I slept beautifully in my new temporary room. Knowing Zander was across the hall, looking out for me and being so touchable, I had a hard time staying on my side of the door. But once I finally drifted off, the dreams were incredible. All of him, of course.

  Riyon pointed toward the front of the house. “He’s outside, doing a sweep of the surrounding forest. He said he couldn’t allow you to go running without making sure it was safe first.” Riyon looked down at me with one eyebrow raised and a cheeky smile.

  “Stop looking at me like that. Guardians are supposed to be protective, are they not?”

  He shrugged. “Sure. Let’s go with that.”

  Penelope giggled, and my attention was back on her. I wanted so badly to mention her broken wing, but the subject felt sensitive. I opened my mouth to ask anyway, but was quickly lifted off the floor from behind by strong arms and spun in a circle.

  I screamed, and a warm chuckle vibrated against my back. “I’m here. The coast is clear, so let’s get your little butt in gear,” he rhymed.

  I turned around to look up at my beautiful Guardian. “What are you, a poet? And my butt is not little!”

  He held me against him, ignoring the other angels in the room. It was exhilarating to be so open together. “I’m just in a good mood today.” Then he leaned into my ear. “And yes, your butt is little. And I love it.”

  My face flushed red, and I turned to see Penelope holding back a laugh. Riyon stood beside her, shaking his head. “Holy Divinity, you two.”

  Pen shoved his arm playfully. “Stop. They’re adorable.”

  I looked up at Zander and his smile spread from cheek to cheek. “Quit the grinning, you devil.” I glared, and he only smiled wider, teeth on full show.

  “Let’s go for a run. Are you ready?”

  I shook my head. “Wait.” I stepped out of his arms to grab two cinnamon rolls and headed for the front door. “Ready now. Eat my dust, Guardian,” I said, and his deep laugh followed behind.

  ⬨⬨⬨

  “For heaven's sake. Slow down!” I shouted after Zander, who disappeared ahead of me for the third time.

  We had been running through the forest for at least an hour, dodging sticks, and climbing over rocks and downed trees. My legs ached, and I wanted to dunk them in a bath of ice. Zander ran so easily ahead of me, and I was jealous of his speed.

  He ran back to me, slowing to my comfortable human pace. “I’m just trying to motivate you. You’ll get there soon.”

  I shook my head, out of breath, and stopped in the middle of a green clearing to pace and calm the burn in my legs. “I don’t feel like it’s possible to run like you guys do. My body isn’t ready.”

  Zander sat on a big boulder beside me and pulled out a large water bottle. “Drink. We’re almost back to the house. Just another half-mile, okay?” He handed me the drink and I chugged half of it down.

  He watched me chug like a thirsty animal, looking fully entertained. “Can you continue back to the house, or do I need to carry you?”

  I handed him the water, and he immediately placed it to his mouth, taking a sip. Just watching him use the same water bottle as me caused my stomach to clench with desire. He was so comfortable with me. I watched his tongue dart out to lick the dripping water off of his lips, and I had to cross my arms before they reached out to him.

  His head tilted, and he eyed me curiously. “Are you going to answer my question?” He was smiling and another blush crept up my neck.

  I hurriedly tried to remember what he asked me, much too distracted. “Uh… yes. I mean no. I don’t need you to carry me. I can make it.”

  He nodded, reaching out for my hand and I grabbed his tight. With a tank top on, and basketball shorts, he looked like a jock. A hot jock. I wondered what would happen if his wings came out while he wore that shirt. It would probably rip off of him. I wouldn’t complain.

  Thinking of his wings reminded me of Pen and her broken one. Zander and I were walking through the trees, so I decided to ask him directly instead of putting Penelope on the spot. “Zander, is Pen’s wing still broken?”

  He looked at me with a sudden sadness. “Yeah. It will stay that way until a Throne can heal her.”

  I pulled my head back, taken off guard. “Why? I thought angels healed quickly.”

  “That’s true, but the wings are different. Once an angel's wing is broken, it can’t be naturally healed. Only a Throne angel has the power to do such a thing. Penelope will have to not use her wings for a while, unless she leaves to get help. I don’t think she’d leave you, though.”

