THE TRAGIC + DIVINE, Book 1 Read online

  “Already finished?” he peered up at me through his glasses.

  “I have to go to the bathroom,” I said walking away without letting him answer. I raced down the empty school hallway and out the back door toward the parking lot. Milo flashed me a dazzling smile when he saw me, in return, I smiled back excited to see him. I slowly sauntered over to him trying very hard not to run.

  “I know what you’re going to ask,” he said reading my mind. “I’m here for you.”

  “I was in the middle of class,” I said through a smile.

  “You’re a bad girl,” he purred. He pulled me in, my lips parted. I inhaled his intoxicating scent of earthy musk and peppermint, then rested my forehead on his.

  Damn. If only he knew the effect he had on me. I felt his lips softly brush over mine, his kiss gentle at first then it sunk further into my mouth. I temporarily got lost in my senses, quivering under his touch. Milo’s lips tasted of cherry Chapstick and sweet peppermint gum. My knees turned to pulp again. No one has ever made me feel so weak and powerless.

  Seconds later I was sitting on the back of Milo’s motorcycle driving away from Dixon and into the scenic mountain roads. The trees were covered in amber colored leaves dancing in the warm Indian summer breeze. Extending an arm out, I felt the air flow through my fingers, enjoying every second. For the first time in a very long time, I felt happy.

  Milo drove for another thirty miles until we reached an unmarked road made of dirt and gravel. About three miles in, he parked the motorcycle in a small clearing in the woods. Without saying a word to me, Milo disappeared into the brush. I was alone.

  “Milo?” I panicked.

  “Over here!” he hollered.

  I followed his voice through the brush shoving branches out of the way until I reached a lake. The water glistened in the mid- afternoon sun without a ripple in sight. The picturesque mountains in the distance made the scene look like something straight out of a painting. Milo was waiting for me inside a mini cruiser boat hidden in a cove.

  “Is this your boat?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I bought it a few years ago from a retired vet.”

  I scanned the body of the cruiser and stopped to read the name on the back of the boat.

  “Rolling Stoned?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.

  “Did I mention he was a big Rolling Stones fan?” I shot him a suspicious look.

  “Okay, so he was a bit of a stoner.” Milo gestured toward the boat. He took my hand while he steadied the boat with his foot as I climbed on board.

  “Where are we going?” I asked taking a seat.

  “You’ll see.”

  Despite its size, the tiny boat was luxurious: white leather seats, shiny wood trim, and wood floors. Milo started the engine to the cruiser then he slowly backed away from the wooden dock. I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of the fiery-colored trees unfolding before us. I’d been living in Dixon for seven years now, and I’d never visited any of the lakes nearby. Hell, I hadn’t left Georgia since we arrived, with the exception of my Quince party in Mexico. While the kids at school migrated south to the sandy beaches of Florida during Spring Break, we’d stay home because my mother had to work and couldn’t afford to take a vacation.

  We cruised down a curvy river to an unknown destination as the warm breeze blew through my hair. I sat quietly allowing the serene sounds of nature soothe me.

  “It’s so peaceful,” I noted closing my eyes absorbing the warm sun rays.

  “I love it out here,” Milo said.

  “Tell me where you’re taking me?” I asked again this time eagerly.

  “Be patient.”

  We entered a remote cove where Milo slowed down and parked the boat on a sandy beach. He lowered the anchor into the water from the back of the boat, then walked to the front, jumped off and tied the cruiser to a tree. When he came back, he helped me jump over the water so I wouldn’t get wet. I landed softly on the sand.

  “We have to walk from here,” he said, indicating to the woods.

  We climbed through a rustic, unkempt trail for about twenty minutes as the woods closed in on us until we approached a rocky wall blocking our way that looked like it’d been there for over a hundred years. I thought Milo was lost, but he climbed over the wall reaching out for me. I was hesitant at first, the wall was there for a reason; we obviously didn’t belong on the other side. But I sighed, took his hand and climbed over anyway.

