Leda’s Log. A behind-the-scenes, slice-of-life look into the Legion of Angels, hosted by Leda Pandora, the Angel of Chaos.

Warning: may include abnormally-large cats and adorable baby angels.

In this entry, Leda and Nero finish up Valentine’s Day at home…and have a startling revelation.

Leda’s Log

Part 9: We Ran Out of Chocolate

“Well, that was certainly exciting,” Basanti commented, then casually sat down to finish her slice of red velvet cake.

After our visitors’ dramatic exit, dinner quickly wound down. It was late, and there had been way too much excitement for one day.

“She’s totally wiped out,” I commented, my gaze dropping to Sierra as we stepped into our apartment.

Nero carried her to bed, then tucked her in under her favorite fluffy blanket.

“Duckies,” Sierra muttered in her sleep. “Angel. Shadow.” She clutched the pink blanket with her adorable little hands. “Kittens.”

Angel jumped up onto the bed and lay down in front of Sierra like a shield, ready to guard her from anything and everything that might threaten her.

“Let’s hope the craziness is done for today,” I told the cat.

Angel gave me a very skeptical, very feline look.

“Yeah, I’m worried about her too,” I replied, sighing.

Angel stretched out her massive paws, revealing an impressive set of razor-sharp claws.

“I’m glad you have her back.” I petted Angel on the head, then Nero and I left the room—and left our daughter under the care of her guard-cat.

I followed Nero across the living room. Along the way, I paused for a quick pit stop at the kitchen counter to snatch a clementine from the fruit bowl.

“Still hungry?” Nero asked, amused.

He was already sitting on the sofa. I plopped down next to him. “Yeah, well, you know me.”

He nodded. “I do. Which is why I’m surprised to see you eating something not covered in chocolate.”

I stopped peeling the clementine just long enough to shrug. “We ran out of chocolate.”

“Now that doesn’t surprise me.”

I winked at him. “So,” I said, scooting closer. “How shall we spend the rest of Valentine’s Day?”

Nero didn’t answer.

So I tried again. “Shall I slip into something…” I licked my lips. “…way less comfortable?”

Still no response.

“Nero?” I tapped his arm.

He blinked. “Hmm?”

“Are you playing hard to get?”

“No.” His hand dropped to mine, capturing it. “I’m sorry, Pandora. I’m a little preoccupied at the moment.”

“With what happened at Storm Castle?” I asked.

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about what Cupid and Dreamcatcher said about you.” He watched me for my reaction. “That you’re the cause of their powers.”

“I’ve been thinking about that too.” I shook my head. “But I can’t see how I could have given them their powers. It’s not like I can snap my fingers at someone and—bam!—they suddenly have magic. I mean, that’s crazy, right?” I met his serious eyes. “Right?”

“I don’t think this happened because you snapped your fingers.”

“Ok, what then?”

“They said they got their powers a couple of years ago. The Great Battle for Earth took place a couple of years ago, Leda.”

“Huh.” I bit my lip. “I guess I thought that couple was just an expression. Not specifically two years.”

“There was a massive surge of magic that day,” Nero continued. “You tore open the Guardians’ Sanctuary. Angels and gods clashed on the battlefield. Seven angel offspring came into this world, all at once. And then there was the lingering magic of all those sacrifices that led up to that explosive moment. Everything converged that day. And when there’s a big convergence of magic, there are always consequences.”

“Like new powers,” I realized. “New kinds of magic.”

“Yes.”

The clementine slipped from my fingers. “You think I created new kinds of magic?”

He nodded. “I think you were the catalyst that allowed that to happen, yes.”

“You think there are more people out there, don’t you? More people like Cupid and Dreamcatcher with new powers?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.” I collapsed against the back cushion.

“I know this is overwhelming.”

“Overwhelming? How about life-changing?” I said, my laugh uneven, forced. “How many lives did I change that day, Nero? How many people did I change against their will?”

“We’ll figure it out.” Nero took my other hand now too, entwining our fingers. “But for now, we need to keep this between the two of us. We can’t tell anyone.”

“Yeah. No need to give Faris more people to hunt down and add to his Orchestra.” I tried to clear my gravelly throat, but it didn’t really work. “If Daddy Dearest knew what I’ve done, he’d probably try to figure out a way to make me repeat it, no matter how many people die in the process.”

“Yes. And that’s why we need to keep these new powered people a secret for as long as we can,” said Nero. “For all our sakes.”

“But how can this be the first time anyone is hearing about these people?” I wondered. “It’s been over two years. And uniquely-powerful people don’t exactly blend into the crowd.”

“Yes, that is a mystery,” he agreed. “But it’s one for a later date.”

“You’re right. If we investigate this too hard, we risk exposing those people.”

“There’s that,” Nero said. “And there’s the fact that it’s Valentine’s Day, so I want to be alone with my wife. I want just a few hours of just the two of us together without rushing off to save the world.” He cast a long, leisurely look down the length of me.

“I am totally on board with that.” I traced my hand down his chest—very, very slowly.

He caught it. “I have something for you.” A small square box, ivory-colored with a black bow, appeared in his other hand. “A Valentine’s Day gift.”

I peeled back the lid of the box, peeking inside. “Oh, Nero,” I gasped, grinning, “you shouldn’t have.”

To be continued…

Two Cats Hard at Work, Standing Guard.

Well, Leda opened up a huge can of worms there, didn’t she? Or was it Pandora’s Box? 😉

The Angel of Chaos is taking a short break from her Log next week to save the universe yet again (aka the release of Demon’s Mark, the next Legion of Angels book).

But don’t worry! Leda’s Log will soon return with crazy cats, baby angels, and much more!