Alexandria smiled and greeted each immortal as they came in, either with hugs or by shaking their hands. Jack entered the dining hall and stood by Rohan towards the back of the assembly, and she smiled at them both. Alex waited until she knew they were all with her before she began her remarks. When she was ready, she held up her hand to gain their attention.
Quiet descended over the hall, and Alex began.
“My friends and family, I have asked you to gather here because I have made a decision, and I think you should all hear me together. You have all graciously welcomed me into this home and made me a part of who and what you are with no reservations nor hesitations. You have begun to instruct me, cared for me when I could not care for myself and placed my safety above your own.”
“I have a human family who also loves me very much, and I have decided that it is time for me to bring them into the fold, so to speak. I will leave Aeoferth today and tell my family who I really am and of the choice which lies before me. They have raised me to be the person I am today and being the loving, supporting people that they are, they deserve to hear the truth from me.”
“Once I have been honest with them, I plan to return to Aeoferth Hall and continue to learn and grow with you, and help you find and defeat Kronis. I will only be gone for a day or two at the most. But if I am to consider an immortal life with you all, I must do so with my family’s knowledge of where their daughter and sister is going, and what she is truly doing.”
“I thank you all for the past week, and I look forward to many more when I return. Until then, my friends,” Alex said warmly and was astounded by the deafening applause that answered her heartfelt speech.
The assembly began to move forward, hugging Alex once more and praising her decision to stay. A few, like Sabina, openly wept and touched her cheek or her hair, sharing their auras.
As Alex was hugging Tabor, her eyes connected with Jack’s. He was still leaning against the wall with Rohan, looking relaxed. He nodded at her slowly and mouthed, “Courage,” to her. Alex nodded her head in agreement. She would need lots of courage to see the coming weeks through, but Alex knew she could weather any storm now with the group before her.
She continued to speak with various individuals and looked over to see Gaius talking with Archimedes. He gave her a heart-stopping smile that made her grin in return. Once the gathering had dissipated somewhat, Alex moved forward and asked John, Archimedes, Heath, Sabina, Ahadi, Rohan, Jack, and Gaius to stay.
Alexandria addressed Heath first and asked him if the helicopter was up for another run. He smiled and assured her it was. She then asked the others if they would do her the honor of coming with her to talk with her parents, brothers, and Jameason. They all accepted her invitation without hesitation.
“Good,” Alex said, smiling. “Can we all be ready to leave in fifteen minutes?”
If they were shocked, no one said anything, and at once they all left to prepare for the imminent departure. Alex reached out and grabbed Jack’s hand as he started to leave, silently asking him to stay behind for a moment. Gaius smiled at her and left the room.
“Jack, I have a question to ask you, and I want to do it now before we have an audience again,” she said, looking up at him. “When we leave my parents’ home, we’ll be coming back to an active war zone. I intend to take over the security arrangements for my family; in fact, I plan on doubling or tripling the detail around them.”
Jack’s eyebrows rose at her statement.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I want Kronis’ followers to think long and hard before they come after them, and I know at some point they’re going to try. What I want to ask you is do you want to come back with me, or stay with them?”
Jack smiled at Alex and lifted his hand so that it hovered over her cheek. She leaned into his palm and smiled back at him.
“I know what I’m asking is not fair, and it’s not kind,” Alex said solemnly. “But I still want you here, if you want to stay, Jack. I can’t give you or Gaius more than that right now, but I know I need you both. What will you do, Jack?” she asked, finding that she was holding her breath as she waited for his reply.
“Alex, I can’t say what the future holds either, but I know I trust my gut, always. And right now, my gut says I’m wherever you are. So if you’re coming back here and want me around, I’m coming back, too.” Jack leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.
“I’m so glad,” she whispered in relief. “Go on and get your luggage. We’re going to stay a day or two with my family and then come back to Aeoferth.”
He saluted her orders and then did an about-face, chuckling softly. Jack shot Alex a wink before he jogged away, headed for the stairs.
Alexandria used the next few minutes to walk around the halls, looking at all Aeoferth Hall had to offer. She hoped that someday it would be safe enough to bring her family there. Her father, Conner, and Jameason would probably never leave the library, and Alex smiled at the thought. She made her way outside to the helicopter as Heath was warming it up, and she turned her back to the snowstorm he was whipping up.
“Where is your coat?” Gaius asked, taking his off and putting it around her.
