White Wings

by Aimee Jessica Russ

  “Is it a trap?” Millie questioned as many thoughts ran through her mind.

  “No. It’s not a Fallen. I sense no evil,” Mace said, looking confused.

  “It’s a human?” Millie asked, hopping up from bed and looking outside her window. A girl in an orange shirt and black short pants stood at the door. She turned around. Millie saw her face.

  “Isabel,” Millie said to herself.

  Without even thinking, she was about to open her bedroom door, but then she forgot she wasn’t wearing any clothes. She put on a bra and undies, and then threw on a white dress that lay on her desk. She ran out of the bedroom, ignoring Teal standing outside in the hall. She ran down the stairs faster than normal. She opened the front door in a daze. She realised the grace must have made her run fast.

  “Isabel?” Millie questioned with excitement.

  “Millie,” Isabel said, hugging her.

  Millie closed the door behind Isabel as she walked inside.

  “How are you?” Isabel asked.

  “I’m good. How are you?”

  “I’m worried about you, but besides that, I’m fine.”

  “Why are you here?” Millie asked.

  “What do you mean? You sent me a text saying ‘Meet me at my house in ten minutes.’”

  “What? I didn’t send you a text . . .” Millie said in horror.

  She realised she had left her mobile phone in Hawaii. One of the Fallen must have found it.

  “And you called me a couple of times but you never spoke. It was kinda weird,” Isabel said.

  “I never called you, Isabel.”

  “What?” Isabel said in surprise.

  All of a sudden, Mace and Teal ran down the stairs, but it was too late. Cillian and Mischa appeared next to Isabel. Mace flew off the staircase towards Mischa. With a grin, Mischa took hold of Isabel, and in an instant, they were gone. All that was left was black smoke. Mace fell through the black smoke. He stood up angrily.

  “Make your move,” Cillian said threateningly.

  Within a second, he was gone as well.

  Millie’s breath became deeper until she screamed: “Isabel!”

  Mace ran to Millie and held her in his arms.

  “Where is she?” Millie yelled.

  “Calm down, Millie. Don’t get worked up,” Mace said softly.

  “How can I not get worked up? Isabel has been taken by Demons because of me,” she said, trying to push Mace off, but he held on tightly.

  “She could be in Hell right now,” Millie continued to yell. “She could die because of me. I can’t lose any more friends.” She started to cry.

  She couldn’t stand up anymore. Her knees gave way. Mace held onto her securely. He slowly bent down so his knees were touching the floor. Millie lay on the floor, crying into Mace. Suddenly, Lilly and Lexi came running through the front door.

  “I’m so sorry we weren’t here. We went back to our safe house for just a minute,” Lexi said. “It all happened so fast.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Lexi,” Teal said. “We didn’t even sense their evil until it was too late. They are powerful when they want to be.”

  “You should have tried harder,” Millie said, wiping her tears away from her cheeks. “How can you guys protect me if you can’t even sense them?”

  “It won’t happen again, I promise,” Lilly said. “We now know how powerful they really are. We will get them next time. We will all be on high alert from now on.”

  “So it has begun,” Teal said.

  They all stared at each other and knew the battle was imminent.

  Seventeen

  The Beginning of the End

  A knock came at the door. Lexi walked over and opened it. “Oh, just great,” she said sarcastically.

  Autumn stood there with a stern look on her face. She stomped into the house, her arms firmly crossed on her chest. She was wearing a cream shirt that was buttoned up to the top. Her pants were black and short. She stared at Millie.

  “What’s she got to be crying about?” Autumn asked bluntly.

  “Give it a rest,” Lexi replied hastily.

  “What? We are going to lose fellow Angels in this battle, and it’s all because of her.”

  “Don’t blame her, Autumn. You knew this battle was always going to come. She was used because of it,” Teal said.

  Autumn huffed and walked away from everyone, leaning against a wall.

  “Well, many Angels are on their way here right now, so you all better be prepared,” Autumn said.

