It didn’t matter how many thousands of years he’d been doing it, he still thought that the whole guardian angel gig sucked big time.

He strained his neck to look over his shoulder trying to see his back in the bathroom mirror.  He wanted a good look at the hole in his t-shirt where the bullet had ripped into his torso.

When he’d stepped in front of the little three year old boy on the swing to save the kid’s life, no one in the playground had been any the wiser.  The wound, caused by a stray bullet from a gang shooting, had closed up immediately with negligible blood loss.  Now, thanks to him, that kid would grow up and leave this world as originally scheduled.

However, because he’d used his damned body as a shield, he was left with a slug rattling around inside his chest.  It had hurt going in and it was going to hurt like hell as it came out.  He couldn’t reach around to the entry spot, so he’d just have to pull it out through the front.  Pulling off his shirt, he bundled it up and threw it in the trash can.  Before he could remove the foreign body, he had to test his own.  Allowing the skin pockets to open along his shoulder blades, he unfurled his wings.  White and glorious, they filled the space in the room.  It felt good to stretch them out.  Giving them an experimental flap, he lifted off the floor by a foot.  Yes.  All in working order.  With a definite feeling of reluctance, he folded them into his body, gathering them tight under the skin on his back.

Now for the chunk of lead lodged in his lung.  Turning to face the mirror, he placed his hand over the corresponding part of his chest and felt with his mind for the bullet.  Slowly he pulled at it with his thoughts and he could feel the muscles and sinews tearing as it traveled through to the skin.  Shit, it hurt even more coming out than he thought it would.  Breaking the surface, the piece of mangled metal rose out of the mess of flesh and blood.  Plucking the spent round away, he let it fall into the sink.  This time, he didn’t stop the bleeding immediately like he had in the park.  For some reason he needed to see the viscous liquid ooze out of the wound.  For a few seconds he felt mortal, ordinary...human.  That was something he’d never been.  He’d been born an angel and he would always be an angel.

Sighing, he passed his hand over the hole he’d made in his chest and the wound closed; the only evidence of the previous moments of pain was the blood now smeared on his pectoral muscle. Shucking his pants, he stepped over to the shower and turned the hot water on full.  He watched the spray until he could feel the heat rising in the air before stepping under the stream.

He let the water wash away the blood and the memory of the possibility of a young life coming to an early end.  He was tired of it all.  The responsibility of saving lives; immortality; being answerable to the highest power.  He couldn’t even resign.  Well he could...there was the other place.  But he would still be immortal there.  No, he wanted to live a normal human life span, to live, really live and then die like a man.

He toweled off quickly after shutting off the water, and shrugged into his robe. The whiskey beckoned to him from the cabinet in the kitchen and he answered its call.  With a glass of the amber fluid in his hand, he wandered into the living room thinking about the advantages of living down here.  Women and sex.  Yes, they were definitely at the top of the list.  Then came alcohol and food, which made him realize he was hungry.  A memory of putting left over pizza in the fridge floated in his mind only to be forgotten when the Ride of the Valkyries rang out from the bathroom.

He finally found his phone in the pocket of his jeans and checked the message.  He’d only just finished one job and now the Boss was already texting him with another.  Couldn’t He give him just one day’s vacation?

The picture that he’d been sent was that of a blonde.  Pretty, young, and very sexy—a face and body that could charm the wings off an angel.  Her name, according to the text below the photo was Kayleigh Mason.  The address provided wasn’t too far away, and would at least give him a chance to take his motorbike for a spin.

Ten minutes later, he was dressed and munching on a slice of cold pizza, as he made his way down to the garage to where his bike was parked.  There had been some late afternoon summer rain that had left the roads speckled with greasy puddles.  He could see he was going to need another hot shower in his foreseeable future!

