22

Coming back home that evening was incredibly hard, especially with the cold realities that we were being forced to face.

Sara was waiting for us when we got there. She wasn't worried at all about Sean either. She told us that Musket had already been there before he made his way to the den and promised to bring Sean back safe and sound. She never doubted his promises either because according to her, Musket didn't believe in telling lies.

Our biggest looming issue now was my mother's death. Within hours of us getting home, the police were knocking on our door. They told us that they had found Mom's body in a field not far from where Raziel and I had been in the accident caused by Anna's father. It was obviously a homicide investigation, given the violent way that she'd died.

As one would expect, they had a lot of questions for us. They had become aware that my mother had shown up at the school a few days before in an effort to take me back to Miami. That was when we also learned that law enforcement from Miami had been searching for her too. My grandmother had been found dead about two weeks before in their house, and my mother was a suspect in her death. She'd apparently been hit several times in the back of her head with a hammer, and they'd found her body left in the bathroom.

All of this was a lot for me and Michael to process, and for that reason, Raphael offered to step in for us. Within a few hours, he had managed to convince the police to work with him. He could help provide all of the family connections that they needed to look into.

I suspected that this was one of his abilities for how easily he'd been able to get them to agree. Raphael had a talent for convincing people of just about anything with very little effort. Mind Manipulation was what Gabrielle would later refer to it as. Sometimes I wished that I had that ability tool. It would've come in handy in some situations.

I was reflecting on everything that had happened since I'd come to Madison as I sat in the den room the next evening. The recent events had been incredibly hard, and this was kind of an escape for me. The only good part in all of it had been seeing Sean return that morning.

I confess that my happiness over him being okay was pretty subdued right now. I just kept feeling so guilty over everything. I should've been able to do more to save my mother. I'd managed to bring her back, and she'd died for it. Had I made the right choice in trusting that angel?

I wasn't too sure now. After all, what did we really know about where we came from? If that was our angel speaking, how did we know for sure that he had the best intentions for us?

I'll admit that I was grateful that Sara was there now. Not only for me getting the chance to have this time alone, but because she was also able to offer comfort to my dad. I wasn't stupid. I knew that he blamed himself too. He even said that if he'd only been able to find that den sooner, he might have been able to save her.

But Sara had made sure to put things into perspective for him when she'd heard that. She'd told him that even if he'd been there, he probably couldn't have stopped what Flint did. Foxes were extremely fast, and my mom probably didn't even see the attack coming until she was dying. There really was nothing he could've done, and it was better that he hadn't had to witness her death.

For all of that, Sara really became a source of comfort for my father and all of his feelings of guilt, and I felt grateful. I just wished that I could find a bit of comfort in myself for all of it.

The sound of someone knocking lightly on the doorframe brought me back to reality. I looked up to see Sean standing there. His right arm was in a sling and had been since Manake had brought him back. He'd claimed that it would heal within a few days, both from his abilities and the medicines that Musket had left him.

"Do you mind if I come in?" he asked me.

I knew that look in his eyes. He was worried about me. It's amazing how you can learn to read someone once you've been around them enough. Not to mention the connection between us since I'd accepted his ring and become what foxes like to call his 'mate'.

"Sure." I agreed.

Focus on the here and now, I reminded myself. I absently fidgeted with the bracelet on my wrist as he came over to sit beside me.

Sean was quiet as we sat there. It seemed like he was thinking about his words before he decided to speak.

"I overheard your father speaking to Raphael about half an hour ago. It appears that the police are drawing their own conclusions over everything that's happened."

Now he had my full attention, "Really? Did you hear what they were?"

"I'd never call any of it good, although it is clearing things up now for all of us. Obviously, they'll never be able to know about what really happened. But with all of the evidence they've been able to gather, they're leaning towards saying that Ben Smith killed your mother." Sean explained.

My heart ached as I heard that. I felt so awful for Anna and her mom. Not only had her father tried to kill them, but now he was taking the blame in his death for killing my mom.

"And he's really dead too?" I asked softly. It was all I could bring myself to say at that point.

"Yes. He was killed instantly when he slamed his truck into Raziel's SUV. From what I'm hearing, the police believe that he killed Missy Renaldi right before that. The theory that's fitting claims that he became spooked as he was trying to hide her body, and that's how he ended up driving at such a high rate of speed, lost control and slammed into the parked vehicle." Sean explained.

"But what about us being in there? There had to be evidence of that." I reasoned.

