“Sure, and should I fly you back here afterwards when I leave for the Heavens? That way you can be passed out in your room for twenty-four hours while Mr. Samuelle calls the doctor?”
“Dammit.”
“Language.”
“Oh, and guess what,” I had to get back at him somehow. “About your entrance at the skating rink today? A couple of people lay flat on the ice. Obviously, you’ve got to cramp your style big time.”
“Sunshine, I’ll take care of it, I promise.”
I was not strong. Who the hell could stay mad at this man? Gabriel had a smile in his voice as he cut to the core of my frustration.
“Sun, I’m sorry I put you through this. I wasn’t thinking.”
An angel that doesn’t think? Great.
“Tease,” I pouted.
Chapter 27 — Galdhopiggen
Cassiel
I watched them sleep. When he rose and sent her a last, sad look, I waited until he vanished before I dove into her bedroom. Gaia’s eyelids fluttered in dream, which gave me the idea. No need for her to wake up as long as I could milk her for information. Odds were that she’d be a better actress like this.
The energy field shot out dome-shaped, tenting the bed. I snuck under the covers and embraced her, feeling the warm slumber seep into me from her skin. Funny how I’d never found the sensation endearing before.
Since Gaia was so stubborn about dazzling, I didn’t go there. Rather, I limited my trick bag to an almost human-style, old-fashioned hypnosis.
To be honest, I enjoyed having her relaxed and obliging in my arms. Her hands moved around my neck, but her head fell away from me.
“Gaia, it’s me, Cassiel. No need to wake up. Give me the latest news from above. What did Gabriel tell you?”
I was readying myself to leave when her sister sighed in the room next door. The sound made me want to pop by. Perched on the windowsill, I took in the sight of Luna sprawled out on her bed. The covers were scattered all over the place.
Like a chocolate explosion, her hair gushed over the pillow. Her pajamas crumpled around that pretty, little body. A whiff of strawberries reached me—strawberries and champagne. The scents they created artificially nowadays could raise even
my
eyebrows.
As delicious as she was, I left her there. How noble of me, right? I shrugged off the strangeness of it.
Gabriel’s impending audience with Michael would interest the Grigori in a big way. I flew off to find my all-time favorite Grigorian, Lilith.
Logistically, Jotunheimen was a handy pick. The mountain range was close to where they’d snatched the old king from his bed. I laughed to myself; interesting how mortal my reasoning had become. Of course logistics meant nothing to Ramiel.
Sprinkled with dry layers of white, the highlands bared dark rock through the snow. I preferred scorching temperatures myself, so I was relieved to see the frost perishing and heat breeding from below as I landed on Mount Galdhopiggen.
Lilith met me at the gate. Galdhopiggen was one of Ramiel’s favorite places on Earth, and I hadn’t had the displeasure of visiting before. The clingy, silk gown Lilith wore left nothing to the imagination, which suited me fine. She wove her arm around my waist and pulled me inside.
“Cassiel, dearest. Come see the babies!”
She meandered ahead of me, spiraling downward through granite hallways and chambers. Illuminated by rows of glowing lava in glass sconces, the walls flickered. They reminded me of bedrooms I’d visited in Lilith’s own mansions. I remembered
her
better from those master suites, though. Holy shit.
Now, I delighted in the full view of her deliciously swaying tushy as she led me deeper and deeper into Ramiel’s bastion.
The kids were there all right. Again, her motherly instinct had taken over as she’d gotten them situated. Engrossed in another letter, the dying seven-year-old Rosetta rested on a bed filled with silk cushions, duvets, papers, and pens. A hunch told me the Baby Jesus would be the lucky recipient of this love note as well.
In the meantime, Mariana the toddler tried to pull a tray with cookies and milk off of a small table.
“What the hell, Lilith, are you playing house?”
Okay, fine, so she’d surprised me twice. After all, we were talking about Lilith here.
Lilith responded by making her eyes big and innocent, baby mammal style. “But they’re adorable! I’m just spoiling them until we kill them, all right? No big deal.”
“M
á
s! M
á
s!”
Lilith beamed at the ear-piercing squawks from the baby and hurried over. Smooching her sweetly, she opened her arms wide, and the little one spread chubby hands in a supposedly charming plea to be lifted.