Parking the bike a block down from the woman’s building, he wandered down the road before lounging against the wall near a coffee shop.  He openly watched the people go about their normal end of day routines, knowing that if he was obvious he was usually ignored.  His extra sense picked up his quarry before he could see her.  The blonde walked down the street from the bus stop, heading towards her apartment.  He watched her as she stopped to check the produce displayed in front of the grocery store, hesitate, and then walk into the shop.  No more than five minutes passed before she came out carrying a paper bag.  She reached in the top, pulled out an apple and began munching on it.

He followed her with his gaze until she was safely inside her building.  Following her wasn’t going to be enough.  He would need to get close to her, physically.  He had no idea what form the danger to her life would take.  It could be anything from a traffic accident to a house fire.  This was a part of the job that he really hated.  He always felt like a stalker or a pervert while checking out a new client.  But what choice did he have in this day and age.  He could hardly knock on their door and say ‘Hi, I’m your friendly neighborhood guardian angel, and I’m here to stop you from dying before your time.’

It was so much easier thousands of years ago when people still believed in angels.

He watched a light go on in the apartment he knew to be hers.  Continuing his surveillance, he waited until her windows went dark and he was certain she wouldn’t be venturing out again.

He’d come back the next day.  Perhaps, if she made a habit of buying groceries on the way home, he could bump into her and help her pick up her purchases from the ground?  Corny and clichéd, but it might just work.

The following morning he was up before dawn.  The lot behind her building proved to be a convenient place to leave his bike, and he stationed himself outside Kayleigh’s building.  He dogged her footsteps all the way to work, a lawyer’s office downtown, watched her eat a sandwich at lunch while perched on a wall of a small square with an artistic fountain splashing away in the middle, then followed her back home.

He thanked whoever invented the cliché when she actually went inside the grocery store again.  Walking past the shop he turned and waited for her to come out.  There she was...and damn...  She wasn’t carrying a bag.  He had to think fast.  It had rained again, and those puddles were back.  Instantly deciding on a plan which he knew was not one of his better ideas, he raced for his bike and managed to drive it hard through a puddle right next to where she was walking.  Admittedly the greasy water had to have some Heavenly help reaching her, but it made a satisfying mess of her clothes.

Pulling over to the curb, he switched off the engine and walked over to where she was standing, brushing ineffectually at her skirt.

“I’m really sorry about that.  I honestly didn’t think the water would reach that far onto the sidewalk.”

She looked up at him and he was struck by the color of her eyes.  Light green and fringed with thick, dark lashes that seemed devoid of any enhancement.  She narrowed her eyelids and frowned at him in obvious anger.  “You were driving too fast, and were probably not even looking where you were going.”

She began to walk towards her apartment, and he kept pace with her.  “Go away and leave me alone,” she hissed.

“I just want to make sure you get safely to where you’re going.  I was an idiot, and I’m sorry.  I’d like to try and protect you from other idiots driving through the water on the roads.  If I walk between you and the road and someone else splashes it’ll hit me first.”

“Very chivalrous, I’m sure.”  She stopped outside her building, and fished for her keys in the large purse that dangled from her shoulder.  “Right now, I’m wet, muddy, and very angry.  All I want is to go up to my apartment and take a steaming shower, and then have a hot drink.”

He almost chuckled when he pinpointed the exact moment that she realized she’d been talking to him, a complete stranger, as if he was an old friend.  The dawning look of horror on her face, and the blush that crept up from her neck to her hairline, was completely adorable.

“I’d like to help with the shower, but I won’t suggest it.”  He gave her one of his most successful smiles—one that never failed.  “I can, however, help with the hot drink.  There’s a cafe across the street.  Let me buy you a coffee in compensation for ruining your clothes, and probably your day.”

She thrust her key in the lock of the door and opened it.  As she started through the opening, she looked back over her shoulder at him and scowled.  “Get lost!”  She spat the words at him before shutting the door in his face.

Dumbfounded, he stared at the closed door.  ‘What just happened?  Did she refuse me?’  He couldn’t believe it.  Never, in all the millennia that he’d been a guardian, had he failed to charm a woman.