"That was taken care of too." Sean answered, "According to what's been said, the SUV was waiting for a tow because the battery had died again, and you both had already been picked up by Raphael. I must say, he does cover tracks flawlessly. There's nothing at all to say that we had any involvement in any of it."

So, it all was covered up. I supposed that there was no other choice. We couldn't have anyone suspecting the frightening truth of it all. As far as the police were concerned, my mother had killed my grandmother in a psychotic episode, and she'd been killed by Ben Smith after he'd escaped jail. He'd then died in the accident he caused afterwards.

Even though it was hard, I had to ask him about Anna and her mom.

"Have you heard anything from Raziel about how Anna's doing? I know this has to be awful for her and her mom too."

"I've been worried about her too, so I gave him a call about ten minutes ago and checked on them. Raziel's with her right now, and he said that she has mixed feelings about everything. She's upset over her father's death and him being blamed for everything, but she understands the truth too. Honestly, I don't think we give her enough credit. Anna's a very strong woman, and she's not the type to blame us because of what we are. She's blaming the creature who was behind it all." Sean replied.

"She is strong, even with something as awful as this was." I admitted, "I was a worried about Raziel too. I don't know if he could've handled it if she ended up hating him over this. He was saying something in the car about how he was worried about her anyway because he'll never be normal for her."

Sean let out a long breath as he leaned back on the couch, "Well, he does have a point. It's difficult when you care so deeply for someone who's human when you're really not. I've felt that way with my mother for years. Having me has put a burden on her, especially after my father died. But I think I'm finally beginning to understand that perhaps there is a reason that I was born. Like I said before, I believe that there's a reason for everything, even times that are painful. Each takes us a step closer to what we're meant to live for."

"You sound like a poet." I commented.

Sean chuckled, "Maybe a little, but a bit of a philosophical outlook doesn't hurt either. I've had a lot of time to think about many things since the day we met, and with all that's happened between us, I believe with everything I have that nothing has even been coincidence. I feel like we were meant to find each other, and that was why I wanted to apologize to you myself."

His expression became very grim as he said that. It confused me. Why would Sean feel like he needed to apologize to me?

"What for?" I asked.

Sean was quiet for a few minutes before finally relenting on his answer.

"About your mother." he said, "I feel like her death was my fault. I hesitated on stopping Flint when he killed her because I feared not being strong enough, and I knew if he killed me there then I wouldn't be able to save you. I know she saw me as she was dying, and I know what she was probably thinking; that I'd better save you. I didn't really need to be told such. But it doesn't stop me from feeling guilty every time I think about it. I was a coward and she died for it."

So, Sean had seen Mom die. I guessed that I should've felt angry about him not saving her, but instead, I only felt sad. It had hurt him that he'd allowed that to happen. It was far too obvious as I looked at those green eyes. I took a deep breath before speaking again, making sure that my voice wouldn't crack.

"I'm not going to blame you for that Sean. Maybe I shouldn't have listened to that voice and broke her in the first place. Maybe then Flint wouldn't have killed her."

"A voice? What do you mean?" Sean asked. It looked like he'd perked up a little at that one.

"I still don't understand it either. While were in there, I suddenly heard this guy's voice telling me to break her and that she would try to help us, and then, it felt so warm. But I feel like I shouldn't have listened to it now." I confessed.

I decided not to mention the times before with all of it. I didn't even know how I'd be able to handle talking about that angel that much yet.

"Is that so?" Sean mused, "Maybe he was right."

"Huh?"

"Sorry. I guess Manake decided not to mention what Musket had told him. It wasn't a coincidence that he found us like he did. Apparently, something told Musket where to find Flint and what was going on. He claimed that it was an Angel." Sean explained.

An angel had told Musket to help us? While I almost couldn't believe it, I also had no doubt that it must have been the same one who had been helping me.

"But why? Who were they?" I pressed.

"We don't know, but they must have been watching for a long time to know what they did. It's interesting though, because he claimed that when he'd gotten a good look at your father and uncle, he saw a striking resemblance to them and that angel. Maybe this family wasn't left to its own accord after all." Sean explained.

I'll admit that it was an interesting thought. We knew that we came from a very powerful angel, and we knew what had been said about us being a clan and that there were supposed to be others like us. Maybe our angel was keeping an eye on us and trying to help where he could, and this time, he'd been trying to save me and Raziel. Maybe he had known all along that he couldn't save Mom.

Thinking that at least gave me a little bit of closure. This angel wasn't bad. He had only done what he could.

I rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes.

"Hey, you're not thinking of leaving me now, are you?" I asked, changing the subject a little. I didn't want to talk about the bad things anymore. There had been way too much of that lately.

