Page 16 of Commanding Flame and Shield
“I’m afraid that we explain a great deal of the legends you know. There are rare souls among us who can manipulate energy to such an extent they take on new forms. Like…shape shifters. The darkness associated with most of your legends comes from dark souls, and demons.” Aren looked to me, expression grim.
“If we were created through angels that didn’t turn from God, but fell due to lust or true love…we believe there were others created fromtruefallen angels. Demons among men. And they—they embody the evil we know as folklore. Their blood sacrifices. Their goal of immortality and power. We’ve found demonic entities drinking human blood and performing rituals that explain a lot of what an onlooker would call witchcraft or vampirism. Literally stealing a life force before destroying the vessel. Whether there is hope for the souls spawned from the demons…we don’t know.”
“But we’re pale enough to be taken as sunless creatures,” Aren added with a chuckle and a shrug of his shoulders.
“Whyareyou so pale?”
“We live here for the most part—and there’s not much in the way of sun here. We also heal exponentially faster than humans do. Tans are, well, damage. We heal so quickly after our ascensions, that doesn’t seem to occur.”
“Damn,” August sat back, crossing his arms and nodding appreciatively. He looked around the grand hall, eyes skipping from one side to the other, taking in the vast space. Slowly, he emptied his mug, and placed it down in front of him, turning so the handle was parallel to the edge of the table. We granted him his silence for a few minutes—ascension was a lot to take in when youweren’ta half-breed. Braids had the easier go of it—anointed with a specific mission, and able to mostly return to the life they knew. Still life changing, but not in the way finding out you’re half angel, built and ordained to defend humanity through battling demonic forces does. After a long while, he took a deep breath, eyes locking with mine again, the grief there was obvious.
“So…you keep saying we incarnated, or reincarnated…?” I nodded, hoping to encourage him. “So, my parents—my siblings?”
“Are still your Earth Family, August. Their love gave your soul a new vessel to use when your last was broken. Raised you to be a man worth saving. I didn’t sense divinity in James, although he is a good man.”
He nodded in agreement, little crinkle appearing between his brows again.
“How long ago—I mean, when was I here—there—before?”
“We don’t know yet. That would take a past life regression, a reading, a trigger, or a life and death scenario to dig up. And I’d strongly recommend you avoid the latter,” I gave him a wink and he smirked a bit, his sweet smile crooked and endearing.
“Here I thought all that past life stuff was bogus.”
“Most of us did in our human years.”
“So, I’m not…human?”
“Not entirely. I mean, our angelic sides are stronger, and they become the real us when we ascend, as you just did.”
“Which is why you said not to go home?”
“Yes. Most of our powers are divine—they are designed to do good. But the same light that heals the body can also burn the skin. As we can if we don’t understand how to anchor our energy. Panic, for instance, tends to draw unexpected energetic reactions. There was a soul who literally blew a hole in her apartment wall out of anger when her husband wouldn’t believe what she was saying. Sharing the truth with mortals it—it doesn’t usually end well, August. Humans will do almost anything to pretend only the known exists.” I hoped he could see the sympathy in my expression.
His eyes looked glossy and pained.
“Layla.”
I nodded.
“Can I tell Layla?”
“That’s your choice, August. Nobody would believe her if she told them, and then you’d both just look crazy. But I’ve never seen it go over well. Just be prepared for that.”
I could feel the anguish twist in him as the punch of reality set in. Everything in me wanted to reach out and take his hand, which was limply laying on the table by his coffee cup. His energy, so confused and desperate, was drawing me in like a moth to a flame, and it took all my willpower to resist touching those outstretched fingers.
He must have a choice.I chanted silently in my mind.
I realized I had not used enough willpower to keep the shields in my mind up, because his eyes snapped up to mine, serious and intense. He slowly reached forward to take my hand, and I slid it away under the table.
“Must have achoice,in what?”
I felt the blood warm my cheeks and I looked at my hands.
“I’m a reader, August. I—uh—I don’t just manipulate energy. I read it. All of it. Past, present and future. You’re a shield of some kind, so you’re probably a little trickier than most. But even the strongest shield in the hierarchy melts like butter when I touch his mind—Alec and I have made a bit of a game out of him trying to protect secrets, and then me finding them anyways. Like a messed up, clairvoyant hide and seek,” I laughed as Alec turned at the sound of his name and shot us a wink.
“So, when you say I’d need a reading to know my past life…you mean,you?”
I nodded again, doing my best to hide the nerves from my face.
