Austin was t here with me the whole time while I “recovered .” Though I was perfectly fine , I was to remain at Island of Eden u ntil further notice. We spent most of the days relaxing , and sometimes we practice d shooting with our bows. Not to sound arrogant, I was pretty good at it. To Austin ’s surprise, I always hit the targets he thr e w my way.
As much as I enjoyed our times together, nobody else visited me. Didn ’t I have any friends? I couldn’t recall —didn ’t they care? Maybe they wan ted to give me space .
Straining my neck, I glanced up at the cliff. Austin stood there watching me. He ’d seemed a bit distan t lately. Maybe he , too, wanted to give me space. Maybe he needed some time to heal from the loss of Patrick. Maybe it was me who seemed distan t . Regardless, it was nice to relax at Island of Eden and bum around.
Soaking in the sun for some time, the heat was finally too much to bear. I went into the tantalizing ly clear water and g o t my feet wet. Then I rolled up my jeans, stood up and headed straight for the cool water . Ahhh! The chill sent shivers down my spine as I walk ed further in.
Raising my arms to the heavenly sky , I enjoyed the warmth the sun graciously gave. My wet jeans clung to my legs, but I didn ’t care. The water reached my waist and I stopped , not comfortable going further.
All of a sudden a heavy impact tumbled me in over my head. I struggled to find m y balance and just before I panicked , a hand pull ed me out. I inhaled a deep gasp and sp a t o ut a mouthful of salt water . Heavily irritated, I flipped my hair out of my eyes to see Austin with his arms around me.
“Are you crazy ?” I yelled. “What are you trying to do? Kill me?”
“I…I thought you were going to….” He paused , looking at me with a confused expression , m ost likely second-guessing himself.
I knew that gesture and the meaning behind it. “You thought I was going to kill myself?” His lips parted to speak, but I didn’t give him the chance . “I may have sel ective amnesia , but I ’m not crazy, ” I huffed , trying to release myself from his unyielding hold. Realizing my hands were resting on his muscular biceps , I blushed and glanced down ward .
“What ’s wrong? Can ’t handle being this close? You look pretty hot wit h your wet T-shirt.” He arched his brows, giving me a sly smile, then drew me closer to whisper in my ear . “You know you don ’t have to get wet to get my attention.” He chuckle d , knowing how to make me blush.
My face flushed even more when I couldn’t think of anything clever to say f or a good come back. All I could do was giggle, shake my head with disapproval , and desperately try not to stare at his wet T-shirt clinging to every curve of his muscular chest.
Feeling his heart beat next to mine raised goo se flesh on my arms and weakened my knees. In that moment , I had an overwhelming urge to kiss him. Was I always attracted to him? Or did I feel something for him because he was my guardian angel ? Maybe it was his friendly , flirtatious personality. It didn ’t matter anyway ; venators were forbidden to have relationships. The Royal Council didn ’t want us populating and taking over the human world.
“I ’d like to get out of my wet clothes , if you don ’t mind, ” I stammered , avoiding his gaze and trying to sound bold.
“You got it. Anything your heart desires , my shelter ed one.” Unexpectedly he unfur led his beautiful , alabaster wings, scooped me off my feet , and flew us back to my room.
When we landed, he told me he would take me around the island. Never having toured the island, I flashed him a huge smile. Excited, I stepped into the shower. Occasionally, he would ask if I needed assistance , to which I would loudly reply “No thanks , ” hoping he wouldn ’t use the excuse of not being able to hear and try to step in the shower with me. Then he would really get it.
After I got ready, I opened the double doors and saw Au stin standing there. His spread—out wings caught the sun ’s rays as they radiated around him and through the layers of his wings. The vision was like an early—morning sunrise giving birth to a new day, pouring their vibrant hues across the land. I had seen them many times before , and I d id n ’t know if it was the glow, but I was taken aback by the beauty of this venator . For a moment d éjà v u crept ove r me. I had seen something like this before, but I couldn ’t recall what it was.
