Page 106 of Guardian Angel

I also hadn’t eaten since Friday afternoon, but I was honestly too tired to do anything about that at the moment.

I sent a hopefully coherent group text to my family, telling them I was fine, sorry for worrying them, and that I wouldn’t be at church in the morning. Then Nate and I collapsed on my bed, Nate on his stomach to keep his weight off his back, his arm slung over my waist.

We slept through Sunday morning and most of the afternoon, eventually venturing into the kitchen for food and to answer Kylie’s bazillion questions.

* * *

Those first coupleof weeks after returning from Heaven were hard. Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful for how everything had turned out. I’d gotten far more than I’d dared hope for. But leaving Heaven was not exactly easy. The way I’d felt in that room—I couldn’t even begin to describe the peace and love I’d felt in His presence. Coming home and simply returning to normal life after that was tough.

I went to work, I spent time with Kylie and my family, I pretended everything was fine, but I missed Heaven.

Then the angel visits started.

It was the first week of November. Nate and I were walking home from Fountain of Youth, taking advantage of what was probably going to be one of the last days warm enough to do this. When we got to the back door of my apartment, there was a woman waiting for us.

My heart started beating wildly when I recognized Danielle.

“Hi,” I said lamely.

She smiled. “May I come in?”

“Um, of course.” She was perfectly polite, but I still felt more nervous around her than I ever had around Nate or his brothers.

I fumbled with the key until Nate took it from my hands and unlocked the door himself. He wrapped his fingers around mine and led me to the couch once we were inside.

“Can I get you anything?” I asked Danielle, already starting to rise.

“No. Thank you.” She perched on the edge of the coffee table, right in front of us, while Nate pulled me back down and slipped an arm around my waist to keep me there. “How are you doing?”

I blinked. Was this a social call?

“We’re fine,” Nate answered.

She looked at him for a long moment before shaking her head and sighing. “I doubt that, but I’ll pretend I believe you.” She tucked a lock of copper-colored hair behind her ear. “May I see your back?”

“My back is fine,” Nate growled. “If you came all the way down here just to check on us, you’ve wasted your time.”

Danielle didn’t seem remotely bothered by his words or tone, just like Joriel never was. She turned her attention to me. “Perhaps the two of us can go somewhere private to talk?”

“No.” Nate’s arm tightened around me. “You’re not taking Sierra anywhere.”

She raised a single eyebrow. “Then let me see your injuries.”

“Fine—I’ll show you my damn back.” Nate pulled the T-shirt over his head. There were no bandages anymore since we didn’t want them to get in the way when his wings started regrowing. He turned just enough for Danielle to see the wounds on his back, never letting go of me in the process.

“Lie down on your stomach,” Danielle said in the same calming tone she said everything.

Nate looked between her and me. Finally he released my waist, and I stood so he could stretch out on the couch.

Danielle waved me closer as she bent over Nate’s back. “It usually takes anywhere from three to six months for wings to grow back.” She ran her fingers deliberately over the marks on his shoulder blades. “There is no way to skip the regrowth process, but it can be sped along a bit.” Her palms rested directly over the spot where his wings used to be connected.

Nate jerked under her touch, but she didn’t move.

“What are you doing?” I asked nervously.

“Everything I can to help his wings grow and heal.”

“You can do that?” I’d seen and felt Danielle’s healing touch, but I’d been told angels of the seventh order’s healing powers were limited to humans.

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