He repeated the routine of the previous evening, again waiting until he was sure she was tucked in for the night before walking back to his Harley.  He couldn’t help but shake his head over the incident.  Okay, so it hadn’t been the best of plans.  His judgment had definitely been off.  Perhaps he was losing his touch...

Back in his apartment, he poured himself another whiskey and knocked it back.  He refilled his glass and took it to the couch.  Cradling the glass, he sank back against the cushions and stared up at the ceiling.  “What the fuck is happening to me?  Have you pulled your help?  How in heaven’s name am I supposed to save her life if I can’t get near her...if she won’t even talk to me?”  He didn’t expect an answer.  The Boss never answered.  All he did was send him text messages these days.  Before cell phones it used to be telegrams, and before that it had been a celestial messenger in a dream.

The guardian took a sip of his drink, wishing he could get drunk, but even that dubious pleasure was denied him.

Perhaps he could send her flowers by way of an apology.  Thinking it was better than nothing, he pulled his laptop over and fired it up.  The world was so easy these days—a few clicks on a keyboard and he could buy flowers to be delivered, together with a personal message.  Once upon a time, everyone knew the language of flowers, and he wondered if she would understand that yellow roses not only meant apology, but also friendship.  Well, it was as good a shot as any, and it was the start of the weekend, so he had two whole days to get to know his client.

The following morning he was again watching her apartment building.  He saw the flowers being delivered, rather earlier than he would’ve liked, but unless she binned them once she took them inside, it looked like she’d accepted them.

He waited until mid-morning before deciding it was time for a frontal attack.  Ignoring the intercom, he entered the lobby, the lock on the building’s entrance had not proved to be an obstacle for him, opening cleanly and silently locking itself behind him.  It took him less than a minute to run up the stairs, find her apartment and ring the bell.

Silence.

He knocked on her door with his fist.  This time she answered, yelling through the door.  “What are you?  Some kind of stalker?  Go away.  Who let you in anyway?”

He smiled at the spy hole in the door, and ignored her questions.  “Did you get my flowers?”

“Yes.  Very pretty.  Now go away before I call the police.”

“I just want to apologize, again, in person, and to invite you for that coffee I mentioned yesterday, I’ll even spring for brunch.”

“What part of NO don’t you understand?”

He could feel his smile slipping a little, but stood his ground.  “I’ll wait downstairs, outside the building.  If you let me buy you coffee, I’ll go away and leave you in peace.”  He placed his hand over his heart.  “I swear I mean you no harm.”

“Just coffee.  Nothing else?”

“I swear,” he repeated, knowing she couldn’t see the crossed fingers of his other hand behind his back.

She was quiet for a moment or two, then she answered, “Go and wait in the cafe.  I’ll meet you there.”

At least she’d agreed to meet him; that was some progress.  Nodding at the spy hole, he turned towards the stairs to descend to the ground floor.  He let himself out of the building and crossed the street to the cafe.

An hour went by and she still hadn’t made an appearance.  He was just beginning to think she’d lied about meeting him, when he saw her exit her building and dash across the road.

The bell on the door signaled her entrance.  She came directly over to his table and sat down opposite him.  “I’m here,” she announced with bad grace.

“I can see that.  Thank you for agreeing to meet me.”  He mentally rolled his eyes; dealing with her was like trying to coax a young wild animal out into the open.

The waitress came over at his signal and he ordered two lattes.

“You might’ve asked me what I wanted.”

He arched a brow at her.  “You don’t want a latte?”

“Well, yes I do, but I might’ve wanted tea or something else.”  She pouted so prettily.  He doubted she even knew she was doing it.

He watched her through half-closed eyes, her body language said a lot about her.  She sat with her legs crossed, her arms hugging her purse to her body.  Wary and closed.

“How did you know my name?”

“What?”  Her question caught him unprepared.