Admiring his wings , I wondered how they felt on his back. Obviously, I didn ’t get the wondrous gene from my father , who was one of God ’s first angels —or was it Gamma ’s doing that I didn’t have wings ? I couldn ’t remember . Austin turned to look at me with his beaming smile. “What took you so long?” he muttered , snapping me out of my daze . He too had changed.
“Making you wait. So, you going to fly me there or do we walk?”
“Let ’s see how fast you can move .”
“Huh?” I didn ’t have wings so I knew he didn ’t mean flying. Maybe he meant running .
“I ’ll lead and you follow. I want to see what you can do. Catch me if you can.” His voice lingered for a second.
Before I could register what he had just said, he took off running , s o I ran after him. To my surprise, I was fast. Not just fast, really fast, almost as fast as him. Like a light ning bolt, I followed him down the cliff to the sandy beach. “Whoo hoo!” I shouted, enliven ed by this excitement. I gu ess ed I ’d always moved like this. I d id n ’t remember, but what a RUSH. The refreshing light wind brushed me , and I s p e d like the weightless breeze. As I chased Austin, I got so caught up with this newfound skill that I lost sight of him and smacked into his body full force. We tumbled to the sand.
I placed my hands out to support myself , but couldn’t help landing on top of him , m y face next to his. “Sorry, I got too excited and ….” I paused , staring at his devious grin . Most likely he was thinking of a flirtatious line.
“I always knew you like d to be on top.” He winked.
All of a sudden, he flipped me over, wrapp ing his wings around us like a cocoon. “But I like it on top, ” he said. His lips were a breath away from mine . Flushed and hypnotized by his piercing eyes I lay there , paralyzed , anticipat ing a kiss that didn ’t happen . Relief flooded through me when he broke away and lifted me to my feet . He pointed toward the row of bushes that was a distance away. “We ’ll have to go through th at field of tall bushes. Let ’s walk this time. You might knock me down agai n.”
“Hmmm…I don ’t need a reason to knock you down now that I know I can, ” I teased .
He chuckled lightly as I dusted the sand off my clothes and we headed toward our destination. The bushes looked like tall grand guards protecting the garden from uninvited intruders. To the left and right, they completely surrounded the island. Euphoria filled me a s I followed him. Austin was taking me to see the Garden of Eden where the Tree of Knowledge had re sted since the birth of humans—Adam and Eve. I could hardly wait!
Chapter 2
What I thought were bushes were actually tall fronds of grass cov ered with sharp prickly thorns. Even knowing they had thorns—a warning sign that flashed ‘do not touch ’—I disregarded the sign. Excitedly, I gingerly parted them.
“Ouch !” I jerked from the sting. The cut was deep and about an inch long. Blood trickled down the palm of my hand a nd one pearl—shaped drop fell to the ground. Austin flipped my hand over. I stared as the cut started to heal by itself , as if an invisible thread and needle s titched it up.
Austin traced the healed wound as I stood there dumbfounded. Did my wounds heal like this all the time and I just didn ’t remember? The cut and the pain disap peared like it had never happened.
Austin glanced at me . “Pretty cool , huh?”
“Do all venators heal like that?”
“It depends on the cut and how deep. The deeper the cut the longer it takes, but there is one type of weapon that can kill any angel . It needs to be made from a certain type of crystal. I ’m working on that for our missions, and I’m also creating some cool small weapons you may like, ” he winked. “Now…shall we try again?”
I blinked at Austin in expectation . He flashed his “don ’t worry ” smile and said , “Recludo.”
Like Moses part ing the Red Sea, the grass shook, shuffled , then parted . Way too cool! The clear path stretched a mile or more.
I turned to Austin offering a huge smile, like a kid at a magic show . He winked with pride and bent down like a perfect gentleman , allowing me to enter first. As we walked on the dirt road, the smell of the ocean breeze and the taste of salt vanished . All I could hear was the sound of our footsteps on the pebbles of the path.
As I glanced around the area, the tall grass sentinels closed in , brushing my body with their prickly thorns. I panted, my chest hurt , and dizziness overwhelmed me. Austin’s worried gaze met mine and immediately he grabbed me in his arms and shot skyward.
