Descent (A Hidden Wings Novella: Prequel) Read Online Free PDF Page B

amulets known to both men and Angels. This stone will give its wearer protection, power, and health. Wear it always my daughter, for there are many evils that abound in your world.
    There is a small mark on the back of your neck, which is the mark of your descent. Keep it hidden, especially from those who ask. Knowledge of this mark could lead to death.
    My wish is that fate will one day bring us together, for it has been a weighted burden upo n my heart. There are many troubling and perplexing circumstances which have kept the distance between us, but always know this… I love you, and have always loved you, my beautiful Alaine.
    Keep s afe,
    Your Father
    **********
    Alaine sat on the edge of her bed and read the letter over and over countless times, to the point that it became embedded within her heart and mind. It was so simple, yet filled with so many complexities.
    Her fingers brushed the back of her neck in search of the mark he spoke of. She wondered why a mark of descent could lead to death, but she couldn’t question something she could never find answers to. Her mother mentioned a strange birthmark there, but it was very small, and easily concealed by her hair, so she’d never given it a second thought. Now, she would be sure to keep it secret.
    Why, a fter all of these years had her real father chosen to make contact with her?
    How could he have known where she lived or knew her name, without any type of contact? But the biggest question that reeled in her mind was that of the transformation. What kind of transformation? This one question would drive her crazy with wonder. 
    Alaine loved the Gray’s with all of her heart. They raised her like she was one of their own, and she trusted them completely. But there was a feeling, deep inside of her, which was telling her that she shouldn’t share the contents of this letter with them. That this letter was to remain a secret between her and her blood father, whoever he was. 
    Plus, A laine knew her mother well. She knew if she let her mom read the letter, she would freak out, and cops would probably be involved. That was something Alaine didn’t want to deal with, especially on her eighteenth birthday. 
    Up until this moment , her birth parents were merely a passing thought. Alaine did wonder who they were, and what they looked like, but her thoughts never lingered because of the love the Gray’s had given her. But now, after reading this letter, they would be all she could think of.
    When Mr. Gray came home that evening, he confirmed the necklace wasn’t from him, and assumed it was from one of her friends. Alaine nodded in agreement, although she already knew the truth. 
    That night she locked her windows tight, and pulled the curtains shut. She wasn’t sure if her father had actually delivered the box himself, or if someone else delivered it for him. But, the thought of someone entering her room, without her permission, made her feel uneasy.
    Alaine tossed and turned and sleep did not find her easy that last night before her eighteenth birthday. Questions bombarded her mind. Questions she had no answers to, or how to find them.
    She took the delicate necklace from the box, and held it in the palm of her hand, staring at the stone as if something magical were to happen. She wondered if it was, in fact, a real Bloodstone. An amulet of power and protection from the days of Christ.
    She closed her hand over it, and as she did she felt warmth encompass her. Her muscles loosened, her brain became numb, and her eyes became heavy. In a matter of minutes, she fell fast asleep. 
    The next day was just as normal as any other, and she didn’t feel any different. Alaine got dressed, ate breakfast, went to school, came home, and quickly finished her homework. Throughout the entire day, her mind would not let her rest, and kept her wondering about the mysterious letter and her even more mysterious birth father. 
    Her best friend Jessica had planned a small birthday