“The delivery boy knew my name, and your card said ‘Kayleigh, I am so sorry, please forgive me.  Ari.’  How did you know my name?  You even spelled it correctly.  No one ever does that.”

“Your name is on your mailbox.”

She shook her head.  “No, that doesn’t wash; my mailbox only has my surname on it.”

He took a stab in the dark and hoped he was right.  “True, but you’d neglected to take your mail up with you.  Your full name was on one of the letters.”

She made a sound which sounded suspiciously like ‘harrumph,’ but he let it pass.

“So, what is Ari short for?  It’s not a name I’ve heard before.”

“It’s short for Ariel, it means God’s lion.”  He held out his hand hoping she would take it to shake.  His charm hadn’t worked, perhaps his touch would.

She looked at his hand as if he’d held out a snake, and then ignored it when the waitress came over with their drinks.

Kayleigh spent a minute sweetening her coffee and stirring it, before looking back up at him.  She really was beautiful, and he wished that the edict against fraternizing with a client wasn’t so strongly upheld.

“What do you do?  For a living, I mean.”  She wasn’t very good at hiding her feelings; he could tell she was still skittish, and trying to be polite.  Did she never speak to strange men?

“You could say I’m in the security business.”

“Oh.  You mean protecting buildings and the like?”

He shook his head.  “No, we protect people.”

“Like bodyguards?”

“Yes, like bodyguards.”  That was a good description of his life.  He’d never been asked that before, he’d have to remember that term.

“You didn’t do a very good job of guarding me against that soaking yesterday.  It kind of looked deliberate.”

He crossed his fingers under the shadow of the table.  “It was a complete accident.”  He was going to get punished for that lie; he knew what the Boss was like.  “That is the soaking was an accident.  But driving up to you like that wasn’t.  I’d seen you around and wanted to get to know you.”  That much, at least, was the truth.  Perhaps the Boss wouldn’t make the punishment too harsh.  He shrugged.  “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Well.”  She slammed her cup down into its saucer, splashing the surrounding table surface with little brown droplets.  “Next time you get a good idea, don’t include me in it!”  Standing up suddenly, she knocked into the waitress who was coming by with a tray laden with cups of coffee.  The server lost her grip on her burden, and the hot beverages began to slip off and spill in the direction of an elderly woman sitting at the next table.  The woman was deeply engrossed in her book and hadn’t yet noticed the altercation.

Ari made a slight movement with his hand and everything stopped.  No one moved.  The dark liquid spilling from the cups froze in mid-air.  He quickly stood, bodily picked up the reading customer together with her chair and moved her to the other side of her table.  With an economy of movement, he placed her coffee and book in front of her new position, and sat back down at his own table.  Another slight wave of his hand and motion started up again.  The hot beverages splashed harmlessly onto the floor, Kayleigh began apologizing to the waitress, who in turn, was making sure the elderly lady was unhurt.

Ari stood up and pulled Kayleigh back into her seat.  “Are you okay?  It didn’t get you did it?”

“No.  No, I’m fine.”  Kayleigh looked over at the other table and then back at Ari, a puzzled look marring her pretty features.  “That’s odd.  I could swear she was sitting on this side of the table.  When did she move?”

“I don’t think I noticed where she was sitting.”  He shrugged, dismissing the incident.  “Can we do this again some time?”

“This?”

“Go out, sit and talk, perhaps eat a meal together?”  He leaned forward trying to catch her gaze.  “I’d really like to get to know you better.”

“Umm.  No.  I don’t think so.”

“What’s wrong, Kayleigh.  Why so skittish?  How do you ever meet new people if you refuse to talk with them?”  He gave her one of his stock ‘I’m just kidding’ smiles.  “Do you only talk to guys your mother introduces?”

Her face went expressionless and when she answered her tone was flat.  “My mother’s gone.”

“I’m sorry.”  Okay, this job officially sucked now!  The Boss should’ve given him a bit more information on the girl he’d been assigned to.