“Back at Elysium,” she said. “All of my luggage is still there.”
“Hmmm, that is an interesting dilemma, isn’t it?” He chuckled, smirking just a bit.
Alex shook her head at his teasing remark and entered the helicopter, taking a seat by a window. Within a few minutes, the others were there and settled and they lifted off.
The ride back was a quiet journey. Everyone seemed lost in thought, perhaps still sorting through the events of the last several days. Alex found that she was apprehensive about her parents’ impending reaction when they learned that her abrupt departure with John to a retreat was but a ruse and that it did not exist.
She hoped that their love would see them through this most unbelievable story. Alex had already decided that morning when she texted them, asking them to all meet her at the Manor, that she would show them her aura. If nothing else convinced them that what she said was true, then perhaps that would.
Alex was unaware that her leg had begun to nervously jump until Gaius moved up to the seat beside her and placed his hand on her knee.
“What has you so anxious, Alex? I could feel it all the way in the back,” he asked, looking at her with concern.
“I’m just a little tense, that’s all. Everything is good, though,” she said, smiling.
Gaius pursed his lips at her thinly veiled attempt to push her worries away. He moved his palm off of her leg and took her hand in his, letting their auras begin to intertwine. Alex looked at the swirl of colors, then returned her gaze to his.
“Part of this connection lets me know when you’re being truthful, you know.” He smiled at her startled expression. “Ah, you have forgotten, I see. Well, I can sense how you’re feeling. I know if you are in danger, scared, or frightened. I also know when you are happy, feeling shy, or fulfilled. You do not have to be brave or give me false testimony, Alexandria. Always be truthful with me, as you have done so far. You will find that I can help you in ways you have not even considered yet,” Gaius said, smiling a bit more at the way Alex blushed.
“Now… please tell me what has you worried, Alexandria,” he asked again.
Alex had to breathe slowly to think through the sensations his aura was sending into her hand and arm. With great effort, she managed to find her voice.
“I am worried that they will be hurt and disappointed that I didn’t tell them where I was really going. I don’t lie to my family, Gaius. In the past I have intentionally not told them things I’ve seen or experienced on purpose, to save them from being frightened of what I was going through. But I’ve never deliberately lied to them. This will be a hard confession for me,” Alex said softly, hoping that none of the others could overhear her.
Gaius leaned in close, though he cou
ld hear her perfectly.
“I see. They may feel a bit shocked at first, but from what I have observed, your family is very strong. Your father and your mother will love you unconditionally, as it should be, and they will forgive you this one tale. We will make them see it together. All of us here today will help you, Alexandria.” He nodded at Alex to reassure her that she was not alone.
“Thank you, Gaius. I needed the pep talk.”
“So tell me one thing,” he said, playing with her fingers and intensifying the energy flow. “What do you suppose your mother will think of me?” He smiled slowly at her, watching Alex shake her head.
“I think, Gaius, that Henry doesn’t stand a chance anymore,” Alex confessed and laughed softly.
“Good,” he whispered, then kissed the back of her hand and released her fingers.
Alex found that she actually missed the connection because it was soothing her. But she put her hand in her lap and did not reach out for his again.
When Heath landed at the airport in Oxford, Alex realized that she had forgotten to set up transportation to the Manor House. She learned that Heath had taken care of it for her, and Alex voiced her thanks aloud for his care. There were three Land Rovers parked by the area where he had touched down, awaiting their arrival. An attendant from the field came forward to help them with their steps and welcome them. The man was looking for the person in charge, and John stepped forward to assume the role, signing some paperwork and taking an envelope containing their keys.
Alex climbed into the second vehicle and rode with Sabina and Ahadi. John, Archimedes, and Heath took the lead in the first Rover, and Rohan, Jack, and Gaius took the rear in the third. As they made their way through the streets of Oxford, the ladies laughed over the fact that they had actually managed to get a testosterone free ride for once.
At last, they were pulling into the drive which led to Alex’s home – her true home. The pebbled lane crunched under their tires in an oh-so-familiar way, and it made Alex feel content. They gradually rolled to a stop, and everyone began to climb out. Alex looked up and saw her family already coming down the steps to greet them.
Wallace and Conner reached her first, both looking her over to make sure she was alright. Then Wallace had Alex up off the ground in a bear hug that made her laugh without a care in the world, and for just a few precious moments, the demons were put to the side.
