by A. J. Norris
“I can take care of that,” Max said. “Wing’s all fixed.”
Raz glanced down at his jeans pocket. “It’s in there. But I ain’t touching the nasty bitch.”
Max walked around the bench. “Let me see your hands.” The Healer swiped a glowing hand over Raz’s palms. “I’ll get it.” Raz leaned to the side and Max fished the sigil out of the pocket. “How did this one react?” he threw over his shoulder as he ambled to the only plain wall.
“Gave false sense of power,” Julia said. Raz smiled, revealing his pride in her. Her heart swelled. She was proud of herself too.
The green haired angel tapped the wall.
Hisssss.
Julia’s curiosity got her up and over to the Healer. Flames rose out of a once hidden compartment.
“Watch it. That’s hot.” Max stepped back until the blaze retreated. Julia blocked the heat blast with her hands near her face. He made a fist around the bad luck charm. His hand glowed orange for five seconds (she counted), then he tossed the talisman into the fire.
“Furnace is hot,” Raz said. Julia faced him and he embraced her.
“All right your turn,” Max said. Raz hobbled back over to the bench and plopped down. His body stiffened while he breathed. Max knelt at Raz’s feet and passed his magic hand over the fractured ankle.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” The Healer worked on the wing. Julia went to Raz and held him just as he’d done for her. When Max finished, Raz smiled crookedly at her. She blushed.
“So what’s next?” Julia asked.
Raz shrugged. “I don’t—”
“Let me answer that,” Max interrupted. “Your choice.” Julia waited for more explanation but he chuckled and walked away.
“What the heck does that mean?”
“You wanna go home with me?” Raz asked.
“Uh, your nonexistent home or mine?”
He laughed. “Arcadia.”
“Oh, I’m allowed in? Isn’t that your word for Heaven?”
“Come on.” Raz stood, took her hand, and led her to the double doors. The panels had female angels carved into wood.
The portal opened. A haze of white mist flowed out. She peered around the door, but all she could see was more white. This was home? It looked like a bunch of…uh, clouds. There were clouds in there. Julia giggled.
“What’s so funny?” Raz asked.
“Clouds. I didn’t expect clouds. Seems so…”
Raz smirked. “Surprising? What were you expecting?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “I dunno.” He held out his hand for her. She blushed at the kindness, she felt she hadn’t earned. He cared for her and she cared for him. She didn’t want anything special from him other than his love. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t looking for what someone had that she wanted regardless of the consequences. Maurice had promised her money beyond her dreams. A vow he never fulfilled. She thought of her parents and twin sister. She’d taken them for granted and died before she told them how much she loved them. She never got to say goodbye. Julia hesitated and looked behind her.
Max nodded and said, “Go on. You earned it.”
She nodded back.
“Julia, you coming?” Raz stood on the threshold between the two worlds. Some of the clouds dissipated. Her eyes traveled along the path leading away from the doors. She sniffed the air. Fresh. Clean. Oh my God. The sky was gorgeous.
This is heaven.
Lavender, pale orange, and yellow painted the underside of clouds that steaked across the huge expanse. Julia stepped into Arcadia ahead of Raz. White mist surrounded her feet and covered the ground, obscuring the terrain from view. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Not until she put a hand up to her face did she realize she was crying too. They smiled at each other and she took off running. Drunk on freedom. High on serenity. She breathed easily for the first time in her life.
“Wait!” he yelled.
No way.
Julia sprinted. She wanted to see everything, not hang around the portal. Her wings flowed behind her. The clothes she’d worn disintegrated. What the…? Oh, who cared? Her muscles strengthened the further she traveled. She picked up speed. High above her, angels flew. Ahead, rising up through clouds were golden, no, white towers. The sun only made them seem golden. Behind her, Raz called her name. His wing-fluttering sounds urged her forward. Why did he want to hold her back?
“Julia! Stop!”
She laughed and glanced over her shoulder. Powerful thighs propelled him. He was naked too. “No. I’m having fuuuuuuuuuuuun…”
The path ended in a shear drop.
CHAPTER
SIXTY-FIVE
Ra’zael
Julia’s terror-filled scream punched a hole in Raz’s heart.
“Oh, Deus, noooo!”
Not again.
He ran to the edge of the path and dove off. She tumbled ass over feet, her wings plastered around her. Faster and faster she fell toward the portal between the realms of Earth and Arcadia.
“Open your wings!” he yelled, although it was unlikely she heard him. The velocity of the somersaulting cannonball made that impossible.
Raz pulled his wings in tight to his body and shot toward her head first like a missile. He squinted from the wind, ignoring the burn in his eyes. The warped atmosphere beneath Julia marked where the dimensions collided. Angels could use the portal, but if they fell through and smacked the Earth at full throttle, Abaddon heard and captured you almost a hundred percent of the time. It didn’t matter to the Demon Ruler if you meant to or not. Those odds were not in Julia’s favor and it was a risk Raz wasn’t willing to take.
Yelling at her to relax and start flapping wouldn’t do any good now. She’d stopped shrieking a couple hundred feet ago. Julia pressed into the forgiving membrane connecting the worlds, slowing her momentum, stopping her spin. This hiccup allowed Raz to shorten the distance between them. He had to match her velocity to prevent her neck from snapping when he caught her. If he caught her.