My panic eased. I relaxed against Austin, now able to enjoy the magnificent view. I saw nothing but greenery covering the island . There were several gentle waterfalls that flowed in to a narrow stream. As Austin spiraled down, I saw patches of various flower s —roses, calla lilies , orch i ds—a gem of botanic beauty. I couldn’t remember ever having seen such grandeur . The vibrant colors decorat ing the flowers painted a perfect picture. There were also several trees that surrounded us, but the one right in front of me as we landed stood out from the rest.
“Are we here?” I whispered.
“Yes, ” Austin whispered back. “Why are you whispering?”
I giggled and shrugged my shoulders .
He pointed to the tree. “The one and only…Tree of Knowledge.” Then he pointed to me. “This is Claudia.”
“Hello there, ” I muttered nervously, complete ly entranced. It was humongous—not what I had envisioned. I tilted my head back , taking in the tree’s grandeur . A natural glow emanated from its roots to the tips of its branches. All the branches curled outward and massive countless leaves together created a dome effect , resembling a giant umbrella. If it rained at th at moment, I would surely be sheltered underneath it. But what truly amazed me were the forbidden apples. Big, round, shiny, red apples hung from branch after branch. Just looking at them tempted me to stretch out my arm and yank one off. My mouth watered , and I could taste the sweetness.
As I marveled at every single inch of th e tree, my gaze s h ifted to Austin. “So …what do you think?” he asked .
“Amazing!” I exclaimed , my body tingling with excitement . Never in my wildest dream s did I imagine I’d be right in front of the Tree of Knowledge. “Oh , my gosh!” I slowly walked toward the trunk with my arms extended , looking at Austin to see if he would forbid it. He didn ’t. Instead, he gestured with open arms .
Carefully I ran my fingertips down the lines that protruded from the trunk . It felt rough, hard and cool , like any other tree. Then I wrapped my arms around it , but was unable to embrace it completely due to the enormous size. Recalling the serpent, I stiffened. Though I knew it was no longer there, I hesitantly looked up to confirm that such a thing wouldn ’t spring up and surprise me. I heard Austin chuckle , so I knew he was watching me and most likely think ing how silly I was. After I soaked in the moment that I was actually touching this marvelous tree , I backed away to see Austin grinning brightly.
“Beautiful , isn ’t she?” he asked, leaning against an adjacent tree with his arms crossed. “Yes, it is, ” I replied.
“I wasn ’t talk ing to you. I was talking to the Tree of Knowledge.”
Immediately heat rushed to my face. “Funny , Austin. The Tree of Knowledge has no mind. It can ’t even hear you.” Could it?
“You never know .” He sh r ugged his shoulder s , advance d toward me, jumped high and yank ed off an apple.
“Austin!” I gasped , astounded.
“‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the Tree of the Knowledge of g ood and bad, you must not eat, for on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die.’ Don ’t worry, I ’ve already sinned plenty , and I ’m not going to grow another Adam ’s apple . I already have one, ” he smirked and t ook a bite.
Stunned, I continue d to stare at him as he took another.
“Don ’t worry, ” he said . “It ’s not forbidden anymore.”
My body relaxed. “Oh….”
“You do know the myth about Adam ’s apple don ’t you?”
“I remember some.” My mouth began to water just watching him.
“The story goes…Adam was just about to swallow the forbidden fruit when God called his name. Fe e ling ashamed, he was unable to swallow the piece he ’d just bit ten . That’s t he reason all m e n are born with this lump on our throat.” He pointed to his. “Thanks Adam. He should have just swallowed the dam n piece, ” he chuckled . “Delicious. It ’s too bad apples don ’t taste this good back in the human world.” With a twist of his wrist, he placed the unbitten part of the apple close to my lips, tempting me. “Go ahead. You won ’t get any wiser. I promise. We ’ll just have to take our clothes off and run around like Adam and Eve.”
“What ?!” I laughed out loud , snatching the apple out of his h and so quickly even Austin seemed surprised. My teeth sunk in, taking t he first bite. The juice streamed down my face as I savor ed the cool, crisp taste. “Mmmm ...this is sooo good.” I took another bite and another , and before I knew it, I had engulfed all but the core .
