This chapter is dedicated to my BFF, buggypetty, who's having her birthday this weekend!! Happy Birthday to you and enjoy!!

Elle's POV:

The end credits roll, and Jack and his friends leave, thanking us for the movie. When they all leave, I lean against the door, fighting off a headache. Cole comes in and puts his hand on my shoulder tentatively, looking me in the eyes.

"You okay?"

I nod, walking back into the living room with Cole behind me. Ralem and Zaach are talking like old friends.

I lean into Cole's ear. "Should I be worried about your brother?"

He shrugs. "A little. Not quite 'mothers, lock up your daughters', but pretty close."

The two hear us whispering and turn to face us.

Zaach looks confused. "I thought she was leaving."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Did you think the one room that has girl clothes in it was Ralem's or Cole's?"

His eyes sparkle mischievously. "So you have a girl living with you, brother? What a change from the Angel who wouldn't look near a girl he liked. What happened?"

Cole looks to me to see if he should tell them, and I realize neither of the two of them know that me and Cole are Soulmates.

"Zaach, Ralem...me and Elle are Soulmates."

The two angels sit in awkward silence until Zaach interrupts. "Well, that explains it."

Ralem stands up. "How do you know?"

"Well, we kinda formed the Bond." They both stare at us in shock.

"Do I have a horn sprouting out of my forehead or something? Quit staring at me!" I raise my voice slightly at the end.

I sit down between the two men and they edge away.

"What was that for?"

Ralem scratches the back of his neck. "Cole gets pretty violent when he's angry, and I have a feeling just us sitting on the same couch as you is getting him upset."

I turn to Cole, raising an eyebrow. "Why, Cole, does somebody have jealousy issues?"

He blushes and looks away bashfully. "No..."

I smirk at him, unbelieving of his hesitant reply. "Mm-hmm. Sure." I turn to Zaach. "Why were you trying to kidnap me?"

His eyes dart frantically and he turns his head away. "Your dad told me I had to or he would kill me. He said he had a bone knife. But I never would have done it had I known you and Cole were Soulmates." He holds his hands in front of himself, palms out, as if to prove his innocence.

"Did he say how many knives he had."

He tugs at his collar, uncomfortable. "He said he's only had one but he's never had to use it. That he'd only use it on an angel that crossed him."

I exchange a worried look with Cole. "Either he's bluffing or he got a new one."

Zaach looks at me, confused. "What?"

"He tried to kill Cole, and I shielded him with my wings. It turned to dust. So again, either he's bluffing or he got a new one. Did he show it to you?"

Zaach shakes his head and I laugh wickedly. "Well, I gotta hand it to my dad. Taking me to all those card games is gonna help. I can see right through his poker face."

Cole speaks after a moment of silence. "What are we gonna do, then?"

I stand and grab my coat and phone. "We're going over to my parents' house, and I'm gonna call my dad's bluff."

They all stand, grinning wickedly. Peas in a pod.

Zaach rubs his hands together in anticipation. "I'd like some revenge. You aren't nearly as bad as he made you sound."

I open the door, and Ralem and Cole leave to the parking lot, but as I move to leave, he holds my arm.

"I wasn't kidding. Your dad made you sound really, really bad."

"Thanks. But I think we had better go. Your brother's telling me to hurry my...um...behind...up. We should go. I can tell he's getting upset." He holds the door open for me to walk out, and I sprint to where Cole and Ralem stand, waiting for us. Zaach catches up to me, and we decide to fly to my parents' house since it's almost 10 p.m. and none of us have cars. As we take off, Cole shoots a smirk and a message through the Bond.

Does somebody like their wings?

I roll my eyes. Gee, how'd you guess? Was it the fact that I volunteered the flying option?

He nods slightly, shooting a half grin my way.

I roll my eyes and glide on an updraft, rising above the others in our group. Me and Cole tuck our wings in slightly, seeing my parents' house ahead. Ralem and Zaach follow our lead, going slower than us to allow us a marginal lead.

I land a few streets from the house, and hear the soft patter of feet that tells me the others have landed. I take the lead, with Cole, Ralem, and Zaach behind me. I see my mom's car pull onto the road and whisper for them to duck their heads.

"Why?" Cole whispers back to me once my mom's car passes.

"It was my mom's car. I'm sorta glad she'll be gone. She won't have to watch what's gonna happen to my dad."

Cole steps beside me, laying a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to do this if you don't want. We can handle it."

I stop and turn to face him. "Just because I'm your Soulmate doesn't mean you have to treat me like a China doll." I raise an eyebrow, daring him to test me. "See?"

I gently shove him on the chest, and he staggers backward, pretending to oblige me.

He clutches his chest as if he's been shot. "Yep, I can see."

I laugh and pull him close, entwining his fingers in mine. I hear someone exaggerate clearing their throat, and I turn around to see Zaach leaning against a fire escape.

"Some of us are lonelier than an ace, so if you two could not go mush-gush on us, that would be great."

I roll my eyes, and narrow my eyes at him. "Like you've never had a girl. Cole told me about the one in Miami." His eyes widen in shock.

"How...he was never there!"

