Earth is in the middle, caught in between. Brilliant and beautiful. The chance for all who walk upon it to choose their end. The opportunity to do good or evil, to exercise free will.
And I see tiny beams of light that stretch between them. Portals.
“Which side do you choose?”
The voice comes from my right. Startled, I search for the speaker. She must be a girl no older than ten, walking among the stars toward me.
“Which side?”
She gestures to the dimensions before me. “Yes. Heaven or Hell.”
I don’t know what to say. I know which side I have to choose, but I don’t want to say it out loud. I don’t want to be responsible for the eternal deaths of all those miserable souls on the seventh level of Hell. But I could never let Hell continue to grow, the way I’d seen, either.
“I don’t want to make the choice.”
To my surprise, she nods. She holds out her arms, and for a moment they seem to grow to encompass the entire vision. I see each of the dimensions reflected in her eyes. “For a brief moment in time, you hold the power of the creator. The power to influence the fate of this world, and the souls within it. It is a heavy burden.”
“No matter which side I choose, the other side will grow smaller. Thousands of souls will be lost.”
“Millions,” she affirms. “But in doing so, you pave the way for more souls to have a chance. To be able to make a choice for themselves. And every time you want to create a future, you have to destroy some of the past.”
“What will happen if I don’t choose?” I ask, somewhat desperately. I know I’m just avoiding the inevitable.
She looks surprised. “You will cease to exist. And the choice of the last One will remain.”
All of a sudden, I’m angry. It’s as if all of the fear, and anger, and confusion of the past few days has finally caught up with me. “I hate being The One! I don’t want to do this!”
“Why not?” Her face is tipped to one side, reflecting puzzlement.
“Because none of them are truly all good, or all bad. Because all people deserve a chance at redemption. And because no one should have to make the choice.”
“But you’ve already made your choice. You have only to voice it.”
I realize she’s right. I made my choice a long time ago. But I still don’t want to say it. “Why do I have to say it?”
“Because words have power. Your voice is your decision. Your determination.” She gestures at the dimensions before us. “I created all of this with my voice.”
I take a deep breath. “I choose Heaven.”
She gestures to the dimensions in front of me, and a change begins to take place. The seventh level of Hell begins to disintegrate, the shrieks and screams of each of the demons as they die grates me to my soul.
But then, as if a weight had been lifted, Hell begins to rise slightly. The beams between Hell and Earth, which had been so plentiful moments before, shrink until they are the same size as the ones from Heaven. And new beams form between Heaven and Earth.
I close my eyes for a second. It’s over. Balance has been restored.
When I open them again, I’m standing alone in the field of daisies in Hell. The battle, the blood, the angels and demons, all are gone. The only one left is Xion, frozen in place. And instead of sunset, it’s sunrise.
“Thank you,” comes a gentle voice from behind me.
I turn to find a little boy sitting barefoot on the boulder. Somehow, I know it’s the same spirit I just spoke to as a young girl.
“Why are you thanking me? I started a war.” I’m overcome with guilt and shame. I should have found a better way.”
The boy turns his clear blue eyes to me. “It was the most difficult choice any of us could make. You understood that both the light and the dark are worth saving. You had the courage to open Pandora’s box, to stop the war to reset the balance.”
I want to feel elation, but the horrors I’ve just witnessed are too great. And I see Xion, but I don’t even know if Brion is still alive. “What does that mean? Who are you?”
The boy jumps off the boulder to stand next to me. As he walks, he seems to grow larger, a ball of light surrounding him. He becomes a woman around my age with long, curly brown hair. “I am close to what people on the third dimension call God.”
“So you created us?”
A wide smile breaks across her face and she nods. “Yes. I’ve created millions and millions of these planets in my existence. Millions of people. They are all my children. But I can’t check on every planet all the time, so I leave a box in every one in honor of Pandora, the love of my eternal existence. When someone opens it, I come, resetting the balance of good and evil so the souls are in balance.”
“We have a legend of Pandora’s box…that it’s full of evil.”
Her mouth quirks up at the corners. “Ah, humans,” she says fondly. “That is one of the reasons I love them.”
“Will the vibration stay balanced now?”
She shakes her head and bends down to pick a daisy. “Humanity will always sway back and forth between good and evil, and over time the vibration will rise and lower again. But that’s why we have The One. The One usually chooses the side that needs it the most.”
The woman rises again and the white ball of light reappears. When she turns back to me, she is now a man about my age with long, curly brown hair. He holds out his hand and I give him the box. “Have you looked inside?”
“No,” I admit. “When I opened the box, everything went white.”
He nods and opens it, holding it so we can look at the contents together. Inside, a miniature version of the Earth floats over the pillow. At first, it seems like only a replica. But as I look closer, I see that it’s moving. There are clouds, landmarks, volcanoes erupting, and yachts on the ocean.
“Is that…?”
“Yes.” He closes the box with a satisfied expression. “It is the seed from which I made the Earth. All of the information is contained within it.”
He suddenly frowns and puts his hands on his chest. “I’m sorry, but my time is limited.” With a snap of his fingers, Brion appears before me.