Conner smoothed Alex’s hair behind her ears and then hugged her tightly as well. She moved forward, and her parents each had a turn holding her and welcoming her home. And then Jameason, who tried to act as though he was unaffected, hugged her closely and patted her back. She smiled up at them, grateful that if Arianna had chosen to be placed first with mortals this time around, that this was the family with whom she got to spend her time.
Alex remembered her manners then and began to make the introductions. Both her parents and Jameason gave pause to Archimedes’ name but said nothing. She saw Wallace and Conner sizing up Rohan and Gaius almost immediately. Alex was sure her brothers were trying to discern if one of them was a possible suitor, whom they would have to put the fear of God in. Everyone seemed impressed with Sabina’s grace and Ahadi’s strong confidence. And as they had already met Jack, John, and Heath, they too were welcomed back.
Her parents had an early lunch prepared, so they led everyone on a brief tour of the Manor and then made their way to the dining room. Wallace took Alex by the elbow and, not too subtly, led her over to a chair between himself and Conner. She sighed and gave him a knowing look.
Her mother led the conversation with ease and grace, trying to gently extract information from the assembly now seated around her dining table. Alex watched as one and all deftly avoided giving her a direct answer regarding any topic she brought up. The conversations kept going round and round until they had completed dessert and still her mother had yet to learn anything of great importance.
Once it appeared everyone was finished but politely waiting to be excused, Alexandria cleared her throat and asked her parents if they might all adjourn to the den. She indicated that there was some information she wanted to share with them and that she really did not want to put it off any further. Alex asked if their guests could come along as well.
Her father nodded, concern growing in his eyes, but he stood and invited their visitors to follow him. Lord Errol pointed out two bathrooms along the way, and Alex saw Jack and Rohan break off from the group and return with a few more chairs from her mother’s music room.
As everyone filed in, Alex took a seat close to the sofa on which her parents sat. Wallace and Conner pulled chairs up on either side of their parents, and Jameason came to sit nearby as well. Gaius moved and sat next to Alex on her right, and Jack placed himself directly across from her. Jack leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs so that he looked like he could spring up at any movement. He nodded his head at Alex, and the word courage came unbidden to her mind. She smiled at him and then looked over at her family, who were clearly nervous about Alex’s unorthodox called meeting.
“Mother, Father, I have so much I want to share with you today. My last week has been unlike anything I have ever known or could have ever imagined possible. I know that what I’m about to say will seem like a flight of fancy or something from a fairy tale, but on my life, I promise that all I am going to tell you is true. Will you hear me out?” she asked, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt.
Alex felt Gaius’ aura touch her back, and she was so very grateful for the added support.
“Alexandria,” said her father, “you can tell us anything, and we will believe and support you. You are our daughter and we love you. Tell us what’s on your mind,” he encouraged her.
She drew in a deep, fortifying breath and began as best she could.
“When I was a child, I was very different, wasn’t I? I saw and heard things that no child should. I knew details of events and people long since past, and I could hear voices and repeat them in whatever language I heard during the vision.”
Alex saw her mother’s eyes look up in alarm at the assembled guests. They had never spoken of this outside of their tight family circle, and Lady Juliana did not know how to react to Alex speaking of it so plainly.
“It’s alright, Mother,” Alex encouraged her. “They know all about it.”
“When I was eight, a guardian angel named Ganymede came to visit me and promised to take the voices away for a while so that I might experience some peace in my childhood. I gladly accepted the offer and tried to tell you all that I had a grace period, essentially. My grace period ran out at Lord Lenley’s ball,” Alex said somberly.
“While I was there, you all thought that someone attacked me, but it was not a someone, more of a something. His name was Bertrand, and Ganymede came and stopped him and then healed my main injuries. I have learned that there are still beings once spoken of in Genesis called the Nephilim who exist and live on this earth amongst humans.” Alex paused and took in her family’s shocked expressions, but she moved on.
“Some, like the ones you see in this room, are the children of angels of the Lord, and others, like Bertrand, are children of the Fallen angels – those who were cast out. There is a struggle between the two groups that has gone on across the ages, and I have learned that I am one of them reborn. I was the first, an immortal named Arianna, and she chose to come back as a mortal so that she would have the choice between a mortal existence and immortality in the service of humanity for the rest of her days.”
