and shield her from the tumultuous feelings that were radiating from her. Anger, hot and fierce rose up within him . Amir realized , in an instant , that this was not just a reflection of what Shayla was feeling . Some of the anger was his own.
“ We came as soon as we heard,” Ronald said.
“ Shayla was in the hospital for weeks.” Amir heard the words spilling from his mouth before he could stop them. Never had he lost control of his own tongue, but his anger was so overwhelming, he could not seem to stop himself. “The hospital staff tried to contact you.”
“ We just returned from an Alaskan cruise this morning,” said Sharice, eyeing Amir warily as if noticing him for the first time. “Shayla, honey, who is this?” she asked, wrinkling her nose at Amir.
Shayla leaned into Amir, placing one hand in his possessively. “This is Amir,” she said defensively. “He is my…my friend.”
“ Yes, well, I’m sure Amir won’t mind excusing us,” Sharice said imperiously, pushing past them and making her way into the apartment. “I’m sure he’ll understand if we ask for some private time with our daughter.”
“ Your daughter whom you haven’t seen or spoken to in two years,” Shayla hissed from between clenched teeth. Amir placed a hand against her shoulder, nudging her mind with his to calm her. It was subtle, just enough of a mental push to ease her turbulent thoughts. He knew that this could not be easy for her, but he did not want her to say something she would regret later. She visibly relaxed, and Amir felt the muscles in her back go soft and pliant beneath his hand.
“ It’s all right,” he said with a little smile. “You need time to catch up. I’ll leave you to it.”
“ Will I see you tomorrow?” she asked, practically pleading with him.
Amir hesitated for a moment. He hadn’t thought he would see her again past this night. He had planned on relishing the evening with her before walking out of her life forever. “Of course,” he said, giving her shoulder a light squeeze before grabbing his jacket from the coat rack beside the door. “In the morning? Our usual time?”
She nodded and smiled. “You bring the éclairs.”
Amir took one last look at her over his shoulder before closing the door behind him. Her smile warmed his heart; he hardly felt the biting cold as he walked home.
“ We need to talk.”
Amir felt Sarah’s presence before he saw her. She was standing in the middle of his living room and had obviously been waiting for him. He wasn’t sure how long, but he figured it had to have been a long while based on the annoyance flickering across her features. Amir removed his leather jacket and hung it up neatly before joining Sarah in the living room. He indicated that Sarah should sit too, but she remained standing, her arms crossed over her chest.
In her angelic form, Sarah was one of the most beautiful beings he’d ever seen. As a human, though, her chosen form was decidedly plain. Her mousy brown hair hung like a straight curtain to her waist, her frame was long and rail thin. Her eyes, hazel with flecks of green at the center, were her most noticeable feature. Hers was a face that was easily forgotten. Once , when he’d asked her why she’d chosen such a plain form, Sarah had told him that she found humans to be too focused on outward appearance. As a messenger, she wanted people to focus on what she needed to say to them, thus her plain human appearance.
“ What is it you wanted to talk about?” Amir asked. “Obviously it was important if you felt the need to wait here for me.”
A frown pulled at the corners of Sarah’s mouth and creased her forehead. “You and I have worked together here on earth for a very long time,” she began, folding her hands behind her back.
“ Three hundred years, at least,” he commented.
Sarah nodded. “Yes, well, it is because of our long history that I feel justified in having this little talk with