Hidden Angel Page 10

  “He cut himself off from family and friends. Only calling family once every year or so.” She paused for a moment. “It’s very sad really. He couldn’t admit that he was one of them until he was being held over the pit by the fiery hands of punishment. By then it was too late.”

  Peering into Anya’s eyes, Angelica’s face softened. “Tim Cleve did a wonderful job taking care of you. You, in return, were helpful to him. Tim’s wife died of cancer when Joey was two. Sadness filled his heart, but he was strong for Joey. They made due living one moment at a time. Then Joey found you in the trash and brought you to Tim. He has a good heart, and it hurt him badly to know someone had tried to kill you. Tim protected you well over the years. To him, you were his daughter and still are. But in truth, he’s not your blood-parent. Your blood-parents have been painfully mourning you all these years.”

  Duncan’s brows drew together. “Why couldn’t Anya’s parents just sense where she was when they found out she was missing from her crib? I think I know, but I’d like you to verify my theory.”

  That was a good question. If her parents were more powerful than human parents, why couldn’t they find her? Was this one big story? Anya wondered.

  “Jarrell cast a hiding hex on Anya before he dropped her into the trash can. Even in his insanity, he tried to cover all his bases, but he didn’t plan on Joey and Tim Cleve finding her and bringing her home to raise as their own. And with the hiding hex placed on her, even Jarrell couldn’t find her. Until he saw her on TV. He recognized her immediately. Her hair color is somewhat rare and runs strongly in her family, but her dark eyes are what gave away her demon blood. The angels in this realm don’t have dark eyes unless they have some demon blood in them.”

  Anya frowned at hearing that. It all sounded like it could have happened. If it were true, that would explain why she didn’t look like the Cleves. They were all brown-haired and blue-eyed. She’d always thought she was just a freak-of-nature baby.

  Looking over at Duncan, she noted that he looked like a lightbulb had just flashed on in a bright way.

  “Anya’s demon blood is the reason she is sometimes hard to deal with and why she has such a sharp tongue,” Duncan stated, wisely or not.

  Anya growled at him.

  Holding his hands up in surrender, he looked contrite. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way, baby. I love the way you stand your ground.” Taking her hand, he kissed it. “I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

  Guessing there may be some truth to everything he’d just said, she forgave him. That was probably her angel side coming out, she thought humorously. If all of this were true, Anya wondered if her parents were still alive. Nerves jumping under her skin, she asked, “Do you know my parents?”

  “Yes, they will be here tomorrow night. They have been in the Outer Realm discussing angels married to turned-demons matters. One of those matters has to do with so many of their children turning up missing. They have spent the last twenty-five years looking for you and trying to help others who have lost their children. Educating parents on how to protect their babies is also one of the things they’ve been busy doing. I believe their classes have saved many babies. That is why they are not here right now.”

  Duncan’s mom smiled kindly. “They have only been told a surprise is waiting for them here.” At Anya’s sad face, she added, “They are discussing important matters, and we didn’t want them to leave before they were done. And that’s exactly what they would have done if they knew you were here. They would’ve left their long-awaited meeting and showed up.”

  A brilliant ray of rainbow-colored light shone brightly into the room, and right before her startled eyes, there appeared a beautiful woman with green eyes and light-blonde hair streaked with gold-and-platinum-colored strands, just like Anya’s. The man with her was strong and handsome with black hair and dark-brown eyes that matched Anya’s. The woman had stunning wings of white and gold. The feathers were white, but the tips were of pure gold. She fluttered them three times, and they disappeared.

  Anya’s jaw dropped as she stood up in shock and awe. She couldn’t believe it. She looked so much like them. Pain and peace warred within her.

  * * * *

  Cathleen rushed over to her stunned child and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. “Serenity, my little angel.” Not able to let go, Cathleen crushed Serenity to her for a few minutes. The devastating, constant pain that ate at her soul every day since the loss of their only child twenty-five years ago slowly started to recede. Sobbing out her relief, Cathleen couldn’t let go of her sweet little angel.