“I am your child,” Alex said, looking directly at her parents, “and your sister,” looking next to Wallace and Conner, “but I am also a great repository for everything she once was. I was offered the chance to go with the Nephilim and learn who and what I can be if I embrace this life… if I choose to be immortal. It is where I have been for the past week and where I hope to return to continue to learn.”
“
Everything I am today, the person I have become, is because of your love and your care for me. I am sorry I did not tell you where I was really going, but I did not know the story then well enough to tell you all. I want to share my adventures with you, but to do that, I must first share this with you.” Alex stood, moving directly in front of her parents.
She asked Ganymede to be with her, and she began to will her aura to come out from behind the veil where it normally lay hidden from the view of humans. Alex saw her rainbow of colors begin to flow from her fingertips and then her pores opened up so that she seemed a curtain of colors and Light. She began to let her aura move away from her and dip around the room, causing everyone it came near to smile. Alex finally willed it to return to her body, and she asked her aura to once again retreat behind the veil.
For what felt like an eternity to Alexandria, no one said anything or moved. Finally, her father and mother stood and looked openly at her. They were holding hands as if for support, or possibly just to touch something they knew to be real. Lord Errol reached his free hand out and cupped Alex’s cheek, gently smoothing away tears that she did not even know were there.
“Alexandria, my beautiful, special girl. We knew when we brought you home from hospital that you were amazing, and over the years we’ve wondered what tale your life would finally tell us. Alex, the beauty and all the love you just shared, we felt it. I…” Finally, at a loss for words, he looked to his wife.
Lady Juliana let go of her husband’s hand and took Alexandria in her arms. The two embraced one another, and Alex could feel her mother’s body shake as she cried silently. Wallace and Conner stood and came over as well, looking down at the two holding one another.
Finally, Alex’s mother pulled back and held her daughter’s arms as she studied her face.
“Alex,” she said softly, “there are no words that I can give you to tell you what I’m feeling right now. Perhaps there is one, though, from a mother to her child: love. I. Love. You. We all love you very much, Alexandria. And even if you hadn’t shown us those lights, we would choose to believe you. I’m in awe of my own daughter,” Lady Juliana whispered, looking up at her husband and crying softly still.
Wallace moved to take his mother’s place, and for once Alex found him speechless. Both he and Conner had tears in their eyes too, and none of the three siblings could speak. They moved in to hug one another and stood, the three of them in their own cocoon, holding on to the unwavering bond between them. For Alex, it was one of the most precious moments she had ever shared with her big brothers, these guardians of her childhood.
Wallace smoothed her hair back and smiled, shaking his head slowly. His voice sounded strained when he said, “Do you remember what I told you the night you first mentioned Ganymede to me in Egypt? I said, ‘I love you, Alexandria, all of you.’ That still stands for me, Conner, Mom, and Dad. You have this in you, we see that. But we’ve known what’s in you from the day you were born: strength, courage, honor, patience, and love. You have all those traits in abundance and more.”
“That’s right, sweetie,” said Conner. “You don’t have to prove anything to us. We love you and have faith in you, always. We are your family, and we’ve got your back in every way.” He looked at Wallace and found his first laugh. “Oh, my word! Our sister is an angel, literally!”
Both brothers started laughing then, and the assembly followed suit.
Someone cleared their throat quite loudly, and Alex’s brothers stepped back to make way for Jameason, who was now working his way up to Alexandria. He shooed them back with his hands and stood before her. He looked sternly at her, and Alex became very serious.
“I want to know one thing, Alexandria,” Jameason said. “Are you happy?”
She smiled a bright, infectious smile, and nodded slowly at the man she loved like a grandfather.
“Yes, Jameason. I have never been so happy,” Alex confessed.
“Then why do you look so tired?” he asked as only he could, getting straight to the care of his young charge. “I think there’s more to this tale, and I for one would like to hear it,” he stated, and his words brokered no argument.
Alex nodded that she understood his instructions, and she moved back to her seat. Her family followed to theirs, and she noticed Jack slide back in his chair and relax a little. Perhaps, she thought inwardly, this would all really work out in the end as Sabina had said. Alex smiled at her friend, and she received Sabina’s nod of encouragement in return.
“Yes, Jameason, there is a great deal more to tell. Parts of this last week will not be easy to hear, so I hope that you will all keep an open mind and heart. I have learned that the greater good sometimes comes at a great price. The lives of the Nephilim are not without danger because the Fallen’s children would love to stop them, and by that, I mean end them. I will tell you what I can, and I am going to ask my friends to help me tell the story.”
