Echo of a Bird's Cry

THE VICTIM EDEN NOVEMBER 5

I've kept to myself for a few days. Angel seemed upset with me after the Halloween party debacle. I kept my distance. Ashely will try her best to manipulate him and everyone I love. I need him on my side. He won't be if there's any doubt between us. Honesty is essential to our relationship. I will be honest. One painful truth at a time. What's the point of having a soulmate if you can't share your secrets with them?

I stop by the kitchen and pour Angel a cold glass of lemonade. He's playing fetch with Sandy outside. It's hot for November as usual. We are in the South.

Sandy runs up to me. I swiftly doge her jumping paws before she knocks the glass out of my hand.

Angel lifts a questioning brow as I hand him the glass. "You cater to me when you want something."

I blink my lashes at him. "I want you to stay hydrated."

He presses the glass to his mouth and guzzles down the lemonade. "Uh huh. You're buttering me up. What do you want?"

I lean into him, kissing his cheek. "Don't be mad at me."

He wraps an arm around me. "I'm not mad at you. I'm worried about you."

"But you've barely said anything to me in the past few days."

"I thought you wanted space. That was my intention. I wasn't trying to ignore you. You seemed irritated after Halloween."

I press my lips to his, kissing him. He smells of citrus and masculine musk. He tastes like freshly squeezed lemons and sugar. "But not with you."

He sets the empty class on the ground and wraps both arms around my waist, lifting me off my feet. His mouth is on mine and my fingers are in his hair. He kisses me so passionately we both tip over and land in a bed of sun-dried leaves. We laugh as we roll in the grass. I land on top of him. We pluck maple leaves from each other's hair. Sandy barks and leaps for joy.

He pinches my chin and kisses me again. "The most beautiful woman in the world."

"I love you."

He skims his supple lips down the curve of my jaw and back up to my ear. "Love you, too."

I twiddle the dark strands of his hair between my fingers. "Nothing comes between us. We won't give anything that power. Nothing comes in-between our unity, Angel. We stick together no matter what. The good. The bad. The worst. We stay connected through it all."

He gazes at me. "I'm not going anywhere, brown eyes. You have my loyalty and heart. I stand with you whether you're wrong or right."

"There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"It's about my biological father."

"I'm listening."

"I found him."

"How?"

The sun beams against his face, showcasing the natural chestnut brown highlights in his dark hair and the starburst of hazel green in his brown eyes.

"Darrius is my father."

His brows furrow. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know," I whisper. "He told me the night Evan died. I couldn't quiet process it so I kept it to myself."

"How do you feel about it?"

"I went to my mother's house to get her old photo album." My fingers trail over the straight bridge of his nose. "There are photos of him and my mother together. There are love letters hidden within the backboard of the photo album. The letters are addressed to my mother and written from Darrius. I read them all. He loved her and me. He wanted us both but my mother was petrified of Curtis. She couldn't escape."