A serious eye rolling was in order, but Lilith wasn’t paying any attention to me. Goddamn it, nothing was worse than being invisible.
“So where are we at? How many do we have?” I muttered. With the concentration she put into pouring milk for Mariana, her swift reply surprised me.
“For now, we’ve got five, and Lahash is flying in the Jamaican coffee worker as we speak. The only one they’re still searching for is the Tibetan monk. Needless to say, the old man knows what’s at stake. Ramiel thinks they’ll find him hidden in the temple. Not very creative that one.”
Lahash, huh? Ramiel had chosen well for the job. To interfere with divine will was Lahash’s biggest talent. No wonder they’d been excited when he joined their forces.
“What’s Ramiel’s schedule for the Purest Ones?”
“The eclipse occurs tomorrow at midnight. By then, we need the lot of them here, evil and ready for a proper sacrifice. I’m dressing all seven of them in matching, bright yellow silk gowns. You’re invited, darling—the munchkins will be too much for words!”
Impatience began to boil in me. I groaned as she took her time thinking up more insignificant rubbish to share.
“Oh, yes, and we’ll need music. It’ll be dramatic.”
Her nonsensical chatter was spiraling out of control, and I seized the moment to cut in with my report on Gabriel’s imminent encounter with Michael.
I figured it was futile but had to give it a shot. The devil knew I needed her. After pretending to be in bed with Gaia, I had watched her sister before coming to Lilith. What had my existence come to?
“So, any time for fun?”
She fired off a single, disdainful glance in my direction. “You. Wish.”
What was the deal with chicks and kids?
Chapter 28 — Glittertind
Gaia
Gabriel’s body didn’t curve around me when I woke up. The bed was empty, and I hadn’t noticed him leaving. Surprisingly, the pang of loss didn’t consume me. Maybe because he’d returned unharmed this time?
Not quite ready to open my eyes, I let the beads of last night’s dream trickle into my memory. The stinging sensation under my ring had felt so real while his brother’s voice spoke in my dream.
“It’s me, Cassiel.”
Calm and unobtrusive, he’d slid into my sweetheart’s spot next to me. He’d held me while he asked about Gabriel’s visit with the archangel. No pressure, no agenda of seduction, only the implicit need to keep up appearances for an unpredictable audience. Yes, definitely a dream.
My thoughts drifted to Gabriel. Had he meant sunrise on Earth, or was there a separate one in Heaven? He must have left a while ago. The day already gleamed bright through the curtains. Around my finger, his gift pulsed warm and alive.
What?
My eyes shot open. The heart pounded brightly, nudging me. I scanned the surroundings. What if our destiny had already been determined?
Gabriel’s voice carried up from the kitchen. I heard my mother laugh back at him. The rumble of my father’s dark pitch joined in, and Luna’s cheery warble completed the picture of general amusement.
I got out of bed and dressed quickly. One minute in the bathroom provided the assistance of a toothbrush, some deodorant, and a hairbrush. By then, I’d lost all interest in beautification.
“Good morning, sweetie,” Dad called out as I took the stairs in three leaps. “Somebody slept in! Gabriel is telling me you guys have plans for the day?”
We do? Oh my, is this good or bad?
“Good morning. Why didn’t I get a wakeup call today?”
My mom cocked her head, “Well, you looked so peaceful when I checked on you. Gabriel here said you weren’t in a hurry.”
She poured him another cup of coffee, beaming.
“Thank you, Mrs. Samuelle.”
“Oh, please—call me Selene.”
Gabriel was perched on a barstool by the breakfast counter. I leaned in to stand between his thighs. He gave me a modest kiss in greeting, and I studied his face.
Yes? No?
His eyes met mine. They were impenetrable. I couldn’t read happiness or disappointment, concern or…anything! Apprehensive, I turned my back to him and faced my mother who waited behind the kitchen counter.
The enormous heap of scrambled eggs she served up made my hunger disappear the way a certain angel tended to do.
Between the pungent smell of breakfast and Gabriel’s sphinx-like expression, my stomach began to roll. His arms slid around my waist, warning me. He sank his chin into my shoulder to anchor me, and for a short while, it worked.
Sweet Jesus, the insignificant gibberish a single, little group of people could indulge in. He chattered on with my family, seemingly without a care in the world. How much longer? The turbulence inside me reared.
