Chapter 1

I had no time to speak to Dimitri and Jean about their problem, as I had to be in Alynthi for my promotion. Tonight, they would make me an angel and I couldn’t wait. Unfortunately, only father could come with me as he was a god, unlike my mother. I could tell it saddened her as she helped me prepare for the ceremony.
“Are you sure I cannot come along?” Mother asked, brushing my hair as though I were a child.
“Darling, we’ve been through this last night.” Father kissed her temple. “It’s for gods only, but I promise to fill you in on every detail. Even the tiniest ones.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” He ran his hand up and down her back. “You two finish up in here. I’ll wait in the living room.”
Once he was out of sight, I got to my feet. I was bejeweled in strings of the finest pearls. Rings and bangles clinked whenever I moved. Even the tiniest movement resulted in the production of sounds. A white silk dress was draped over my body, leaving very little to the imagination. Clasps pinned the garment at my shoulders; exactly how it was supposed to be. My silver hair fell upon my shoulders—a thing that often differentiated me from the rest and reminded me of whose daughter I was.
Mother cupped my cheeks. “You look beautiful, my dear.”
“I take after you, don’t I?”
She smiled. “You do, but I’m prettier.”
This was something she did frequently. “Is that so?”
“Of course.” She moved to the corner of the room. “Look at me.” She struck a pose, putting one hand into the pocket of her skirt and looking away like model did. “Do I look like a mum to you?”
“Yes.”
She frowned. “How about now?” She leaned against the wall and slightly lifted one hand up. “Now?”
With a smile, I responded. “You still look like a mum.”
“Your father would disagree with you.”
I shrugged. “He’s supposed to. He is your husband, after all.”
“Whatever.” She paused, staring at me for the longest time before speaking. “My baby girl is all grown now. By midnight, you’ll become an angel and in two days, you’ll turn twenty-one. In a few weeks, you’ll be queen.”
“I’m excited.” I admitted. I couldn’t wait to continue from where she stopped.
“So am I. But don’t you think you’re growing too fast? I’d like to do things with my little girl, you know. Go shopping, talk about boys, and makeovers. Those kind of things.”
“Talk about boys?”
“Yes, or don’t you have a man in your life?”
“I don’t.”
She gasped. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, mother.”
“A woman as beautiful as yourself is still single?” A frown was entrenched between her eyebrows. “Wow.”
I shook my head at her. “We’ll talk about this when I return.”
“We have to.” She hugged me. “Congratulations, sweetie.”
“Thank you.”
She led me downstairs where father was already waiting with his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans. When he set his eyes on me, I swear, tears glistened his eyes. He was proud, I could tell.
“You look enchanting,” he said, wearing a big smile. “So beautiful.”
“Thank you, father.” I glanced around the living room. “Where is Jean? She promised she’d come see me.”
“I’ll go call her.” Mother spun to climb up the stairs.
I stopped her. “No need. I’ll leave now.”
Mother seemed to notice my disappointment. “Honey, it won’t take long. I’ll just call her quickly.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. She’s probably tired.”
Father clapped my back. “Don’t get emotional, Caidyn. It’s a big day for you. Let nothing ruin it.”
“I won’t.”
“That’s my girl.” he took my hand. “Shall we?”
“Yes, we shall.”
<<<>>>
When we arrived at Alynthi, everyone was gathered around. Other gods who were to be made angels as well were present already. The members of the council were yet to arrive. They would do so when it was exactly midnight. In the meantime, father and I weaved our way through the crowd of gods and goddesses to go see someone. My aunt, Fitia. It sounded a little absurd to call her my aunt, but that was who she was to me.
It was quite easy to spot her because of the moon upon her head that served as a crown. She also wore white garment not because she was to be made an angel. It was her color. She smiled when she saw us.
“Look who it is.” She said, paying no mind to my father. “Caidyn Romero. My beautiful niece.”
I bowed my head. “Greetings, aunt.”
“Greetings. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Maybe a little excited.”
“I like your spirit.”
Father cleared his throat. “I’m here, too, you know.”
“I have nothing to say to a man who has not come to see his sister in years.”
“Fitia,”
She glared. “Don’t say my name.”
“I’m sorry, okay? Believe me, I wanted to-”
“You wanted to? Oh, please. Spare me that.”
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“How? You’ll get me a car? Great. The goddess of the moon will drive a car around Alynthi and honk loudly.”
“I’ll get you Azrasil.”
Azrasil was the god of music and it appeared aunt Fitia liked him. Father’s offer seemed to calm her down because she became interested in what he had to say.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. He’s my friend, remember?”
“Good.”
Father patted her arm, and she rolled her eyes. “Where is Aspro? I don’t see him anywhere. I can’t even sense his energy.”
Fitia’s eyes fell. She was sad. “Aspro has not come to Alynthi since Caidyn was born.”
“He hasn’t?” I asked. “Where could he have gone to?”
