Sapphire Flame (Sapphire Wings Book 3)

The soul is the one thing that you cannot make stronger. Your actions are the only things that really influence it, but they cannot make it stronger or weaker. Only darker.

This was a lesson that was taught to us with special gusto by Noel. Even now, I have a hard time comprehending the terrible irony of those horrifying events. Perhaps even the Seraphim who served as our grandfather could never have imagined what this curse could do once it completely overtook one of his grandchildren. That is also the reason that I feared the road Noah was being led to. The climax of such darkness could only be horrific and tragic for any Nephilim affected so deeply.

It ended up taking Missy about two weeks to recover from her fall, and thankfully, she didn’t have any broken bones or other ill effects from it. The baby was fine too. The doctors all called her recovery and minimal injuries a miracle, and so did we.

But even though Maya swore that she’d seen Noel there, none of us were able to find her after this incident. She had disappeared into the darkness again, leaving behind only more attempted destruction.

However, there was one problem that arose after Missy began getting better. According to her, she could’ve sworn that she saw Noel right before she fell and that Noel had warned her that she was going to die because she was involved with the offspring of an Angel. When she’d told her that, Missy claimed that she’d had terrible visions of us getting wings that ripped out of our backs, and she’d felt like our baby would have the same fate.

Yet she admitted that she couldn’t recall how she’d fallen from that window.

It took me and the rest of our family some time to convince her that her memory of Noel and her threats were simply a nightmare, a result of her traumatic fall. It was like a fever dream when she’d hit her head. All of us had agreed to stick to this story when she woke up, just in case she did remember anything about what really happened. It was bad enough that Noel had tried to kill her and the baby. She may not have been able to handle the truth while she was recovering, and we didn’t want her or the baby to suffer any more stress and put themselves in danger.

But we also knew that there was no way that Noel was finished with her onslaught against us. Not with as much as she’d been doing since she’d come back. She was going to keep this up until she got whatever it was that her twisted mind thought it wanted, and sadly, we were proven correct about two weeks after Missy’s attack.

I remember that it had been a miserable day, storming throughout it. Although it was getting late into the evening, Raphael and I had stayed in our father’s home office to finish talking about what gambles we were willing to take in the stock market now. Neither of us was worried at the time about doing so, since our wives were currently at my apartment, enjoying an evening visit together.

At the time, Gabrielle had also gone to one of the hotels with our father to visit with our aunt, who was in town supposedly visiting, although we knew that it was really because she’d come there to help him locate Noel. Although Aunt Dot had come there for our mother’s funeral, she’d returned after hearing about what had happened to Missy and was determined that she’d help our father somehow stop Noel.

Of course, this also was working out for them to keep an eye on Gabrielle, who was getting extremely close now to sprouting her wings. They could keep her safe as that process finished, ensuring that her twin couldn’t hurt her during it, as awful as that sounded. It also ensured that Missy wouldn’t accidentally see it happen. After her fall, we all felt it was better to avoid such a thing at all costs. She was already showing some mental fragility after what she swore were visions during it, and even the sight of any kind of angelic depiction made her anxious.

I was doing my best not to think about all of this as I stood with my older brother at the desk and talked business. At least this much felt like a good distraction.

“So, you think that this one is a good bet?” I was asking Raphael as we looked at the current stock figures. We had been looking at one, in particular, that was getting ready to make its opening there, and Dad had been encouraging us to invest in it along with him.

“I’m sure of it, and so is Dad. This is the one that’s going to be our big start.” Raphael responded.

“You both sound awful confident about this. We all know how the stock market can be. Just because something sounds good doesn’t always mean that it will do well, and this is a just starting company.” I reminded him.

Raphael wasn’t put off, “I know what you mean, but I keep feeling like this is the one we need. Dad’s been feeling it too, and he swears it’s guidance from our grandfather. He says that he’s never steered him wrong with finances before, even after he went back into the Heavens.”

I still didn’t feel that sure, but I knew he had a point. Even though I kept questioning this, I had a gut feeling about it too. This was the stock that would make us and define where our lives would go. Little did I know at the time that the returns were going to be more than we could ever imagine, and our lives were going to be some of the most successful in the mortal world.