Alex received her family’s nods of agreement, and she began with Bertrand and what he had done to her at the ball, though Alex still gave scant details about the actual attack. She moved into her conversation with Ganymede in the family garden, and how that led to her trip to Aeoferth Hall. Alex told her family of the great estate and how she had helped to create it long, long ago.
Over the course of the next two hours, Alexandria and her new, extended family told her parents, brothers, and Jameason about the training she had undertaken, the abilities and powers she was awakening within herself, and of the immense struggles she had endured. She told them all what Jack had suffered at her side, and how much she now valued his friendship. When they came to the story of Gaius and his past with her, Alex tried to give as few details as she could. She clearly saw from their expressions, however, that many more questions regarding the two of them would come up when she was alone with her family.
Alex was delighted to see how excited her father, Conner, and Jameason were to have access to Archimedes, once they realized that he was the true Archimedes they knew from history. With her recounting complete, the questions began to come tentatively at first but then ran rampant. They wanted to know what Alex’s transition might be like if she chose to be immortal, and how she was handling the power currently residing in her. Like all families, they wanted to make sure that she was well.
Though it was not easy to hear, John was truthful that this was the first time a Nephilim had returned and they were doing the best they could in these uncharted waters. Jameason left for a few minutes and returned bearing a tray with drinks to refresh them all while they continued the conversation. He leaned over and asked Conner what he had missed while he had been away, and everyone chuckled at his question.
Alexandria could feel her eyelids getting heavy several times, but she willed herself to stay awake for this most important of meetings. She was so proud of her family’s strength and patience. They were handling the extraordinary news with grace and finesse. Hopefully, Alex thought to herself, if she chose to become immortal, she could do so with the same grace. She smiled silently, thinking that her parents had already placed that within her, as Grace was her middle name.
Lord Errol, Wallace, and Conner all begin to quiz the Nephilim on new battle plans, and Alex decided that she would step away for just a moment to wash her face and try to wake herself up. She stood, and several looked at her with surprise, but she held up her hands imploring them to remain seated. “Bathroom,” she mouthed so they would understand that she needed a few moments alone.
Alex did not walk to the facilities down the hall, but instead made her way up to her bedroom and rinsed her face off, then she sat on the edge of her bed. She was so tired, bone weary in fact, even though she had slept through the previous afternoon and night. Just hearing all that had happened in her life over the past two weeks, discussed and dissected, had made her see the enormity of the change working within her.
Alex knew Ganymede was
right. She would have to choose her path soon, and whatever her decision, it had to be right not just for herself, but for everyone else, too. An opportunity that important to so many others would have to be weighed in that broader context. Alex prayed for the strength to think outside of her own wants and desires when the time came.
Alex bent and put her head in her hands, trying to still her emotions, but she felt tears slowly spilling forth and she silently let them fall. She felt a hand on her head, smoothing her hair back, and then felt the bed sink in next to her from someone’s weight. Alex did not have to look up to know who was beside her. She smiled slowly and turned to see Jack grinning down at her.
“Hey,” he whispered.
“Hi,” she whispered back.
“You did really well down there, Alex. You have one amazing family, I’ll give you that. I’m not sure my family would have handled that kind of information with the same…” He paused, searching for the right word.
Alex completed his sentence for him. “Grace. It’s my middle name, you know?” she said, smiling wistfully as she tried to dry her face with her sleeve.
“Actually, I do,” he replied and watched her eyebrows rise in question to his statement. Jack chuckled. “I know the name of anyone I’m protecting, Alex. It’s kinda required.”
His lopsided grin made her smile as well, and she found herself chuckling at his response.
“There’s my girl. That’s a lot better than those tears,” he said gently and pulled out a handkerchief from his back pocket to finish cleaning her face. “I’ll give you something else to smile about. You should have seen the way your brothers looked at me when I got up to check on you. But it was nothing compared to the look your whole family gave Gaius when they heard you two were once married. Now that was something to see!”
Alex and Jack laughed over his observation until her tears were completely chased away.
“Thank you, Jack,” Alex whispered.
“You’re welcome, Miss Groaban,” he whispered back. Jack leaned over and kissed her forehead, then told Alex to lie down and take a nap. Someone in her family would come and get her when dinner was ready, and he promised to let them know she was fine, just napping.
Jack headed back downstairs, and Alex was asleep minutes later.