Since the beginning, I always knew the truth. Even before my parents told me. I knew father wasn’t the one who got my mother pregnant. It was his brother, Aspro. I had never seen him before, but if I were to see him, I’d instantly know he was the one. Hearing he had not come home to Alynthi bothered me. A lot. Where was he?
“I do not know, child. He seemed to have gotten rid of anything that could be used to trace him.”
“So, for twenty years, my brother hasn’t come home and you’re just telling me?”
“Maybe you’d know if you came home.” She retorted. “Don’t put this on me.”
“I will put it on you. You should have told me.”
Fitia kept mute.
“We have to find him.” I said, “Please. I have to know if he is okay.”
I had questions for him. Why didn’t he stay? What forced him to leave me? Did he not want me?
The story of how I was conceived often made me believe my biological father never wanted me. Things happened because he and mother wanted to save aunt Melody’s and Dimitri’s lives. I wasn’t planned. I was an accident.
“The last time I saw Aspro was through my water. He was speaking to a woman he called Myla.”
Myla?
Who was that?
“Myla?” Father questioned, obviously as confused as I was. “Do I know this Myla?”
Fitia shook her head and made a circle in the air, and a mirror appeared. At first there was mist, as if hiding whoever was to be shown in this mirror. Fitia swiped her hand across the screen and the mist disappeared. Then, I saw a man with features similar to mine. He resembled father, too. I did not need them to tell me he was Aspro, my father. And like she said, there was indeed a woman Aspro was speaking to. Tall, light-skinned, brown hair and brown eyes. I would wave her off as a mortal, but there was something in between her eyebrows. A sun that glowed.
“I believe whoever Aspro called Myla is inside of this woman.”
“Like a possession?” I asked.
“Exactly.”
Although this Myla person was the topic of the conversation, I could stop myself from drinking in my biological father’s appearance. Did he leave me and my mother for this Myla? Was she the reason he abandoned me? I wanted to know.
“Caidyn,” Father hissed, motioning to the storm cloud above my head. “Stop it.”
I lowered my head, hoping to let go of the annoyance and hatred that was forming for this Myla. I did not know her yet, here I was, brewing hatred in my heart.
“Is something wrong?” Fitia inquired, putting her index finger underneath my chin to lift my head.
A lot was wrong.
“I want to see my father. I want to know why he abandoned me.”
“Honey, Aspro did not abandon you.” Father said, coming into his twin’s defense. “My brother would abandon no one. I’m sure there is an excellent explanation for what’s going on. Don’t think too much of it. He’ll show up someday.”
“Yes, but in the meantime, let’s go join the others. The council will be here in a few seconds.”
When we returned to join the gods and goddesses present, it did not take long for the council to appear to us. Instead of their usual black cloak, they wore golden colored robes that flowed like a waterfall. Their heads were not covered and I could see every one of them. Including my grandmother, Selene.
Medros, the former god of vampires, began. “Today, we gather to reward our kind. A thing of joy for them and for us as a whole. It is pleasing to see that young gods and goddesses are taking their responsibilities seriously and because of this, we are gathered to make them part angels.” He stretched out his hand and a bowl of water appeared in it. “We shall begin with a goddess we have never had since the beginning of time. She, like none other, has been devoted to her people and has carried out her responsibilities like a veritable goddess. Caidyn Romero, demigod of Night and Shadows, please step forward.”
I breathed deep before making my way to Medros, ignoring the stares I got from the rest. I was a demigod. The first and only in existence since my twin passed away. It was understandable that they’d stare at me as though I had wings growing out of my butthole.
I bowed before Medros.
“Wash your hands in this water if you have done no wrong; if you have told no lie to this council.”
Without hesitation, my hands drew closer to the water, but a name came to mind when I put my hand in the water.
Lucien Dracmon.
I had broken one rule Alynthi held dear; never let a mortal see your true form without permission. Even after Lucien did, I did not kill him. Instead, I erased his memory. If they were to find out, they would never make me an angel. It took me several years of hard work and I could not sit and watch it slip through my fingers because of a stupid mortal. So, I made it impossible for them to read my mind before washing my hand in the bowl.
As I did, I felt an itch on my back. Soon, it grew into a pain I could not stop and I fell to the glittering floor. I saw father try to come to my aid only to be stopped by Fitia. I guess they found out about what I did. My thought however, changed when something tore through the material that covered my nudity. I curled up on the floor, my teeth gritted. I did not scream nor shed a tear, but anyone who saw me would know I was in an immense amount of pain. I could hear the tremulous beat of my heart in my ears as the pain grew, becoming more antagonizing. Then suddenly, it stopped.
The gasps from the surrounding people instilled fear in me; a feeling I wasn’t used to. What was wrong?
“She looks like death.”
Death?
“Rise to your feet, child.” Medros said, “It is done.”
I carefully got to my feet because of the ache in my back. Once I was standing upright, I flexed my wings. I still hadn’t seen what they looked like, but the constant gasps and murmurs worried me. Selene stepped forward and made an enormous mirror appear before me.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.