“I won’t drop you. Trust me,” he said with a cheeky smile.
“Sure, sure,” Millie replied sarcastically.
Mace lifted Millie off his shoes, and Millie closed her eyes. She was expecting herself to be falling, but nothing happened. She was standing on a cloud with nothing else beneath her. Her mouth dropped in shock. He was taking her whole weight by holding her hands. Millie’s heart beat loudly. She was scared but trusted her life to him.
He placed his arm around her back. They lifted their hands and held on to each other. They started to dance. Millie looked around in amazement. This was perfect. The moonlight was magnificent. Mace looked amazing with his wings and his skin. They were dancing around in the middle of the sky on top of a cloud. It was just out of a fairytale. Millie couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face. She felt like she was in Heaven.
“All we need now is a rose,” Mace said as Millie laughed loudly.
He picked her up and twirled her around. She reached her arms out and felt the slight breeze. She leant her head back and smiled gloriously. Mace pulled her back down, reached for her face, and kissed her lips. She kissed back with such a passion that his heart skipped a beat. They were in love with each other. They wanted to spend their whole lives together. The kiss became stronger than ever. Millie wanted this kiss to never end.
Mace’s eyes opened and grew wider. He forced Millie off him. He felt an evil presence, but it was too late. A large object came flying at them and jolted Millie with such a force she and Mace lost their grip. She fell. Mace went to grab her hand but Miss Hades appeared behind him and clasped his head in her grasp. Millie’s face haunted him as she fell.
Millie screamed as the rush of air belted her. She realised that this was the last time she would ever see the love of her life. Her Protector. Her Angel. Mace. She opened her mouth to scream again, but her throat was in pain. Flashes of her life came to her. She saw her mother and father carrying out a cake with the number ten on it. She saw herself meeting Savannah for the first time at school. She saw her friends driving up to Henry’s vacation house in Flagstaff. She saw Benjamin walking in on his first day at school. She remembered their first kiss.
She braced herself to hit the ground at any moment. Surprisingly, the wind stopped hitting her body. She thought she had hit the ground and died, but she felt hot arms around her back. She opened her eyes. It was Zeke. He was cradling her in his arms. His pale face was so close to hers. She tried to talk but nothing came out. They stared at each other until a booming voice came towards them.
“Let her go,” Teal ordered.
He was flying at them at a rapid pace, his white wings flapping fast until he was upon them.
“Let her go,” he repeated.
“I’m not going to hurt her,” Zeke said, squeezing his arms tight.
“I’m not that stupid,” Teal said. His face was furious. He was ready to fight.
“He saved my life,” Millie finally said in a high-pitched tone.
“What?” Teal asked, confused. “What mind trick are you playing on her?” he ordered.
“He’s not playing at anything, Teal. I was falling and he caught me,” Millie said.
She looked at Zeke more closely. He was wearing a black V-neck shirt with black tight jeans. She looked into his eyes and realised that the Demon who had brought her to Hell just saved her life. Her eyes looked behind him and saw that he had no wings. She looked at him in shock. How was he flying? she thought to herself.
“I don’t believe you,” Teal said, confused.
“Believe me, Teal. He saved me from falling to my death. Please go and help Mace,” she said, pleading.
“You know his real name?” Teal said, looking shocked.
“Yes, I do. Now please go help him. He’s being attacked by a Demon.”
“No harm will come to her,” Zeke said.
“If something happens to her, you will feel the full wrath of Heaven,” Teal said as he flew higher into the sky.
Millie looked at Zeke. His black hair was hanging over his forehead. He smiled slightly.
“Why did you save me?” she asked.
“Who would let a beautiful girl like you fall to her death?” he said with a smile.
Millie smiled back. “Can you take me back to the prom?”
“Yes, but after that, we have to get you somewhere safe,” Zeke said, flying back to her school.
Millie wondered how he knew where to go, but she thought he must have been watching, since he saved her from her death.
He landed near the gym behind a tree. Zeke stayed outside as Millie went in. She made her way to the table. Isabel was the only one sitting there, eating cake.