“Brion.” He nods to my angel.
“Where am I?” he asks in confusion. “Who are you?”
God winks over at me. “I believe Gillian will tell you later. But for now, I need you both. Heaven really needs two overseers, like Adam and Eve.”
He grabs both of our hands, and it suddenly occurs to me how strange we look. A human and an angel holding hands with God in a field of daisies in Hell.
“You two are extraordinarily pure of heart. You love each other, and you don’t let it blind you to the goodness in others. It’s been a long, long time since Heaven in this realm had a king and queen.” He closes his eyes for a moment. And hands the ring box back to me. “I believe your palace is waiting.”
He seems to notice Xion for the first time, then his gaze falls on me. “But first, I believe you have some unfinished business.”
I nod.
He waves his hands, and he and Brion disappear in a flash of light.
Xion unfreezes and his arm continues its downward thrust. It takes him a second to realize the battle is over.
He sets down in front of me and looks me over, his eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”
“I chose Heaven.”
He falls to his knees. “All those souls…”
“Xion…” I kneel down beside him. “When I opened Pandora’s box, I saw what would happen if I chose Hell. Yes, the portals would grow wider and more demons would go to Earth.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand for silence.
“I know it seems ideal, at the moment. But the eventual outcome of all those extra demons would be that the vibration of Earth would lower, and soon there would be more demons than even Hell could hold. And eventually, Earth’s vibration would lower enough that it would become the seventh level of Hell—and there wou
ld be no place to go to recharge.”
He was silent during my explanation. When he looked up, to my surprise, there were tears in his eyes. “I understand.”
I’m shocked. “You do?”
“Yes.” He shakes his head. “You’ve always thought the worst of me. But it’s okay. I believe you’re telling the truth. And if you are, then you did the right thing.” His smile is pained. “And thank you for staying around to tell me.”
“Xion…” I don’t know what to say. He really isn’t all bad. But I still
He shakes his head and looks down at the ground. “I know I’ve lost you. Just go. Be happy with your angel.”
“You deserve love, too. I’m going to keep hoping for you.”
5
Gillian
I don’t actually know how to get to Heaven, but I close my eyes and think about it really hard. Suddenly, I’m there.
I’m literally walking across clouds as I approach the golden gate to a palace that is beautiful beyond all imagination. Towers spire into the sky and every stone gleams with golden hues. Angels stand in two rows with their backs to me on either side of the walk, blowing long horns outward over the heavens as I take the final steps.
The gates open inward, and I look out over a courtyard filled with angels. Their eyes are all on me, and as one, they kneel before me.
I feel light-headed. Where is Brion?
I’m right here. He rises to my right and the other angels follow his lead.
He gestures to me and beams proudly. “The One!” His booming voice travels over the crowd.
Is he expecting me to give a speech? I start to panic.
He seems my expression and addresses them again. “All right, we need some time. But why wait till later to celebrate? Feel free to start without us!”
A cheer rises from the others and a flurry of activity begins.
Brion steps over to me and I get a good look at him for the first time. I gasp. His wings aren’t just gold-tipped anymore. Every feather is made of gold. And over the top of his head shines a golden halo.
Is this what God meant when he said we’d be king and queen?
Probably.
My eyes meet his, and I can tell he’s in as much awe as I am. I look down. “What’s different about me?”
He laughs, his rich voice warming my heart. “You see my golden wings?”
I nod.
“And halo?”
I nod again.
“You have them, too, my little scientist.”
I gasp and look down. I realize I’m wearing a backless top that ties around my neck. And a skirt. And golden sandals. God has good taste. I look over my shoulder, trying to get a good look at one of my wings. It takes me a few seconds to get the hang of unfurling my wings and wrapping them around me so I can see them. “They are glorious!” I beat them and rise up into the sky. “And I can fly!”
His laugh is full of joy and hope. “You can!”
Looking over the angels, I see Zak and Cas, and land next to them. Instead of the warrior arm clasps, they greet me with big hugs.
“It looks like you chose Heaven,” Cas observes.
I nod. “And it looks like you two made it through a war with Hell.”
Zakiel shrugs it off. “No big deal.”
Cas and Brion laugh at him, and he looks irritated for a moment, then laughs, too.
A question hits me. “So, am I dead now, or what?”
They all shrug, but Zak answers. “Technically, you didn’t die. So you’re just immortal.”
“Really?” I contemplate the idea for a moment. “An immortal angel. I like it.”
Brion heaves a big sigh and puts his arm around me. “So do I.”
We all laugh, and it seems strangely comfortable. After everything we’ve been through, I feel like I finally have a family.
“So. You’ve been The One, what are you going to do next?” Cas asks me.
I look at Brion.
Cas observes the two of us. “Yep. That’s my plan, too. I’ve never seen female angels before.” He looks at the women around him in wonder.
“Really?” I’m taken aback.
“Yes, I knew they existed, but thought they were in a realm we couldn’t get to or something.” He scratches his head. “I guess I never really questioned it.”