  My heart sank knowing she had been in so much pain because of me. Penelope wouldn’t leave me. That’s what she was talking about with Riyon. “What if we get attacked, Zander? She won’t be able to get away.”

  He shrugged. “That’s up to her if she wants to take the risk. Maybe you can convince her to go, but I can’t imagine her agreeing. She can be stubborn.”

  I nodded to that fact. He was absolutely right, and it warmed my heart to see how close he had become to my dearest friend to know her so well. Even if they only got to know one another in order to keep me in the dark, it was a comradery between two people that I loved with all of myself.

  I needed to do something for Pen. I continued striding through the forest, my mind racing with thoughts of how to get her healed, and then a thought struck me. I turned to Zander with wide eyes at the same time as he spun to me with his hands up. We had the exact same idea, and I wanted to kiss the crap out of him. First things first, though.

  He grabbed both of my hands in his. “Didn’t Morian say you were like a Throne?”

  I nodded. “Yes. And I do have Throne abilities, although they’re on the darker side…” I frowned, knowing I was more like my father than I wanted to be.

  Zander’s eyes fell, saddened by my change in attitude. “If you can heal Penelope, it will prove that you are meant for good. Honestly, just knowing you had the thought to do so is proof that you are an amazing creature.”

  I nodded, accepting his trust in me. Even when I didn’t feel like I could be the good that he wanted me to be, I could sure as hell try. I would do everything in my power to fix what my existence had caused, starting with Pen.

  Chapter 4

  * * *

  It had been a few days of a chaotic training schedule. I would navigate the woods with Zander every morning, and spar and practice growing my strength after lunch with either Riyon or Penelope. Then later in the afternoons we’d all sit and meditate together, connecting to the energy around us and clearing our minds. Apparently, it was essential to pulling my abilities out.

  I had a hard time approaching Pen about her broken wing, but it needed to be done. I had a hopeless feeling in my chest, worried that I’d give her false hope if I offered to try the healing and then failed.

  It’s not like I knew how to heal even a scrape. I’d never seen it done, so it was more than likely that I would fail miserably, but how could I sit back while she suffered, and do nothing? I couldn’t.

  I woke up from a restless night's sleep, thankfully still dreaming without any sneaky Nephilim in my nightmares, but struggling to find complete rest either way. I rubbed my puffy eyes as I entered the kitchen and found Penelope pulling blueberry muffins out of the oven.

  Steam wafted off of the muffin tops and my mouth began to water at the sweet and buttery scent. “Ooh. You truly are heaven sent, Pen. How did I ever deserve you?”

  She took off her oven mitts and smiled cheerily at me. “Nobody deserves me, darling, but you come closer than the rest.”

  I snorted back a laugh at her fake posh voice. “Oh, but of course. You are just perfection. Don’t you ever forget it.” I snagged a warm muffin straight from the tin and took a steamy bite, making yummy noises as I nearly swallowed the thing whole.

  I had been hungrier than usual since beginning my training. It felt like I just couldn’t get full no matter how hard I tried. And I definitely tried. Thankfully, I was working out enough for it not to matter.

  I looked around the kitchen, noticing Pen and I were alone for once. Now was my chance to talk with her. “Hey, Pen.”

  She swallowed a bit of muffin and turned her blue eyes on me. “Hmm?”

  “I was thinking about how we would run together in the Divine city. I kinda miss it. Do you want to run with me this morning in Zander’s place?”

  Her face lit up with excitement, and I swear she glowed. “Yes! We desperately need some girl time. And I’ve been thinking about something I want to try with you.” Her eyebrows wiggled and nervousness kicked in.

  “I know that look. It’s your let's-do-something-crazy look.”

  She waved a hand at me. “It won’t be that bad. I was just thinking about your connection to animals, and I’d like to explore that. Maybe we could test it out and see how that works with different kinds of creatures.”

  I shrugged. “So you want to go find some squirrels and chipmunks to snuggle?”