“What happened to you?” she asked, shocked.
Millie realised her hair was a mess from all the wind. Her makeup was probably running down her face due to the moisture from the cloud she fell through. Millie grabbed her belongings and Mace’s jacket. Isabel walked over to her.
“I can’t tell you. Just trust me,” Millie pleaded as she started to walk out of the gym. Isabel followed.
“You look like a mess. You were only gone for a little while. Just tell me what happened,” Isabel said, yanking on Millie’s arm.
Millie shook her hand off and kept walking out the door. “I’m sorry,” she said, stopping.
“Just tell me,” Isabel pleaded.
“I wish I could tell you everything, but it’s for your own safety. Please just stay here,” Millie said, turning and walking over to Zeke.
“Who is this? Where is Benjamin?” Isabel said, standing behind her now.
“I told you to stay,” Millie said, afraid.
Zeke looked at Isabel, then back at Millie. He stayed quiet.
“I’m not a dog,” Isabel shouted.
“I’m safe, Isabel. You don’t need to worry,” Millie said in a loud, sad voice. She hated how she was treating Isabel, but she was afraid for her safety.
Isabel wanted to know what was happening, but there was something in Millie’s eyes she had to trust.
“I’ll leave you alone. Just please call me and let me know you’re okay as soon as possible,” Isabel demanded.
“Thank you,” Millie said, hugging her.
Isabel smiled and watched as Millie and Zeke walked away. Millie appreciated how Isabel had understood.
“A friend?” Zeke inquired when they stopped behind the tree.
“Yes,” Millie said, still thinking about Isabel.
“She cares about you a great deal,” Zeke said, picking up Millie.
“I know she does.” Millie held onto her belongings tightly as Zeke took flight.
Millie looked at Mace’s jacket and was scared of what had happened to him. She was worried. Afraid. Fearful for his life. She prayed he would be okay, that Teal was able to save him from Miss Hades.
Zeke landed in Millie’s backyard.
“How’d you know where I lived?” Millie asked.
“I was ordered to bring your soul to Hell, but the only way I could do that was for you to be dying. I had to keep watch on you, so that when the opportune moment came, I could take your soul,” he said with a sad face. “I’m sorry that I brought you to Hell, Millie, and that I got another Fallen to drag you under in the lake.” He looked at her with miserable eyes.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"The waves at the lake. There is a Fallen in Hell that can make that happen. Please accept my apology."
“Wow, I should be repelled by you, but . . .” Millie bit her lip. “I just don’t know.”
Zeke smiled. “I didn't tell any other Fallen about where you lived. Please trust in me. Let’s go inside. You have to pack a bag. You will be gone awhile,” Zeke said.
Millie nodded, trying to process all of the information. Millie pulled out a small dark purple suitcase from under her bed. She unzipped it and started to put clothes in it.
“You have to write a note for your parents,” Zeke insisted.
“What should I say?” Millie asked, horrified. She was breaking out into a sweat. She couldn’t concentrate; her mind was on Mace. She just wanted to know that he was safe.
“Say that your boyfriend is taking you on a surprise trip over the weekend and you came home to pack, but they were already in bed,” he said, rubbing his head.
“Good idea,” Millie agreed.
She didn’t want to lie to her parents, but she had to for their own protection. Millie hurried around the bedroom, thinking of what things to take. She breathed heavily and sighed often.
“Hey,” Zeke said, grabbing her hands. “Calm down, Millie. Everything will be okay.”
“How can I be calm? Demons want to kill me. I don’t know if Mace is still alive. I have to lie to my friends and family to keep them safe,” Millie said, swaying back and forth.
“Millie, I’m sorry that you’re worried, but you have to keep focused,” Zeke said, coming closer to her.
“I know,” Millie said, catching her breath.
“You look beautiful, Millie.” He was smiling.
Millie looked up into his eyes. There were dark but kind. Millie didn’t know what to say. His hands were hot on her already sweaty palms. His pale face was ghostlike in the dark.