Of course, for a young man who had been working his butt off for the last year and expecting a new baby soon, such riches were still hard to fathom.

We were interrupted by a slamming sound that reverberated throughout the empty house. It was like the front door had been slammed shut. Raphael and I both stood up straight, looking at each other.

“Did you hear that?” I asked quietly.

“Yes. It sounded like the front door.” Raphael responded, keeping his voice down.

“You don’t think the girls are here, do you?”

It seemed like a reasonable assumption since we knew we were there.

Raphael shook his head, “No, it’s not them. We should’ve at least heard one of their cars out there or seen headlights.”

Both of us were becoming very uneasy. Something felt extremely wrong here. As we stood there, we could hear footsteps running up the creaking stairs, and we looked toward the door.

That was when it hit us.

A dark, ominous feeling filled the air around us. Raphael and I both took a step back, and I heard him bump his leg on the desk. A feeling of dread settled over us as the footsteps came closer to the door.

After what felt like forever, the door swung open and a figure dressed in a wet hooded sweatshirt swept into the room, slamming it behind them. They pulled their hood down, and our youngest sister’s familiar face was revealed.

Raphael let out a breath that he’d been holding, “So you did decide to come back. Were you thinking you’d find Dad in here?” he commented.

Noel smiled at us, though it was anything but friendly. It felt more like the sadistic smile I believe only demons or the truly insane can wear. Perhaps she’d become both at this point. I will never know for sure.

“I was, but this is fine. You two will do,” she responded.

I felt the anger and hurt welling within me as I looked at her. She still reminded me so much of our mother, just like Gabrielle did. They both looked like her in so many ways.

“Why did you take off after Mom died?” I demanded to know, “Surely you knew about it, and you didn’t even show up at her funeral to say goodbye. Do you realize that our father has disowned you and thinks you killed her?”

“I had no reason to show up at that woman’s funeral,” Noel huffed, “She got what she deserved, and may she now rot in Hell. Besides, I never laid a hand on her. You know that. She hung herself.”

Raphael scowled at her, “That woman that you’re now hoping rots in Hell is the woman who gave birth to you and loved you no matter what. Show a little compassion for what she went through and all she did for you.”

“Compassion?” Noel laughed, “Give me a break. Don’t tell me that you didn’t imagine that woman who made our lives miserable before rotting in the earth. Some mother she was. She couldn’t do anything about all of the nastiness between her and Dad when we were little, and she couldn’t even help her youngest child when she needed her the most. She was completely helpless.”

Her words brought out some anger in Raphael. I could hear it hidden in his voice as he tried to speak reasonably to her.

“I realize that you believe you resent our mother for not knowing how to help you before, but to hate her or our father is unreasonable. They’re only human, and they tried very hard to help you after what happened to you. You were the one who rejected all of their efforts.”

Noel wasn’t swayed as she slowly reached under her sweatshirt. Both of us tensed up as she pulled out a large kitchen knife. The sharp blade gleamed in the dim light.

“Then tell me,” she continued quietly, “does God still love me for letting our mother save our dear father? If he so loved a woman who was willing to give up her life for a man who hurt her before, then can he love a wretch like me?”

Raphael’s eyes faltered as he heard her say this, “I’ve told you so many times now, I am not God. I’m only your older brother.”

“You’ve always been in my eyes. You’ve always been the only one.”

Noel broke out giggling, which quickly turned into full laughter. She looked so strange as she stood there holding that knife. Her long hair was wet and laid all around her face, and her once blue eyes now had a black hue within them. It didn’t feel like we were talking to her at all.

I did my best to stay calm as I attempted to reason with her, “Stop it, Noel! Do you even realize how you sound right now? It’s like you’ve lost your mind!”

Noel’s laughter died down, her gaze returning to us. My breath hitched and I watched her point the knife toward us, though she didn’t bother moving forward.

“And you Michael!” she hissed, “You with your self-righteousness! Do you really think that you’ll escape this family or its curse?! I’ll never allow it!”

