Free Angels of the Knights by Valerie Zambito

matters.”
    “I’m fine.”
    “Do you want to talk?”
    “I don’t think we have any other choice now.”
    He sat beside her and pulled his feet up to lean back against the wall. “About this angel thing…”
    “I was telling you the truth. I am an angel.”
    “That’s funny. I thought angels had halos and wings,” he said with a soft laugh, trying to bring levity to the situation.
    “My wings were clipped.” She stood and turned her back to him. Crossing her hands in front of her, she grabbed the sides of her shirt and pulled it over her head.
    He gasped, but was not sure if it was from the two long, angry scars just beneath her shoulder blades or for the fact that he was staring at her naked back. He felt both empathy and desire course through his body at the same time. “What happened?”
    She swallowed. “I told you. My wings were clipped.” She reached down and put the tee shirt back on and sat down again, drawing her knees up and facing him as she leaned against the opposite wall.
    “So, you’re really going with this angel thing?”
    She smiled tiredly. “It’s all I have.”
    Kade realized in that instance that she really believed it.
    “You don’t believe me. I can see it all over your face.”
    Was he that obvious? What did he think about this? He believed in heaven, certainly, and even angels. But they existed in another dimension, not here on earth.
    “I wouldn’t say that. I’m just trying to figure out why you think the way you do.”
    “Because it’s the truth.”
    “So, how did you get here on earth then?”
    Slowly, Fallon told him an unbelievable story. How she and her family died thirty-four years earlier at the hands of two robbers. She talked about her journey to heaven, which she called Emperica, and training with the Knights. Julian, the boy she brought to his party, was also a Knight. She described the different castes within Emperica and why she chose the path she did. She told him about the evil Kjin that walked the earth in the form of humans and her mission to eradicate them from the world. Lastly, she discussed her return three years ago and all of her progress in fulfilling that obligation.
    An hour later, Kade leaned his head back against the wall with a thud. The story was implausible. He knew that no sane person could hear the story Fallon just related and not think she was crazy.
    He also knew something else.
    He believed her.
    “So, that sword thing that you use. What does it do?”
    “It’s called an Aventi and it erases all memory of my existence. Want me to show you, Mr. Royce?”
    He held his hands up. “No! I would like to keep my memories of you if that’s all right.”
    A strange look passed over her face, but he was not sure why. Reaching his hand out, he touched the gold bracelet around her arm. “And, this?”
    “It’s an activator. It’s called a Kur and brings the Aventi to life.”
    He stood up and speared a hand through his hair. “So, you basically run around and kill bad guys. All by yourself?”
    “I’m hardly defenseless, Kade. I am strong. Much stronger than you.”
    He narrowed his eyes. “Hmm…I will have to test that out some time.”
    “Don’t. I wouldn’t want to hurt your male ego. I heard they were pretty fragile.” Finally, a genuine smile from her.
    “Mine more than most,” he confessed. “How many others Knights are there?”
    “On earth? A few hundred, but we hardly ever work together.” She hesitated. “You actually knew one of the Knights.”
    “Who?”
    “Gabe Mackey.”
    Kade reeled at the news, but immediately sorted back through his memories with Gabe and some things that seemed odd at the time started to make more sense. “Have you ever told anyone else about this?”
    She snorted. “I don’t think I have said more than ten words to another person in the last three years, let alone disclose this. I hope I don’t have to tell you how important it is that you do not discuss with anyone else.