by Anna Santos
“It isn’t enough that I’m scared of being turned into stone during the day and…stop existing for more than twelve hours… They also think that I’m being silly, and I’ll eventually change my mind.”
“About what?”
“I like girls,” she blurted out, letting go of my arm and putting the bottle to her mouth, drinking too fast and coughing. “I’m an only child, this means that I want and will probably be mated to a girl. It’s only natural, don’t you think? If I like girls now, then after I’m turned, I’ll continue to like girls.”
“I don’t know,” I replied, not sure if I should be having this conversation with her.
I looked at Philippe. He was quiet, staring into the dark of the night.
“If I don’t marry a guy, I won’t be able to have children, but…if I love girls, I won’t be interested in guys. Do you understand my dilemma?”
“Kind of. Don’t they have anyone else to succeed them?”
“Yes, I have a cousin. He’s an idiot, but he’ll be the next king if I can’t find a husband. Marrying a girl and getting the crown is completely out of the question since I can’t conceive an heir in those conditions.”
“You are stressing about something you can’t control. The fact is that you’ll be a gargoyle, and you don’t know when you’ll fall in love or have a matching soul to face the trial. Your parents can’t force you to be someone else or do something against your will. Your condition can only be broken once you fall in love.”
“Yes, it’s complicated. I fear death. I’ll die every day until my curse is broken or I’ll cease to exist. It’s scary.”
“It is…” I agreed, nodding and staring at my dress. “You should talk to someone who has experienced that. I can’t help you, Charlotte.”
“I know,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry if I was mean to you,” the princess said, turning to me and holding my hands. “I hope you’ll be happy, even though you’ll be a vampire.”
“Aria won’t be a vampire unless…” Philippe whispered, contradicting the princess and making me understand that he was attentive to the conversation. “Unless she chooses to be.”
“God, damn it!” Camille said, appearing on the balcony. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”
I frowned. “Who?”
“Her,” she explained, pointing at Charlotte. “Your mom wants to introduce you to some rich guy.”
“Guess duty calls,” Charlotte said, getting up and smirking at me. “I’ll leave you the bottle. Maybe you’ll have fun together and bail on this annoying party.”
“Has anyone seen Cedric?” Camille looked around with bulging eyes and a grumpy expression.
“He flew away with his hot date,” Charlotte said, pointing at the sky.
“Babysitting royal pains in the butts is hard.” Camille breathed out, putting her hands on her hips and pouting.
Charlotte giggled at her joke, almost tripping on her dress.
Camille rolled her eyes. “Come on,” she said, grabbing the princess’ arm. “I’ll make sure you’ll go to your mom and don’t get lost in the crowd. First, you might need a strong black coffee.”
They both left. Philippe and I sat there quietly, staring at the void. He looked pensive, and I was unsure of what I should say.
Another couple entered the balcony, giggling and talking. They strolled their way to the opposite side of us, shadowed by the trees and pillars. They were clearly drunk and presumably in love as they started to make out on the bench. Hearing them was awkward. Angel powers had their cons. I tried to listen exclusively to the pretty music coming from the salon.
“Why are you so quiet?” I asked Philippe, resting my head on his shoulder.
He put his arm around my shoulders and caressed my neck with the tip of his fingers, tickling me.
“I’m trying to wrap my mind around something Mara has said to me,” he shared.
I raised my head, nibbling on the inside of my cheek.
“Don’t you think it’s strange that she’s here?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged and looked away.
The moon was beautiful, but my heart had become heavy. I was feeling jealous. It was silly, I knew that.
“No need to pout. I’m not thinking about her like that. I was remembering what she told me last night when she came to the church to talk to me. Think about it,” he requested, turning my face to look at him. “She could have been there to spy on us.”
“It didn’t do any good because you eventually caught the evil specter.”
“Maybe he wanted to be caught. He could know about this party. What are the odds of Mara being here, walking freely around the same palace where her sister’s master is trapped?”
“Hmm.” I was starting to see his point.
“This makes no sense. Why would Mara be one of Kayden’s followers if she left Paris to run away from her crazy family?”
I looked at him, clueless.
He kept talking. “Margaret tried to kill me because she thought I had killed Mara. But why is Mara here? She didn’t want anything to do with the supernatural. She wanted to be normal and only returned because I needed her to prove to her sister that she was alive. But now I think that it might have been a trap all along.”
“Your thoughts are all over the place. When did Mara’s sister try to kill you?”
“The day you were kidnapped. It’s a long story.”
“We have time,” I explained, eager to hear more. It was better than being silent and staring at the moon.
“Margaret was my first in command’s lover. I always thought that Gerard was using her. It turned out that it was the other way around. The day you were kidnapped, Gerard tried to kill me. He didn’t succeed,” he clarified as my eyes grew bigger, baffled by what he was telling me. “Margaret was able to cast a spell on me before Josephine knocked her out. It prevented me from healing or drinking blood. In the long term, it would kill me. Now that I think about it, she tried to slow me down. She needed me out of the way. It was fortunate that Jo and Cedric appeared.”