  She nodded, pointing a finger at me. “Correct! Let’s do it!”

  Zander and Riyon walked into the kitchen, talking and laughing together with big smiles, like they were in an adorable bromance. They both turned to look at us as Pen came around the counter and linked our arms.

  “Are you two going somewhere?” Zander’s warm eyes connected to mine, and like always, I wanted to run to him. I stayed put. Girl time needed to happen. Boys could wait.

  “Yup,” I answered. “Pen and I are going to bond with some squirrels.” I gave him a cheesy grin, and loved how confused he looked. Oh boy, he could make any expression look good.

  Pen giggled and pulled me toward the door. She waved at them over her shoulder as we left. “See ya, boys. Don’t wait up.”

  ⬨⬨⬨

  Penelope and I were only five minutes into our run when she stopped and perked her head up, seemingly listening to something. I nearly landed on my face, trying to stop as fast as her. Pen looked like a majestic fox on the hunt, listening and sniffing for her prey, but I looked more like a stumbling fawn.

  “What is it, Lassie?” I teased, and she tilted her head at me, not getting the reference.

  “Who’s Lassie?” she questioned, distracted from whatever she was listening to.

  I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. Just a movie reference. You’d have to know it to get it.”

  Angels.

  She just shrugged, not giving it another thought, and turned her head up to the treetops above us. “There’s a squirrel up there tossing acorns down at us. Can you see it?”

  I followed her line of sight, seeing nothing and hearing nothing but the soft whistle of the wind through the tree branches. “I don’t see anything. How do we get it down?” I knew Pen couldn’t fly, so getting to the top would be tough.

  Penelope looked at me with her eyebrows raised so high that her forehead practically disappeared. “You think I can’t climb a tree?”

  I held my hands up. “I don’t know your limits. I know for a fact though, that I can't climb that thing.”

  In the blink of an eye, Penelope jumped and grabbed onto a tree branch ten feet above my head. I snapped my eyes up to her as she easily scaled the incredibly tall tree, making it to the top in seconds.

  She looked down at me with a wiggling squirrel in her hand. “Coming down!” she shouted, and then leapt off the tallest branch, falling at least forty feet to the ground.

  I covered my mouth, stifling a scream behind my hands. My eyes closed briefly, not wanting to see my friend break her neck, but when I opened them again, Penelope stood smiling at me, perfectly together and unharmed. Only a small divot in the dirt under her feet showed how hard she landed.

  “I found a friend for you.” She held out the wriggling squirrel as it bit down on her finger, trying to get free. “Ouch!” she shouted, already healing right before my eyes.

  I blinked back my shock at her superhuman jump, and looked at the angry little animal. I didn’t want to get bit myself, but I had to see if I could calm it. It’s the whole reason we came out here in the first place.

  I reached my hands out for Pen to place it in my palms. She gently set the squirrel down and stepped away. “Do your thing, sweetie,” she said, with total confidence in my abilities.

  I wrapped my hands around the little furry body and looked into its tiny black eyes. “Hey there, little guy or gal. Please don’t bite me, okay? I don’t heal as fast as my nice friend over there.”

  The squirrel turned its head at my voice and looked up into my pleading eyes. Its little nose wiggled around as it smelled me and its body stopped wiggling to just stare. I smiled down at it, feeling comforted by its trust in me.

  “Thanks for calming down. I’m sorry we took you from your home. I won’t hurt you, I promise.” I continued speaking softly, and the squirrel acted like it understood what I was saying, tilting its head and relaxing.

  Penelope stepped closer, watching the creature’s reaction to me. “It likes you, not that I was expecting any different. Put it on the ground and see if you can command it.”

  I nodded to her, lowering the animal’s little feet to the forest floor. It stepped out of my hands, but didn’t run away. “What should I tell it?” I asked Pen as I stood back up.

  “Try to make it do some sort of trick. That’d sure give us some idea of what you’re capable of.”

  I looked down at the squirrel and held my hands out in the air. “Come here, little buddy,” I commanded gently.