  “We will be,” Lexi said confidently.

  In a matter of minutes, a number of Angels had arrived at Millie’s house. They were all huddled into groups, mumbling. Millie was so overwhelmed that she went into the living room and sat down on the couch. She wondered what her neighbours would be thinking of the mass groups of people coming to her house.

  “You okay?” Mace asked as he walked over to her.

  “Not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined my house would be full of Angels,” she replied.

  “I know--it’s a lot to take in,” Mace said, running a soothing hand up and down her back.

  “And I’m worried about Isabel. They may be hurting her right now, and it’s all my fault.”

  “Don’t talk like that. We will get her back very soon.”

  Millie’s head fell into her hands. “I can’t lose another friend, Mace. I don’t know what I would do.”

  “It will all be okay.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Come on. Let’s go see what’s happening.”

  Millie lifted her head up. “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “It’s just that I look like a mess and every single one of those Angels over there are stunning.”

  “You are the most beautiful person in this entire house,” Mace said with his irresistible half-smile.

  Millie blushed.

  * * * * *

  Millie stood in a small circle of Angels. They were all taking turns talking about their ideal attack plan. Mace held Millie close to him. His hand was placed on her hip. He never wanted to let her go. Lexi stood next to Millie, and Lilly stood next to Mace. There was a man who was taller and broader than Mace standing next to Lilly. He had short, blonde hair and the beginning of a blonde beard growing. He was wearing a white-and-red checked long shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. His dark blue jeans complemented his blue eyes. He spoke in a thick Texan accent, which made Millie blush when she was introduced to him. His name was Hudson. He is kind and seems like a gentleman.

  Channing was standing next to Hudson. He was wearing a white T-shirt with light green cargo pants. Millie zoned in and out of the conversation as she looked around at all the Angels. They were all exquisite. Millie was jealous of how beautiful they all were. Millie thought Mace was blind to fall for her.

  “We need to surprise them,” Channing said.

  “They will sense our large group coming,” Hudson pointed out.

  “We need to lure them into an area where we have set traps,” Channing suggested.

  “Well, we do have the perfect person to lure them with,” Lexi said.

  Millie wasn’t paying attention to the conversation until everyone stared at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Don’t even think about that. We need her somewhere safe when the battle is on,” Mace said, holding Millie tighter to his body. He tired to ignore what Malachi had ordered him to do after the battle. He had to leave Millie. He was distraught on the inside but had to be strong on the outside for Millie.

  “I’m sorry, Millie and Mace, but it’s a great idea,” Lexi said. “We can use Millie to lure them in, and then one of us can take Millie to a safe place until the battle is over. It’s just what Malachi suggested to us.”

  “I don’t want to put Millie in danger, but with this plan, we will have the upper hand,” Lilly said calmly, smiling at Millie.

  “Whatever you need me to do, I will
do it. I just want to find Isabel. And if we have the upper hand, less of you guys will die . . .” Millie said, suddenly stopping as she noticed everyone staring at each other. No one wanted to lose a fellow Angel. They all loved each other.

  “I’m sorry,” Millie said.

  “It’s not your fault, Millie,” Lilly said calmly.

  As the conversation went on, Millie noticed small but engaging looks between Lilly and Hudson. She didn’t understand the looks they were giving each other. The looks were caring and loving, but she hadn’t seen any of the other Angels look at each other that way. Mace brushed his soft nose against her neck. Her eyes immediately closed, and her mind forgot what she had just seen. Warm jolts went through her body, from the tip of her toes all the way to the edges of her ears. Her lips wanted to smile but they couldn’t. She thought to herself, Will this be the last time I feel this? She wished she could feel this feeling again.

  The conversations went on late into the night. Millie wanted to stay up and hear everything, but her eyes grew tired. Mace saw her fighting to keep her eyes open and convinced her to lie down in bed. Before her head hit the pillow, she was already asleep. Mace stayed close to her all night long. He did not let her out of his sight.