  After a short walk, the sound of rushing water grew louder until we reached an old dilapidated train bridge overlooking a massive waterfall. I gazed at the white water cascading down into a blue-green basin. Streaks of sunlight filtered through the dense trees resembling something out of a fairy tale. And the best part, we had the whole place to ourselves.

  “Wow,” was all I managed to say.

  Milo stood on the edge of the bridge calculating the drop. “Now we jump.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” I looked down at the thirty-foot drop suddenly feeling anxious. “The water could be shallow, not to mention it’s probably freezing,” I complained, but Milo wasn’t giving in. He kept his hand out, waiting, a crooked, mischievous smile spread over his lips.

  “Isn’t there another way to get down there?” I pleaded. My eyes drifted to his back; his wings were retracted. “Or maybe we could fly down the way we did at Stone Mountain?” I hoped.

  He kept his hand out patiently waiting for me to join him. What he was suggesting was crazy. I wasn’t immortal like him; I could die upon hitting the water—or drown. I wasn’t a strong swimmer, my dad tried teaching me, but that was a long time ago. I was maybe five years old?

  “Trust me,” he said his eyes turning soft. It was a look that had the power to melt my worries away.

  I chuckled with nerves. On any typical day, with a normal human being, I would never be stupid enough to jump. But I took a little comfort that I was there with an angel. I didn’t believe for one second Milo would let anything bad happen to me. So, I gathered up the courage to stand by his side, even though I was scared AF, and chose to trust Milo with my fragile human life.

  “I better not die doing this,” I warned.

  “Just, relax,” he said without an ounce of concern we were about to jump thirty feet down.

  My body trembled with nerves, but I shook them off with laughter. Terrified of looking down again, I focused on the trees straight ahead and counted slowly to ten.

  One…two…

  “Ready?” He asked.

  Three…

  My eyes locked with his, I nodded…four…five. I closed my eyes…six. I stopped my mind from thinking and allowed my body to relax…seven…I felt my body lean forward, I lost my footing on the bridge and shrieked when my body felt weightless. My feet kicked around; my eyes tightly shut as the warm air rushed past my face. We accelerated faster and faster. My heart was pounding all the way down as I prepared to hit cold frigid water.

  But nothing happened.

  I opened my eyes and gasped. I was floating on top of the water. When I looked down, fish were swimming right below my feet.

  “How is this possible?” I asked. I gaped over to Milo who was flying in mid-air, his wings were fluttering like a hummingbird. He kept his grasp on my hand, and I felt a warm pulse of energy emanating from Milo’s hand to my fingertips.

  “I’m going to put you down,” he began. “Whatever you do, do not allow doubt to enter your mind, believe you can walk on water.”

  “Why?”

  “Because the moment you allow fear to enter your mind, you’ll fall.”

  Let go of fear, I thought. Stay calm, stay focused, in control. Cool. That should be easy—yeah right.

  The moment Milo let go of my hand and the connection was lost, I fell straight into the water. The water consumed me as I made impact, but it wasn’t cold. It was surprisingly warm for October.

  Instinct took over as my arms moved to swim up. Once I broke the surface, I desperately gasped for ai
r. When I opened my eyes, Milo was swimming right next to me.

  “I’ll race you to the shore,” he said swimming away from me. Taking a deep breath, I swam after him. I felt the burn of every stroke in my muscles. Milo swam gracefully ahead of me as I tried hard to keep up. Once we reached the shore, my feet pounded in the water, and I saw the perfect opportunity to tackle Milo while his back was to me. Running after him, I jumped onto his back, but Milo quickly twisted me around and took me by the waist. Losing my balance, I fell on the sandy beach as Milo landed right on top of me.

  Milo tucked a strand of wet hair behind my ear, his eyes intently skimming my face, the tension rising between us. We didn’t say anything, and for a short second, I stopped breathing. I thought—hoped—he would kiss me again. Instead, he pulled me up by the neck into a sitting position.

  “I can’t believe I just did that!” I exclaimed, breaking the silence. “How is this possible…I mean—” I glanced at Milo who looked calm, then it clicked—“you’re telekinetic.” I shook my head and smiled. “What else can you do that people don’t know about?”