Before Millie could say anything, her window quickly opened and Mace’s hands were clinging onto Zeke’s shirt. Millie’s hands slipped from Zeke’s.
“Get your hands off her,” Mace demanded.
Millie was happy to see Mace was alive. Her lips turned into a smile, but that smile quickly faded. He had pushed Zeke up against the wall.
“Stop it!” Millie ran over, holding onto Mace’s arms.
“I didn’t do anything to her,” Zeke said, not fighting back.
“You better not have,” Mace said, his body full of rage.
“He saved me Be- . . . Mace,” Millie said, nearly calling him Benjamin. “Let go of him.” She tried to pull Mace’s arms off Zeke, but he was too powerful.
“She’s right,” Teal said, climbing through the window.
Mace turned his face towards him and raised his eyebrow.
“I left her with him,” Teal said, not too proud of himself. “He caught her.”
Mace looked at Zeke and let go of him abruptly. He eyed Zeke for a few seconds longer, but then embraced Millie in a hug. Mace placed his arms tightly around Millie and kissed the top of her head. Millie put her head on his chest and tugged on his torn shirt at the back. She sighed in the arms of the Angel she loved. She was so happy to see he was safe. He let go of her, and she realised his sleeves were rolled up past his elbows. There was a button missing and the bottom was ripped in a few places.
“How could you trust a Demon?” Mace asked Teal.
“I had to. I needed to help you,” Teal said.
His light blue jeans seemed damp from the moisture in the clouds. His dark grey shirt had one hole in the front.
“What happened to Miss Hades?” Millie asked.
“She got away,” Mace said angrily.
“We tried to find her, but she just disappeared,” Teal added.
“We should go before she returns with backup,” Zeke said.
“Why are you even helping us?” Mace asked bluntly.
Zeke just simply stared at Millie. She stared back into his eyes but quickly zipped up her bag.
“I’m ready to go,” she said, breaking the silence.
Mace picked up her bag and stared at Zeke.
Millie wrote a note and placed in on the kitchen counter. She walked outside as Zeke and Teal waited in the driveway.
“Where are we going?” Millie questioned.
“Back to my safe house for a while. Then we will go from there,” Mace said.
“Safe house?” Millie asked.
“Haven’t you ever wondered where I get my clothes from or where I go whenever I’m not with you?”
“Didn’t even cross my mind,” Millie said, feeling a tad embarrassed.
Mace turned to Zeke. “You’re not welcome,” he said bluntly.
“Zeke just saved my life. I think he’s earned an invitation,” Millie protested.
“Zeke?” Mace questioned.
“The one who dragged you to Hell?” Teal echoed.
“I’m sorry about that,” Zeke said.
“How could you?” Mace said, stepping towards him.
“Please don’t fight. You’ll wake up my parents,” Millie pleaded.
“Not now,” Teal said, putting his hand on Mace’s shoulder.
“Fine,” Mace said, unclenching his fists.
“I can’t go anyway, Millie. They don’t want to show a Fallen where a safe house is. I get it,” Zeke said, stepping back. “Just let me know when you need me.”
“I will,” Millie said softly.
Mace shot Millie a worried look.
“We better be going,” Teal said as he started to walk past Zeke.
“Bye, Zeke,” Millie said as she walked past him.
Mace clenched her arm with his free hand. He was carrying her bag in the other. Zeke just smiled.
Teal took Millie’s bag from Mace and took flight. Millie held onto Mace tightly as his wings broke free and he leaped into the air. Millie looked at Zeke fading into the distance.
They flew for a couple of minutes until they landed in front of a small, brown house. Teal opened the door and walked in. The garden out front was full of yellow flowers, and there was a brick pathway leading to the front door. The street light was blown out. She thought it was smart--nobody in the street would have seen Angels landing in front of the house. Millie saw Teal turning on lights inside the house. She followed the brick path and then stepped into the house. There was a small living room and a dining area right in front of her. The walls were cream, with Angel paintings hung up all around. She walked around the corner and saw a small, old-fashioned kitchen. Beyond that there were four doors.
