I plan to give it up.”
Shayla leapt to her feet, her hands clapped over her mouth. Her heart leapt, and her stomach plummeted. “Give up being an angel? I can’t let you do that!”
Confusion flickered across his face. “I thought that you would be happy. If I give it up we can be together. If I don’t, then nothing can ever come of this. I’ll lose my mind with wanting you and knowing I can’t have you.”
“ But what you do is so important! You saved me. How many others have you saved?”
“ Hundreds,” he said. “Too many to count. But the life of an angel come to earth can be lonely, and after having a taste of what companionship and love truly feel like I don’t think I could ever find contentment with anything else.”
“ Love?” It was the one word that had never been said between them. Shayla hadn’t wanted to say it, no matter how much she had felt it in her heart.
“ Yes love,” he said, coming forward and grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “It will be a great sacrifice, but it will be worth it if I can spend the rest of my life with you. I’ve never felt this way before Shayla, and I doubt I will ever again.”
“ I don’t understand,” she argued. “You’ve been alive for how long?”
“ Five hundred years, though I’ve only been on earth for three.”
“ Only three hundred?” she snorted. “And in all of that time you’ve never felt anything for any woman? Not even lust? How is that possible?”
Amir chuckled and kissed her forehead lightly. “Let me explain. Angels are not instinctual creatures like humans. You are born with a need for love, affection, and companionship. You are already programmed with all of your emotions. Angels learn emotion based on their experiences. If an angel has never felt anger, then they never get angry. If they have never learned sadness, then they never get sad.”
“ So you’re telling me you’ve never seen another woman that made you feel like you just had to have her?”
He shrugged. “The feeling was completely foreign to me until I met you. Don’t you see, Shayla? This is why I know I’m making the right decision.”
“ I don’t want you to make this decision because of me,” she protested, fighting against the familiarity of his closeness. She was seconds away from giving in, from telling him to give it all up for her. The thought made her feel like the worst sort of person. “You may come to regret it, and I’m assuming you can’t go back.”
“ If I have you, I won’t want to go back.”
She shook her head, wrestling against the guilt that tore at her insides. “I don’t know,“ she began. His lips lowering over hers effectively ended her protest. She melted against him, drunk with the intoxicating power of his kiss. It felt as if it had been forever since they’d kissed and now that she had him again she couldn’t possible dream of letting him go.
“ Shayla, do you love me?” he asked when he’d pulled away.
“ Yes,” she whispered breathlessly, still clinging to him. “Yes, I do.”
“ Then there is nothing left to talk about. I’m doing this.”
“ When?”
“ I intend to finish my last assignment tonight.”
Shayla’s eyes widened before a slow smile crept over her face. “I want to come with you.”
“ I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. Most of the time I have to do my work undetected. If I have you with me, it increases my chances of being seen.”
She grasped his arm tightly, gazing up at him with pleading eyes. “Please, Amir. If you’re going to turn your back on this, I want to see what you’re giving up for me. I need to see it for myself.”
Amir didn’t want to do it, but he understood Shayla’s reasons. He could always manipulate the person’s memory if he needed to afterward. He took her hand and they walked toward the door together. “All right , but I must warn you, we won’t be
Shayla leapt to her feet, her hands clapped over her mouth. Her heart leapt, and her stomach plummeted. “Give up being an angel? I can’t let you do that!”
Confusion flickered across his face. “I thought that you would be happy. If I give it up we can be together. If I don’t, then nothing can ever come of this. I’ll lose my mind with wanting you and knowing I can’t have you.”
“ But what you do is so important! You saved me. How many others have you saved?”
“ Hundreds,” he said. “Too many to count. But the life of an angel come to earth can be lonely, and after having a taste of what companionship and love truly feel like I don’t think I could ever find contentment with anything else.”
“ Love?” It was the one word that had never been said between them. Shayla hadn’t wanted to say it, no matter how much she had felt it in her heart.
“ Yes love,” he said, coming forward and grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “It will be a great sacrifice, but it will be worth it if I can spend the rest of my life with you. I’ve never felt this way before Shayla, and I doubt I will ever again.”
“ I don’t understand,” she argued. “You’ve been alive for how long?”
“ Five hundred years, though I’ve only been on earth for three.”
“ Only three hundred?” she snorted. “And in all of that time you’ve never felt anything for any woman? Not even lust? How is that possible?”
Amir chuckled and kissed her forehead lightly. “Let me explain. Angels are not instinctual creatures like humans. You are born with a need for love, affection, and companionship. You are already programmed with all of your emotions. Angels learn emotion based on their experiences. If an angel has never felt anger, then they never get angry. If they have never learned sadness, then they never get sad.”
“ So you’re telling me you’ve never seen another woman that made you feel like you just had to have her?”
He shrugged. “The feeling was completely foreign to me until I met you. Don’t you see, Shayla? This is why I know I’m making the right decision.”
“ I don’t want you to make this decision because of me,” she protested, fighting against the familiarity of his closeness. She was seconds away from giving in, from telling him to give it all up for her. The thought made her feel like the worst sort of person. “You may come to regret it, and I’m assuming you can’t go back.”
“ If I have you, I won’t want to go back.”
She shook her head, wrestling against the guilt that tore at her insides. “I don’t know,“ she began. His lips lowering over hers effectively ended her protest. She melted against him, drunk with the intoxicating power of his kiss. It felt as if it had been forever since they’d kissed and now that she had him again she couldn’t possible dream of letting him go.
“ Shayla, do you love me?” he asked when he’d pulled away.
“ Yes,” she whispered breathlessly, still clinging to him. “Yes, I do.”
“ Then there is nothing left to talk about. I’m doing this.”
“ When?”
“ I intend to finish my last assignment tonight.”
Shayla’s eyes widened before a slow smile crept over her face. “I want to come with you.”
“ I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. Most of the time I have to do my work undetected. If I have you with me, it increases my chances of being seen.”
She grasped his arm tightly, gazing up at him with pleading eyes. “Please, Amir. If you’re going to turn your back on this, I want to see what you’re giving up for me. I need to see it for myself.”
Amir didn’t want to do it, but he understood Shayla’s reasons. He could always manipulate the person’s memory if he needed to afterward. He took her hand and they walked toward the door together. “All right , but I must warn you, we won’t be
Similar Books