  “If I show you, I’ll have to kill you,” Milo said with a wicked smirk.

  I frowned; a spark of fear shot down my arms but I laughed it off. “Come on, I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

  “I don’t think you’re ready to see.”

  “I’ll do whatever you want me to do.” I bit my lip when the words came out.

  Milo flashed me a wicked grin, then said, “Anything?” I flushed.

  “As long as it’s PG-13.”

  Milo chuckled softly. “For every ability I show you, every question I answer, you have to take a piece of clothing off.”

  My stomach flipped upside down. “Are you serious?”

  “Dead serious.”

  Questioning whether it was worth the trouble, I took off my sweater. “There. Your turn.”

  Milo smiled with satisfaction. “Are you ready to see something that’s going to blow your mind?”

  “Yes,” I replied eagerly.

  Milo waved his hand in the air, his face fully concentrated. “Do you see it?” he asked.

  “See what?” I looked around confused. The cove was bathed in a beautiful golden light, the water continued to cascade into the basin, but nothing happened. I followed my gaze with Milo’s. I saw nothing. Then with one tap of his finger, a transparent wall wiggled like Jell-O in front of me.

  I gasped. “What is it?”

  “It’s the veil of protection. Before we revealed ourselves to the world, the veil obscured our presence from human sight.”

  I poked the wall causing a ripple of waves. “How did Angela see you?”

  “Angela has the sight. Only psychics and those who have the sight can see beyond the veil.”

  “That’s how she saw you the day you saved her brother.” I realized.

  Milo nodded and looked into the water.

  “Are all the angels telekinetic like you?” I asked.

  Milo’s gaze lingered on me expectantly as if to remind me of our wager. I growled under my breath and rolled my eyes. I took off one sneaker followed by my sock this time as Milo’s smile faded to disappointment.

  “One sock?” Milo raised an eyebrow.

  “You said a piece of clothing. Last time I checked, socks are part of the list.”

  “We’re going to be here a while,” he groaned.

  “So? My question?”

  Milo buried his elbow into the sand stretching his body making himself comfortable. “No, just me and Alva.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it. Now it’s your turn.”

  I let out an annoyed sigh then removed my other sneaker and sock.

  “Is that why you’ve been keeping your true identity a secret?” I took the pamphlet out of my back pocket and tossed it on the ground next to Milo. His eyes momentarily glanced at it with serious consideration. I could have sworn there was a tiny hint of panic in his expression, but he brushed it off as quickly as it appeared.

  “I had a feeling you kept that,” he said in a controlled voice. But I could tell there was anger boiling inside of him. “It’s propaganda.”

  “You said I could trust you, Milo. You told me you would never lie to me.”

  The conversation quickly turned serious. Milo refused to look at me.

  “Non-serviam?” I asked pressing harder for answers. “I will not serve?”

  Milo kept his eyes on the water, jaw clenched. The game was definitely over.

  “Are you a fallen angel?” I asked in a whisper.

  “I am…that I am.” The words slowly rolled out of his mouth. My lower lip quivered not in fear but anger. My mind suddenly became alerted. This entire time, the angels lied to us.

  They were the fallen angels from the Bible; sinister evil creatures who preyed on young women.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of me.” Milo reached for me, but I pulled back. Hurt crossed his eyes.

  “Oh yeah? Give me a good reason why?” My body tensed in fear this time. I had to figure out a way to get off this cove. Fast.

  “I am not what you think I am.”

  “An evil angel with a plan to take over our world?” I said getting up, picking up my shoes, socks and sweater. I walked past Milo in the direction of the woods. He didn’t try to stop me.

  “If you stay, I’ll tell you everything. I’ll tell you where we came from.”

  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear what Milo had to say, but it was enough to catch my interest, so I stopped and slowly turned around.

  “You’ll answer all of my questions?” I asked. “No clothing coming off?”

  Milo slightly smiled, then nodded. I dropped to the ground near him keeping my distance.

