Jessamy

Jessamy — First appearance in Archangel's Kiss  / She is co-lead with Galen in "Angels’ Dance", first printed in Angels' Flight.

Introduction

Jessamy is the "teacher" at the Refuge and mate of Galen. One of her wings was deformed at birth leaving her earthbound. Jessamy is beloved by all of the angel children that she teaches. Besides being a teacher, Jessamy is a Scholar and a Historian—the Historian—recording the histories of all angel-kind.

About

Species

• Angel

Age

• over 3000 years old
• "Angels’ Dance": a little over 2,500

Powers, Skills & Abilities

• taught herself to fly small airplanes and helicopters so she could fly in secret
• vital to the refuge
• speaks over 100 languages
• speaks at least a hundred languages, and has such a depth of knowledge the Cadre comes to her for advice and information.

Weaknesses

• born with a twisted left wing that makes her unable to fly

Occupation / Position

• Historian to Angelkind
• Teacher of angel children
• often councils members of the Cadre, knowledgeable about angelic politics

Character / Personality / Traits

• Wise and gentle, Jessamy is an angel who knows struggle and heartache but is strong enough to keep her battles hidden from public view.
• Jessamy was smart but with too tender a heart.
• has always felt alone, haunted by her inability to fly
• gentle and kindhearted
• Loved by the young and respected by the older

Habitat / Residence / Origins

• The Refuge (Raphael's region)
• Origins: born into Caliane’s region of the refuge
• Stayed a year at the Tower when still surrounded by wild country

Physical Description

• tall and painfully thin, Jessamy has pale, gold-dusted skin
• shining chestnut brown hair braided into a long tail down her back
• long chestnut hair and burnt Sienna eyes.
• her wings are "magenta, blush and cream" but her left wing is deformed which restricts her from flight.
• luminous smile
• tall even among Angelkind. 
• ethereally beautiful
• gold dusted skin
• wings of magenta, blush and cream

Named Students: Current or Past

• Naasir
• Sam
• Saraia
• Azec
• Illium
• Aodhan

Etiquette Students:

• Elena Deveraux
• Izak
• Janvier
• Ashwini

Angels She Didn't Teach

• Galen
• Jason

Love Interests

• Galen — 400 year long love affair

Connections

• Mother: Rhoswen
• Father: (unnamed) took her flying, loved her
• Husband: Galen—weapons master and one of the Seven.
• Chosen Family: Naasir
• Apprentice: Andromeda
• Closest Friend: Keir
• Friends: Andromeda
• Allies:
• Enemies:

Other Details

• Teacher of the young angels at the refuge for over 2000 years. 
• Raphael held a soft spot in her heart from the time he was a child—had such a delighted laugh as a boy.
• Her home: full of flowers, thick creamy carpets, children’s drawings framed and hung with care, this place carried her imprint—a woman didn’t easily walk away from a place she’d made so much her own.
• Has a clifftop home because she has the same hunger for the sky as other angels—Her house was as close as she could get to the clouds.
• There had always been shadows behind the happy expressions of her parents. They loved her, but it was weighted by sadness and guilt. 
• Her father would take her flying.
• People here tiptoe around her on the subject of her wing, and she lets them.
• Raphael had always, always, treated her with respect.
• Galen and Jess share a room at the Tower.
• She no longer felt trapped in the Refuge—it had become home, rather than a cage.
• She sends him a magenta feather.

Biography / History

Born of loving parents over 3000 years ago in Caliane's section of the Refuge, Jessamy has spent her life being molly-coddled and felt pitied by angelic kind.

Jessamy requested emancipation as an adolescent because her mother’s constant guilt threatened to suffocate her. Keir convinced the archangel Caliane, that Jessamy was mature enough to be trusted on her own.

She underwent many operations, performed by Refuge medic and best friend Kier, but nothing could repair her birth defected left wing. Bound to the earth, Jessamy spent her life studying the histories, politics and laws of Angelkind, and languages. She now keeps their histories.

She had been teaching angelic children for around 2600 years (at the time meeting Galen) and has become a respected member of The Refuge. She is impartial and often speaks with the Cadre of Ten about subjects they can trust with nobody else.

She spent her first 2600 years alone because anyone she would mate with would eventually leave the Refuge and she would be unable to go with them. Angels can not be seen as weak—and she could never live in the outside world. The few she tried to have a relationship with, left her. Then she built a wall around her heart. Until Galen.

Jessamy met her mate Galen after he was stationed at The Refuge by Raphael. It was soon apparent that he wasn't the brute he seemed and Jessamy finally felt as if she was 'normal'. And Galen is strong enough inside and out that nothing could ever make him look or feel weak. Galen and Jessamy spent some time apart after their brief encounter but they soon reconciled. They have been mates for 400 years.

Associated Characters, Groups, Places, Objects, etc

• Galen
• Keir
• Andromeda
• Naasir
• Venom
• Illium
• The Seven
• Raphael
• Sam
• Ancients
• Montgomery
• Cadre of Ten
• Caliane
• Saraia
• Jason
• Dmitri
• Trace
• Emira
• Alexander
• Primary
• Tower

Events in the Series

If you want to avoid spoilers, think of the book title as a "Spoiler Warning" for books you have not read yet. The purpose of this section is to be able to find things in the series. Please use book References.