Oh, Deus…please.
His heart sank.
Julia slipped through the portal. He punched his way past the viscous invisible skin. Her wings and her new body position created more wind drag. He closed in on her, foot by foot, inch by inch. He ducked his head under a wing and grabbed her waist.
Flaring his wings forced their deceleration. Breathing became easier. She stirred in his arms, her hands tightening around his forearms.
“Got you. I’ve got you.”
Flapping his wings, he soared straight back through the membrane with Julia. A patrolling Guardian flew over and flanked them. “Need a hand?” he asked, staring at her black feathers.
“I got her, thanks.”
The other angel smiled crookedly and moved off in the opposite direction. Raz reached the building level of Arcadia. He circled around, passing the Tower of the Redeemers, and entered Guardian Towers. Bypassing the lobby, he went directly to his former alcove. He hoped the flat was still his. It was. And exactly how he left the place. Well, not exactly, the place had been cleaned.
He set down on the sandstone. Julia didn’t let go right away and kept her feet off the floor. She watched Raz the entire trip, her eyes locked onto his face. This surprised him because she’d been so eager to explore the realm before.
“You can put your feet down now.” She dropped one leg and placed her big toe down. He chuckled. “It’s solid.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, goofus. It’s sandstone, in case you’re wondering.” When she let go, her body trembled.
“Why didn’t y-you tell me the sidewalk ended?”
“Are you serious? I yelled stop.”
“Well, I…was so…scared.” Her voice cracked.
“I know. Come here, you’re shaking.” He wrapped her in his love until the shaking stopped. “I’m surprised you fell like that. I guess I need to give you a flying lesson. Or two.”
“Hey, be nice.”
“I am.”
“So what am I supposed to do now? Am I an angel?”
“I don’t know. Do want to figure it out now or use the bed over there?” He turned her around and pointed her toward the platform adjacent to the wall. White pillars that looked much like dripstone formations seen in Netherworld, except in white, surrounded the bed. Velvet covered pads cushioned the stone. She climbed into the middle of the blankets, smoothing her hands over the soft fabric.
“Oooh, this is soft. I could get used to this place.” She bounced up and down a couple of times. “Is this memory foam?”
“I guess. Never heard anyone refer to it like that. But it adapts to your body.”
“Handy for wings.” She flopped back on the padding and closed her eyes. Her hands came up and fondled her little pink nipples. He inhaled sharply. A giggle left her perfect mouth. “Are you just going to stare at me, or…?”
“That was the plan.”
“What. Ever.”
Raz crawled up her body, positioned himself between her legs, and fused their lips. She moaned against his mouth.
CHAPTER
SIXTY-SIX
Julia
Julia feared death. Oh, the irony. She wasn’t technically among the living. However, the trauma of almost falling to Earth freaked her out. Her wings did little to curb her flying phobia. She was afraid of airplanes too, so this shouldn’t surprise her. Flaring her wings wide, she practiced flapping. Even though she’d done this activity before, things were different now. The thought of flying scared her and made her feel like hyperventilating.
On one of her passes around Raz’s place that looked more like a cave than an apartment, she glanced at her Guardian. He slept on his stomach on the bed. She smiled at the easiness he seemed to feel now that they were safe in Arcadia. On Earth, he’d kept his wings tight to his back. Tense. In slumber his soft white wings parted to the sides, revealing his glorious ass. The sight of him made her core ache with need.
No.
Now wasn’t the time for sex. Flying was her number one goal for the day. She had an eternity to do other things. Her heart pounded. She wasn’t sure she wanted to spend forever with him yet. Joelle’s little visit hadn’t helped either. He’d come by earlier while Raz was out getting them something to eat.
Joelle had arrived and stood on the edge of the apartment opening, his hair windblown and his faced flushed. He wore a pair of baggy linen drawstring pants. He glanced around the apartment. “Good. He’s not here.”
“Is there something you need?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He tilted his head to the side. “I asked if I could be the one to come talk to you.”
“You needed permission? From who?”
“My position is with the Redeemers but I asked for a favor.”
She wondered why, although suspected she understood. “You don’t trust me.”
Joelle sighed and looked away. “No,” he answered even though it hadn’t been a question. So there would be no question about his feelings.
She nodded. “I get it.”
“You have a choice to make. You can stay here with Raz or move on to where humans go after their deaths.”
Julia paced with her head down. She wanted to be with her Guardian, but on the other hand, seeing her favorite aunt, Nancy, and Salina again would be awesome. “What if I’m not ready to decide?”
“You can’t stay here indefinitely without making a choice either way. I’ll be back soon for your answer.” Joelle pivoted and nosedived off the side. Julia hadn’t discussed any of the conversation with Raz. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure she believed Joelle. He was probably trying to get rid of her. Why else would he volunteer to “talk” to her about her options? Raz and Joelle had a past together. Just how deep it ran…? She believed deeper than she cared to know. Taking a deep breath, she shoved the visit out of her mind.