Cole's expression mirrors his brother's. "I never told you about any girl in Miami."

I smile, both wicked and coy at the same time. "Nope. I just guessed."

Zaach's face screws up into a snarl before leveling out into an impressed smirk. "Clever. Why do you get the evil Soulmate? I don't want a goody two-shoes."

He pouts and I yank him forward by his jacket.

"See? That's what I'm talking about! See?"

He gestures frantically at where I'm pulling him by his jacket, and mouths the word over and over again. "If I may say so, you're quite pretty when you're pissed." He smirks at me and I shake my head, somehow disgusted and amused at the same time.

I drag him a little faster, and by the time I let go, we're almost at the house. Ralem and Zaach look around, and I know how they feel-underdressed.

Zaach doesn't waste any time in voicing his opinion. "Geez. Someone had some serious silver spoonage syndrome."

I nod as he almost walks up the wrong driveway. "Are you saying your parents live...there?" He points up a gentle slope, to the top, where a sprawling mansion climbs across the landscape. A Mazzerati is parked in the driveway next to a dirty, splattered Ford Camry.

The boys all look at me, silently questioning the dirty car.

"What? I didn't want a Ferrari or a Porsche, so I got that one. Come on, we'd better get this over with. I don't want my mom to hate me, too."

We stomp up the porch, and I ring the doorbell. I hear the booming footsteps of my father coming down the main stairway, and my escorts form rank around me.

My father slams the frosted plexi-glass door open, and I see his face.

He looks like he's aged a decade since this morning: his eyes are bloodshot and watery, like he's been crying. His face is drawn and weary, and his shoulders are slumped In defeat. His face briefly lights up, and when he begins to talk, his voice is slurred and halting. He's been drinking.

"Oh. It's you. Come on in, Ellie-Bear." He scuffs his feet as he walks away from the door, signaling for us to follow. Zaach raises an eyebrow, curious at how me and my dad are on speaking terms all of a sudden. I shrug.

I'm genuinely confused myself, as a matter of fact.

He leads us into the kitchen, and I blink back tears from happy memories: birthdays, vacations, promotions. But the tears spilling aren't joyful, but bittersweet. The dynamic between my father and I will always be different than before; closer to good friends than family.

Cole rests a hand on my shoulder, and I cling to it, laying my head on it and wiping away fresh tears with my free hand.

"Dad, why are you drinking?" I scoop up the innumerable liquor bottles and caps, beginning the daunting task of closing bottles and putting them away, or throwing away empty ones. I throw more away than I put into the cabinet, and most of the bottles in general are vodka and whiskey.

Our little incident probably did a number on him.

He turns to face me, anhe almost loses his balance on the stool. Ralem steps up and leans into his back to hold him.

"Hon, I am so sorry for what I did. It was stupid, I'm stupid." He burps and collapses onto the table, alternating between sobs and drunken hiccups. Zaach imitates my dad, grabbing the discarded bottle and swinging his weight around like he's offbalance.

I snatch the bottle from him and slap him. Even if me and my dad are in rough water right now, he's always been and always will be my dad.

"Hey! What was that for?" He takes a sip from a whiskey bottle, his face screwing up in a grimace. "You'd think rich people'd have good liquor. But nope, not in the house Elle grew up in."

I turn to glare at him. "Are you even old enough to drink?"

He nods. "Oh yeah. Last time I checked, 3,000 years old meets and beats 21." My eyes widen in shock. I know I'm Soulmates with an angel, but a guy thats over a hundred times my age? Yeesh.

"Wait, so you guys stay, like, 17 forever?"

He nods, a confused look playing onto his face. "Yeah. What'd you think happened?"

I shrug. "I dunno. Maybe you guys live out lives like everyone else, but you have the mamories of your previous lives."

Zaach looks at his brother, shocked. "Did you tell her anything, brother?" He answers my question after berating his brother. "You're thinking about trans-eternals. They're basically mortals, but they're reborn everytime they die. They have a closer connection to their soul than most people, so they also have access to all their soul's memories from all their lifetimes."

I'm about to ask another question when my father turns, almost falling off the stool. I grab under his arms, hefting him back up to sit on the cushion.

"Can you guys help me get him up to his bedroom?" They all nod. Cole grabs my father's feet, Ralem scouts in front to make sure all the paths are clear, and Zaach volunteers a neverending stream of chatter to drive me and Cole crazy.

I roll my eyes as we reach my father's bedroom and set him on the bed. Zaach rambles on about why our wings can carry us so easily.

I turn to face him, annoyed and desperate for silence. Anything, as long as it'll shut him up.

I press my finger to his lips, shushing him. I smile wickedly and pull away, and he grins too. He's about to make a comment, but his lips won't move. They're tinted with a light blue sheen, and I begin to laugh. I double over as he tries to pry it off with his own magic.

I wile ters from my eyes and begin to explain it to him: "The physical connection made the seal unbreakable unless I want it to break. Sorry, but you're gonna be quiet for a little longer." I hear a snarky comment in my head and turn to Cole, angry.

"I closed his mouth, not yours! What the hell?"

"Elle, that wasn't me. Actually, I was sorta happy you shut him up."