"No. I promised to never leave your side again. But are you sure you can really accept having a half fox as your husband?" Sean responded, putting his good arm around me.

I felt myself smile, "Maybe, if you could accept a half angel as your wife. It's a strange combination, huh?"

"Yes." Sean laughed, "Perhaps it is. But we'll be fine. I'm sure of it."

"Besides, didn't I make that promise with you the other night anyway? Or were you just trying to lure me in to staying with you?" I continued.

For some odd reason, I suddenly felt a lot lighter. But then, Sean always had a way of helping me with my moods.

I felt him chuckle again, "Yes, you did, but I wasn't trying to lure you in. I'd never take such a connection between us lightly."

I let out a sigh as I smiled. It felt good to at least have a small sense of normalcy. I just hoped I could keep that in the coming days.

But even as the day turned to night, I kept wondering about everything that had happened with that angel. It was puzzling to me that I'd had so many brushes with him where the rest of my family hadn't.

Sitting up in my room alone, I was trying to sketch him on a pad as I remembered him from the airport. But the picture just wouldn't come out right. Sighing to myself, I sat it aside and put my head down.

Thinking back, that man had looked like someone from our family. He had the same blue eyes that ran in the Renaldi family, and the same white-blonde hair, and the comfort that I'd felt around him was so similar to what I always felt around my father.

I wonder who he really was, and why is he coming back around us now?

The sound of my door opening brought me back to reality. I looked up as Michael came in, quietly closing it behind him.

"I thought I'd check up on you before calling it a night." he said as he sat down with me.

"I'm okay. It's just been a long day." I assured him.

"No kidding. I'm rather glad it's all over, although I admit that more could eventually be coming in the future. With us, nothing's ever certain." Michael told me.

"Are you okay?" I had to ask him.

"I'm fine now. It's been a long sad day, but I'll make it. I've done it all of these years, so this really isn't that different in the end."

"Did Sean talk to you about any of this?"

I had been wondering whether Sean told him that he'd seen Mom die. Michael hadn't acted any differently towards him from what I'd seen, but I wasn't sure if he actually knew.

Michael confirmed it, "Yes, but I'm not blaming him for what happened. He did what he needed to do, and I doubt that he could've prevented anything. He was a little more than outmatched."

I sat back against the headboard of the bed, "Foxes, angels, a mantis creature. I never thought I'd see this many weird things in less than a year." I breathed.

"Well, I could say it's to be expected, but that might sound a little harsh right now." Michael responded, sitting back beside me.

"I don't think I'd take it that way. You would be right. But I'm still kind of puzzled too." I confessed as I looked at him.

I saw the curiosity in his eyes, "What about?"

Well, no time like the present to tell my dad about what I was figuring out. If anything, I was kind of hoping that he might be able to help me make heads or tails of this angel thing.

"When I was trapped there with Raziel, I told you that I heard this voice telling me to break Mom. I didn't realize it at first, but I've heard that voice before. Actually, I've heard it twice before." I explained.

"Really?" Michael said, actually looking a little thoughtful, "Where did you hear it? I'm going to assume that once was the incident with Sean."

I nodded, "Yeah. When I somehow broke Sean when he tried to attack me, I heard it. But it was so quick that I didn't even realize that until later, and I'd actually forgotten about it until today. But the weird part is where I think I first heard it. It was back at the airport when I came here."

That one caught Michael's attention, "You heard it then?"

"Yeah. I saw the man too. He just showed up and sat with me until I fell asleep waiting for you. He even gave me this bracelet. I thought it was all kind of weird, but I never really put two and two together until today. He had the same voice, and he even looked a lot like our family. He had the same hair and eyes." I explained.

Michael nodded slowly as he heard this, "Blonde hair and light blue eyes, just like most of us. Maybe looked to be in his late teens or early twenties and dressed in dark clothing like a priest." he said quietly.

"You saw him too?" I guessed.

I knew right away that he was describing the same man that I'd seen at the airport. He sounded exactly the same.

"Yes. He was the one who pointed out where the entrance to Flint's den was for us. Raphael and I would have missed it if we hadn't seen him and followed where he pointed to before he disappeared." Michael explained.

"So, he was an angel."

"I believe so. At least, that was the immediate feeling that we both got from him, not to mention that he also had blue wings. But he disappeared so quickly that we didn't have much time to react. But we didn't mistake his lead, and followed it to the den. It seems to me like he'd been very busy then too. Apparently, he'd appeared to Musket as well." Michael admitted.