Throughout Alex’s nap, different ones came to peek in on her, but no one disturbed her. Before too long, Dudley came to nap beside Alex, cuddled firmly against her back. She slept the sleep of the innocents, and no dreams or visions interrupted her rest. When the dinner hour arrived, Gaius came up to retrieve her. He watched her for a few moments and then bent down, lifting Alex and holding her against his chest. Arianna had always been brave, but the courage he had witnessed that day in Alexandria gave him hope that she would choose an immortal life with him in the future.
Alex opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself being cradled. Gaius slowly placed her on her feet and smiled down at her, kissing her lips gently.
“I am so proud of you this day, Alexandria. Coming home to your parents was the right course of action. It will make the coming days so much clearer for you,” he said softly.
Without thinking, Alex reached up and cupped his face with her palm, and he leaned into the gentle caress, closing his eyes and savoring the contact. When Gaius reopened them, Alex took note of the passion in his gaze. She smiled up at him and gradually took a step back. He nodded slowly, understanding her silent message, and offered her his arm to escort her to their meal.
Dinner was much more relaxed and social than their lunch had been. Wallace and Conner tried to steer Alex toward a seat between them again, but she shook her head in denial and moved to a seat between Gaius and Jack. Both brothers looked humored and laughed quietly at her refusal to be strong-armed by either of them. It was a step in the right direction in Alex’s opinion.
She found herself sitting back and watching her loved ones with joy and pride as they all interacted together, more than she was actually participating in the conversations herself. Gaius and Jack kept up a steady dialog with Rohan and her brothers, and Alex was relieved to see everyone working together instead of pulling against one another. It was just as it should be, she thought.
After their meal, Alexandria and her mother got everyone settled in a room of their own and bid them all to retire when they were ready. Alex went back to the den and snuggled up on a couch under a blanket, and Dudley came to lie across her feet and legs. More and more people found their way into the room, and soon the discussions and conversations from earlier in the day resumed.
Though she tried to fight it, Alex once again fell asleep, and no one disturbed her. Gaius had taken a seat closest to where her head lay, and he watched her more than he listened to everyone’s comments and questions. Lady Juliana came over to sit in a chair by his side, and she smiled up at him in quiet approval.
“You must tell me once again how long you have known my daughter, Gaius. It confounds the mind, trying to process all of this,” she said to him.
He shifted his weight so he could look in her direction.
“Yes, madam, I am sure that it does. But to your credit, and that of your family, you are handling the news very well. And that can only help Alexandria, so I give you my heartfelt thanks,” he said, placing a hand over his heart.
“In answer to your question, when she was on this earth before, we were husband and wife for almost two thousand years. I hope, in time, she will see me in that light again.” Gaius offered a brief smile.
“I know my daughter has never really let anyone court her, but it would seem that both you and Mr. Campbell have plans to change that,” Lady Juliana said, giving him a knowing smile of her own.
Gaius laughed softly at her comment. “A mother does not miss much, does she? It is true; we both hold great affection for your daughter. As you can guess, I am hoping Alex chooses an immortal life with me once more.”
“So long as it is her choice, Gaius, we will support Alexandria’s decision.”
Gaius understood her meaning at once and leaned slightly forward in his chair.
“I will never do anything to cause harm to come to Alexandria, Lady Groaban. To do so would cause me eternal pain and regret. No, Alex will choose. I just intend to make a very good case for myself.” He nodded solemnly.
“I am glad to hear that, Gaius. You have, no doubt, noticed how Wallace and Conner watch over her. Just remember, they get that tendency from their parents,” Lady Juliana stated as she concluded her thoughts.
“I do have one thing more I’d like to add, if I may, Lady Groaban.” Gaius waited for Lady Juliana to incline her head before he went on. “I understand there is the small matter of one named Henry to attend to. Perhaps you could help me remedy that problem?” he asked, his eyebrows rising in mock sincerity.
Lady Juliana laughed aloud at his question and had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from waking her daughter.
Alex slept on the couch for the remainder of the evening, until finally, her parents came over and gently woke her so that she could sleep in her own bed. She made her way groggily up the stairs to her room and prepared quickly for bed. She welcomed Dudley in, and the two curled up together and slept peacefully.
For the next two days, Alexandria, Jack, and the Nephilim stayed with her family. They shared so much, taking walks and meals together, and engaging in enlightening discussions about the truth behind many misrepresented historical periods and facts. It gave her family time to make peace with their daughter’s imminent departure.
