As they walked the small pathway leading to the front door of the cabin, my heart began to race. Where am I? Who exactly is Jev? Why am I in such danger? With so many thoughts rushing in and out of my mind, I had to halt myself before I ran right into Jev's back since he was standing at the door unlocking it. As he pushed the door open and crossed the threshold where he turned on the light, I stood back and debated whether I should try and run. Now that I was out of the tight intimate space of the truck, my mind was replaying everything that had happened so far and, to be honest, it was freaking me out. I was about to turn and make a break for it when his arm was at my waist guiding me into the cabin.

"Welcome to my humble abode." As he retracted his arm around my waist and made his way to the fridge, I took in the sight before me.

The cabin did not look like much from the outside, but on the inside it was the coziest and warm looking space with an open concept that she had ever seen. It had a rather bohemian feel to it with all the multi-colored rugs, drapes, blankets, and mismatched furniture that all oddly tied into one another. As you stepped into the entry of the cabin, to your left was the kitchen, which had dark cherry cabinets, black granite countertops, an island for prepping with two stools, and stainless steel appliances. Leaving the modern piece of the house behind, to the right of the entryway was a staircase that lead to the second floor master bedroom, which was open and took up the entire second floor. Since the second floor was open and balcony-like, from what she could tell his mismatched style that flooded the rest of the cabin was carried up there. When looking straight on from the entryway, you could see the living room with all the furniture pointed toward the fireplace with a flat screen above it. The amount of windows was astonishing and little exposing.

"What do you think?" As I spaced back into the here and now, I realized that Jev had been by my side for quite some time now with two drinks in his hand watching me observe his cabin.

"It's so cozy. What's to drink?" The liquid within the glasses looked like tea, but she wasn't sure she wanted to risk taking a drink of something from a stranger, because that is what he was an hour ago.

"Sweet tea, I hope that's okay with you?" I do like sweet tea, just not stranger sweet tea. I didn't want him to assess how uncomfortable I had become so I decided to simply take the drink and pour it out when he wasn't looking.

"Yes, that's fine. Thank you." While taking the drink from his extended hand, I noticed a tattoo on his forearm. "What's that?" I pointed to the mark.

"Oh, it's something that I received when I fell, it's a mark to let others know." Jev pulled the sleeve of his long-sleeved shirt the rest of the way up to showcase the mark. It was a long black feather that stretched across the meat of his forearm and looking harder, in white ink, was the word Fallen written in beautiful calligraphy under the stem of the feather.

"It's beautiful, but what do you mean when you fell?"

"Rayne-"

"How do you know my name, I never told you it?" This was really starting to get weird and the pull that she felt from the door was becoming greater, even though she also felt a pull on her heart for Jev. Wait. How did she already feel a pull on her heart for Jev? They just met!

"Rayne, you need to sit for a minute because this is going to sound crazy and downright impossible." He motioned for her to sit on the comfy looking grey sofa in the living room but she made no move. "Alright. Well, I'm your guardian angel. Or was, I was your guardian angel before I fell to earth."

"Angel?"

"Yes, Rayne, I was your guardian angel. I know this is hard to imagine-"

"That's why it felt like I was flying when you saved me on the pier. I felt weightless and safe. Were we flying?" She had felt so secure in those arms when the ocean never swallowed her and the uneasy feeling she had in her stomach at that time was the exact same she got when she flew in an airplane and when he crazy friend made her skydive in North Carolina.

"Yes." Jev was standing directly in front of her with his eyes glued to her face to watch every expression that crossed it and the emotions behind her eyes.

"Why did you fall?"

"I fell for you, Rayne. I fell because my emotionless heart started to beat in the heavens for you while I watched and protected you from afar. You were my mission, my item to protect, and under the rules of the heavens, by no means are guardian angels allowed to love humans, let alone the one they protect. But I couldn't stop it. I couldn't stop my smile from spreading across my face when I watched your life play out and my feelings for you bloomed into something I never expected. Your smile hit me every time you laughed with friends, your bronze curls made me swoon when you would tuck a lock of it behind your ear, and those gray-blue eyes that scanned the night sky pierced my soul. When He discovered my feelings for you growing into something more than just a feeling of possession, I fell. My white wings turned black like that of onyx and I fell for a very long time. This tattoo showed up when my bare feet hit earth for the first time in my life because my wings are invisible to everyone but me, other fallen angels, and those above. It's a sign to humans that I should not be trusted."

"Oh." What else was I supposed to say? This man, Jev, this former guardian angel, my guardian angel, has loved me from afar for quite some time and I've only known him for an hour and a half. Sure I feel safe with him and I won't deny that I know my heart races when we kiss, but I don't love him. Not yet…

"I know this is a lot to take in, Angel, but you had to know. I've been on earth for three years now debating on whether to find you or just run to the opposite end of the earth from you. You're presence would find me no matter where I was though, I always felt your presence when I slept and it drove me insane, to the point where I had to see you in real life up front. The day you turned twenty-one, you went to a bar called The Lucky Rabbit and I was there. I had been making my way to find you, but then you found me and we met and talked for hours to the dismay of your friends. But I felt unsure, I didn't want to taint you with my soiled hands, so I erased your memory of that night. I was planning on staying away from you until I felt the presence of something that wanted to harm you, so I kept my distance for two months but watched out for you. Then today, at the pier, I noticed how potent that harmful presence was and that was when you fell and I saved you."

"That explains why I couldn't remember my twenty-first birthday, I thought I had just gotten black-out drunk." This information was all so much to take in; my heart is beating like the speed of light, my stomach hurts, and my head feels lighter than air. The last thing I remember is chuckling and Jev's concerned face coming for my slumping body before all the lights went out.