  * * * * *

  The sun shone into Millie’s room as her eyes slowly opened. She felt Mace’s warm arms holding her close to his body. Her lips gently moved into a smile as she felt the warm volts going through her body. Her wish from last night had come true that she would be able to feel those warm volts once again.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” Mace whispered into her ear.

  She rolled over to face him. “Good morning.”

  “Did you have a nice sleep?” he asked.

  “I actually had a great sleep, even though my friend has been kidnapped by Demons and I’m going to be used as bait,” she replied as her smile disappeared.

  “You don’t need to be thinking about that,” Mace said as he cupped his hand around her cheek.

  “And I could lose you.”

  “That will never happen.”

  “You don’t know that,” Millie said, thinking of a world without Mace.

  “I don’t want you to worry about that. You need to think positive.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s just hard not to think about it.”

  Mace leant his head closer to Millie’s until their lips touched. The kiss was soft and delicate.

  “Did that work?” Mace asked.

  “A little,” she said as her smile gradually returned.

  Mace kissed her lips harder and more passionately until he broke free.

  “Did that work?”

  Millie bit her lip and nodded her head up and down.

  “Come on, I’ll make you breakfast,” Mace said, hopping out of bed.

  Millie huffed because she desired more from him. But she obligingly said, “I’ll meet you downstairs. I’m just going to have a quick shower.”

  “Okay. I’ll be waiting,” Mace said, climbing back on the bed and kissing her.

  Millie showered quickly and then wiped her body off with a towel. She wrapped the towel around her and opened the door. To her surprise, she found Lexi sitting on her bed.

  “Well, don’t you look nice in a towel,” Lexi said with a giggle.

  “Thanks,” Millie said, rolling her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  “Mace asked me to watch you.”

  Millie gave Lexi a strange look.

  “I didn’t take a peep of you or anything. Jeez.”

  They both laughed.

  Millie grabbed some clothes and changed in the bathroom. She walked out wearing a strapless, white top and short camouflage shorts.

  “Well, don’t you look nice,” Lexi said.

  “Thank you,” Millie said, sitting down next to her.

  Lexi was wearing a light pink singlet top with a high-waisted, black skirt that made her look like a ballerina.

  “Can I ask you something?” Millie asked.

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “What’s the deal with Lilly and Hudson?”

  “Oh. So you’ve noticed?” Lexi asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I did last night.”

  “Thank goodness someone else has noticed. Nobody has ever said anything about it.”

  “Do you know what’s going on?”

  “Well, they were created in Heaven at the same time. They formed a close bond together like every other Angel does, but after they left Heaven to serve God, they still were really close. They don’t really like being apart from each other. They frequently visit each other.”

  “Interesting.”

  “But it is forbidden for an Angel to have a relationship with anyone, even with another Angel.”

  “Do they have feelings for each other?” Millie asked.

  “Angels aren’t supposed to fall in love with anyone.”

  “Mace fell in love with me.”

  “And that baffles us all,” Lexi said, nudging Millie. “Come on. Let’s go have some breakfast.” She stood up.

  Millie stood up as well and linked arms with Lexi.

  They walked downstairs to find Mace and Hudson in the kitchen. Mace looked up and smiled at Millie.

  “How was your shower?” he asked, walking over to kiss her on the cheek.

  “Nice. Thank you.”

  Lexi huffed and pulled Millie away from Mace.

  “It’s girly time,” Lexi said, dragging Millie towards Hudson.

  “The food is outside,” Mace said from behind them.

  Millie looked back at him and smiled. She desperately wanted as much time as she could with Mace but she was enjoying Lexi's company.

  “We know,” Lexi said.

  “I’ll see you guys out there, then,” Mace said, walking out to the backyard.

  Millie and Lexi stood on the other side of the kitchen counter opposite Hudson. He looked up and raised an eyebrow.