  Her child was healthy and whole. The knowledge that she had missed Serenity’s first tooth breaking through her little gums and her first steps and her first words brought anguish to her heart. She had missed her baby growing up.

  Cathleen briefly tightened her hold on Serenity then shook off her sorrow. She may have missed her baby’s first twenty-five years, but she wouldn’t miss her getting married and having children. Children. Maybe now she could nurture another child. She could feel her mourning slipping away and peace taking over her soul.

  Feeling Damien at her back stroking her gently, she started gaining some composure. She backed up slightly but kept a hold on Serenity’s hands. “Damien, look how beautiful our daughter is.” Tears dripped down Cathleen’s cheeks. “She’s home at last. I can’t believe we have our daughter back. She’s so beautiful.”

  He stepped in as Cathleen stepped back. With tears in his eyes, he gave his daughter a bear hug and held her tightly for a long time. “We’ve missed you so much. Now that we have you back, our life is finally complete.”

  * * * *

  As if on a rollercoaster, Anya’s emotions shot up and down then twisted around. Taking a deep breath, she realized their scent seemed familiar, but how could that be? Peace tugged at her heart.

  Cathleen slipped in and hugged them both then kissed them both as tears continued to roll down her smooth cheeks.

  Their hug seemed so warm and full of love. She also couldn’t deny that she looked like them. What would Papa and Joey say? Not sure what to do, Anya let them hug and kiss her. While still in their embrace, she started to feel a strange connection to them as if a lifetime of pain and suffering had just been washed away, and a circle of love and happiness had just formed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Anya was relieved when Duncan suggested they leave. Her new-to-her parents were not happy but knew she needed time to get use to her new situation. They had agreed to call her Anya because that’s what she’d been called for the last twenty-five years.

  In bed that night, Anya snuggled up to Duncan and asked, “Why do all our parents look so young? Even your papa looks as young as you, and he’s a human. How old are you?”

  “I’m one hundred. That’s very young in the angel world, but I’ve spent so much time studying I have the mind of a two-hundred-year-old angel. The reason our parents look so young is because we never age past a look of thirtyish to fortyish. My father’s looks and life are preserved by his marriage to my mother. When they bonded, it changed his life forever. As far as I know, he’s never regretted it.”

  “You said you’ve spent a lot of time studying. What kind of studying?” She had a desperate need to know everything she could about Duncan and angels.

  “Spell casting, dark and light magic. My dad says it’s rumored that his family has witches in the gene pool. I believe it could be true. The magic arts come to me very easily.”

  Her mind flashed back to him saving her. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you spent all that time studying.” If he hadn’t, right now, she would be in the netherworld with all those other poor souls. A shudder rocked her body.

  Duncan’s grip on her tightened. “You are safe now.” His lips brushed the top of her head. “It was worth it to have you, my little angel.”

  They each fell into a comfortable silence for a while. Anya loved just kicking back, being held in his strong arms.<
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  Mind in a whirl, she remembered the scent of her parents. “Why did my parents smell familiar to me?”

  Duncan laughed at that. “Angels can smell their children miles away, and children can smell their parents from the same distance. Scent is how we know our family is near. I can even smell my brother, Malon, when he is close by. It’s a family thing.”

  “Oh!” That was neat and surprising. Comforting, too, she thought as she recalled the peace she’d felt shortly after recognizing the scent of her parents.

  Tiredly, Anya asked another question, “Why doesn’t my head hurt? He hit me hard with that flashlight. Surely it’s not just because of your mom’s tea.”

  “No, it’s because you’re an angel, and angels heal very quickly.”

  “Oh! That’s good to know.” That explained why she always healed so fast. More and more of the puzzles of her life were being filled in. She was happy she had Duncan to help her out.

  With her current questions answered, fatigue took its toll, and soon Anya’s eyes drooped for the last time. Sleep took her into its healing embrace.

