When Angels Fall

Chapter 14

When I wake in the mid morning, I almost squeak in surprise. Kuzo has me in his arms once more, one wing draped across me like a blanket. The feathers are warm, and sparkle softly. Kuzo is sound asleep, breathing quietly and mere inches from my face.

Not wanting to wake him, and, frankly, somewhat enjoying myself, I stay where I am, smiling like an idiot. The clock on the wall isn't visible from my perspective, but I hear a large grandfather clock chime nine. Must be in the hall.

Kuzo stirs from his sleep, not fully awake as he pulls me closer, his hair brushing my nose. I bite my lip to keep from giggling, but a snicker slips out, waking Kuzo. It takes a moment for his eyes to focus on me, and when they do, he smiles.

"Good morning," he says softly. My cheeks are red once more.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" I ask. He nods, his fingers tracing over my back as he unwraps his arms from me and folds his wings.

"Pretty well. I don't have a headache any more, so that's good. How about you? Any nightmares?" I shake my head, sitting up clumsily and stretching.

"No, I slept fine."

Kuzo sits upright behind me, yawning quietly, before checking his bandages. He starts unwrapping them before I can object.

"Whoa, are you sure you want to do that?" I ask, standing and watching him worriedly. "Maybe Mara should check your wounds first." He chuckles as he carefully pulls the bandages off his shoulder.

"I don't want to trouble her. And I feel mostly fine. They don't hurt, so they must be at least mostly healed."

It makes sense, so I watch as he removes the wrappings, and gasp. His entire left shoulder looks like it's healing from an acid burn, the skin pink and crinkled.

"Are you sure that doesn't hurt?" I verify, concerned. Kuzo nods.

"It's a little uncomfortable, but not painful." He tosses the bloody bandages into the trash, then swings his legs off the bed to take off the gauze from his stomach and arms. I catch a glimpse of black lines and swirls on his back, and frown slightly.

"Kuzo? What's on your back?" I ask curiously. He glances at me and smiles.

"Those are my Marks. I get a new one each time I make an achievement." He turns his back to me and moves his wings so I can see the strange, twisting runes that cover every inch of skin on his back. I reach out and touch a few of them. They're black as coal, and raised slightly above his skin.

"What do they mean?" I ask, my voice hushed.

"Each one is different. The one you're touching now means 'fortitude'. The one right beside it means 'caring'." Kuzo goes on to name each of them as I touch them, being very patient with me. When we're done, I let my hand drop as he pulls a clean T shirt on over his head and stands up. He turns to face me with a smile.

"Let's get breakfast, and then I have a surprise for you," he says, smiling slyly. I grin and nod, and we walk side by side to the kitchen. Abel is already there, scrounging around through the refrigerator, Amber at his feet. She barks and scampers over when she sees me.

"Amber!" I laugh, picking her up. Abel looks at us over the door of the fridge, then goes back to poking around.

"I let her out of your room," he says into the fridge. "She was whining. Thought she might be hungry. Fish okay? It's all we have." Abel closes the door, a piece of fish on a paper plate in his hand. Amber practically leaps from my arms and is at his feet, standing on her hind legs and drooling. Kuzo and I laugh.

"Yes, fish is fine," I say as Kuzo begins rummaging through a cabinet nearby. "Thanks for taking care of her." Abel nods, smiling, before sitting on the ground and feeding Amber. It's humorous to watch him, his wings spread about him as he feeds a tiny pomeranian.

"Fish?" Kuzo asks, glancing at Abel as he pulls a box of cereal from the cupboard. "This scampi happening!"

I smack his arm at the same time that Abel thwacks his leg, and we all laugh. I find bowls, and Abel washes his hands. Soon, we're seated at the table and enjoying a late breakfast.

"Hey, where's Mara?" Kuzo asks. "I thought she'd be in to check on me. And get after me for being vertical without her consent." Abel shakes his head.

"She went on a trip to the store. More medical supplies. She wanted to restock." Kuzo nods, and I decide to jump in.

"So, Kuzo, what's the surprise?" I ask, playing with my spoon. Kuzo grins mischeviously at me.

"Well, if I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise," he remarks. Abel looks between us in confusion, then realization dawns across his face.

"Oh! Oh, you're showing her the--okay." He nods and clamps his mouth shut, stirring his cereal. "I'll watch Amber."

"Watch her? What for?" I ask, trying to figure out what's going on. "Kuzo!"

He just laughs and stands, pouring the last bit of cereal and milk down the drain.

"How about you go change," he suggests, leaning on the table and smiling at me. "And I'll meet you by the front door." With a flash, Kuzo disappears. I groan and turn to Abel, who is studiously avoiding my gaze.

I sigh and decide I might as well do as I was told, so I dump my cereal, then head up to my room. Amber is sitting at Abel's feet, and I have a feeling she'll stay there, waiting for more food.

I quickly pull on jeans and a yellow sweater, then pull on my boots and grab my scarf before running back down the stairs. Kuzo is waiting, back in a leather jacket, hoodie, and black ripped jeans with combat boots. He smiles brightly at me.

"Ready to go?"

I nod, looping my scarf around my neck. Instead of going through the foyer, however, Kuzo turns and leads me up the second flight of stairs. I hadn't bothered to explore up here yet, and now I wish I had.

This hall is also lined on both sides with doors, each one intricately carved and varying in color. Kuzo stops before we can head down, and grins at me.

"The Nexis isn't really in Boston. It's everywhere, and it can be accessed from any country or city, through these doors."

It takes me a moment to comprehend what he's saying, but when I do, my eyes widen.

"So...we could go anywhere?!" I ask excitedly. Kuzo laughs and nods, hooking his fingers through his belt loops.

"That we can. Name a city, and we'll go. I thought you'd like to go out and about." I pause to think, then smile.

"Let's go to Paris," I insist. That is, after all, the city I'm named after. Kuzo nods, then starts to walk down the hall, apparently looking for the right door. But my eyes fall on a certain one, carved all over with birds and fruit trees, and I know it's the right one.

"This is it!" I call to Kuzo, waving him over. He walks to me and smiles, then looks at the door, confused. Then he shakes it off and grasps the golden doorknob, pushing the door open.

There's a narrow, nondescript corridor here that leads to another door. Kuzo heads through before me and opens it, letting in bright light and abundant sound. He looks back at me with a smile.

"Welcome to Paris."