I stood my ground, “I never said that I could completely escape, but I’m not getting wings. My time’s already passed.” I informed her.

“You’re very foolish Michael. You’re the most powerful one in this family now, and the one he chooses to channel through when he needs to. Just wait. You’re under the same curse as the rest of them, and your wings will be your undoing once you marry that child. Do you even realize how young Missy Stanley is? She’s been lying to you and everyone about that one, and if her mother decides to come after her, you’re going to have a lot more troubles than you ever expected.” Noel warned me.

“You sound like you know, even if you haven’t been around us for years,” I commented quietly.

The terrible feeling hanging over the room was like a fog now, enveloping everything within it. It was smothering, and depressing, seeming to make everything appear darker wherever it touched. Even my mind was fighting all of my insecurities. It was like they were increased tenfold, and her words only made it worse.

While I’d always fought the thoughts before, I confess that I did have some worries about how things would end up working out with Missy in the future. I had always known that she was younger than she was telling me and everyone else. She’d somehow faked her ID and was using that to get by for now, but I didn’t confront her, nor did I say anything about it to my father because I feared how he’d react.

But I didn’t understand it either. I was the only one aside from Missy who knew this. How could Noel have found out?

Noel began coughing but managed to stop herself and smiled at us again. A trickle of blood ran from her mouth as she did.

“I know a lot of things now. Not only was this going to be my gift when I got my wings, but being one with this darkness has helped me develop it very well. For instance, I knew that both of your whores would become pregnant at the same time. That’s why I came back when I did. I wanted to tell them to their faces what would happen to them.” she continued.

“What are you talking about?” Raphael demanded.

“Didn’t you see what happened to Mama? Well, it was supposed to have happened to Daddy, but like I said, she had to be noble about the whole thing. Something about how she couldn’t let that happen to him because she loved him so much. But it only shows how much this heritage damages those around it too, doesn’t it?” Noel responded.

“What did you do to our mother?! What were you planning to do to Dad?!” I wanted to know.

Noel became quiet again, her face expressionless as she stared me down. I felt like my soul trembled when she did. That look, it was like looking at a demon.

“I took over her feeble mind, but I was nice enough to show her the fate of her family first. The Nephilim blood will awaken within her remaining children, and her grandchildren will follow the same path.” She broke into laughter again before continuing, “And you Michael! How interesting your family tree will become!”

Raphael and I watched as she held the knife against her chest like she was cradling it, still giggling at her own words. Neither of us knew whether or not to believe her. It was obvious that something had driven her completely mad.

Yet the conviction within her didn’t waver. She was speaking the truth as far as she was concerned.

“The future is never written in stone Noel. I’ve always told you that.” Raphael reminded her after a moment of silence.

“It is not for most, but this family will continue down the path I’ve been shown. I know all of you will. You will have a daughter Michael, and Raphael will have a son. They will be only children, and their blood will awaken just like yours; and once it does, one will mix blood with another from the other side, while the other will lose what he loves to the damned. Just wait and see.” Noel warned us.

Neither Raphael nor I could have known at that time how true Noel’s predictions were. Even after Raziel and Mia were born, we kept up our belief that somehow she would be wrong about the rest. However, when Raziel lost the first girl he thought he loved to a Fallen, and then Sean entered the picture with Mia seventeen years later, we had to admit defeat to her.

“Is this why you’re here? To preach to us about what you believe will happen?” Raphael asked her.

“Not at all.” Noel answered, “My intentions are simply to pose a question to you, Raphael Renaldi. Tell me, do you love me?”

“You are my sister. Of course I do,” he answered.

“Don’t avoid the subject!” Noel hissed, “You know what I am asking you. Who will you choose in this ending? Will you choose me, or that girl who now carries your little bastard?”

Now I was beginning to understand the twisted sense this darkness had given Noel. She was in love with Raphael, just as she’d claimed to our father three years before. But obviously, nothing good could ever come out of such warped feelings, and Raphael was well aware of that too.

“I should not have to choose. You are my little sister and will always be very special to me, just as my other siblings are. But Maya is my wife. She’s the woman I fell in love with, and the mother of the child that you’re saying will be my son. Whether you believe that you love me or not, I’ll never return love like that. I told you that three years ago, just like I told you that I am not God, and I’ll say it again. I will never love you as anything but my sister.” he told her.

