Kaia lay on the floor with the pillow under her head and the duvet pulled over her. She kept telling herself she should get up and do something, but she just didn't want to move. She could not remember the last time she had felt so comfortable. The thick carpet below her was warm and comfortable, the duvet was so soft and cozy, like sleeping under a cloud. Someone tapped at the door, making her jump. Sitting up, she called out. 

"Yes?" 

"Just me. Can I come in?" She smiled, recognizing Cassiels' charming voice. 

"Yes, of course." 

He walked in, narrowly avoiding stepping on her. Blowing a lock of green-black hair from his green eyes, he looked from her to the bed. 

"Something wrong with the bed?" 

"It was too soft." 

"I'm not sure we have hard ones." He frowned as he spoke. 

"I'll get used to it. It felt amazing when I first got in." Lifting the duvet, she grinned. "I love this. It's so fluffy and warm." Cassiel laughed. 

"Wait till you discover satin sheets." She looked at him questioningly, but he shot her one of his charming smiles. 

"Marie tells me you might like to go for a walk outside. I have come to offer my company and give you these from Marie." He presented her with a big floppy sun hat and a white cotton dress.  

Kaia held her arms out and twirled in the brilliant sunlight. Feeling its warmth on her again made her feel giddy with excitement. Cassiel laughed as he watched the childlike woman practically dance in the sunshine. There was something about her he found so endearing; maybe it was her amazement at everything he saw as being so normal. Even the sunglasses had at first baffled, then amazed her. Stumbling, she caught Cassiels' arm and held it for support. Patting her hand he smiled at her. 

"Shall we take a turn about the ground?" 

"A turn?" 

"Walk. Shall we walk around the gardens? Well, not all of it. It's acres and your muscles need time to recover. But over to the lake?" She nodded and smiled back at him, having no idea what an acre was, but a lake sounded good to her. Holding her hand on his arm, Cassiel walked leisurely so as not to tire the hind. 

"Who else lives in such a huge building?" Kaia pointed to their grand old Manor house. 

"Me, my eldest brother Gabriel, Azrael, another of my brothers. Winston, who you met yesterday, also Marie and her mate Duncan. Raphael and Rouge live here part-time, well at the moment, but they prefer the Hidden Isle." 

"Rouge told me of the Hidden Isle and their cabin in the woods. It sounds peaceful." 

"Do you like the woods? We have some just past the lake. It's not huge but it's a nice leafy retreat. I grow bluebells there in spring, my mother spent a lot of time there." She squeezed his arm a little. 

"I'd love to spend some time in them if I am here long enough." He glanced down at her. 

"Where do you plan to go when you leave us?" Kaia went very quiet. Where would she go? Her sisters were gone. Her woods likely were too from what Rouge had said. She didn't know anyone but these kind people. Sensing her sudden misery, Cassiel squeezed her hand comfortingly.  

"There is no hurry for you to leave here, Kaia. We have plenty of rooms, and my brother is sworn to Zeus to help any creature in need. Marie would probably tie you to the bed frame if you tried to leave before you've put weight on and have adjusted to this time anyway. So really, no rush. Find your feet and spend some time.in our woods." Feeling tears prick at her eyes the hind sniffed. 

"You are all so kind." 

"What can I say? I can not stand to see a woman in distress. I simply must ride in on my white steed and sweep you off your feet and save the day." He chuckled as she looked at him in confusion. "Don't worry, after your time. Everyone else thinks I'm a bit mad, so you're in good company." She had no idea what he meant. Her feet were at the ends of her legs, woman in distress? White steed? Mad? He didn't seem angry.

"What do you mean your brother is sworn to Zeus?" She was studying Cassiel from under the hat's huge brim and behind the glasses. He was tall and thin but muscular, his black and green mixed hair was down to his shoulders, and he had the bright green eyes of a nymph that stood out against his pale white skin. In her day, Heracles, with his black curly hair and beard, along with his bulging muscles, was considered the apex of a good-looking man. But in her opinion, Cassiel was more pleasing to look at with his clean-shaven, slightly squared jaw and regal-looking nose. He had such an easy way about him, and she found herself wanting to blush when he smiled at her. 

"He's a Commander in the Olympian army. Runs the South East of England." 

"He's a soldier?" 

"Yes, for Zeus. None of the rest of us are sworn to the cause, well Duncan and Marie are now. But the rest of us just follow Gabriel's lead. Head of the family and all that" 

"If I still had my bow, I would join his cause as a thank you for saving me." 

"You don't want to swear yourself to anything like that too quickly. It's a lifetime gig. There's a tattoo and everything." 

"Artemis already marked me when she gave me my bow. I am already sworn to the Goddess." 

"Artemis herself?"  Kaia nodded thoughtfully. "You've met the Goddess?" 

"More than once." She said absently, maybe she would join an army like this Gabriel was in. She had no sisters and no home now. She wished she still had her bow. Maybe Artemis would want her service?

"Wow. I'm impressed. I've only ever met Eros, Psyche, and Hercules." 

"Heracles?" She spat the name as she let go of his arm and leaped back. 

"Your friends with Heracles?" Cassiel was baffled and held his hands up in surrender to try and ease the suddenly angry and distraught doe. 

"I've met him at my friend's club. He looks down on hybrids like me. We're definitely not friends." Kaia watched him for a moment.

"Hybrid? Is that a mongrel? You say it like it's bad." 

"I'm half Vampire, half Nymph. Vampires are considered lesser creatures. He doesn't associate with our kind." 

"He is a half-human, a mongrel. And is no one to look down on anyone. It was him that took me from my home. It was him that gave me up to Mab. It was him who stole my bow." Tears were suddenly running down Kaia's face as she shouted louder with each word. "He ruined my life and made my Goddess abandon me. I will see him dead. I will see him dead." Her shouts became muffled sobs as she crumpled to the floor suddenly overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

In the house, Gabriel listened; he could have sworn he heard someone shouting. Listening for a moment more he shrugged, it was quiet now, so he returned to his papers that were scattered over his desk. 

Cassiel enveloped Kaia in a huge hug as she cried and fought against him. But she was no match for his much more powerful body and succumbed to his warm embrace as she began to cry. Centuries of hurt and misery suddenly crashed out of her like a tidal wave. 

"Why did he do that? Why couldn't he have left me alone? I never hurt him." She sobbed the words into Cassiels chest as he stroked her back and muttered soothing whispers. 

"I hate him. All I wanted was for the goddess to take me too, to be with my sisters. I hate him. He got to be a God, and I got left in a prison. It's not fair. He took everything from me. He even took my bow from the Goddess." Cassiel held and soothed her until the tears dried up, and she was just leaning against him still and quiet. 

Kaia had no idea how long she'd sat in a heap on the grass with Cassiel holding her. She sniffed and pulled back from him. 

"I'm sorry." Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he handed it to her. 

"Don't be. You're not the first woman I made cry. You're not even the first woman in this house right now I've made cry." He gave her one of his most charming smiles as she dried her eyes. "Plus, I think if anyone has a right to cry over the crappy hand, they've been dealt in life, you definitely do. I think I would have gone quite mad if I'd been alone as many centuries as you." Helping Kaia to her feet, he put her hand back on his arm. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone; you're obviously a strong warrior. Crying doesn't make you less of one." He gently squeezed her hand. "So tell me. How do you feel about cake?"