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“Levi, Hannah is safe…for now,” Reina said, cutting into my thoughts.

“What do you mean, ‘for now’?”

“The Fallen cut her ankle. The wound healed before you noticed it, but those kinds of wounds don’t go without lasting scars. I managed to reverse the transition, but that doesn’t mean Hannah will never exhibit Hunter tendencies.”

My veins went cold. “Hunter tendencies? Do you mean –”

“Not in the extreme manner, no. That would take a complete change. She may show increased speed, heightened smell and hearing, those types of things. She will still be human, but the effects of the Fallen wound will stay with her forever.”

I nodded. I didn’t want to think about Hannah becoming a Hunter. That was a sentence worse than death. “Hannah will want to know.”

“You know you can’t tell her.”

“Why not?”

“Because then she’ll know even more than she needs to, plus there’s nothing that can be solved by telling her. What would it achieve? Her having nightmares? Tell her we reversed the transition. We did. That’s all she needs to know. If she starts to have the abilities I mentioned, explain that it was the mark left on her from the Fallen’s attack. It was. Give no more information than needed. There’s no need to scare her with things that won’t happen.”

It made sense. “What about Ethan and Angie?”

Reina dipped her head. “I’m afraid they need to leave. You’re transitioning up. Hannah is a human that has been marked. They are no longer affected by either of you. I will make sure that the council hears that Angie’s time as a human was extended. Ethan will guard her from a distance, and continue on his path.”

“You can’t allow him to transition up?”

“That’s not something I have the liberty to offer. That’s something that happens only to a choice few, and no one can tell why. You were chosen for some reason. Maybe you will learn why, maybe not. Just be thankful that Hannah came into your life. I believe she was the catalyst.”

“Why a human?”

Reina smiled. “She’s no ordinary human, now is she?”

“That’s the understatement of the century.”

Reina laughed and stroked the top of my right wing. “Your wings will be marvelous when you complete the transition. The glow they have is already mesmerizing.”

There wasn’t much I could say to that, so I just nodded. Ethan and Angie were downstairs bickering from the sounds of it. “I should probably go man the fight downstairs before Angie tries to kill someone who’s already dead.”

“That’s a good idea,” Reina chuckled. “Keep them in line when you return. Hannah should be able to move this evening. I’d recommend leaving before nightfall. You and I will be in touch.”

I nodded. As I started down the stairs, her words sunk in. “Wait, why will we be in touch?”

“You’re transitioning. Your Call is recovering from becoming something even more sinister than you can imagine. I will make sure I am appointed your higher up to come to if you ever need anything.”

Reina really was kind. Her genuine smile warmed me to the core – something that was new to me. She and Hannah had the ability to touch me like no one else. I had forgotten what it was like to feel, to live. This was an amazing transition. The thought of Reina watching over Hannah to make sure she was healing well and keeping up on my transition sounded good to me. “Thanks, Reina. I appreciate it.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it. This is what I’m here for. Now get downstairs and stop those two friends of yours from tearing my kitchen apart!”

On cue, I heard a clattering noise coming from the kitchen. I sighed and darted down the stairs. Who knew what they’d be doing down there.

SIXTEEN

“You are the biggest jerk I have ever met in my entire life!” Angie wailed as I walked into the kitchen. “I don’t know how you can be so rude.”

Ethan took the jabs in his usual stride of apathy. “It’s a skill I practice daily. No need to be so impressed.”

It was unbelievable that two people could be so antagonistic toward one another, especially a Guard with his Call. If they didn’t end up killing each other, it’d be a miracle. I stepped between them and broke up the heated argument. “Guys, can you stop being at each others’ throats for five minutes?”

Angie crossed her arms angrily. “If he would stop being so mean all the time I would be fine. He’s supposed to guard me or whatever, but he’s just plain mean!”

I sighed. She had a point, but right now wasn’t the time to pick sides. “Angie, listen. We all need to chill out.”

I poked a finger in Ethan’s chest. “E, you need to get Angie back home and she needs to be in school tomorrow. Make her parents think she slept over at Hannah’s. I’ll make Hannah’s think she slept over at Angie’s. They were only gone a day. No big deal. Hannah and I will come back tonight. Reina will make sure we get there okay.”

Ethan shoved my hand away from his chest. “Oh, so now that you’ve gone and started transitioning, you think you can boss me around?”

“Dude, I’m not telling you anything that we wouldn’t have done before this mess started. I’ll be there tonight. We can figure out everything then. Just get Angie back safe, please.”

Ethan grunted, then picked Angie up and slung her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. He didn’t wait to expand his wings, so the shirt he was wearing was shredded immediately. Angie got a mouthful of feathers, which probably muted the derogatory things she was calling Ethan right about then. I couldn’t blame her.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Miss Kind Soul. Let’s get out of here before the new Guardian gets all emotional and tries to give me a hug. Maybe I’ll get to transition now that I’ve touched a human. It can’t hurt my odds, apparently,” Ethan muttered, ignoring the punches Angie was throwing and disappearing out of the kitchen without a backward glance.