“Maybe that’s how Michael made sure we kept our minds on the job.”
Zakiel nods. “I believe you’re right about that.”
I turn back to Cas. “The important question is, do you remember what to do?”
His eyebrows fly skyward. “Are you kidding me? I’ll see you guys later.” He waves over his shoulder, and we all exchange knowing glances as he approaches three giggling female angels.
Watching him with them makes me realize I still haven’t had time to process the fact that I’m with Brion. We’re alive. And we’re together!
He turns to me and his eyes burn with undisguised passion. He’s thinking the same thing.
He pulls me close with his wing. “How about we skip this celebration for a while?”
Yes. I whisper into his mind, hoping it will work. I need you.
I thrill when he answers me back. I need you, too.
He nods at Zak, who gives me a hug. “Be good, you two,” he says with a grin.
Do angels blush?
Because I think the good part depends on how you define good…
Brion pulls me close and gives me a thoroughly passionate kiss, which has several other angels whooping and hollering. The he beats his wings and rises up into the air, winking at me seductively.
I experimentally flap my own wings, rising up off the cloudy surface just a bit. A couple of more flaps and I’m laughingly pursuing him, soaring over the palace with ease. The palace is absolutely enormous, turrets rising higher than I even want to fly at this point. Building after building, floor after floor, and a sideways glance into the windows shows that every room has a purpose.
It would take an eternity to explore them all.
And that’s when it hits me.
I have eternity.
Brion soars in through a set of open French doors that look out onto a small patio. I follow right behind him, misjudging my landing. I end up sprawled across him on the floor, a tangle of wings, legs, and arms.
But he doesn’t seem to mind. He leans upward and caresses my lips with his, urging me to let him in. His fingers thread themselves into my hair as his tongue enters. It beguiles mine to join it. It’s sweet, gentle, but there’s a kind of quiet desperation in his actions. I almost lost you, he whispers in my head.
And I almost lost you. But we didn’t.
He kisses me over and over, long and slow, his entire being seemingly focused on me. His hands roam over my body, sliding down my back, up my sides.
I want all of him. I kiss a path downward, from his mouth to his neck, my fingers tracing wide paths along his naked torso. I spread my legs to straddle him and he groans, arching upward slightly beneath me. I follow the swirling patterns of his tattoos with my tongue, and to my surprise, out of the corner of my eye I see his wings begin to curl inward in pleasure.
I lap over one nipple, and they curl a bit more. I laugh in pleasure. He’s soft and firm and everything that is Brion. Everything that I missed.
His hands move downward, fingers untying the string at the back of my neck, then brushing over my shoulders and down my spine. They caress my sides and move over my stomach, taking my camisole with them. The smooth cotton brushes over my nipples as he bares them, teasing me. He pulls it off over my head and trails his fingers down the insides of my arms.
I arch back in pleasure as he slowly, slowly moves downward until he’s making circles around each of my breasts. I thrust them toward him, but he continues his torturous circles until my nipples are begging for his touch.
Finally, he brushes over them with his thumbs, teasing me, then pulling his fingers back slightly so I follow them down until I’m almost lying on him aga
in. His hands go to my waist, pulling me up his body, and he brings his mouth up to suckle one of my nipples.
My loud cry brings an answering moan, and my fingers curl in his hair as his mouth suckles each of the tender nubs over and over.
I bring my hands up to caress his sides and he shivers. He moves me back slightly and sits up, and with a beat of his wings he’s standing with my legs wrapped around his waist.
I want to smile, but the need on his face makes it clear that we can’t make it to the bed fast enough. I kick off my sandals just before he lays me back gently, kissing my lips. He slowly unzips his jeans, teasing me, and my eyes grow wide as he reveals his hardness to my hungry gaze. He kicks off his jeans and shoes and in an instant his body is sliding onto the bed beside me.
His eyes are reverent as he unbuttons my jeans, sliding them down my legs. He looks up as he hooks his thumbs into the lace of my panties, dragging them down with unbearable slowness. He kisses my left leg on the way down, and my right on the way back up, sweet butterfly kisses that have me scissoring my legs with need.
Without warning, he buries his head between my legs, pressing his lips against my open heat. I arch my back at the ultimate sensation of his tongue, and he begins drawing circles over the center of my pleasure. He continues until I’m crying out with need, my legs shaking, my head thrashing on the pillow. His touch gets lighter, slower, and my fingers thread through his hair, trying to bring him closer.
He gives me one last, slow lick, and works his way up my body, leaving tender kisses in his wake. When he comes over me, his smooth skin brushes over mine, his lips and hands brushing every inch of skin they can reach. I’m ready for him, my core swollen and achy. It’s a relief when he enters me, hard and smooth, filling the emptiness, inciting me to greater heights.
We both inhale as he enters me, and his forehead touches mine as he starts to move. Our breaths mingle, our lips caress each other. He works against me, one hand moving under my pelvis so he hits my pleasure spots with every thrust. I missed this. Gentleness. Tenderness. The selfless desire to please.
Angel Warrior: The Complete Series Page 15