Julia folded her wings against her backside. She shuffled closer to the edge of the alcove. If she couldn’t master aviation, this place where humans spent their forever sounded better and better. Her lungs squeezed around her heart. Across the lofty inner shaft of the tower, several angels acknowledged her by nodding. She waved. One of them smiled. Wait a second, she was nude. Heat flooded her face. Only, the male didn’t seem interested in her body parts.
Thank God.
Julia inched nearer the edge and peered over. The lobby was a looooong way down. She huffed out a breath. Then another. Her vision fuzzed in and out. She couldn’t feel her feet and wasn’t sure if she should step forward or backward to get away from the side. Forward?
No, that can’t be right.
Her equilibrium unbalanced her. Oh, shit. How was she supposed to get away from here?
“Raz, um…” Everything rotated around her. Or was her head spinning? Blinking didn’t help clear the vertigo. She stepped forward and tried to place her foot on the sandstone. Only it wasn’t there. Tipping…tipping…
Oh, no.
She grunted as something hard came up against her chest. “Oops, not that way, sweetheart.” Raz pulled her back onto solid ground. Away from the edge.
“I think there’s something wrong with me,” Julia said as she sagged in his arms.
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, shouldn’t flying come naturally to me? I’m scared to death and I hate heights.” She buried her face in his chest. The soft hair tickled her nose.
“It’s all right. We’ll figure this out.”
“Something is wrong with me.”
“I didn’t say—”
“You didn’t have to.” Tears stung the backs of her eyes. When a pair of wings flapped that weren’t hers or Raz’s, she wiped her cheeks and turned around.
“Greetings my brethren…Julia.” Joelle pushed his floppy brown hair off his forehead and tossed one of his loose braids behind his shoulder. He beamed from ear-to-ear. Despite her apprehension, she smiled back.
Raz and Joelle stared at one another for a pregnant moment. Joelle’s eyes became glassy. Raz’s gaze never changed. “What’s up?”
“I’m here to see the female,” Joelle said.
Crap.
She needed more time.
“Have you made a decision as to where you think you belong?”
“She belongs with me,” Raz said. He placed himself between her and Joelle.
Joelle put his palms up. “Relax. It’s her choice. You don’t get a say. Deus decreed it.” Raz growled something in their language. Joelle rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you too. Anyway, Julia, are you staying here or moving on?”
“Um, what exactly does moving on mean? I know you told me to the place humans go but I need more information than that.”
And more time.
Raz grumbled and walked away, but he came back and loomed over her. “Tell her what it means,” he said through clenched teeth.
Joelle sighed. “Go to a higher place, reserved for human souls after their death. You’ll love it there.”
What a nice, lovely non-answer.
“And if I choose to do this when would I leave?”
“Now. But there’s a catch.”
“Oh, God what?”
“The wings stay behind.” Awesome, she wasn’t using them anyway. She didn’t hide her smile.
“This higher place…would I be able to see anyone that’s died, like—”
“Salina. Yes.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sakes. You’re playing that card?” Raz threw his hands up. “You haven’t told her everything.”
“Tell me what?”
“Oh, the little bit about reincarnation or the fact that you and I would never see each other again.”
“Reincarnation?”
“Yeah. You could spend fifty years, one day, or thirty seconds there. It’s like playing Russian Roulette.”
Julia rubbed her forehead. Living with Raz forever or take her chances in Heaven? She hated the idea of making the same types of mistakes with a new life. Everything that happened si
nce her death had taught her so much. And she was still learning.
“Would I remember anything if I was reborn? Have I lived other lives before?”
Joelle started to answer but Raz cut him off. “Julia, if you leave, I’ll love you forever. I’ll love you so much, I’ll have to fuck hundreds of females to—”
She glared at him. “You’d enjoy that wouldn’t you?”
“Yep and I’d do it over and over again because I love you.”
“No you don’t. You hate me and I hate you and because we hate each other so much, you’ll never be with another female as long as—forever. And I’m staying to make sure. Got it?”
“Are you sure?” Raz asked.
“Positive. And if you even think about being with another female, I’ll cut off your balls then your dick, deep-fry it, and feed it to you.”
Her Guardian angel laughed. “That’s my girl.”
“Damn right.” How could she even think about giving him up? He was her Guardian angel. No one else’s. Ever. She had received the kick in the ass she needed. She loved Ra’zael the Guardian.
Joelle smiled smugly. “You’re welcome.” He walked toward the shaft and dove off the side.
Julia ran to the edge, though not too close, and yelled, “Thanks!”
Raz clutched her hand. “You know he was talking to me right?”
EPILOGUE
Julia
“Tell me again why we’re here?” Raz asked.
“Morbid curiosity,” Julia replied.
“This isn’t healthy, and did I already mention this isn’t a good idea?”
“Many times. Many. Times.” She wore her hair tucked into a Tiger’s baseball cap, a hoodie on top of that, and dark sunglasses. They stayed in the back of the room in the last row of chairs, away from the other attendees. At the head of the room an easel held a large framed portrait. Laid on top of the closed casket was a bouquet of peace lilies. A wreath of pink roses with a ribbon that read ‘Beloved Sister’ sat off to the side, nearby.