  “How may I help you?” he asked in his irresistible Texan accent.

  “We were just wondering how often you see Lilly in a week,” Lexi asked boldly.

  Millie looked at Lexi, then at Hudson. She was intrigued by what Lexi was up to.

  “Ah, we see each other at least one a week. Why?” he asked, scratching his cheek.

  “Just wondering,” Lexi said, looking pointedly at Millie. “So you guys are really close, aren’t you?” she prodded.

  “We were created together, so we share a special bond.”

  “I hardly ever see the Angels I was created with,” Lexi said.

  “Well, that’s a shame,” Hudson replied.

  “I think it’s really cute how close you guys are,” Lexi said, leaning her chin on her hand.

  Millie imitated her with the same movement. Their elbows were touching the cold kitchen counter.

  “Do you think Lilly’s beautiful?” Lexi asked after a quick moment of silence.

  “She is very beautiful.”

  Millie and Lexi exchanged looks.

  “You two are very beautiful as well,” he continued.

  “Sure we are,” Lexi said, narrowing her eyes.

  Millie smiled at the thought of another Angel who thought she was beautiful. Millie was glad she was having fun, but the darkness lingered inside of her. Isabel could be hurt. Mace could die. Everyone at her house could die.

  Millie tuned back in as Lexi said, “So do you love her?”

  “I love her. Just as much as I love any other Angel,” Hudson said, stacking napkins on a plate.

  “I mean, do you love her?”

  Hudson just stared at them.

  “What are you two doing?” Lilly said as she walked into the kitchen. She was wearing long, tight, light-blue jeans and a white baggy top that accented her chest but flowed over her shoulders.

  Millie and Lexi immediately stood up straight. They both turned around. “Nothing,” Lexi said as she linked arms with Millie again. They made their quick escape as Lilly and Hudson stared at each
other.

  Millie walked into the backyard to find a large table with several Angels eating. She didn't recognise most of them. They all glanced at her as she made her way to Mace. She sat next to him and Lexi sat next to her. Mace started to fill Millie’s plate with a variety of food.

  “I trust you slept well,” Channing said, sitting across from them.

  “Yes, I did. Thank you,” she said with a smile.

  Millie ate in silence, feeling eyes on her all the time. She felt uncomfortable but somehow safe. Mace placed his hand on her knee. She looked at him and smiled. His sweet smile was peaceful.

  Angels came and left whilst Millie ate her breakfast. After she finished eating, Mace took her back up to her bedroom. Lexi was not happy.

  “Well, that was intense,” Millie said, sitting at the end of her bed.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to be stressed,” Mace said, sitting next to her.

  “Will all this be over soon?” Millie asked, placing her head on his shoulder.

  “It will be over shortly.” He ran his hand up and down her arm.

  “But the strange thing is that I don’t want this to be over because that would mean that we would never be allowed to see each other again.”

  “You don’t need to be worrying about that yet, Millie. I just want you to concentrate on the good times that we have had together,” he said, leaning his head on hers.

  “I will try for you.”

  “Thank you. I love you.”

  “I love you,” Millie said, kissing his cheek.

  * * * * *

  As the sun started to set that evening, Mace was looking out the window whilst Millie lay in bed. A knock came at the door. Millie sat up as Teal opened the door.

  “It’s time,” he said in a gloomy voice.

  “We will be down in a minute.”

  Teal nodded to Millie and closed the door.

  Millie stood up and Mace made his way over to her. He clasped the back of her head with his hand. Their lips touched with a powerful force that it nearly knocked Millie to the floor. She placed her hand on his back so he would be as close as possible to her body. They didn’t want to let go of each other. They both thought that this could be the last time their lips would ever touch, the last time they would touch each other in a passionate way, the last time they would be in Millie’s room together. Millie wanted to cry, but she stayed strong for Mace. They held each other tightly as they kissed passionately. Mace pulled his lips away and pressed his forehead against hers.