Gabriel, you love me, right? I’m dying here!
A quick glance at the eggs made me gag. They were coagulating! To top off the misery, Mom wouldn’t be happy if I walked out the door without breakfast. I knew she’d notice my inner chaos soon. It was time to close the presumed windows to my soul.
Seconds before all pretenses took off running, his fingers curled around the back of my neck in a cool hold. Gabriel quelled the ants crawling under my skin.
He turned me toward him, my jittery gaze flew to his, but his focus remained steady on the others. The story about some sailing adventure poured from him without a hitch. It was sprinkled with Luna’s thrilled “no ways” and “oh, reallys.”
The strangeness of the situation finally got to me. My down-to-earth parents were permitting a man they’d met twelve hours earlier to swathe their daughter entirely in himself. In front of them. In their kitchen.
Didn’t they find it odd how he nestled my face against his throat? I was secluded from them, mute, and out of the conversation. Wasn’t it utterly surreal? Despite melting into him, even I was beginning to wonder.
“Where did you say you’re taking her again, Gabriel? Up north?” my dad asked with a serene smile.
“Yes, just for the night, sir. My family has literally summoned her.” Gabriel laughed.
“Oh, that’s nice. Are you sure they have room for her?” My mom added, all sweet and accommodating. For good measure, Dad piped up.
“Gabriel, I had no idea you don’t have family in town. You could have used the guestroom last night. Your folks live
hours
from here, you said?”
I felt Gabriel shrug against me. “It was fine, Mr. Samuelle. I got to stay with a friend.”
Despite my turmoil, I couldn’t suppress a snort at his knack for avoiding the truth.
Soon, I was calm in his arms. I was going to meet his family. What on Earth—or what in Heaven—did that mean?
Hours later, I took a look at myself, then at us, and shook my head. From the center of his bed at Shimmer’s Edge, we stared up at the glass dome as it opened petal by petal like an immense flower.
Wrapping me in his cotton candy duvet, he made sure only the tip of my nose protruded. As soon as the air flowed unobstructed from the ceiling, he shot up through the roof with me crushed tight.
The powerful flaps of his wings caused my stomach to drop when he hoisted us into the air. I swallowed, coping with the rush of wind dancing against my face. Sooner than I’d imagined, we soared beyond the layers of clouds surrounding Earth.
Gabriel aligned his body with mine. He gave of his heat and formed every limb and angle to me. Now and again, he covered my nose with a cupped hand to check that I wasn’t too cold, and it made me smile.
We plummeted through the clouds on our way down. Instinctively, I closed my eyes. As we braved the first slivers of white haze, I realized I didn’t have to keep them shut.
If it weren’t for the circumstances, I would have enjoyed the damp touch as cottony clouds brushed my face. They blurred my vision with shades of white and gray. Suddenly, we broke through and floated into the azure again. I found myself squinting at the sun.
Dipping toward the endless snow, we landed at the foot of a mountain. I was bursting with questions, but read the warning in his expression and waited. Who knew I had a patient streak?
In front of us, the granite creaked as if in pain and split open. The light washing over us from inside was so beautiful that my legs buckled. Gabriel caught me. Numb, I watched him free me of the blankets.
The giant gates groaned shut behind us as he turned me to him, his hands settling on my lower back.
“Wait, Gaia. Just a moment.”
“What?”
He jerked my hips against him and pressed me to his body. The unexpected contact left me breathless.
“I needed you like this. Close,” he whispered.
Gabriel watched me drink in his lips. When I met his gaze, bright irises drifted from aquamarine to emerald as he listened in on my shallow breathing. Then he dipped down and seized my mouth.
Not the right time, not the right place.
The words he’d used what seemed like centuries ago rang more true than they had back then.
“Is your grand plan to divert me and keep me in the dark?”
His lips curved skyward at my question.
“No, sunshine, it’s not. Welcome to Glittertind. Michael does want to see us both. You were right.”
Passion retreated to the back of every cell, leaving fear and awe to mix in its place. I broadened my gaze beyond him. The walls shimmered in billions of tiny, white pearls that rippled and flowed. They resembled living creatures of light.
Waterfalls cascaded off every wall. Little birds in more than the colors of the rainbow chirped, sang, and bounced in the air. They posed like sentient decorations on golden pieces of furniture.