Noel didn’t react much at all, only closing her eyes and smiling as she had been.

“I see now. What a shrewd sense of mortality you’ve gained. You will not return my love, yet you’ll stand there and say that you still love me as a sister. Such rubbish.”

“Hey, you need help, Noel. You’re really sick.” I spoke up as she again coughed up some blood.

I tried to step toward her, but she held up the knife at me, making me stop.

“No! Nothing in this world will help me now! That’s why I had to see you both one more time!” she declared.

“Be sensible! You may be dying!” Raphael tried to reason with her.

“Of course I am, but this is what I want.” Noel responded, starting to giggle insanely again, “Besides, wouldn’t it be lovely for you to see me die? After all, you were the one who rejected me. Do you think I’ve forgotten that night before our father sent me away?”

“What is she talking about?” I asked Raphael.

“Absolutely nothing. Nothing happened that night. I told her that I didn’t want anymore to do with her and she’s still angry about it.” Raphael answered.

“Liar!” Noel snarled, “I gave you one more chance to love me and you still refused!”

“Because you are my sister and you’ve lost your mind! I would never have agreed to defend you again because I could finally see how dark you became!” Raphael shot back.

Noel cringed as she held her chest, but kept her resolve as she glared at us.

“Whatever you say, dear brother. I have my answers now, and in the end, I know that your true heart will always belong to me. But I will not be leaving this world without giving you a special gift. Think of it as a token of how I’ve come to despise you, you traitor!” she hissed.

“What do you mean?” Raphael asked. While he remained defiant toward her, I could tell that he was nervous.

Noel pointed the knife at him, “You and I will forever be one Raphael. My curse will see to that. I will remove all of your expressional freedom. You will show nothing on the outside anymore, for as I die, so that does that part of you. I will make sure you can never express your love openly to that woman ever again.”

The air turned bitter cold as she uttered those words. Then, in one swift movement, she brought up the knife and cut deeply into her own throat.

“Noel!” I heard myself yell in horror.

A loud ripping sound echoed through the room as she began to fall to the floor. Her wings had sprouted at full force, ripping through her skin and shirt, splattering blood all-around along with what was pouring from the wound in her throat. But as I saw this, I realized that her wings weren’t like Raphael’s.

Instead of the feathers being blue, they were pure black.

I had no time to get a good look at this, considering that Raphael also fell to the ground at that moment. I immediately knelt to him, trying to get him to respond to me, but he was passed out cold. I glanced back at Noel but knew that there was nothing more I could do. All of that blood was enough to tell me that she was already dead.

I’d later also realize that as she died, the coldness and dark feeling of the room had dissipated too. Everything had returned to normal. Whatever unspeakable thing that had inhabited my poor baby sister had departed, leaving only death in its wake.

I can’t say that things were truly the same after that dreadful night. While Gabrielle had also sprouted her wings that same night, they were the same blue as Raphael’s, not black like her twin’s. She did well with it too. I would’ve even gone so far as to call her a natural with how she handled herself afterward.

But Raphael wasn’t the same when he woke up in the hospital a few hours later. While he was very calm and collected, we quickly realized that he could no longer openly express his emotions. This concerned Maya at first, as she thought that witnessing Noel’s suicide had affected his mind, but Raphael admitted to all of us that such wasn’t the case. It was the curse that Noel had laid on him right before she died. While he certainly still felt these emotions, his ability to express them openly had been locked away.

Thankfully, Maya was able to accept this new limitation that Raphael now had, and Raphael quickly learned how to live with it too. It actually ended up giving him a bit of an edge in the business world, so to speak, and over time, the curse began to lift a little. Although it was only through bits and pieces, Raphael was beginning to regain what he’d lost. He started being able to smile and laugh again, and it felt just a bit like our older brother had returned to us.

