“This should be good,” said B from across the room as he stubbed out a cigarette. “A bona-fide angel with indiscretions that hasn’t been hanging out with us for the last few centuries…who’d a thunk it?”
“Shut it, B.” Luc shot him an annoyed look.
Giving him a wink and sliding his eyes over to Katia, B replied, “Touchy. Aren’t we?”
Luc shook his head and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Just shut it, my man.”
Always the peacemaker, Sam stepped into the fray. “All right, you two. Let’s just get all the cards out on the table here. You can have a go at each other later.” He gestured toward Uriel. “Why don’t you share with the rest of the class. What did Michael see when he did the Vulcan mind meld?”
Katia took a deep breath and waited. Her stomach was full of caged butterflies; her heart was about to drop to her feet. This was it — the answer to the question that would hopefully set her free from this nightmare. Katia frowned as those thoughts flitted through her head. Why did the idea of being free from Luc make her heart clench? Uriel closed his eyes and spoke the words that Katia never thought she’d hear.
“You are my daughter.”
Katia’s head spun as she was once again pulled apart and put back together. “I need to sit down a minute,” She mumbled as she made her way numbly toward the couch and sank down. Sergei sat down beside her and draped a protective arm around her shoulders. Instinctively, she leaned into his embrace, seeking comfort from the familiar. Across the room, Luc clenched his hands into fists at the sight of Sergei comforting her. He looked like he was fighting to stop himself from flying across the room to take his place.
Uriel moved to perch on the arm of the couch next to Katia. He reached out hesitantly to touch a lock of her hair, rubbing it between his fingers and smoothing it back over her shoulder. He spoke quietly, his voice shaking with emotion. “I want you to know I loved your mother very much…still love her to this day. She was a remarkable woman. I would have happily spent eternity with her by my side, no matter what the consequences.”
Katia looked up at Uriel through a sheen of unshed tears. “Who was she?”
“Her name was Calista. She was a very powerful immortal, but more importantly, she was the love of my existence. She had a keen intelligence, she loved with her whole heart, and I lived for her smiles.”
As Katia looked into her father’s eyes she saw the raw, unadulterated love he still held for her mother. One of the broken pieces of her heart seemed to shift back into place. Uriel gently placed his hand on her shoulder and she felt a glorious warmth move through her. As her tension eased, she took a long breath in and let it out slowly. “So, am I part angel?” she asked as she continued to hold his gaze.
“You are as your mother was. She was equal parts light and dark.”
“What happened to her?”
“I’m afraid it is a rather long story that starts well before your birth.” Uriel moved to sit on the couch beside Katia. Reaching out, he took one of her hands in his and then began. “Many centuries ago, there were great wars between the light and the dark, each side vying for ultimate power over the world of man. Neither side was able to overcome the other. Over time, a race of powerful creatures came to the attention of both sides. Realizing that these creatures were the key to ultimate control, a momentous pact was made between the light and the dark. In order to maintain a balance, these creatures would be hunted to extinction. For centuries, angels and demons alike hunted and executed them without a second thought. During this time, I was a warrior, one of those tasked to destroy these creatures. There was a very high mortality rate amongst their offspring, so they were few in number. In all my time as a warrior, I only encountered one such creature…your mother.”
A groan interrupted Uriel’s story. Looking up, Katia locked eyes with the source of the noise. Luc had a stricken look on his face, he had gone white as a sheet. Flicking her gaze around the room, she saw matching expressions all around the room. Panic rose in her chest, constricting her lungs. Uriel stroked her hand and the panic began to fade as quickly as it had risen. With his free hand Uriel lightly touched the skin beside her blue eye.
“I was captivated the moment I met your mother. Her beautiful blue eyes could hold me like no other force on heaven or earth. I couldn’t destroy her. Her skin was like the finest ivory, her hair felt like silk. All that beauty couldn’t be destined for a fate of evil. So I hid her away from those that hunted her. Over time, we grew to know each other and fell deeply in love. I continued my duties to Heofon, but my real life was with her, hidden away from both the light and the dark. Centuries passed and the rest of her kind were gone, she was all that remained and I was determined to keep her safe. She was everything to me. Thirty-six years ago, she discovered she was with child. We hadn’t thought it possible. We were overjoyed at the prospect of having a family of our own, even though we knew we would have to remain in hiding. What we didn’t realize was that we weren’t as hidden as we had thought. A force from the dark had discovered Calista’s identity and was determined to use her for their own ends. Unfortunately for them, she had
