Chapter 23

**Gabriel**

I felt nerves burn in my stomach, as I looked over at Harper. She was so beautiful, she had to know it. And she was mine? Part of me still thought it was a cruel joke that she was really invested in. But when she squeezed my hand, her beautiful blue-grey eyes turned to mine, and I could feel the depth of her love. And although it was a little frightening. It felt right. She turned back toward the sky and her white wings arched up impressively and with a single push-off, she was up into the sky. I took two running steps and followed her into the sky. I felt my heart got with her as she moved up into the clouds. I followed after her, and she rolled through the clouds like she was born of them. I followed her in and out of the moisture barrier. She lowered her altitude as we approached the forest, and I followed after her. I lowered myself to that she was in my shadow and I ran my fingers over the arch of her wing. Her head turned and she smiled up at me. Diving down into the trees and my breath caught in my throat. It was dangerous to try and fly through a dense amount of trees. And I felt the anger and need to excel right up inside her mind.

And I understood, it was a challenge to her and she needed it. I reached out to try and stead her mind, but she pushed away softly. She wanted to do this, I showed her a mental picture of the clearing ahead of her. I would wait there for her to be done. I shot forward and the break in the trees was easy to see from this height. I dropped into the sweet-smelling grass, keeping a tight tab on her mind. Checking for fear, pain, or shock. I sat down and picked a couple of strands of grass from the ground. Twirling them in my fingers. I heard wings approaching about 4 minutes later. She landed in the clearing and she looked unhurt, but she was tired. Worked, and her wings were sore.

"Rest a moment," I patted the ground next to me and she collapsed on her back breathing hard.

"That should be a part of the training, that was intense. I definitely underestimated how hard that was." I chuckled and moved over so she was able to rest her head on my lap instead of the ground. She stared up at me, and I could see the conflict in her eyes.

"Talk to me, Harper. Please." She sighed and closed her eyes. I ran my fingers through her hair trying to soothe away her.

"I don't know if I want to know if my father is a demon? I mean for as long as I can remember I have thought he was human...how could he lie to me?" I felt so sorry for her dilemma. I mean I may have had problems with my own father, but at the same time, I always knew what I was. It didn't matter to me if she was half-demon, half-angel. She was still my angel.

"I don't think he meant to actually lie to you, I mean you never asked I am assuming, so he never told. A lie of omission if anything, but if you need training for your new talent, then we should face this together. You don't have to face it alone." She looked up at me and her eyes were filled with water. She touched my hand that was on her head.

"Thank you." I smiled at her trying to ease her anxiety.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a demon when we first met?" I pursed my lips and took a deep breath. It wasn't something I advertised.

"Should I wear a button? That just tells everyone what I am so no one is confused?" It came out a little harder than I had meant it to. She sat up from my lap, and I saw the tension in her shoulders.

"I'm sorry..." I reached out for her and she looked over her shoulder at me.

"I am struggling with what I am? Does it change who I am because my father may be a demon? What is this power that you and your father think I have? I have so many questions and you are worried about if I wouldn't have liked you if I had known?" I huffed a sigh.

**Harper**

Anger and hurt coursed through my veins. I didn't think I made him any less the man I loved, it changed everything I had ever thought about myself. Wasn't that enough to cause me some emotional distress? How was I going to face my father and ask him if he had lied to me? And if he told me yes? Did that change anything? What if he said no?

Gabe's phone started to ring, and I turned back to curl my arms around my knees. He was quick on the phone, and then came around to sit in front of me.

"I don't want to fight, I just...want you to understand that it doesn't have to change who you are...you are still my angel, my light, the woman I love." My eyes snapped up to his. Love? We hadn't spoken it yet...

I mean we have felt it, in our hearts and minds. But we haven't put it into words.

"Love?" His body language changed to nervous and shy. He wasn't worried about me being angry at him anymore. He was worried about me rejecting him.

"Well...yes. I don't want you to think that I am trying to rush you, but I do love you, Harper...I love you so much that it...scares me sometimes..." He is afraid of his emotions for me?

"Scared?" I needed clarification.

"Yes. I am terrified of the enormity of the emotion inside me, and most of it is good. Warm and loving. Some of it isn't so nice, jealousy, fear, and protectiveness are always constantly at battle inside me." He had looked down and away from me, but I knew he was still focused on me. A moment of silence stretched out between us.