  It looked up at my hands, and then jumped up to land in my open palms. It spun around and then snuggled into my hands like it was settling down for a nap. I giggled, excited that my command worked on this wild little creature.

  Penelope laughed too, clapping her hands together. “Well, you really are an animal whisperer. That’s incredible.”

  I stroked a finger down the squirrel’s back, excited about what my gift could mean. It was no news that I loved animals, but I never thought I could tame the wild ones so easily.

  Suddenly, the squirrel’s hair rose up and it stood on its legs in my hands. It looked all around us, and in seconds, it jumped out of my arms and climbed the same tree it was taken from.

  Penelope looked at me, as confused as I was, and shrugged. “Why did it leave? I swore it was going to stay in your arms and take a nap.”

  I shook my head. “I have no clue.” But then at the same time, Penelope and I heard it.

  The shrieking growl came from a ways behind me, but not far enough in my opinion. I spun around, fear crawling up my spine as I stared down a huge tan mountain lion.

  “I guess test number two will be today as well…” Penelope spoke quietly, not wanting to anger the much bigger beast. “Go ahead and take care of it, Erin.”

  I blanched at her. I had tamed a small squirrel, yes, but I had no idea what to do with a mountain lion. Hope I don’t get eaten? Yes. Make a new friend? Only one way to find out.

  Chapter 5

  * * *

  Penelope and I backed away from the mountain lion slowly. I kept my eyes on the animal, too afraid to look away. I’d always heard that cougars are rarely seen before they are actively attacking.

  I felt lucky that she only watched us and wasn’t already charging. I turned my head, but still kept my eyes locked onto the cougar’s shining ones. “Pen, if I can’t calm her and she attacks, are you capable of stopping her?” Please say yes.

  “Of course. No animal has the power of an angel, except for the ones known as mythical creatures to human kind.”

  Right. Of course. I’d met a few “mythical” creatures already, and the beast in front of me had nothing on them. I steadied my breathing, knowing that Pen had my back.

  “Hey, beautiful girl,” I spoke to the cougar. Her sharp teeth were still flashing, but her hunched back relaxed at my voice. “I’m sorry for coming into your space. We aren’t here to do any harm.” Her shoulders sank further, her body calming. “I’ve seen a lot of incredible creatures lately, but it’s a true marvel to be this close to such an incredible predator in my own world.”

  A little stroking of the ego never hurts.

  The cougar’s mouth closed over her pointed teeth and she licked her lips as she sat back on her haunches with a thud against the earth. I smiled at her, slowly inching closer until I knelt directly in front of the powerful beast.

  “I think I’ll name you. Is that alright?” She laid down on the ground and rolled onto her back, submissive as she showed me her soft belly. My mouth dropped open. She was like a kitten, just wanting some love. I spun to Penelope and she had a huge grin on her surprised face.

  Pen raised her hand, suddenly looking like the know-it-all kid at the front of class as she practically bounced. “Ooh! Can I name her? You always get to name the animals!”

  I laughed with a nod. “Go for it. What do you got?”

  She rubbed her chin and raked her eyes across the cougar where she lay still on her back, waiting for belly rubs. “How about Nala? I saw a movie with a lion named Nala. She looks like her.”

  “You mean The Lion King? One of the most famous movies of all time?”

  She pointed at me like I hit it right on the nose. “Yeah, that one!”

  I wanted to smack my head. She didn’t grow up the same way as human children, and sometimes I forgot that she was a Divine being from heaven. I just shook my head, but I had to agree. She looked like a Nala.

  “Do you like the name Nala?” I asked the animal, reaching slowly to scratch her large stomach. She purred when I ran my hand along her soft belly. Actually purred!

  “I think that’s a yes,” Pen said behind me.

  I stood and backed away from Nala again. I glanced at Penelope to catch her small flinch, like she was in pain. She pushed back her shoulder, stretching the sore spot. In all this time looking for animals, I hadn’t thought once about the reason I wanted girl time. Pen’s wing. She was clearly in pain, and I was busy playing with animals. I reached my hand out and grabbed Penelope’s. She looked down at our entwined fingers, confused.