I handed the quivering woman a warm beverage as I sit down with mine carefully studying her. Dressed in my jeans and jumper with a blanket wrapped around her figure her blue eyes closed in content as she sips the drink. Silently I sip my drink as well, her voice interrupting the silence.
"Do you know what I am?"
Startled by the unexpected question it took me a few seconds to answer.
"An angel...."
Her soft giggle send a shiver down my spine and a warmth in my heart. It was weightless and pure. Where were her wings? A faint frown appeared on her face.
"I... used to be. I'm a fallen angel you see."
Interested I shuffle closer, noticing a blush creep on her cheeks.
"Why?"
She looks away and I could see the pain in her eyes. I immediately felt sorry for her.
"I fell in love with a human."
"....oh...."
The clock struck 10pm and I put away our now empty mugs.
"I have a spare room for you. I mean... you don't have to but after what you told me, I thought, you'd need somewhere to stay."
Shock spread across her face as she stepped closer. Now it was my turn to blush.
"You'd do that for me?"
Smirking I stare into her eyes.
"Of course."
Smiling she takes my hand and we both break out in blushes. I lead her to her room which is a simple bedroom with a connecting bathroom. Turning the lights off I give her a smile, say goodnight and go to my own bed.
I ran down the hallway, frantically worried about the blood-curling screaming coming from the spare room where the angel slept. Squirming and shaking on the bed I rush to her side and try to calm her down. Grabbing her into my arms, cradling her against my chest I whisper into her ear.
"Hey, Angel, it's okay. Shhhh it's okay. Calm down."
I continue to talk quietly to her as she sobs, gripping my shirt, pulling herself closer to me. I wrap my arms around her waist. Comforting her the best I could. After she calmed down I make her another warm beverage and take her to my room, giving her her space I stay quiet.
"It's my wings.... what happened to my wings will never fail to haunt me."
Looking up a tear falls down her cheek and I wipe it away, staring into her eyes a little too long.
"You don't have to tell me."
"No! I... I want to. I need to."
The crack in her voice breaks my heart a little and I wrap my arms around her without thinking, and lay her on my chest. Tracing faint circles on her arm I let her tell her story.
"I was a guardian angel. It was my duty to look after a specific human, making sure their life goes as planned. Due to everyone's surprise, I fell in love with that human. With that against the rules they agreed to take away my wings. Making me fall, and turn human. They.... they put me in handcuffs and made sure I starved so I was weak. They whipped me for fun."
A few more tears fall down her face and I hold her closer to me, making a silent oath to never let anyone hurt her ever again.
"They... they chained me to a table to chop off my wings. Instead of doing it quickly and slightly painless they... went slowly. Cutting off feather by feather. Not caring about the tears and blood falling onto the cracked floor. Instead they laughed. Tugging at the wretched flesh to add to my misery. Eventually my wings left me. However my torture didn't. More whips. More cuts. More starvation. More never ending pain ."
Tears fall freely down her face now and I stroke her hair, securing my protective grip to tell her I will always protect her.
"After what seemed like thousands of years they finally let me fall...."
Too astonished, too baffled, too outraged to say anything I kiss her gently on the forehead as a promise, and let her sleep. Not wanting to leave her alone to her own mind, I once again wrapped my arms around her securely.
Trying to ignore my heart race and my cheeks blush at our close touch I close my eyes and fall asleep. In less than a day, this poor abandoned angel has already changed my life. Forever
