Saving Her Angel (Archangels) by Missy Jane

relief in comparison.
    He grinned. “I know you’re not an idiot. But strictly speaking, I’m not supposed to reveal my true nature to anyone. It’s against our unwritten rules.”
    “Will you get into trouble?”
    “No. Mike will understand. He might give you a hard time about it though. Just be honest. We can tell immediately if someone is lying.”
    “What else can you do?”
    He sat on the coffee table again, only a foot of space separating them.
    “Telepathy, telekinesis, moving between one realm and the next, superior senses and strength. I can look at most people and know at once if they’re good or evil, for the most part. Very few are solely one or the other. You’re a rare exception.”
    That almost made her forget his list of unbelievable abilities. “Oh?”
    “You radiate pure goodness. Like freshly poured snow, your aura glows white as a beacon in the darkness around you.”
    A shiver raced down her spine, and she shook her head. “No. That can’t be true.”
    “I assure you I would know if it wasn’t. You’re one of the kindest, gentlest, and most caring people I’ve ever met. Why wouldn’t you believe that?”
    She hugged herself tightly, and her breath hitched. “You don’t know. You don’t understand. I was bad… I was a very bad little girl.”
    He shook his head, pulled her arms open, and held her hands. “I find that very hard to believe. Remember, I’ve encountered millions of humans throughout my existence. I know what true evil looks like, including bad little girls. You’re not one of them.”
    “But I…” She pulled her hands away and stood, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. She couldn’t look at him when she confessed her greatest sin. She couldn’t stand to see him look at her with hate and distrust. “I’m the worst kind of person. When I was little, I killed my mother.”
    Breathing became a struggle, and her lungs burned with the effort, but she had to let him know the truth. The image of her as a beacon of purity and light was ridiculous considering her past. Shame infused her like an ache in her bones, and she couldn’t bring herself to face him again.
    …
    Even as his heart raced at her words, Cam knew Eleanor’s statement to be false. But the conviction in her voice and eyes, her very aura, told him she wholeheartedly believed it to be the truth. Had she somehow been given false memories? There were too many possible scenarios to guess.
    He stood and grasped her elbows, steering her back to the sofa. “Why don’t you tell me everything that happened? I need a full explanation, from the beginning.”
    She sat but immediately shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to think about it, to remember. It was so horrible. I just can’t go back to that ever again.”
    His frustration conflicted with his urge to care for her. Her emotions were all over the place and volatile. Shame and guilt warred with fear and anger. Pushing her right now could have dire consequences.
    “Getting it off your chest might help.”
    She covered her mouth on a sob and shook her head again. “That’s the counselor in you talking.”
    Unexpected anger hit him. “No, this is your friend talking. I care about you. You know that.” She gave him a strange look, and he felt her skepticism. Did she honestly think he didn’t care about her? He gave in to the urge to close the distance and sat beside her. She watched him warily as he ran a finger down one side of her face. “I really do care about you. Any time I might have seemed distant, it was because I was trying not to get too close to you. Now that you know about me being an angel, I don’t have to worry so much about distancing myself from you.”
    She glanced down at her lap as he dropped his hand. “Just maybe give me some time, huh? I need to…get everything straight.” She grasped her head in both hands. “In here. I’ve pushed the memories away for a very long time. I need to think