  Duncan, on the other hand, lay there stroking her hair for quite some time replaying the day’s activities before he was able to drift off to sleep. One of those questions was, is she my spirit-mate?

  * * * *

  Duncan was startled awake by something cold and sharp poking him in the shoulder. He moved his arm to brush it away only to feel the sharp edge just break the skin. That brought him to full awareness. He stiffened then relaxed when Anya snuggled closer and tightened her arm around his chest for just a moment. In the darkness of the room, Duncan could see a man standing next to him. Scanning the room, he saw no one else.

  Focusing his attention on the man, Duncan ordered in a low growl, “Take what you want, but I’m giving you fair warning I will go ballistic if you lay one finger on the girl.”

  The man answered in a low growl of his own, “Looks to me like you’ve already laid a finger on her. Your life is now in her hands. If she tells me you hurt her, you won’t be leaving this bed alive.”

  Alfred’s voice rose up lightly out of the darkness from behind the man, startling both men. “No need for you to worry or get your hands dirty, Master. I’ll take care of this bane-of-society. I could kill him now, but then the carpet would have to be replaced. If I kill him downstairs on the marble floor, it would be much cheaper to clean up.”

  Joey’s voice was the next and loudest one to be heard. “You won’t be killing my pops today, old man. Put your weapon down.”

  Tim’s voice rose in anger. “Joey, what in tarnation are you doing here, boy? I told you to stay in the truck.”

  “You took too long, and now I can see why.”

  Duncan sighed. The Cleves. Joey must have returned after him and found the apartment wrecked. He should have known they’d come looking for Anya. They loved her too much to sit back and wait for word of her.

  Anya moved then raised her head off Duncan’s shoulder. “Did you hear something, Duncan?”

  “Anya, why do you always have to sleep like the dead? Papa and I came to save you. Get your clothes on, for heaven’s sake, and let’s get out of here before another one of his servants wakes up.”

  Anya was confused. “Save me? Duncan did that yesterday.”

  “What do you mean he saved you? We’re here to save you from him, half-wit. Now hurry up and get dressed before someone gets hurt,” Joey said in frustration.

  “Joey said the apartment looked like a struggle had taken place and that you were gone. He came here and found Duncan gone, too,” Tim explained.

  “We know something happened in the apartment, Sis. We came back to see if Duncan had showed up yet. Since you’re here, we’ve come to take you home. So get your slow butt movin’,” Joey ordered.

  The second the words left Joey’s mouth, Alfred took a step back and shoved his elbow into Joey’s midsection, causing him to double over in pain. Not one to miss an opportunity, Alfred brought his elbow down on Joey’s back and knocked him to the ground.

  Tim quickly moved his knife to Duncan’s throat. “Leave my boy alone, mister. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got my blade pressed firmly against your boss’s neck.”

  Anya was fully awake now. “Papa, don’t hurt him.”

  Duncan was getting tired of the situation. “Look, Tim, I know how this…”

  The air around them swirled and a tingling sensation overcame them all. Duncan growled in angry frustration.

  Within seconds, the whole group was deposited into Angelica’s living room.

  Duncan was mad as hell. “I asked you not to do that in the middle of the night. I had the situation under control.”

  Angelica responded in a soothing voice, “Don’t be mad, baby. I made sure you and Anya stayed wrapped in your sheet, didn’t I? And look next to you. I brought your clothes with you. What more could you ask for?”

  Duncan grabbed up Anya’s clothes and handed them to her. Retrieving his jeans, he slid into them and retorted, “What more could I ask for? I could ask that you never teleport me in the middle of the night again.” Looking around, Duncan saw his dad. “Help me out here, Dad. You know Mom’s wrong.”

  “I’m sorry, son. In this case I have to agree with your mother. She and Cathleen felt their babies’ strong emotions and knew something major was happening. Damien used his powers to look into your minds, and when your mother knew you were in trouble she brought you all here. Tim and Joey are going to need some serious explanations.”

