“I couldn’t. It’s not just demons you have to worry about, Callie. Nephilim are ordered to death amongst angels. If I intervened, it would have drawn attention to you and I couldn’t risk that. My brothers would have killed you without question. I did send help by directing the spirit Oberyth to you.”
“You…you sent me Binx?”
“Directed. He still chose you, but I knew he would. Only the most badass familiar would do for my daughter.”
I look out at the ocean. Is this really happening? Did I pass out again and this is some weird, illness-induced dream?
“But you’re here now.”
“There are some who never believed the divine child died. They spent years searching, and then Varrador was able to narrow it down. You’d be compromised.”
“If he knew then others know.”
“Yes, and once word gets out that you’ve been alive all these years, a war will rage for you.”
“So you’re saying both angels and demons want me dead?”
“Yes.”
I stare out at the ocean again. I’m sitting on the dry shore but feel like I’m drowning. “And I thought vampires hunting me was bad enough.” I look at my father, my real father. “Why don’t angels want Nephilim to live?”
“You are half human, and they fear you could be easily swayed to the dark. It’s happened before and caused much damage. You possess great power, my child. Being part angel, you have the power to hurt us.”
“You said you bound my angel powers.”
“I did, in hopes of keeping unwanted attention away. But after the demons found out you were still alive, I knew you’d need it. I’ve been slowly unlocking it since that day in the woods. Turning the key and letting it all out at once would have been overwhelming for your human half.”
I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. Maybe do both? I’m going to need a big glass of wine when I get back to my house.
“I thought angels were supposed to be all pretty and kind and wear flowing white dresses.”
“We are warriors. Rest assured there are others who disagree. They think you should be allowed to live and know you can be of great service to the divine.”
“Really? How many?”
“Two. Including myself.”
“So there’s only one person out of all the angels who doesn’t want me dead. Great. I love those odds.” I rub my temples. I was healed, but a headache is quickly coming back. “The demon that made me sick. Is it gone?”
“Yes, but the threat is more real now than ever. The demons have been looking for one who is worthy of breaking the seals for over a century now. Who is more worthy than one who can answer both the call of light and the call of night?”
“Let me recap: demons currently want to use me as a key to start the apocalypse and every angel besides you and one other will kill me on sight.”
“Yep. That about sums it up.”
“What do I do?
“Keep living your life the way you were. I’ll continue to keep the angels off your trail and…here.” He holds his hand over my heart and yellow light glows around his palm. “I unlocked more of the angelic grace you have inside you.”
I take a deep breath, feeling like I just chugged two coffees.
“I am proud of you, Callie. And I know your mother would have been too.”
“What was her name?” My voice is all shaky with emotion again.
“Callista.” He smiles. “For some reason Nancy Martin knew you didn’t look like an Ashley the moment she laid eyes on you.”
“I always thought Callista was too exotic of a name for her to have picked.”
The Blue-Eyed Man looks at the sky and then rises to his feet. “It’s been long enough. I need to get you home.”
“Will you tell me your name?”
He takes my hand and the world starts to spin, wrapped in a bright, golden glow.
“Michael.”
Chapter 34
I’m back in the master bedroom, blinking rapidly to get them to adjust to the dim light. Michael is gone, and I’m standing in the same spot he did when he first appeared. Slowly, the others start to wake up.
“Please tell me you saw that.” I’m still not sure I did.
Lucas rushes over and takes me in his arms. “You’re alive.”
“And well.”
He looks me up and down, running his hands all over my body checking for black veins. Once he sees I’m fine, he kisses me, tongue plunging into my mouth. He wraps me tight in his embrace, kissing me until I have to stop for air.
“Who the hell was that?” Eliza messes with her braids, which got messed up when she passed out on the floor. My gaze travels from everyone in the room, stopping on Abby.
“You saw him, right?” I need to be sure.
“I did,” Kristy says and the others nod. “He had blue eyes. Like the man you’ve been talking about. Was that him?”
“Can we talk downstairs? And maybe order a pizza or something. I’m starving.”
“You’re completely better?” Kristy peels me out of Lucas’s arms.
“Yes. He healed me. And then took me to a really pretty beach in Australia.” Everyone exchanges confused looks, and I lead the way downstairs. “My phone is dead,” I say as I get two bottles of wine from the fridge. “Does anyone else have the Papa John’s app already downloaded?”