However, the issue of Noel’s wings continued to haunt us. She would be the only Nephilim we’d ever seen sprout black wings. Raphael would later reflect on the fact that it may have even been from the hue of her soul. The darkness that had wrapped around her mind had turned her into a very disturbed person at the end of her life. It had even twisted her abilities into manifesting terrible things, including killing our mother.

But no matter what it truly was, the damage was done in the end. Our mother and sister were now dead, and all of our lives were left deeply affected.

I confess though that while all of this was traumatic for me, I’d also matured because of it, along with gaining respect for our family and its unique heritage. We became very close afterward, especially with our father. So, in the end, maybe Noel’s existence wasn’t in vain, at least in a sense. The rest of us had managed to escape the curse with her death.

Or so we thought.

It was four months after all of this when Missy and Maya both gave birth. Raphael and I had our children born only an hour apart and in the same maternity ward. Raphael had a son, Raziel David, and I had a daughter, Mia Lenore. Mia’s middle name was my mother’s, and we had wanted to do that to honor her, while Raziel’s was our father’s middle name.

Needless to say, our father was ecstatic when they were born, and around very often to see his new grandchildren. The only sadness we all had was that our mother never got this chance, although he was certain that she was watching over them from the Heavens.

The year that followed Raziel and Mia’s births went very smoothly for us and was very happy for the most part. But sadly, Maya eventually became ill after Raziel was born. She’d always had a heart defect, and it had worsened dramatically in that time. Although the doctors did everything they could, Maya ended up in the hospital a year later, and eventually, her heart gave out and she passed away in her sleep.

Raphael was devastated when she died, even though he couldn’t show it. It was at this time that he ended up leaning a lot on our father, and in turn, I believe that Dad understood how he felt. He knew what it was like to lose the woman he loved so tragically, and I know that there were many, many days when Raphael and Raziel spent a lot of time with him.

Our Dad had turned into a very attentive family man even before our mother died, and this only continued after Mia and Raziel were born. He spent a lot of time with them and was very close to them. He loved being a grandfather, although we knew that he would never be the same man after the events with Noel.

For this, Gabrielle decided to remain living with him for the rest of his life, and during that time, she’d told us that he never slept in his bed again, nor did he ever open the door to that bathroom. For her part, she went ahead and kept the door to our parents’ old bedroom closed a majority of the time too. She claimed it was just better that way for all the painful memories of that day, although there were times when she'd find our father sitting in there holding Mom's picture, sadly staring at it and talking softly to her. She never interrupted those moments out of respect for him and his needing to speak to Mom in Heaven.

The interesting part of this all was that at this time, we had become a very rich and successful family. Raphael and I had done our investments along with our father, and the payouts ended up being more than we ever could’ve imagined. We’d hit the right stocks at the right time, and suddenly, we had more money than we even knew what to do with.

Our father was very proud of this and immediately helped to guide us into businesses of our own and with him. They were also highly successful, and life had been good up until Maya passed away. Although we had all of this wealth and success, it never could quell the pain of the losses that we’d all suffered.

But little did I realize that my time as a normal human was also running out.

It was shortly after Maya’s death that I first began to feel ill. At first, I had brushed it off as a backlash of all of the stress from her illness. Our whole family had been gathered around her and Raphael during that time, not to mention Missy and I had taken on taking care of Raziel whenever it was needed along with my father. It had to have weighed on us.

But then, my shoulder blades began to ache.

I went into denial that I was starting the process of awakening as a full Nephilim, and even though my family urged me to, I refused to tell Missy the truth about what was happening, nor did I let any of them. Instead, I did my best to endure and act like nothing was wrong. I even had this stupid idea that maybe I could make this process stop if I held it off long enough. Even though Missy became more and more worried as she saw my shoulder blades begin to swell, I kept playing it off.

It was nothing. Just a strange sickness that would eventually go away. I’d be fine.

Only I wasn’t.

Mia was eighteen months old when my wings finally erupted. Unfortunately, this also happened right in front of my wife. Missy couldn’t handle what she was seeing, starting to scream and cry in fear as she saw my new wings emerge. The only good thing at that moment was that Gabrielle had just stopped by to visit, and she was able to take her out of the room and attempt to calm her down.