Alex took several walks with different members of her family, and they each tried to impart a special piece of advice or wisdom for her to take along as she prepared to leave them. Her father told her to hold to the bond they had as a family and remember that whatever came, she had their unconditional love and support. Her mother advised her, as Sabina had, to listen to her heart and it would lead her
down the correct path. She wished happiness and safety for her daughter, and for Alex to take the utmost care in all she endeavored to learn.
Wallace and Conner reminded Alex how strong she was, now more than ever. They told her to never let another touch a hair on her head and asked her to think through all of the ramifications before she accepted immortality. It was Jameason, though, who cut through all of the emotions Alexandria was feeling when he took her hand in his and told her how proud he was of her, for she was the granddaughter of his heart.
They had been walking slowly through the snow-covered gardens when he paused and said, “You know, Alexandria, there is a very appropriate verse that I shall share with you. It is found in Deuteronomy: Chapter 31, Verse 6. I memorized it years ago when I was a young man, really just a child, in the military. It says: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, He will never leave you nor forsake you.’ ”
“I believe that if you hold to the Lord, He will show you why He has chosen to place you here on this earth with such incredible choices laid before you. Be strong and true to yourself and to Him, and you will work your way through this. I love you, Alexandria, as do we all. Be the young lady we have raised you to be,” Jameason said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.
Alex hugged Jameason and thanked him for his advice, both of them trying to squelch the knots in their throats.
Alex noticed as well that different members of her family found opportunities to speak to Jack and Gaius individually, but neither seemed the least upset by whatever was said. When she tried to ask Gaius one evening about what her brothers had said to him earlier in the afternoon, he just smiled broadly at her and walked away, giving her no information at all.
Before her departure, Jack, Gaius, Rohan, and Alexandria took the time to sit with her parents and brothers and made arrangements to triple the people guarding her family. Alex told them that she and the Nephilim were now covering the cost and placing Nephilim among the human guards to deter Kronis from approaching them. Though her brothers did not want any guards with them, they acquiesced to take any added burden from Alex which might distract her from the challenges that lay before her.
The time had finally come for the group to leave. Alex had packed as if she would need everything she owned with her this time, and it took her brothers, Rohan, Gaius, and Jack to get everything downstairs and in the waiting Rovers. Alex stood alone for a few minutes in her bedroom after they had carried the last piece of luggage down, and looked at the space that she had always come back to and called home.
Though she had moved to New York, it had yet to feel like home the way the Manor House did. Alex ran her fingers along the wood posts of her bed and looked out of her window, onto the still frozen, rear gardens. She closed her eyes and tried to capture the image in her mind, then took in a deep breath and turned to head downstairs.
The Nephilim bid their farewells to her family and received open invitations to return at any time. They all moved into the SUVs to give Alexandria a last moment alone with her family. She hugged them all tightly and thanked them for their love and support once again. Alex promised to call or text regularly to keep them updated on her progress. Her parents finally walked with her to the vehicle and helped Alex in, shutting the door behind her.
Alex waved until they were all out of sight and then turned in her seat, looking ahead at the road. She was quiet as they drove back to the airport, reflecting on all that she had been blessed with. She was so very grateful.
Once the S-92 was loaded with her cargo, they all began to climb aboard. Alex thought to take her same seat by the window when Heath called out to her from the pilot’s seat. She angled her head at him in question.
“Alex, come up here with me,” he encouraged, looking over his shoulder.
She moved into the copilot’s seat beside him, which until then had sat empty.
“I want you to help me fly back to Aeoferth,” Heath said as though it were a common occurrence for her to do so. He chuckled at her surprised expression. “We all know how to fly, Alex, and it’s time you got your first lesson. You can read my mind, so let’s start with you following my lead and doing what I am thinking, okay?” he asked, smiling at her.
“Get out!” she exclaimed.
“I assure you, if I get out, you get no lesson.”
Heath grinned, and Alex heard the light laughter of everyone behind her. She looked into the cabin and smirked at them all.
Alexandria turned back to Heath. Smiling, she said, “I’m ready. Show me how to take us home.”
Jack and Gaius looked at one another and shared a smile of their own. She had said, “Home.”
For more information about Natalie D. Wilson
and
The Children of Angels Series
please visit
https://nataliedwilson.com
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