“Ready to look around the island some more?” he asked, taking the last bite of his apple . “Sure.”
“Follow me. We ’ll go toward the north.”
As I walked beside Austin, I absorbed the wonder of being here , and for a moment , I imagined what it would have been like to be Eve. I did notice t here were no animals roaming around. Disappointed, I didn’t bother to ask why. But then again, the Garden of Eden was different now. No living creatures were allowed to roam here.
We didn’t stri de out too far. There wasn ’t much to see as we circled back to the Tree of Knowledge. It truly was a beautiful place.
“Thank you for bringing me here, Austin, ” I expressed. “This was so sweet of you.” It was my turn to make him blush.
“No problem. It looked like you needed some cheering up.” Sounding sincere, h is eyes soften ed .
“I guess , I ..., ” I stammered , not knowing the right words to use and not able to describe what I was feeling.
“It ’s okay.” Austin brushed the sides of my cheeks, making me feel warm and safe. “You just need some time. We ’ve been stuck here for two weeks. It ’s time I take you out of here into the human world.”
“Really?” I asked with elation.
“You ’ve be en captive long enough. You are completely healed. Let ’s go have some fun before we need to report to Katherine.”
“Where are we going?”
“Let ’s go dancing.”
“Dancing? You mean , like to a night club?”
“Yup. That ’s the plan.” Austin looked at me strangely . “Wait a minute , have you ever been to a night club before?”
“Uhhh…I don ’t think so , unless I’ve forgotten . Have I?”
Austin let out a short laugh. “My sheltered one. I had forgotten already. Well , there is always a first. Let me take you back to your room so you can change. You are going to have the time and shock of your life.” Without w arning, he scooped me up and flew us back to my room.
The freezing cold wind swept the mountain in Banff, Canada , causing the fresh pile of new snow to float aimlessly about. Michael stood tall with his wings partly opened , showing their true beauty and their unique shape tha t form ed the shape of a heart, gathering to a sharp point at the bottom. His wings moved like he was about to take flight, flapping back and forth, only it was the motion from the wind and no t him. Feeling anxious, he paced back and fort h. With each step, his feet sank in to the snow , leaving a long deep trai l a s he debated whether to write a letter for Claudia as he promised he would.
Katherine had ordered him to find Caspian. He didn ’t know what the mission was about, only that he w
ould be working side by side with a type of demon known as a blood se eker . Michael had known about them long before Katherine informed him back in Crossroads. Aden had told him about these descend a nts of Adam’s son.
Cain murdered his brother, Abel, out of pure jealousy because God preferred Abel ’s gift over his. As his punishment, he was cursed by God and transformed into a demon known as a b lood s eeker . He was cursed to walk the earth alone, night after night, for all eternity. Burned by the daytime sun, he was forced to have no contact with civilization. Also, he could not consume his daily food. The only thing that could satisfy his hunger was blood , s o he would come out at night to hunt the mortals.
Soon after, Cain met a powerful witch named Lilith , who some believe d to be Adam ’s first wife. Lilith , also called the Goddess of Night , was a demon , the bearer of disease, illness and death. She showed Cain how to use his own blood for magic and evoke his unknown mystical powers. From Lilith, Cain learned how to create others of his kind , a process called embracing. Cain became lonely and embraced five others to create his own family.
Absorbed with his thoughts of Cain and also Claudia, Michael never saw the stranger approach. The slim six foot two inch man with jet black hair eyed Michael . The way he dressed, wearing jeans and merely a T-shirt, he could have been angel or human, but Michael knew better the moment he saw him . He was absolute ly certain this stranger was not one of his kind. His complexion could not lie. He was as pale and white as the snow.
“Are yo u …Michael?” the stranger asked hesitantly, glancing nervously at the size of Michael ’s wings . He took a couple of steps back.
“Yeah, I guess that makes you Caspian. Are you the blood—sucking demon I was ordered to help?” Michael advanced, purposely trying to intim id ate him, letting him know he was in control.