Although Missy did calm down from this shock, she was never the same. She became withdrawn and even afraid of me, to the point that I couldn’t even touch her. We began to worry that we’d have to put her in the hospital, claiming that she’d had a mental breakdown. Dad and I even thought about trying to convince her that she'd had one too.

But we never got the chance. A few months after all of this started, my father and I returned home to find Missy gone, along with Mia. She’d taken our daughter and run away.

We all panicked as we realized this, immediately calling the police to report what had happened. Mia was listed as a missing child, who was taken by her mentally unstable mother, and I ended up spending five long years after that looking for them, all the while carrying a broken heart and deep regrets. I should’ve told Missy the truth right after she’d come to live with me. I was the one who had caused her to run away in fear and with her mind feeling broken. In the end, I still feel like Raphael was right when he told me that the worse events are often caused by the best of intentions. It certainly did happen with my broken little family.

During this traumatic time, I too turned to our father a lot for comfort and guidance. Even though Dad was as desperate as me to have Mia back, he also never believed that Missy would hurt her. He kept reminding me of that, along with helping me search for her with Raphael and Gabrielle. He wanted Mia back as much as any of us, and it was another hard blow to his heart that she was now gone.

But sadly, Dad never got to see Mia again. Just three years after Missy ran away with her, our father became sick with cancer, and he passed away.

It was another hard blow for all of us, but I was determined to keep the last promise I made to him. I would never give up searching for Mia, and our family would be whole again one day. Yet I do admit that I still talk to Dad most nights, if only in my head, and have often hoped that he’s heard me within the Heavens.

As I said, it did take five years, but finally, we managed to find Missy and Mia. Of all the places Missy could have gone, it turned out that she’d returned to Florida to stay with her parents. They’d taken her and Mia in, keeping them hidden and leaving no forwarding address when they’d moved. But eventually, they slipped up, and Raphael managed to track them down, learning that Missy was with them.

Once he gave me this information, I was ready to pick up the phone to call them and talk about getting Mia back. But before I did, I mentioned to him and Gabrielle that I planned on making a deal with them. We could make sure that Missy didn’t have any legal troubles from this as long as I got to talk to and eventually see Mia.

While Raphael never liked it, he did reluctantly agree with me for Mia's sake. After all, it had been five years, and Mia probably didn’t even remember me. We didn’t want to traumatize her anymore by having her mother and grandparents arrested.

I was a ball of nerves as I made that phone call alone in my room that evening. I didn’t even know if they’d answer, and all I could think about was the last time I’d gotten to see my precious daughter. She’s only been about two years old. She was seven now. What would she be like? What did she know about me? Would she even want to know me?

It ended up being Missy’s mother Penny who answered my call, and although she seemed shocked at first, she did relent in talking to me. She even was sympathetic towards me for what had happened, although she also worried about Missy, especially with how her mental state had been getting worse in the past few years.

“I completely understand your position with this Michael, and no, this hasn’t been right at all. I’m just worried about Missy. I know you want Mia back, but Missy needs her too. Mia is the only one at this point who keeps her hanging onto some sanity.” Penny was telling me.

“I get it, but you do realize that Missy did kidnap her. I’m going to make sure for now that she won’t have any legal troubles, but only if you and her let me see Mia. I haven’t seen or spoken to my daughter in five years, and I’m desperate for that.” I responded.

Penny let out a tired sigh, “You really wouldn’t let Missy be arrested?” she verified.

There was a hint of fear in her voice as she spoke. I didn’t doubt that she’d had it ever since Missy had shown up with Mia five years before. Missy had probably even told her that she’d run away with her.

“No.” I reiterated, “Listen, no matter what’s happened, I’ve never stopped loving Missy, and I understand that something broke her to where she feels like she can’t be with me anymore. All I’m asking now is to be able to at least know my daughter. At least let me talk to her. We can work more out later.”

“Alright. We can do that for now. Hold on.” Penny relented.

I waited in silence for a few minutes, feeling both elated and nervous. I didn’t know how Mia was going to react to this. I hoped that she would want to know me now.

Finally, a little girl’s voice came through the receiver.

“Daddy?”

