Cole shed a small tear. "I'm happy for you and your son. But that too was taken from me. My wife was pregnant when she was murdered."

Anariel slowly leaned in and opened her arms, hugging Cole. Despite her distrust of humans, she sympathized with him. She understood his pain of love lost.

"I require a reading," Anariel demanded as she released him from her arms.

"A reading?" Cole asked.

"She wishes to peer into your future," Zafira said. "While your fate isn't predetermined, angels have the ability to see all the possibilities. She wants to be sure her feather isn't going to be used for some other malicious purpose....