“I do.” Lucas zooms away to get his phone.
“Why do you have a pizza app?” Kristy asks when he gets back, sitting at the large island counter.
“I order pizza for my employees at least once a week.”
“Oh, that’s really nice of you.”
I open a cabinet and get out five wine glasses. Using magic, I pull out the cork and then hold out my hand, telekinetically pouring the wine into each glass.
“Wow, Cal,” Evander gasps. “That’s a new trick.”
“Michael gave me a power boost. Well, not really a boost. Just helped me tap into what was already there.” I look over my shoulder at Lucas. “Can you order two pepperoni pizzas please?”
“It’s dawn, Callie. They’re not open yet.”
“Dammit.”
“I’ll find something that’s open for you.”
“Thank you.”
I sit between Kristy and Abby and use magic to bring everyone their glasses. This kind of power is going to make me fat and lazy. No one says a word and I can feel their gazes on me, waiting for me to speak.
“That man…his name was Michael?” Tabatha asks slowly.
I swallow a mouthful of sweet rosé. It’s going to hit me fast since I haven’t had anything to eat in a day. Taking a breath, I push my shoulders back and remember the way I felt, for just a brief moment, when I was with him. He made me feel safe and loved, like everything was going to be all right. It’s the same feeling I get when I hold the feather, just…more.
Maybe all angels make you feel like that. They are divine, after all. Or maybe that’s how fathers are supposed to make you feel. Like they’ll protect you, care for you. Love you for who you are.
“The Blue-Eyed Man…he’s the one that helped me escape the hellfire. And he confirmed something today, something I’ve had a feeling about even though it didn’t make sense, though it did make sense at the same time, but really it didn’t because I was basing things off of feelings and the notion that maybe somewhere in the great wide world I fit in, like really fit in.”
“You’re rambling,” Kristy says gently. “And totally losing me.”
“I’ve never fit in with my family,” I start. “Obviously. They’re normal as
sholes—other than you, Abby—and nowhere in the Martin family history have there ever been witches. None on Nancy’s side either. But it happens that a witch or wizard is born to nonmagical parents.”
I take another sip of wine. “Even at school, I was different and I knew it. But you guys accepted me and I felt like I was where I was supposed to be. Most the of the time, at least. And I was supposed to be there, since half of me is a witch.”
“Half of you?” Evander repeats. “What are you getting at?”
“Witches can’t command hellfire. They can’t break through wardings and they don’t have more than one familiar.”
“What does this have to do with that man?” Kristy presses. Gulping down another mouthful of wine, I look up at Tabatha. Like the others, she’s waiting for me to go on, but unlike Kristy, Evander, and Abby, she looks like she already knows.
“The Blue-Eyed Man is my father.” I spit out the words and there’s no taking them back now.
“You were right all along.” Lucas rests his elbows on the counter. “I knew never to doubt you.”
“What?” Abby’s face is pulled down with horror. “What do you mean?” She picks up her wine but doesn’t take a drink. “How can he be your father?”
How am I supposed to tell her that her real sister died before she was even born and I took her place? It sounds so creepy and fucked up even to me. I’ll have to tell her the whole story, and that’s even more to take in. I don’t want to break my sister.
Lucas sits up, tipping his head. “You spoke another language, one I hadn’t heard before and one you didn’t know. It was Enochian, wasn’t it?”
“Enochian?” Evander’s face lights up with amusement. “Nobody speaks Enochian. It’s the language of—bloody hell.” He turns to me. “You’re saying…that he…he was…”
“Yes. My father is an angel.” A chill makes its way down my spine again. “I know it sounds crazy, but it makes sense.”
“It does.”
“Wait.” Kristy holds up her hand. “His name is Michael. Is he the archangel Michael?”
“He didn’t say and I didn’t think to ask. If I see him again, I’m bringing a list of questions.”
Abby sucks down a mouthful of her wine and then starts laughing. “Sorry, I’m sorry.” She puts the glass down and doubles over with laughter. “It’s just…you were dying quite literally and then some guy—who might be the archangel Michael—shows up, tells you he’s your father, and now you’re better. It’s…it’s…I don’t even know.”