She nodded at him, accepting his apology, but then stood up.  “I’m going now, and I really don’t want you to bother me again.  Understood?”  Without waiting for his reply, she turned and almost ran out of the shop.

He didn’t understand what had gone wrong.  He’d never failed to get close to a client before.  He had no idea where or how he was supposed to save her.  Hell, she could get run over crossing the road.  Shit!  He looked out of the window, only to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw her opening the door to her building and entering.

In all the thousands of years he’d been doing this job, he’d never lost a client.  Never had a woman been able to resist him.  Hell, even men and children responded to his charm.  And if his personality didn’t work, then his touch did.  He shook his head almost in confusion.  Perhaps it was time to take drastic measures.

First, he needed more information.  He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and sent a text requesting time, date, and nature of the life threatening event in store for Kayleigh Mason.  He didn’t expect to get all the information he’d asked for, but whatever the Boss allowed him to know might help.

Coming to a decision that he hoped wouldn’t be taught to new guardians as the way not to save a client, he paid the check and crossed the street to Kayleigh’s building.

Ari decided against asking her to buzz him in, not wanting to give her another chance to say no before he could ask her face to face.  Half way up the stairs, his pocket buzzed and vibrated.  He pulled out the phone and checked the message.

“The time has passed.  The date is yours to make.  The nature of her destiny is yours.”  He murmured the words as he read them off the little screen.  Great.  Just great.  Ari knew he wouldn’t get a straight answer, but he’d expected a little more than one of the Boss’ cryptic jokes.

‘The time has passed.’  Did that mean she was no longer in danger?  Had he already saved her without knowing?  The next bit he couldn’t even guess the meaning of.  And destiny, well, hers was to live and his was to save her.  He shook his head over his Boss’ weird sense of humor.  Just because He was all powerful...

Ari continued up the stairs and knocked on Kayleigh’s door.

Her voice came though the door, sounding strained and tired.  “You are one stubborn bastard.  GO.  AWAY!”

“I need to talk to you, Kayleigh.  Honestly, it’s a matter of life and death.”

“Oh God, could you get any more cliché?  That line can’t possible work on anyone, can it?”

“It’s not a line, Kayleigh.  It’s my job.  I must talk to you.”  Before she had a chance to answer him he opened her door with a casual thought and stepped through into the apartment, closing and locking it behind him with his mind.

“How?  That was locked.  With a dead bolt!”  She backed up across the room, bumping into furniture as she went.

He could smell her fear; he would have to calm her down, reassure her, or she might just die from fright.

Holding his hands up in front of him, he spoke in a soft voice.  “I’m not going to hurt you, Kayleigh, please, I just need to talk to you.  You’re in danger, and I’m here to protect you.”  He swallowed and decided to just go for it.  “I’m your guardian angel.”

He watched as she reached out to the table next to her, feeling for the phone.  Knowing she was going to dial 911, he blocked it and transferred his voice.  “I can’t let you call the authorities.”  Her face showed horror as she heard his voice come through the phone.   Ari only just caught her as she crumpled to the floor in a dead faint.

Cradling her in his arms, he carried her over to the couch and settled her on his lap.  Through his palm, which he laid over her heart, he could feel her swimming up to consciousness.  Mentally he prepared himself for another round of fear from her, ready to impose a soothing calm on her if needed.

She was watching him through half-closed eyes.  “What are you?”

“I told you.  I’m your guardian angel.”

Kayleigh pushed his hands away and scrambled inelegantly off his lap.  “Huh!  If you’re an angel then show me your wings.”

Slightly taken aback at the demand, Ari stood and shrugged out of his jacket before turning his back on her.  It was the work of seconds to pull his shirt over his head, open the skin on his shoulder blades and allow his wings to unfurl.

“Holy crap.  No way.  What the hell was in that coffee?”

Folding his wings, he let them stay out in the air against the smooth skin of his back.  Ari sat back down on the couch.  “Do you believe me now?”