  Milo took a deep breath before he said a word. “We are light beings from a different realm up there”—he pointed at the sky— “what you call heaven, we call Eden,” Milo said.

  “So, you’re…aliens?” I asked, studying his face.

  He chuckled. “We prefer the biblical term, angel. At least we were until…we became fallen.”

  My mind grew foggy with confusion. “You mean to tell me the story of the fallen angels in the bible is true? Lucifer is real?”

  “We were cast out of Eden for breaking the one and only rule that was given to us. We were forbidden to have physical contact with humans. But it proved to be too”— he drew his gaze over me—“tempting.”

  Stunned and overwhelmed, I drew my knees up to my chin and hugged them.

  “When our Father found the Earth, humans were already here. We don’t know where you came from, or how you were created. The humans of those days were primitive beings who didn’t understand logic or speak a language. They used sound to communicate. Our Father decided they needed guidance and education, so he sent the Grigori angels to teach them reasoning, to watch over them,” Milo explained. “Over time the Grigori were regarded as Gods by humans. They loved the attention so much they became lost in their selfish pursuit of power. Led by the angel Azazel, the Grigori began to lust over the daughters of man. So, they sinned. They mated with human women who later became pregnant and died shortly after giving birth. Their bodies were too fragile and could not survive the birth of a giant child.”

  “The Nephilim,” I stated swallowing hard at the seriousness in his face.

  “Yes, the Nephilim.”

  “That’s why there was a flood? To get rid of the Nephilim giants?”

  Milo nodded. “The giants were cannibals who raped and murdered many people. They had no conscience. When our Father saw this, he knew they needed to be destroyed.”

  “What happened to the Grigori angels?” I asked.

  “He stripped them of their power and cursed them to crave the flesh of humans forever. He cast them out of Eden and were forbidden to return.”

  Chills ran up my spine. I realized I’d been holding my breath as Milo spoke. When he became silent, I exhaled. There was a question that nagg
ed my thoughts, a question I was afraid to find the answer to. But I needed to know.

  “Were you a Grigori?” I finally asked.

  “No.” He assured me. “I was an Archangel.”

  “Like Michael?”

  He smiled at my surprise. “Yes.”

  “What’s Eden like?”

  “Eden,” Milo began, a painful expression crossing his face. “Is more beautiful than Earth.” Milo’s eyes became soft at his memory of Eden. “The lake waters are crystal clear, the mountains vast and green. The air always smells of crisp, fresh linen free of pollution. It’s never cold there. Evil doesn’t exist, sadness, or sickness. The angels live together in peace.”

  “Is that the reason you come here? It reminds you of Eden?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you miss it?”

  “Every day,” Milo said sadly then turned his face to the sky.

  I felt terrible for him, but I couldn’t help but wonder why an angel would leave paradise to come to a world filled with darkness? I wondered what or who caused his fall from grace.

  “Milo,” I began afraid to even ask the question. “Why did you fall?”

  Milo grew quiet considering my question, and I could tell he didn’t want to answer. “Are you sure you want to know?”

  “Yes,” I lied. I really didn’t want to know. But I needed to know.

  He grew quiet again, thoughtful this time. Without looking at me, he replied, “A girl.”

  My heart sank. I looked away trying to hide the jealousy written all over my face. I hated myself for feeling this way.

  “Angela?” I asked dryly.

  “No, not Angela,” he replied. “The girl underneath the oak tree. I still remember the day I first saw her,” he continued nostalgically. “I’d stumbled into her yard because I was thirsty. There was a birdbath in the middle of a beautiful garden, she was reading underneath an old oak tree. Although she couldn’t see me, I could definitely see her.” He smiled; his eyes distant. “I became enamored by her innocent beauty, her rosy cheeks, I kept coming back to see her day after day.” Milos face quickly darkened. “That’s when the cravings began. An unexplainable hunger stirred deep at my core. It consumed my thoughts, my body. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I had never felt anything like it before. All I knew in that moment was that I had to know everything about her…” Milo trailed off then grew silent again.