“You never told me how you managed to find me.”
“I wasn’t sure you wanted to talk about it. It must have been a terrifying experience for you.”
“It was… It was horrible. But you and Cedric saved me. I’m all right.”
“Well, if you want to know, it was Cedric’s intervention that allowed us to find you. He did something to Margaret. She obeyed all of his orders and found out where you were held. I flew Mara to Paris, so I could prove to Margaret that I hadn’t killed her sister. Margaret was convinced that I had.”
“Now you are thinking that maybe Mara is working with Margaret to free Kayden,” I mumbled. “I don’t know Mara and have no idea why she’s here. I don’t even know who Margaret is. The only thing I know is that they kept me alive until sundown, so the gargoyle girl could hurt me. And no one knows who she is. She wasn’t found. She’s still out there.”
“True. But I don’t think they like the idea of having a traitor amidst their ranks.”
“Whoever she is, she hates Cedric.”
“How secure is the prison, do you know?”
I shrugged. “Camille must know… Although Mara is here, it can be for a less complicated reason. Camille warned us about the power field around the lower floor that prevents any supernatural being from using their powers. She won’t be able to use magic.”
“Maybe I’m being paranoid.”
“Do you want to get out of here?” I asked, smiling. I had the craziest idea.
“Where do you want to go? Do you feel like dancing again?”
“No, I mean out of here. Going back to Earth, to Paris, and going for a walk in the city. We could see the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.”
“In that dress?” He smirked, and I melted at his smile.
“First perk of being an angel when our wings appear, we can turn ourselves invisible to the human eye. Another perk, we can teleport around. I could also fly, but I�
��m afraid of heights so…that’s not a good idea.”
Philippe chuckled. “Okay, let’s get out of here. We need to warn Camille first.”
“Deal,” I agreed, ready to bail on that party and do something I had always wanted to do—visit Paris at night with the bonus of doing it with Philippe.
“And Cedric?” Philippe reminded me.
“He knows where we live. He can call me when he finishes his Lois and Superman’s flying experience.”
Philippe burst into laughter as did I.
I looked at Philippe with a sobered face. “Do you realize that if Cedric dates Jo, and they eventually get married, he’ll be your stepdad?”
“Damn, that’s like a whole new level of a nightmare coming true,” he joked, turning around and kissing my forehead.
I closed my eyes momentarily, feeling his cologne hit me and make me shiver. He must have understood my reaction to his closeness because he lowered his face and took possession of my lips. It felt as if a tidal wave smashed against my rationality. I had to put my hands on his chest to keep my balance.
“We must get to a higher floor to teleport out of here, but first we need to find Camille,” he said, breaking the kiss and hiding his face against my shoulder. His voice was hoarse.
“Are you okay?”
“My fangs have a nasty habit of appearing when they aren’t invited. I don’t want to scare you.”
“You won’t,” I assured, caressing his face with my hand and raising it, so I could stare at him. He had his eyes closed. “Show me.”
He opened his black eyes and parted his lips. It didn’t frighten me. It was actually fascinating.
“Are you hungry?”
“Not hungry,” he said softly, eventually smirking and making the blackness ripple and flash.
I swallowed hard, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that he lusted for me. I cupped his cheek, reality momentarily absent from my mind. My thoughts were spinning around inside my head, making it impossible for me to tell Philippe everything I was thinking about. Like, how much I loved him, wanted to be with him and, at the same time, how scared I was. I was just an awkward eighteen-year-old virgin girl. What could I offer him? What did he expect from me?
“Why are you gloomy all of the sudden?” His eyes became brown once again. He had a perfect angel face with kissable lips.
This wasn’t the place to have that conversation with Philippe.
“I need to tell my parents that I’m not going to marry Cedric. I need…to tell them about us.”
“That wasn’t what you were thinking about.”
“How do you know?” I asked with my best poker face.
He smirked, not calling my bluff. “Just tell them you are going to marry me,” he said, holding my hand and entering the ballroom.
My gaze blurred with his words. “What? Hold on. What are you saying?” I asked, breathless.
“Don’t you want to?”
I halted, forcing him to stop. We stood in the middle of the crowd of angels. He turned around to face me.
“Don’t you want to?” He moved closer, putting his hands on my hips. The dress ruffled up and puffed around.
Speaking softly, he said, “I’ve been thinking about a way to restore our bond. It occurred to me that making new vows, wedding vows, may be the answer.”
“But do you want to do that because you want to marry me or because you are feeling guilty?”
“You are my whole world and the only way your parents will let me be around you, all the time, is if we are married. I can take care of you and make you happy. We can go anywhere you want, live anywhere. You can finish your studies, then we can travel around the world.”
My heart wanted to leave my chest. “Okay,” I said before he thought that I was rejecting him. “We’ll get married, but only after this mess is over.”
He kissed me. My head was spinning with the roller coaster of emotions, but I was happy. I knew I was. I was on cloud nine.
“We need to get out of here.”
I nodded, agreeing.
He gave me his hand, and I followed him.
“Are we still going for a walk in the city?” I questioned him.
