“Shay, I’ll let you have some time alone with your family.” I take a few steps toward the house.
“No.” Shay latches onto my hands. “You are my family, too. I need you here with me.”
“Okay.” I smile. “I’ll stay.” I squeeze his hands. We turn back to his parents.
“I love you, Mom,” Shay says. “Thank you for—”
“I know, Shay, I love you, too. Be safe, be smart, and I wish you both a long and happy life.”
He lets go of me to hold his mom.
I remain silent.
Eventually, Shay steps back. His aqua eyes water like a storm. I wish I could take his pain away.
“I love you, too, Dad.” Shay hugs the only father he’s known. He steps back.
“Son, before I go, I think I should tell you something, too. You know that I’ll always love you. You are the son I never had. I watched you grow into a wonderful young man. I’d like to think you thought of me as your father.”
“I did and still do.”
“I met your mom after she was pregnant. I am not your biological dad. Another angel is.”
He knows. Has he always known?
“Who is it?” Shay asks.
“The thing about angels is that we pass on some of our angelic Light to others, offspring if you will.” Shay nods. “Yours came from Aiden. It’s why you share the aqua eyes. I should have told you sooner. For that, I’m sorry and you someday can forgive me.”
“I’m ... I think somehow I’ve always known that he and I were similar. While he may be the one who gave me my Light, you, Gabe, will always remain as my dad. There is nothing to forgive. You can leave here knowing that your son still loves you.”
Shay and Gabriel embrace as well as a ghost form can. I see sparks of Light flutter about all around them. They step away from each other and stare, then to Lindy.
I know that Shay will need to work through what Gabriel has told him. And I’ll be there every step of the way. I can tell Shay about the good I saw in Aiden, especially the sacrifice he made for all of us.
Aiden and I will meet again. That I’m sure of.
“I’m ready.” Lindy nods to Gabriel.
“Press your hand to Shay’s chest,” he says. “Call for your Light, all of it. Think about it. Let it surround you. Pour it from your soul into Shay’s. Let it flow.” The backyard lights up with swirling indigo, cobalt, and cyan. Gabriel nods his approval. “Yes, that’s it.”
Sapphire blue Light once again illuminates beneath Lindy’s skin and seeps outward as if it’s an outer shell. It darkens as she continues to pull it from within her body. It becomes faint and changes to white. The Light creates a funnel as it makes its way into Shay’s chest.
His silver Light brightens with Lindy’s.
Gabriel is at the ready. He gently lays her body to the ground as her spirit is stripped. Her hand loses contact from Shay. He stumbles back. I’m ready to catch him if he falls but he doesn’t.
Shay kneels on the cement next to his mother. His head is bowed. “Be at peace, Mom.”
A tiny piece of Lindy’s blue Light remains outside her body. It lengthens to match the same height as Lindy. Her form materializes like a ghost. She smiles that infectious smile at us. Her gaze is intense, and I feel it in my soul.
I look at Shay and Gabriel. They both are staring at Lindy’s floating soul.
As if the wind knows it’s supposed to carry her to another place, Lindy’s spirit fades. She’s shaking her head, not wanting to leave quite yet.
Gabriel’s hand extends and his wings appear. He takes Lindy’s hand and carries them both to the skies.
Shay and I are left with Lindy’s human body on the ground but not for long. It, too, disappears.
I wasn’t surprised that I loved Lindy instantly; she is one of those people who radiate kindness. I know why Gabriel chose her and her love for Shay shows.
Which is why when she found out who I was and what I had done to save the world, she knew it was her time; her time to guide and watch over Shay was completed. She gave up her life, the part which made her have a longer than normal life, to Shay. She made the ultimate sacrifice for her son.
Now, Shay would be by my side for all eternity.
The End of the Enlighten Series
Dear Reader,
If you’ve enjoyed the Enlighten Series, I ask that you leave a review on Amazon.
Kieran’s job of being a guardian angel is straightforward: observe and learn—and don’t intervene in their lives. But then he watches as his first charge dies at the hands of evil while he does nothing to help.
Overcome with grief and doubt, Kieran flees back to the safety of heaven. With guidance from his mentor, he learns all he can about the Battle of the Fallen and the creation of evil itself. With renewed determination, he vows he will save the Ordinaries in his care.
The rules of being a guardian angel have not changed, but Kieran has. Returning to earth, only Kieran knows how essential it is to find and protect one 17-year-old girl. The girl who can thwart the Devil’s escape from his prison and the start of Armageddon.
Continue the journey!!
ARROWS & ANGELS: An Enlighten Series Novella.
Acknowledgments
I have so many people to thank.
First, to all the fans of the Enlighten Series. Thank you for sticking with me to the very end. Your many emails telling me about which character you love the most, when is the next book coming, to you inspire myself to write a book. I took all of those to heart, and ask that you keep sending them my way. I know it’s been a long time between Swords & Stilettos to Daggers & Dresses, but you all hung in there and coaxed me to finally write this last book. So thank you for the continued encouragement.
To my wonderful editor Rebecca Jaycox. Yes, I know I like to use the words: smirk, grin, just, and what was that last one? Oh yes, slowly. Thank you for developing my characters and taking them to a deep more meaningful level. Without you, I don’t think I’d have cried at the ending of the series.
To Raquel Lyon of Crooked Sixpence Book Covers for another fantastic cover. You rock!!
To my beta readers: Genevieve, Jena, and Tiea. You’ve been with me since the very beginning and have read how my writing has grown over the years.
To the Six Queens: Rhonda, Sarah, and Hilary. Thank you for allowing me to be part of the great collaborative marketing effort. I know that we’ll smash it out of the park!
To the Indie Writing Community. Thank you for the words of wisdom, thoughts, suggestions, and everything in between.
To all my family and friends who have stood by me. For letting me indulge in sharing my stories with the world. It’s time away from you and the sacrifices made that allows me to do this.
And lastly, as the Enlighten Series draws to a close, I wouldn’t be where I am today, without my loving husband. I love you, Babe.
USA TODAY bestseller, Amazon bestselling, and award-winning young adult author, Kristin D. Van Risseghem grew up in a small town along the Mississippi River. Currently, she lives in Minnesota with her husband and a Calico cat, named Daizy. Kristin also loves attending book clubs, going shopping, and hanging out with friends. She has come to realize that she absolutely has an addiction to purses and shoes. They are her weakness and probably has way too many of both.
In the summer months, Kristin can usually be found lounging on her boat, drinking an ice cold something. Being an avid reader of YA and Women’s Literature stories, she still finds time to read a ton of books in-between writing. And in the winter months, her main goal is to stay warm from the Minnesota cold!
Kristin’s books are published by Kasian Publishing LLC.
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