Kayleigh crept towards him, her eyes as wide as saucers, hand outstretched.  “Can I touch them?”

“Sure.”

He felt the first tentative touch of her fingers on the feathers, then she stroked the softness of the down.  He arched and almost purred.  Never had anything felt so good.

“They’re warm.”

“They’re part of me so they feel as warm as my skin.”  He didn’t think anything could feel better and then it did.  She began to stroke the roots of his wings, where they grew out of his back.

“And you’re my guardian angel?”

“Ah...  Yes.  I’m here to stop you from being taken before your time.  That’s why I couldn’t leave you alone.  Why I kept pestering you.”  He shuddered; he was so hard.  If she kept doing that to his wings he was afraid he was going to disgrace himself.  “I felt so bad about frightening you, and that’s never happened before.”  He shivered again.  “Stop, Kayleigh, please, I can’t concentrate when you’re doing that.”

“I’m sorry, was I hurting you.”

“Oh Lord, no.  You just found an erogenous zone I didn’t know I had, that’s all.”  He moved along the sofa an inch or two after she stopped stroking him.

“What’s never happened before?”  She looked so delectable, with her nose all scrunched up in confusion, he had a compulsion to kiss her.

“That a client has been afraid of me.  Usually, people instantly trust and like me.  It’s one of my gifts; it’s what makes me so successful at my job.”  He gave her a sheepish grin, and his wings fluttered against his spine.

Kayleigh’s face broke into a sunny smile.  “You really are in the body guarding business.”

He answered her smile with one of his own and nodded.  “Two days ago, I received a text from the Boss with your name and picture.  Usually, I get more information than that, like a time and date and the nature of the event I’m supposed to stop.  I didn’t know what to expect, so I felt I had to stick close to you.  Unfortunately, you didn’t cooperate.”

“What did you expect after soaking me with muddy water and then stalking me?”  The look of outrage she gave him made his heart skip a beat.  “Wait, back up...  The Boss?”

“Yup, the big guy.”  He pointed towards the ceiling.  “He’s the one who calls the shots on who goes and who stays.”

“Oh wow.  I...I’m speechless.”

Ari regarded the woman in front of him in silence, while she digested this new information.

Suddenly she jumped up.  “Do you eat?  I mean I know you drink, I saw you drink coffee, but do you eat food as well?  I’m hungry, are you hungry.  I always get hungry when I meet an angel for the first time, and then find out that God really exists and he has a cell phone that he uses to send texts and photos.  And I’m babbling, aren’t I?”

He laughed and felt his wings stretch out a little.  “Yes, I’m afraid you are.  But to answer your questions, yes I do eat, and no I’m not hungry.”  He stood up and caught hold of her hand before she could run off to the kitchen.  “Kayleigh, we do need to talk about your safety.”

She regarded him steadily, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.  But she held herself together...brave girl.  “If you’re not around, I’m going to die, aren’t I?”

“Not necessarily, no.  But if I’m there you will definitely survive.”

“How close do you have to stick to me?”

His voice lowered an octave as he answered.  “As close as I can.”  Ari pulled her close and breathed in the scent of her skin.  “Even to moving in with you until we know you’re safe.”

She squeaked.  “Um...  I’ve only got the one bedroom.”  She backed towards the kitchen and he moved with her, unwilling to let go.  Needing to feel her hand in his, and yet, inexplicably needing more.

“I’ll sleep on the couch.  I don’t mind.”  He put his arms around her, bent his head to nuzzle the soft skin on her neck.  He didn’t understand why he needed to feel her in his arms.  Why, he suddenly felt more alive than he’d ever felt before.  Oh he knew he was breaking all the rules, but suddenly he didn’t care.  His heart was racing and he couldn’t think straight.