  “Augh!” Duncan couldn’t keep the frustrated sound from coming out of him. “I had it under control.” The next spell he worked on was going to be a strong mind and emotion shield.

  Alfred had a question of his own. “Where’s my gun?”

  “You boys don’t need your weapons here. Have no fear, they are still at Duncan’s house,” Angelica stated.

  Tim was the next person in the group to speak up, “Where are we, and how did we get here?”

  A man stepped forward and answered Tim. “I’m Jason Hart and the angel here next to me is my lovely wife Angelica. We’re Duncan’s parents. You are in our home. Angelica and Cathleen, Anya’s mother, summoned you all here to straighten out your confusion.”

  Tim’s face hardened. “There is no confusion. Anya’s mother died a long time ago. Joey and I are taking her home, now.”

  Tim turned to go, signaling to his children to follow, but Damien’s voice stopped him. “I’m afraid I can’t let that happen. We’ve suffered every day for the last twenty-five years wondering what had happened to our baby girl. We only found her yesterday because Duncan broke a hiding hex that had been placed on her when he cast her uncle down into the netherworld. We were able to locate her soon after the spell was broken. We won’t give her up now that she’s been found.”

  A muscle in Tim’s jaw twitched. “Hex? Netherworld?” His eyes suddenly narrowed. “Did you have that wing tattooed on her?”

  “No, she was born with it. All babies born to angels in our realm are born with that tattoo.” Knowing what Tim was thinking, Damien added softly, “We’d never hurt her. We love her very much.”

  Tim visibly relaxed. Then a frown drew his brows together. “Angels?”

  Anya moved closer to Tim and touched him on his unbroken right arm. “They say they’re angels and that I’m one of them. I feel like they are telling the truth. Are they, Papa? Did you find me in a trash can?”

  Taking a deep breath then slowly releasing it, Tim answered her, “Possibly, although I don’t know about the angel part.” Anya looked at him with such sad eyes he spilled the truth. “Joey doesn’t remember, but he found you in a trash can behind the shop. Not the one we’re at now. It was a shop I had in another town. He brought you to me begging me to keep you. You were so beautiful. When I looked you over for injuries, I saw the tattoo on your tiny back. I was so mad I could have killed whoever had hurt you then dumped you in the trash. You were too precious to be left
behind to die.” Tears threatened his eyes, and his hands trembled.

  Tim took her hand in his. “I watched the news for a week. When there were no reports of a missing infant, I was glad. After finding you, I didn’t want to give you up. You needed someone to defend you and love you. I knew at our house you’d always have that.”

  Cathleen answered the unspoken question. “We didn’t report her missing to the authorities because she’s an angel. Most humans don’t know of our existence here on earth. Instead, we sent word out among the angel community. But because of the hiding hex cast on her, she never turned up.” Her eyebrows scrunched together. “I can’t believe my own brother hexed his niece. All these years he knew how much our hearts ached and how worried we were about Serenity, and he said nothing.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and in a cold voice, she continued, “I’m glad he’s been sent where he belongs. He’ll no longer be preying on the innocent. No more families will have their hearts broken by him.”

  Damien put his arm around Cathleen and hugged her. “The council is, at this very moment, looking into his past and releasing all the innocent angels he sent to the netherworld. Many families are rejoicing the return of their children, just as we are. Duncan is a hero in many families, including ours.”

  Duncan was glad he’d been able to put the demon down. Jarrell had hurt so many angels and turned-demons it made him sick. He didn’t feel like a hero, though. He had done it because it needed to be done.

  Joey looked concerned. “What does this mean? We still get to keep Anya, right, Papa? She’s one of us.”

  Damien responded gently, “What it means is that we can all be a family now. Seren—Anya is a part of all of us.” Looking at Tim and Joey, he continued, “You became part of our family the minute you took our stolen daughter in and gave her a loving home. Thank you for being there for her. For saving her life.”

  Anya squeezed Tim’s hand and looked at him with hopeful eyes.