0.4. "Angels’ Dance"

Galen saves Jess from a vampire intent on killing her because she "knew too much". He then stand guard over her while they try to figure out what she knows that someone would want her dead for. And, their attraction grows. She gets lectured by Keir that she is acting couwardly, hiding behind her wing. Galen enters and sees her so close to Keir, gets the wrong idea, stomp away. She finds him and forces him to listen while she explains her and Keir's relationship. He doesn't relent his ire, and she goes away. He admits his temper and apologizes. Their kiss gets interrupted by Raphael. Galen takes her flying to a clifftop and kisses her wher the whole Refuge can see. 

The next day, her students, led by Saraia and Azec, tell her they saw them and want to know if she likes him. They all seem delighted for her. Galen tells her he's taking her to NY. She resists at first, then agrees when he calms her fears. On the flight she tell him about Alexander and remembers Caliane singing the population of two cities into the sea. She talked more about Alex, and about Michaela, about why Galen did to apply to Alex's court. She recalls a relevant conversation when hd with Alexander. They talk with Raphael about Alexander at rest station. Galen, Jess and Raph determine that Alexander may be in the Sleep and that Rohan believes he is strong enough to rule. But without an Archangel, vampires will turn feral and wipe out the entire mortal population. Raphael decides to inform the Cadre—fly back to the Refuge, to send Illium as messenger, Galen and Jessamy will go on to the Tower.

Galen and Jess land at the Tower. Dmitri informs them that the Cadre is nearing Alex's territory, demanding that he show himself. Galen tells her she is free, doesn't want only her gratitude. She meets Trace in the library, he express an interest in courting her. Dmitri tells Galen and Jess that Alexander Sleeps, that the vampire who attacked Jess was an acolyte of Emira, she refused to serve Rohan. The Cadre is working on a caretaker regime. When she kissed Trace, it felt wrong—she knew then that anyone but Galen would feel wrong. She told Raphael that she'd write in the Histories that his territory is wild and full of promise like he is.

She's angry at Galen and then he kisses her wildly. They fly and make love. the do the Dance of the Angels  They say goodbye to friends at the Tower and escorted out in formation of honor.  While Gaen was away traing troop at the Tower, Jess spent close times with her mother Rhoswen. She and Galen exchanged may letters via Illium, Jason, and Aodhan. Jess writes in the histories that peace hastened in Alexander's territory and about Michaela's spectacular Ascension. She Galen arrives, she jumps off the cliff into his arms. She gives him an armband with amber claiming him, and promises to where his amber.

2. Archangel's Kiss

Elena meets her when attending one of her classes with the angel children. She knows about the reborn explaining that she's Historian—depository of angelic knowledge—it's her duty to keep the histories. She is supposed to tutor Elena separately, she has to learn faster if she's to survive Zhou Lijuan. Elena thinks she's so kind because she understands pain. Galen joins them—is cold stare sends Elena away. Michaela called her a half-angel to Elena who was angry at the denigrating way wise, kind, intelligent Jessamy was described. Elena taunted Michaela with Galen—blind shot that hit it's target.

8. Archangel's Enigma

Jessamy is thrilled to have Naasir home for a visit. Jessamy holds a dinner for Naasir and invites Andromeda—also present is Galen and Venom. She serves Montgomery's recipe for Naaasir's favorite dish. Elena walks in on Jessamy and the Primary talking history on a tele-com call in Raphael's office in the Tower. Andromeda had gotten news from Jess in Amanat the Jariel was likely killed by Lijuan.

Quotes

Two thousand six hundred years she’d been alone and trapped in the Refuge. She’d had to find a way to survive, to become more than a ghost who lingered on the edges of other people’s lives. She’d made herself—into someone who was respected by adults and loved by the children she taught. It wasn’t a glorious life, but it was a life far better than the painful existence of her youth. To risk the small happiness she’d found by jumping into the unknown, trusting that this warrior, this stranger who wasn’t a stranger, would catch her? It was a terrible thing to ask… but even as she thought it, she knew she might well be willing to pay the price for the chance to know Galen body and soul. Because this man, he didn’t simply look at her. He saw her.

For how can a Historian keep a true record if she doesn't hear and understand all of the voices, even the quietest. — Jessamy

“I will never run out of words, Galen.”

Her heart clenched at the thought of never again tasting Galen’s kiss, but no matter if it made her bleed inside to accept his decree, he was right in this. If she gave in to the unquenchable need deep within her, need that bore Galen’s name, and went to him now, the specter of gratitude would always lie between them. It would hurt and it would corrode, and it would destroy. No, she thought, nails digging into her skin, she wouldn’t do that, not to Galen, and not to herself.

She resisted the urge to kick at him. “I am so angry at you.” For teaching her about passion, only to leave her to starve, for showing her the sky, only to use those skies to avoid her, for being so stubborn and so male! “You shouldn’t be here. Go away.”

"Yes, Sam?" ... "I can show her around." ... "That's very kind of you." A twinkle in those stern brown eyes, hidden within a blink. ... But Elena had seen it, and it made her like this woman.

See Also

• Refuge
• Naasir
• Full Reading List

Book References

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