“I don’t think you’d fit on the couch.”  She arched her neck and a moan escaped her as he began to kiss the sweet spot just below her ear.  “I don’t usually do this with someone I’ve only just met.”  He gently nipped the soft skin on her neck then licked at the tiny hurt.  “Umm...  Food.  I...I’m hungry.”  Her voice was breathy, rough, but she made no attempt to pull out of his embrace.

“So am I, Kayleigh.  But not for food.”  Holding the back of her head in the palm of his large hand, he guided her towards his lips.  One kiss, that’s all he needed.  He would stop this madness if he could just have one kiss.  Their mouths met, soft and gentle at first.  Testing...tasting.  He licked at the seam of her lips and she opened to him.  Tongues darted and flicked, then danced and entwined.  Ari lifted his head and looked down at the face of the woman that had him completely under her spell.  “Much better than food.”

Her passion-filled eyes regarded him from under half-closed lids.  “Who needs food?”  Her hands stroked his back and then his wings, feeling toward the roots again.

When she began to lightly stroke, he arched, making a guttural sound and pushing his arousal against her.  He knew he shouldn’t be doing this, but it was as if an unseen hand was pushing him forward.  Thrusting him towards his fate, his destiny.

Without giving it thought he pulled roughly at her top, dragging it out of her pants, and pushing his hands up under the cloth.  The feel of her satiny skin against his fingers stopped all coherent thought, except for the need to feel her naked body against his.  He whisked off her top, and unhooked her bra, the items of clothing falling away to land where they wished.  Ari cupped her breasts in his hands, softer and more beautiful than he could’ve imagined.

Kayleigh was busy with the zipper of his jeans, just as eager for him as he was for her.  He stepped out of the denim and lowered her to the floor of her kitchen, stripping her pants off and flinging them away.  She held him to her, her hands holding and caressing his wings, pulling him closer, urging him on.

He settled into the cradle of her hips, his erection pushing and stroking her sex.

“Yes.”  He heard her sigh and nudged into her.  Smooth, moist heat met him.  Surrounded him.  Leaning down he kissed her, withdrawing from her body and surging back in, just as his tongue surged into her mouth, filling her, tasting her, loving her.

Each thrust took them higher...higher than his wings had ever managed.  Never had he experienced such a rush of emotion.  When he felt her body begin to pulsate around his, a feeling of tenderness overcame him, not exhilaration as in the past.  The need to have her orgasm again, pushed him to continue moving within her.  Kiss her.  Her hands gripped his back as she shattered once more, only then did he allow himself to give in to his own climax.

Holding her in his arms, feathering her smooth skin with his fingertips, he floated down to earth.  It all felt so right.

“Ari?”

“Hmm?”

“Where did that come from?  It was like I couldn’t control myself.”

“You felt that too?”

“Yes.”  She sighed and put her arms around his back.  “Ari!”  She pushed him off her and rolled him over on to his front.  Frantically she patted and smoothed his skin with her hands.  “Where are your wings?”

He tried to unfurl them, but he could feel nothing.  Gone.  The power of the universe that had always surged through his veins was absent as well.  Was it possible?  He thought back to that last text message he’d received, ‘The nature of her destiny is yours.’  Now he understood.  The Boss had heard his unspoken, half-formed wish to be mortal, and he’d been given this gift.  Kayleigh was his destiny.

He sat up and cupped her face in his hand.  “When I first saw your photo, I thought you were so beautiful that YOU COULD CHARM THE WINGS OFF AN ANGEL.  It seems I was right.  My Boss moves in mysterious ways.  You’re my destiny, Kayleigh.  You’ve made me mortal.  I...”  He heard the buzz of his cell phone indicating an incoming message.  He stood up and found his jacket where it had fallen next to the couch.  The message, when it came into view on the screen, made him laugh out loud.

Kayleigh had followed him into the living room, and he looked up at her, taking a moment to appreciate her nakedness.

“What’s so funny?  Who is the message from?”

He grinned at her.  “It’s from the Boss.  It says, “Have a nice life.  I’ll see you again in the next one.”