A grateful smile crossed my face as I heard her voice. Even though she sounded unsure, I could also hear an excitement hidden within it. She wanted to talk to me.

“Yes, it’s Daddy. How have you been doing darling?” I asked her.

“Okay,” Mia replied. She still sounded hesitant, but kept talking to me, “Are you in Miami now?”

“No. I’m way up here in Maryland, but I’ve been looking for you for a long time. I’ve missed you so much, and I’m so happy that I’m able to talk to you.” I told her.

“Me too. I wanted to see you for a long time, Daddy.”

It was at that moment that Mia and I began connecting again. I ended up talking to her for the next hour, letting her tell me all about her life in Miami and her interests and hobbies. She seemed so happy as we spoke, and so was I. I’d missed her so much, and by the time I had to hang up, my heart felt full again as happy tears ran down my face. I finally had my little girl back in my life.

I would have many phone calls with Mia and her grandmother after this, and within a month, Missy finally agreed to let me have Mia for the summer. It was a thrilling thing for me to hear, and as soon as I got off the phone, I began making preparations for my baby girl to be with me for the next three months.

The only stipulation that Penny gave me was that she didn’t want to put Mia on a plane alone yet, so I needed to come down there to retrieve her. I immediately agreed, along with also agreeing to meet them at the hotel I’d stay at for the night before taking Mia home. Penny didn’t think I should be anywhere around Missy for how fragile she was, and I reluctantly accepted that. As long as this much worked out, then I’d do it.

But I confess that it felt a bit strange for me to walk into that lobby and see my little girl after so long. Mia had always been such a pretty child and still was. Her long hair was a blonde that matched my own, and her pretty different-colored eyes lit up as she saw me. She knew right away who I was, even if she didn’t remember me from before, and immediately ran over and hugged me. It felt like my world was complete as I held her, and it took a lot for me not to cry. I may have lost the woman I loved for good, but at least I finally was able to have our beautiful little girl back in my life.

We ended up spending the night at the hotel before our flight early the next morning. As I’d expected, Raphael, Raziel, and Gabrielle were waiting for us at the airport when we arrived in DC. Mia was a bit shy at first with her aunt and uncle but quickly took to them as much as me.

It was also easy for her and Raziel to become friends right away. Although they hadn’t seen each other in years, they became close like a brother and sister within the first week.

This was a relief for all of us. We had hoped that they’d at least be friends, and throughout the following years, that closeness remained between them. All of this was the best outcome I could’ve hoped for too. Mia truly did feel at home with us, even if just for that short time.

But I do admit that Mia’s personality worried me during that first summer. I noticed within the first few hours that she was a very shy, reserved child. When she eventually opened up to me more, she began telling me that it was better for her to be that way. Her home life in Miami could be very hard, especially when it came to her mother’s illness, so she tried her best to stay out of the way and not cause trouble for anyone.

It was hard to hear this, and the thought did cross my mind more than once not to send her back there, but in the end, I couldn’t do that to Missy, or Mia. It was obvious to me that Mia wanted to do whatever she could to help her mother, even if it might not make a difference. So I relented and promised her that she’d stay with me every summer from now on.

The years went by just like that, with me keeping in contact with Mia when she was in Miami, and her coming to stay with me from May to September. We developed a very good relationship, but I still felt like I didn’t get that much time with her. However, that all changed that Christmas Eve when Penny decided to put her onto a plane to Maryland to protect her from the Fox that was stalking Missy. I still feel like it was the best gift I’d ever received. My baby was back in my life completely.

The rest, as they say, is history up to this point. Mia made a happy home with me after that, and she eventually met Sean Morrison and ended up marrying him. They in turn had twins of their own, and although Missy’s death and haunting due to the curse on our family tested us with Sevee and Seraphina, we still made it through that storm.

But now, we had an even bigger one looming with Noah. We all knew what this curse had done to our parents and Noel, and we all feared that it would do the same to Noah and his parents. Despite the pain of it, I knew that none of us, especially Raphael, could turn a blind eye to any of this. If we did, then the past was doomed to repeat itself.

And this time, it might end up destroying our family completely.