“Of course.”
“Then can we go home, so I can change clothes and grab my camera. I want to take pictures.”
“We’ll do everything you want,” he said, surrounding my shoulders with his arm and kissing my cheek. “I like seeing you happy.”
“I’m so happy that I’m afraid that something terrible is going to happen,” I mumbled, aware that I was being dramatic.
It was hard to believe that everything was going to work out for everybody. Cedric could be happy with Jo, and I could be happy with Philippe. I was wondering what the catch was. What would happen to ruin that?
“I love how positive you are,” Philippe said, smirking. I knew he was being sarcastic. I should probably lighten up and enjoy the moment.
“Let’s get out of here,” I begged.
Chapter EIGHTEEN
ARIA
I couldn’t believe that I was willingly walking on the top of the roof of the old, decrepit church. I was scared and trembling, fully aware that I would panic if I looked down and saw how far from the ground I was. Despite my fears and praying to all the gods to not fall, my legs kept obeying.
“Don’t look down and keep walking my way, honey,” Philippe encouraged me, stepping back while showing his hands for me to grab if I thought I was losing my balance.
How on earth had I put myself in this mess? I couldn’t say no to Philippe, and he was extremely persuasive.
“Just a bit more. You can do it, Aria. I know you can. You have wings now. You can fly, so don’t be afraid. You aren’t human, yet. You may never be human again. What do angels do when they are faced with the abyss?”
“They jump and fly over it,” I replied. “But I would probably freeze in panic, fall in it, and hit the ground.”
Philippe chuckled, and my heart burst inside my chest.
“I’m such a coward.”
“You are not,” he denied. “You have no idea of how strong you are. Besides, you forget that if you fell into the abyss, you could always teleport back up.”
“True,” I agreed.
“You are safe here. I will grab you before you have time to blink,” he told me. “Just a few more steps. You were the one who wanted to know where my favorite spot in the city was.”
“Couldn’t you have a favorite place on the ground like normal people?”
Philippe offered me a wider smile. “I’m not exactly normal and, despite what many might think, most favorite places are on a high ground. Think about it, normally it’s a view and to have a view we need to be somewhere above the ground.”
I nodded, fixating my eyes on his hands instead of my sneakers or the slippery and old roof tiles. I didn’t want to disappoint him.
“We are here!” Philippe rejoiced when his hands grabbed mine, and he pulled me into the security of his arms. “I’m so proud of you!”
I hid my face against his chest as I tried to calm down.
“You will love the view.”
“Now, what do I do?”
“Sit down beside me,” he said. “You are shivering. Are you cold?”
“No, just panicking.”
“I’m here. I’m holding you, and you don’t need to panic. I’ll help you sit down. Just close your eyes and follow my lead.”
I obeyed. Moments later, I was seated and clutching Philippe’s arm. Daring to open my eyes, I saw the illuminated city below. “It’s beautiful!”
“Now look up,” he said, pointing at the stars and the moon. “Do you understand how tiny we are?”
“Yes, we are tiny particles of stardust. Life and the ability to be conscious always amazed me. We are so small but also so big. We are able to compete with the gods and create amazing things but also destroy. Do you ever think about what worlds might exist outside this galaxy?”
�
�All the time. Humanity’s superpower is creativity. Since I was born and until now, the world has evolved beyond any dream. There have been amazing philosophers, scientists, artists, writers, poets, physicists, and dreamers. Their ability to imagine, create, and challenge the laws of physics was what made the technological evolution possible. Yet, they have no idea that right there is an entrance to another dimension where angels and gargoyles live. They have no idea that vampires lurk and manipulate their realities. And they have no idea that they are the lucky ones.”
“Why are they lucky?” I asked as I watched his pondering face.
Philippe looked down at me. “Ignorance can be bliss. Weren’t you happier before you were dragged into this world of supernatural beings?”
“There’s a difference between thinking that we are happy and being happy. I can’t see myself without you anymore,” I told him as my hand held tighter to his shirt. Philippe smiled and stroked my cheek.
Placing a kiss on my forehead, he said, “I can’t see myself without you, either. But you need to understand, it will be dangerous.”
“I know.”
“I can’t protect you during the day.”
“I know.” I raised my head and kissed his lips. “No matter what will happen after Cedric and I unbind ourselves I’ll love you, and I’ll still love you even if I’m a little particle of stardust.”
My heart seemed to be about to burst from being there with him and telling him all those things that made me feel tiny and silly. The way he looked and smiled at me made me feel absurdly happy. Suddenly, all the romantic and sappy poems made perfect sense. Philippe was my whole world. It didn’t matter what happened if I had him with me. Not even the universe seemed that interesting when I could look at him.
Closing my eyes and leaning my head against his shoulder, I shattered the silence. “What else is there to see in this town before the sun comes up?”
“This was the final stop. The sun rises sooner in the summer. It’s time for us to go back home and get ready for bed.”
“I’m not tired… Selfie time,” I said, smirking and pointing my phone at us. We both smiled as the flash illuminated our faces. “I took amazing photos.”