So Musket had indeed seen the same angel. That answered that one.

"I wonder what he said to Musket. He did say something about higher forces being against Flint too." I pointed out.

"Perhaps he did say something about helping us. But I didn't get the chance to ask Musket about it before he disappeared back into the Veil. I'm sure that Raphael will be looking for him soon enough to find out though." Michael responded.

"So what do you think? Could he have been the one who made us?" I asked him.

"I honestly don't know." Michael admitted, reaching over and gently looking at the bracelet around my wrist. I watched as he ran a thumb over the medal, "I personally think that it's very possible, given his resemblance and close involvement with us. But for as long as Raphael, Gabrielle, and I can remember, he's never interacted with us like this. I wonder if he knew that we couldn't handle these situations alone, or perhaps he even knew back then with you that you needed extra help. I've always wanted to think that he's been watching over us in his own way. Maybe this is the answer we've all been searching for."

I looked down at the bracelet as he held it, "What do you think this bracelet is supposed to be for?" I had to ask.

"Well, it reminds me slightly of a rosary. The medal is of a saint as well. St. Michael."

"St. Michael."

"It's quite fitting too. The blue is a representation of him and the protective angels in the Heavens. It's the reason our feathers have blue in them as well. We were born from an angel of the Blue Flame, and therefore considered protectors." Michael explained.

I couldn't help smiling at that bracelet as he said that. Protection. So that angel had been offering me protection when he'd given me this. I think I knew from that moment that I'd never be taking this off.

"By the way Mia, I did want to speak to you about something else while I was in here and it was just the two of us." Michael suddenly added as he let my bracelet go.

"Sure. What is it?" I asked, suddenly not feeling too sure of myself. It wasn't like Michael to want to speak to me in private like this.

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your relationship with Sean Morrison now. I thought this might be a good time to clear the air about the whole thing." Michael went on.

I glanced at the blue ring on my finger. While I'd thought that Sean had talked to him about this, now I wasn't so sure. But I still went along with it.

"Okay. What about it?"

Michael sighed, "To be completely honest with you, I haven't been too sure about things with you and Sean since the two of you met. It actually amazed me a little when I began to realize the hidden feelings that were mixed in with all of it. I can't really say that I trusted him for a long time either after what happened at the school, even if I gave him the chance to be around you more. Although I knew that he'd been broken, it seemed a little too convenient that he'd suddenly come out and say that he had feelings towards you." he explained.

"You're not the only one who thought that." I pointed out.

I could clearly recall Raziel talking about it after I'd agreed to go to the Prom with Sean. He was certain that the world had lost its sanity.

"Trust me, I'm well aware." Michael said, smiling slightly, "I heard the same thing from Raphael and Gabrielle. But when Sean approached me with all of this, I decided that I could pose a challenge to him. I told him that if he was so serious about his feelings, that he'd better be willing to protect you at any cost, even his own life."

"Basically, you said he'd better protect me or you'd kill him yourself." I summed up.

"Exactly, and though I wanted to believe him when he agreed, I'll be the first to admit that I had my doubts. But then, I came into those woods that day and saw the dead Mantis and him with you. That was the day when my mind began changing about him. I started thinking that maybe I'd been wrong to judge him so quickly. Just like normal humans, things from the other side aren't always what we take them for, and far be it for me to be blunt, but a Fox against a Mantis is sorely outmatched nine times out of ten. Seeing that Sean was willing to protect you in spite of knowing that he'd probably be killed, well, that put a lot into perspective for me, and seeing what I saw today has only deepened that. Sean's very serious about what he's been saying." Michael went on.

"I know. I think I've always known it, even if I didn't let myself believe it for a while. But is it really that strange for a fox to love a Nephilim? It doesn't really seem like it to me." I told him.

"Well, not really to me either, and I doubt anything more can be said against it. Sean's proven himself, and he's also gained a status of sorts as the only living heir to one of the most powerful foxes to ever live. Perhaps a little bit of destiny did come into all of this somewhere. Either way, I have no complaints. As long as he takes good care of you, I can live with having a fox for a son-in-law." Michael replied.

"So, you're really okay with me marrying him?" I confirmed.

"I am. I don't think that we have anything to worry about, and he treats you well, so I can't complain. Besides, I'm kind of looking forward to the coming years. Having a fox as part of the family could end up being very interesting too." Michael commented.

I was relieved that my father accepted me being with Sean. For the first time since we met, everything was okay between Sean and I. I also looked forward to what the future may hold for us. For better or worse, we had each other, and we had our family.