There was definitely some cleaning up to do with him when I got home. Problem was, I didn’t really care whether or not he was mad. He didn’t have the capacity to have true emotions anyway, did he? Jealousy, rage, pain, those were rampant for us. Nothing out of the usual. Now if he showed any signs of remorse, happiness, or excitement for anything good, that’d be different.

It would never happen.

I sighed and walked back up the stairs to find Reina back beside Hannah, who was now sitting up in bed. Reina was obviously doing her best to erase some of the more terrifying memories of the day, but it didn’t seem to be working.

“You cut your tongue when you fell in the kitchen, which is why you were coughing up blood,” Reina explained half-exasperated.

“No, I didn’t. I was throwing up blood everywhere, and it was kind of green. Why are you trying to tell me I wasn’t turning into some demonic thing?”

Reina looked at me confused. “Apparently she has a good memory.”

“Apparently,” I said, amused at the situation.

Hannah crossed her arms and stared at me stubbornly. “Are you here to tell me that the Fallen that sliced my leg open was actually a tragic, self-inflicted accident or something?”

“No, actually I’m not. I was just thinking we’d get you home so you could sleep in your own bed. You know, something a normal, non-demonic person would do who had to go to school tomorrow.”

“You’re kidding me, right? I nearly die, then I start turning into something out of a horror movie, but we’re still talking about going to school?”

Reina laughed at the same time I did. I shook my head and opened my arms. “We’ll talk about it on the way back. Come on, let me take you home.”

For a moment Hannah hesitated. I found myself second-guessing whether she was healed or not. I dropped my arms awkwardly. “Would you rather Reina take you home?”

“No,” they both said quickly. Hannah looked at Reina, then back to me and blushed. “I just really don’t want to get attacked again.”

“Fallen wouldn’t think of it, love,” Reina said gently, putting a hand on Hannah’s crossed arms. “Levi is transitioning into a Guardian – and what an impressive one he’ll make,” she added. “Nothing will bother you on your trip home. I’ll follow you two on your way back and make sure of it.”

I couldn’t tell whose sigh of relief was louder – mine or Hannah’s. Either way, it seemed both of us were a little nervous for the flight back. This time when I opened my arms, Hannah smiled and crossed into them. “Let’s go, Guardian.”

That sounded pretty good to me.

* * *

We got home a little over a half hour later – nine pm. We crawled through Hannah’s window while Reina was downstairs at the front door, giving Mr. and Mrs. Gordon the information we needed them to believe. After she was done, she’d make them forget they ever met her. It was pretty smooth, in my opinion. Hopefully I could be that effective if need be.

I sat on the edge of Hannah’s bed while she was in the bathroom getting ready. It was the first time I’d actually had a chance to really look around her room and take in the surroundings. The little things she liked – her tastes in music, the friends she was closest with, and how much her family meant to her – all stood out. It made me feel alive to see her living so vibrantly. The happy smiles in the pictures made me long for the happiness they felt. It was a happiness I hadn’t experienced in forever, but something told me that the squirm in my stomach wasn’t from pain, jealously, or rage. It was something different. Hannah brought out the best in me.

“What are you smiling like a big dork about?”

I jerked to the right and saw Hannah with a purple toothbrush hanging out of her mouth with a lopsided grin. She stood with her hands on her hips, and even dressed down, she was gorgeous. I laughed when the toothpaste began to drip. She quickly sucked back in the little bit that threatened to escape from her mouth. I teased her playfully. “Go spit before you get that crap all over your floor. You look like a bigger dork than me, in my opinion.”

She stuck her tongue out at me and vanished back into the bathroom for a couple minutes. This time I made sure to keep my expression neutral. Why did I hide the smile that wanted to erupt?

“Don’t act like you’re not a kid on Christmas day,” drawled Ethan as he landed on the tree branch outside of Hannah’s bedroom.

The scowl I had become accustomed to over the past century returned with a vengeance. Ethan brought out the worst in people, it seemed. How had I missed this all these years? “Ethan, go back to Angie and do your job.”

He mock-saluted me before giving me the bird and darting out of view. “Your wish is my command,
Guardian
.”

Geeze. The guy could really be a douche when he wanted to. Had I been that way?

Just then I felt the soft pressure of Hannah’s hand running along my wing. “This doesn’t hurt you, does it?”

I laughed. “No, it only hurts to bring them out or take them back in. Once they’re in place, it’s fine.”

“So why does it hurt to expand them?”

“Because we’re meant to realize that there are no gifts for being a Guard.”

Hannah’s voice came out in a whisper. “But you’re not a Guard anymore, you’re a Guardian. Do you think it’ll hurt to put them in?”