“Don’t go into that bedroom.” Mace pointed at the first door.
“Why?” Millie asked.
“She doesn’t like people going into her bedroom,” Mace said, rolling his eyes.
Millie became jealous. Who was this girl? she asked herself. Mace opened the next door. It was a large bathroom. It was painted white with white tiles on the floor. "This is the bathroom."
He then opened up the next room. “This is the spare bedroom for the moment.”
It had a bunk bed to one side of the wall with a brown desk on the other. Teal came out of the other bedroom.
“Your bag is in there,” he said, smiling and showing his dimples.
Millie and Mace walked in. There was a queen-sized bed neatly made with a green doona cover lying on top. Behind her was a bookcase filled with novels. In the corner of the room, there was a small, dark green couch with a tiny cream table next to it. The couch reminded Millie of Zeke’s eyes.
“This is my bedroom for the time being,” Mace said, taking off his ripped shirt.
Millie smiled as she saw the top half of his body. It was amazing. As he turned around towards the inbuilt mirrored cupboard next to the bed, she noticed there were two, fine, red lines running down the top half of his back.
“Is that from your wings?” she asked.
Mace turned around to look in the mirror. “Yes, it is. It stays red for a couple of minutes, then disappears,” he explained, putting on a navy V-neck shirt.
“So Teal doesn’t stay here?” Millie asked.
“No, he doesn’t. I think his safe house is in Australia somewhere at the moment,” Mace said, walking over to Millie.
“Australia?” Millie asked, shocked at Mace’s reply.
“He’s not a Protector, Millie. He is a Guardian Angel. He has charges all over the world.”
Mace embraced her for a hug.
“Wow,” Millie replied in amazement.
“Do you want to get changed?” he asked.
“Yeah, I better. Don’t want to get this dress ruined,” Millie said.
; “I’ll get you a towel so you can have a shower,” Mace said, leaving the room.
Millie unzipped her bag, which had been placed on the floor at the end of Mace’s bed. She grabbed black shorts and an orange singlet top to get changed into. Mace came back into the bedroom and handed her a towel.
“I’ll be back,” she said, heading into the bathroom.
She carefully took off her silky emerald dress and placed it over the bath. She found a clip in a drawer and clipped her hair back before she hopped into the warm shower. She thought about the events of the past couple of hours. Her boyfriend’s name was now Mace instead of Benjamin. She loved the name Mace; it sounded sexy to say. She thought about how Zeke saved her life. She touched her lips, remembering his kiss. She didn’t want to tell Mace--he would hurt Zeke, and Millie did not want that to happen. She had written a note, lying to her parents. She worried about what was to happen over the next couple of days.
Millie dried herself and took the clip out of her hair. She slid her clothes on and looked at her prom dress. She smiled at the thought of it flowing in the night sky, dancing on top of clouds. She giggled. Her eyes now looked in the mirror. She reached for her towel and wiped off the mascara running down her cheeks. She took a deep breath, hung up the towel on an empty rack, and opened the door to find a woman standing there.
She was slightly taller than Millie. Her hair was deep red and straight, and fell just above her shoulders all at the same length. She was wearing a black jump suit that was short on the legs and stopped just past her elbows. It had gold buttons running down the front of it. Her bare feet clenched the cream carpet.
“So you’re Millie?” she asked, looking her up and down.
“Autumn, what are you doing?” Mace said, walking towards them.
“Nothing. Nothing at all,” she said, squinting her eyes at Millie.
Her face was plain, except for one dark brown freckle on top of her right eyebrow. Her eyes were deep blue with flecks of grey in them.
“Millie, this is Autumn. Autumn, this is Millie,” Mace said, waving his arms between the two.
“Nice to meet you,” Millie said, smiling awkwardly.
“Wish I could say the same,” Autumn grumbled, crossing her arms, “since you’ll probably be the end of Mace.” She walked off into her bedroom. Millie turned to Mace.
White Wings Page 14