires, and needs, everything you feel, but magnified by one hundred. It’s both a curse and a blessing,” he said. Each word he spoke made her eyes widen a bit more. She wanted to interrupt, but held to her promise. She kept her mouth closed and nodded for him to go on.

“I’m actually a dark angel. I was cast from the heavens when I sided with Vyco, the demon you saw the other night. There was a battle in the heavens and I thought Vyco was in the right. I knew I made the wrong decision, almost from the start, but it’s too late – it’s been too late for a very long time. I can’t change what’s been done. There’s so much in your world – your universe – that you believe is right that isn’t. All those monsters lurking in the dark your parents warned you about are real, but they’re on a tight leash. They do what they want at times, but for the most part, darkness stays in the shadows and doesn’t mess with humans,” he said.

Phoenix looked at him in confusion. What he said made no sense. He was only confusing her more. Darkness wasn’t a living, breathing entity – it was just darkness. It was certainly scary to be in the dark, especially alone, but not dangerous.

“I’m making a huge mess of this explanation.” Jayden blew out his breath in frustration and ran his hands through his messed-up hair. Phoenix waited and let him gather his thoughts.

“I fell from the light, the heavens, and chose to follow Vyco,” Jayden said. “We came to Earth because we felt humans needed more guidance, or that’s what I thought we were doing. When we got here, it wasn’t what I expected. It was dark and grim, and Vyco instantly changed, showing his true intentions, not what he’d portrayed in the heavens. I got lost when I came to Earth. Each new day that passed caused the eternal light inside me to dim a little more. I started to no longer care about humans or their fragile lives. I simply followed Vyco, doing his bidding. I never killed a human but I didn’t stop the others from doing it. I’m just as guilty as they are. I was sent to your camp to lead you to your deaths. Because of an agreement between Vyco and Josiah, he couldn’t outright kill your people, but he wanted you dead.”

Phoenix tried to absorb what he was saying. He’d wanted her to die. She didn’t understand how the boy she loved could have such a dark side. Her body trembled with new fear and her face couldn’t hide the emotions from his probing eyes. She was filled with fear – of him – for the first time.

“I won’t hurt you, I can’t. I understand you’re scared but I felt something when I stumbled upon you – something unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I could never do anything that would cause you harm. I can’t explain what’s happening to me because I don’t understand it myself,” he said. He was silent for a few moments so Phoenix felt safe in asking a question.

“What about Chastity? Is she really your sister?” she asked. Was everything he’d told her nothing but lies?

“Yes, in so many more ways than what humans consider siblings. Josiah created both Chastity and I. Normally, when he creates an angel, they are unique. Never, before Chastity and me, were two angels created at once. Josiah told us he felt a powerful inspiration to create us from the same star. We were inseparable for thousands of years. Then, when I chose to leave with Vyco, it was as if part of my own soul was ripped from me. She tried to find me but I blocked her. I was ashamed, though I wouldn’t admit it. She stayed with Josiah, and I fell to Earth. I’ve walked in the darkness since, until I came back into the light when I found you. Even though it started out as something bad, you saved me. I’ll never again live in the light of the heavens, never know the peace of it, but I can protect you – I will always love you.”

Phoenix looked at him, confused by her emotions. She knew she should be nothing but terrified – that what he talked about was something she’d only imagined in nightmares. None of what he said could be real. It wasn’t possible. There were no such things as angels and demons. What about all the monsters in the movies and books? Were they all real? She didn’t really want to know the answer.

“I know this will take time to process. I don’t expect an answer from you right away, but if you can look past what you saw, in that brief moment in time, and focus on the great months we’ve spent together instead, then maybe you can forgive my lies. I wasn’t allowed to say anything to you, and now that you know, you mustn’t tell anyone. If everyone knew what was really out there, chaos would reign. I know that must seem like a joke since the world is in war right now, but good will win, it always does, and eventually your life will return to normal. I’ve watched this world try to wipe itself out countless times. It never succeeds.”

Not only was Phoenix expected to go on as if nothing had changed, he expected her to keep it all to herself. She didn’t know how she could possibly do that. She wanted to rush to Sadie immediately and tell her everything. There was no way she couldn’t tell her best friend.

“I know you’ll talk to Sadie, but you can’t tell anyone else. You have to promise me that. I have the power to make you forget everything, but I won’t do that to you. I won’t alter your mind. I love you too much to use my powers against you,” he promised.

Suddenly Phoenix’s fear diminished because she knew without a doubt he would never harm her. He could’ve killed her in the blink of an eye, at any moment, in the past months, but he’d been nothing but protective. What made that any different from a mortal being? They could kill at a moment’s notice, but they chose not to, unless they went bad, like a serial killer, or the horrid enemy soldiers, like the ones who attacked her and Sadie. Just because Jayden was something other than human didn’t mean he was any better or worse than her. Phoenix knew Jayden was nothing like those soldiers or evil people who lived in her world. He was full of love, protectiveness, and kindness. She had nothing to fear from him, but she still needed to clear her head.

“I need some time. I can’t figure out how I feel right now. I just need time,” she pleaded.

“Of course. I’ll walk you back now.” He jumped down from the truck and held his hand out. He didn’t grab her – he carefully watched for her to initiate any kind of physical contact. He smiled when she tentatively reached out and let him help her down. “Thank you,” he whispered, his soft voice full of emotion.

They began the long walk back through the empty hall. Phoenix was grateful he didn’t try to make small talk. She had too many emotions and thoughts rushing through her. She needed to sort them out before she could carry on a conversation. They reached her door and he gently turned her toward him.

“I’ll see you soon,” he whispered. He bent down and brushed his lips against her cheek, then quickly left. Phoenix gazed through the darkness as he disappeared. She was in shock, and as she stood alone, the emotions clogged her throat and made her feel as if she were suffocating.

Phoenix stumbled into her room, her hand pressed against her cheek where his lips had been only moments before. How could he be evil when he made her feel so loved? She wouldn’t make any decisions until she spoke with Sadie. She couldn’t trust her own judgment. Was she seeing what she wanted to see? He had never hurt her, but he’d walked in darkness for many years. Could he truly let that all go? It was too much for her to process – she felt her head start to pound, and felt almost as if she were in quicksand. The more she struggled to understand, the more she sank into the ground.