I slowly turn to face Zaach, the reality of the situation sinking in. His face is paler than mine, and I'm sure that if he could move his mouth, his jaw would be hanging open.

Zaach's voice sounds again in my head. What's going on?

I roll my eyes. Look, I plugged your mouth, not your ears, okay? None of us know what's going on.

He nods his understanding, and Ralem runs in, out of breath and panting.

"What happened?" I help him up as he catches his breath. His wings whoosh out but they look different...even dangerous.

"Your mother just pulled into the driveway, and she looks maaaaad. She's holding a leather holster. I think she has a knife."

I gasp. I realize that my mother might be the reason my dad attacked me and Cole. Actually, my step-mother. She never liked me, and even tried to get my father to abandon me once.

I duck over my father, a tear dripping down my face. I had it all wrong.

"I'm so sorry, Papa. I'll make this right, I swear."

I turn to face the group of angels gathered around me, and feel my wings release from my shoulder. They feel heavier, stronger than my normal wings.

I clench my jaw and hear my blood rushing by my ears. My exprsssion hardens to a steely neutrality.

Cole and his brother do the same as me and Ralem, their wings shining with a hazy silver film added to their normal colors. I change my frilly halter top into a simple longsleeve teeshirt, and roll the sleeves up to my elbows.

"My mom was fooling us all along. My father never wanted to hurt me or any of us. My step-mom was making him. I don't know how, but she did. We have to stop her before she makes my father do something unfixable. None of you have to do this. Itcs my battle, not yours.

"I won't hold it against you if you don't want to get mixed up in this."

Cole steps forward, a deadly smile plastered onto his face. "No one tries to kill my Soulmate and get away with it without getting messed up."

Zaach asks me to take off the seal from his lips, and I oblige. "There must be a reason we formed a Bond, and I'm not letting some bitchy cougar kill you. At least until we figure out why we formed a Bond. Then you're fair game, in my opinion." He smiles jokingly, a light switch flipping inside his face and lighting it up. "Just kidding. She's not killing you, period."

I turn to Ralem, who's already begun to speak. "And I want a chance to form a Bond. It'd be nice for some background noise for a change." He grins at me daringly and flicks out a small dagger, playing with it in his hand.

These are my friends. They're willing to fight for me, even if they don't know exactly what they're fighting for. I couldn't ask for more.

**********

We stand in wait in the front foyer, and I can't stop the wave of dejà vu that washes over me. I see Cole tense on the other side of the hall, and I know he feels it, too.

We hear the jangle of keys, and the dejà vu intensifies. My mother opens the door and turns to close it, not even noticing we're there. We all release our wings, the ones fit for a war. My mother turns to face us in surprise, then a demeaning sneer dominates her face.

"Oh. It's you. Zarachiem, Michoel, Faraelem.

"Elle." She says my name with an arrogant sneer in her tone, and her eyes flash lethally.

"What do you want, Elle?"

She leans against the door, inspecting her cuticles. My eyes flicker to a holster hanging at her hip, where a flash of ivory chills my blood to ice.

My mother really was going to kill us. Or my father.

I lean into Cole's ear. "Will a glancing hit from the knife kill us?"

He nods slightly, and I sigh, creating a skintight energy shield against each of us. Her eyes narrow at me, and she pulls the knife. Cole and Ralem rush towards me, but I hold them away.

She laughs mirthlessly and waves the knife skillfully. "Well. Somebody outgrew their little dress of cowardice."

I reply with my own snarky comment, unable to bite my tongue. "And somebody else had their's tailor-made, it seems." She stutters for a reply as I hold her gaze, my expression level and calm.

"Diane, give me the knife."

She clutches it closer to her chest, and I think I see a shadow move behind her. She never touches anything past the handle.

A long-shot plan forms in my head.

Zaach. I try to impart a sense of urgency into my plea. Can you sneak up on her and surprise her? Make her cut herself?

I can almost see his smug expression. Of course. Keep her distracted, though.

I nod my head, hoping he can see me. I turn to where he was standing. Now, there's only a haze of blue, moving fluidly. I try to stall my mother a few minutes longer.

"Why don't you like me, Diane?"

"Why would I? Your father always paid more attention to you then me, no matter what I did."

"I'm sorry, but why wouldn't he pay attention to me? I'm his only daughter." I feel tears begin to constrict my throat, and I blink the tears away, her indignation stoking the angry flames in my heart.

"But why did you try so hard to get him to abandon me? To give me up for adoption?" By now, Zaach is perfecting his position behind my step-mother.

I'm ready when you are, Elle. Say when.

I narrow my eyes at my step-mother, fighting a smile. "Well, I hope it was worth it."

Now.

The next few seconds blur together. Zaach roars from behind my mother, and the knife flies out of her hands as she flinches in surprise. I make gloves for my hands and catch the knife, flipping it to hold it by the hilt. Zaach saunters over to stand beside me, smiling arrogantly at my step-mother.

"You little brat! What I did to your father was for both of your's own good! The world would be better if you angels weren't here."

Cole snarls beside me. "Or trans-eternals like you."

I gasp, shocked for about the fifth time today.

My step-mother...

Is a trans-eternal.