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"Make them visible," I demanded of the angel, who looked at me in surprise yet immediately understood my meaning.
"Are you sure?"
I couldn't miss the pleading in his golden irises. The plea to spare him. I hadn't missed the fact that he didn't like showing his wings. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to explain why.
So, I just nodded and followed it with a quiet, "Please."
He swallowed visibly, and the next moment, a rustling sound was heard. Powerfully, he spread his beautiful white and gold wings. The resulting air slammed through the room and drowned out my family's astonished gasps. Even Jordy's eyes finally showed life again, a sparkle.
Although it was not my first time seeing them, they had lost none of their magic for me. It was hard to stop myself from running my finger over one of the delicate feathers again.
"A fallen angel. The fallen angel," Chris whispered in awe. Then his gaze turned to fear.
"Satan!" he shouted, raising the cross he always wore around his neck. He held it up with both hands. "Satan, move away!" he shouted repeatedly as if possessed.
It was almost as if Chris, the inquisitive and open-minded one, had disappeared, leaving behind the priest from The Exorcist.
Tanael let his wings disappear while he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
"Here we go again," he muttered, annoyed.
I hurriedly stood between the two men. With my hands in the air, I approached Chris, who was already talking himself into such a rage that he looked as if he might pounce on the angel at any moment. Of course, he wasn't entirely wrong with his accusation. But we needed Tanael and Chris to complete this mission. Together and in peace.
"Chris," I tried to get through to my brother. "It's not what you think. Please calm down."
"I know exactly what he is, Myrina. Get out of my way!"
"Chris, do you remember all the stories from the Bible that we've been comparing with other religions, myths, and legends over the last few weeks?" I continued unperturbed, without moving from the spot. "Do you remember how we discovered that many of these Bible stories came from ancient traditions of pre-Christian peoples and were sometimes very different? What does that say about the truth of the two testaments? And doesn't that also mean that we have to question other teachings of Christianity?"
I could clearly see how my words resonated with the Chris I knew. His eyes became clearer again, and he slowly lowered the cross.
"You're right," he stuttered, his cheeks turning pink.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Baldur. I was guided by my faith and what I was taught." Ashamed, he lowered his voice. "You saved us, and we owe you a debt of gratitude."
I was shocked to realize that Tanael was now standing right next to me—very close to me, too close.
"No problem. I've encountered prejudices about myself countless times in my life," he said calmly, and I was grateful he didn't make a big deal out of it.
"How about we go to the salon to discuss everything else over snacks and something strong for the nerves?" he asked me. Did he really expect an answer from me? But he just looked at me patiently. He furtively held up a small bottle in which I recognized the concoction Hecate had also given me. It would help my family to process everything better. It was clearly my decision whether we gave it to them or not.
"Good idea?" I mumbled uncertainly. Tanael nodded and signaled Sam to prepare everything we needed.
"Did you really leave this decision to my daughter?" Dad asked Tanael. That wouldn't have been a question in our house in the past because my mother and I had just as much voting power as my dad and brothers. But those days were long gone. Since then, my dad hadn't met anyone who behaved differently from the Knights of John, so his surprise was justified.
"Where I come from, women have the same rights as men. They are equal to us. I value your daughter's opinion, even if she can sometimes be a bit stubborn. I have already made the mistake of not involving her in my decisions once, and I'm sure that won't happen to me a second time."
I felt his gaze on me and couldn't help but look up at him, too. Light as a feather, he placed his hand on my lower back. As he gently pushed me towards the salon, I sank into the gold of his eyes. They looked as sincere as his words had sounded. Was I wrong about him?
CHAPTER 16
The fallen angel left it up to me to tell my family exactly what had happened during the fight and afterward on the pier. As I recounted my encounter with Alex, Chris briefly sank into prayer, and I could also see tears in the other men's eyes. They had all cherished my fiancé and considered him part of our family.
Of course, I left out the events that concerned my emotional world and Tanael. For the time being, I preferred to keep Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, and our encounter with the undead to myself.
It was clear that the four of them already had enough information to process—angels, gods, demons. A Hades that actually ruled over the realm of the dead was already visibly beyond comprehension, leaving my family dumb and chalky-faced. Sam had now mixed Hecate's potion into their drinks, and I didn't want to know how they would have fared without this magic—or myself.
Nevertheless, I turned to Chris. I carefully placed my hand on his. A tense tremor ran through his body. My tales of an underworld and other gods shook his faith, that which defined and guided him as a priest, as a servant of God. But unfortunately I couldn't take that into consideration now. We had to carry on; there were so many lives to save.
