Page 83 of Crimson Promises
“I never said Icouldn’teat. I just don’t need to. Usually, I try to blend in with humans. It would raise suspicions if I never ate anything. Saying I’ve already eaten beforehand only works so many times. When I do eat, it tastes like a bland wafer, like nothing.”
“Gross.” She mocked dry heaving.
“Lucky for you, an invention exists called take-out. All you have to do is dial a number and whatever you want will magically arrive within the hour.”
“Ha ha ha,” she responded drily. “I’ll have Chinese from Blue Moon. More specifically, an order of Kung Pow chicken and Singapore rice noodles with shrimp. Please.”
“Coming right up.”
Once the food arrived and I paid the delivery man, Aurora made herself comfortable sitting cross-legged on the carpet and using the coffee table as her dining space. I had offered for her to use the island instead, but she swatted me away, telling me she was fine where she was. Aurora pulled her hair into a messy top knot that descended down her head with every bite. She looked deliciously disheveled. Aurora paused mid-bite to look at me, a string of noodles dangling from her mouth, her chopsticks pointed at me.
“So, what—" she slurped up the rest of the noodle. “Whoops. So what exactly do you eat?” She still had her chopsticks poised in mid-air, punctuating every word.
“Nothing, really.” I had moved to join her on the floor, a tall glass of water sitting in front of me on a heavy stone coaster. "Our digestive systems are not designed to require food. I can eat, but I don't find enjoyment in the experience. Part of my being’s requirement is to refill it with water. I can also have tea and smoothies. Other beverages like coffee, energy drinks, sodas, or alcohol are much more pleasant to consume than food, but still don't always go down the easiest.”
Aurora squeezed her eyes shut. “You poor, poor soul. You truly are missing out on the wonders of the wonders of Chinese takeout or, a steaming plate of pasta. It’s a miracle you function without it.” She stuffed her mouth full of shrimp again, and once she swallowed, she continued. “On second thought, you have powers and can probably fly.”
She dropped her chopsticks on the table and sat up properly. “Oh my god, Bennett, can you fly?”
I couldn’t help but give her a shit-eating grin. “That’s what the wings are for.”
She propped her hand under her chin, eager for me to continue.
“How about I explain, and you eat?”
Her stomach made some weird noise at that precise moment. Whether that was from hunger, digestion, or gas, I didn’t want to know.
“My belly has decided to accept that arrangement.”
“Flying feels like absolute freedom. The adrenaline rush you feel while riding a motorcycle is only a fraction of the pure joy flying gives me. For someone who grew up with invisible chains, flying was an escape. A way to remind myself that there was more out there and that things needed to change. It was the one thing for so long that helped me cope. I’d fly all night to see the pink, orange, and purple hues rise from beyond the sea, to see the sun break between the clouds, for that one moment of the day where everything was still and perfect.”
“It sounds like paradise.”
“It is.”
Not having to hide my wings was one of the things that I had missed most. Walking or driving everywhere was a real buzzkill.
“I’d love to experience that someday,” Aurora sighed.
“There’s nothing I’ve experienced in my time on this planet that has come close to it.”
Aurora looked to the window wistfully. In another lifetime, I would take her. But I pushed those intrusive thoughts out of my head. For right now, she was here, in the little bubble with me. It was only a matter of time before it burst. I was going to enjoy it while it lasted.
Aurora pushed away the carton of noodles and moved on to the Kung Pow chicken. “Where did you just drift off to?”
“Nowhere important.”
She raised her eyebrows, knowing I wasn’t being truthful, but decided to leave it at that for now. “Earlier, you mentioned that you’ve seen similar abilities to mine in Heaven. Can you share what you know about them?”
I propped one knee up and draped my elbow across it. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can tell you, but I’ll share what I know. As I already mentioned, angels belonging to Heaven’s second hierarchy, The Gifted possess a degree of magical ability further from the base magic that members of the Ordinary class have. One of the most valued abilities is to heal oneself or others. I’ve never seen one in person because of how they separated us, but Jos did.” I wavered momentarily and bit back the sting of absence and memory that filled me when I thought of Jos. “He had told me that blue energy originated near the healer’s heart and flowed outwards from there, essentially transferring from their fingertips to the one they were healing.”
Aurora sucked in a breath.
“Jos said the injured angel had an open wound, and with the healer’s help, you could visibly see the injury stitch itself together right in front of them. Afterward, he noted how the healer had slumped over slightly. It seemed that exerting that healing ability on others had taken a toll on the healer.”
Aurora gnawed on one of the chopsticks, thinking.
“When you used your gifts, at least from the brief moment I witnessed, there wasn’t any healing light, and you didn’t seem to be tired at all after.” I smirked at the memory of us panting together within the warmth of our makeshift cover beneath the blanket. “I don’t know if it manifests differently in humans. But it leaves me with more questions and the instinct to preserve that knowledge from others—others who might want to take advantage and use your ability for their own gain.”
