by Laurie Lyons
Lucy took a deep breath. She had no choice but to trust him. He was worth it. She sighed and nodded.
"Good, eat up, we have a long hike ahead of us."
"A hike?" she asked, "I thought I was supposed to be relaxing."
"Oh, we'll get to that," he said eating. "But it's a ways to get there. I'll carry you if you'll let me. It's important."
"Well it sounds fun!" Lucy replied feigning enthusiasm. Nathaniel smiled slyly at her - she wasn't fooling him.
Lucy hated hiking. She never understood the point of it. Why would you wish this upon yourself? Her back ached, her legs burned and the blisters on her feet were excruciating. Nathaniel had bought her a pair of hiking boots for the trip but they were brand new and Lucy wondered if they were constructed with tacks on the inside. They had been hiking for two hours and Lucy was almost ready to stomp her foot like a toddler and refuse to go one step further. Nathaniel had slowed the pace to a crawl and had offered to carry her a hundred times. Lucy had declined, being too stubborn to accept the help. At this point though, Lucy thought her legs might fall off if she walked three more steps. Finally, she swallowed her pride and opened her mouth to beg to be carried.
"I can't believe you've lasted this long Lucy," Nathaniel said with admiration in his voice. "It's not much farther now." Lucy snapped her mouth shut. Another half an hour passed and Lucy was about to start begging again when Nathaniel stopped and turned back to her. He didn't look flushed or tired in the least. "I'm going to climb this ledge and then pull you up," he instructed.
Climbing? Lucy thought to herself, Are you kidding me? He boosted himself up easily on the six-foot rock face. Lucy found a foothold and boosted herself up. Her legs began shaking with the effort. She looked up to Nathaniel's smiling face and reached for his outstretched hands. He pulled her up effortlessly.
"We're here, thank you for doing that," he said smiling at her. Once again, they seemed to be in just denser bush. Lucy was filthy, exhausted and irritated. This better be good, she thought to herself ruefully. He reached out for her hand. Lucy took it and he led her through one last bit of foliage. Lucy gasped. "Worth the hike?" Nathaniel whispered in her ear. Lucy could only manage to nod dumbly.
They were in a huge flat clearing. All around was soft ankle length grass dotted here and there with wildflowers. Trees circled one third of the field, another third was a huge wall of granite rock face and the last third was completely open to the mountains around. Lucy gazed out over the cliff to the breathtaking view of forest and sky that went on forever. In the middle of the meadow was an oval natural spring that cut down into the rock. It was filled with steaming hot water and sat still and calm in the afternoon sun.
"I finally found you a bathtub," Nathaniel said grinning.
Lucy turned and clutched him tightly. "Oh it's the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Thank you," she said into his chest. Nathaniel grinned down at her. "Can we go in there?" Lucy asked.
He nodded and pointed to a cluster of trees a few feet away, "You will find your bathing suit and a towel over there." Lucy smiled and darted for the trees giggling with excitement. Her two-piece bathing suit lay over a branch beside a towel. She didn't even wonder where it came from; Nathaniel's magic was slowly becoming commonplace to her. She changed quickly, draping her dirty, sweaty clothes over the same branch. She grabbed the white fluffy towel and headed back to the clearing.
Nathaniel was already in the spring waiting for her. He stood in the middle, the water reaching him just below his perfectly formed stomach. Lucy had never seen him with his shirt off before and her heart skipped a beat. His tanned skin was flawless over a muscular chest and stomach. Lucy headed to the edge and sat down dipping her feet in. The water was perfectly warm and the aches in her toes from the hike rapidly melted away. Nathaniel waded over to her and placed his hands on her knees. Lucy felt butterflies fill her stomach as he ran his hands up her thighs, over her hips and to her waist.
"There is a ledge on this side that you can sit on," he explained. Lucy let him lift and ease her into the water and place her gently onto the ledge. She felt the water rising up her body and its heat melted away every ache and pain. Lucy tilted her head back in the water and sighed softly.
"Oh, wow," she said with her eyes closed.
"Pretty great hey?" he said moving beside her and sitting down.
"Mmmm hmmm," was all Lucy could manage, "thank you."
"Anything for you Lucy," he replied and tilted his own head back and closed his eyes. They sat in peace for a long time. Lucy wasn't sleepy; she was just totally and incredibly relaxed. Her whole body felt malleable and warm. "Hungry?" Nathaniel finally said beside her.
"I could eat," Lucy said without moving.
"The picnic is over there," he replied sitting up and swimming over to the other side of the pool. Lucy followed him and saw a huge blanket with six huge pillows arranged around a massive picnic basket. It hadn't been there before. Lucy looked at him.
"You are amazing Nathaniel," she said in awe as he lifted her out of the spring. He gave her a slightly embarrassed shrug and climbed out of the pool. Lucy dried herself off with her towel. She was a little chilly but she certainly didn't want to put her dirty hiking clothes back on. She walked over and picked Nathaniel's t-shirt up off a branch. It was fresh and clean and didn't hold a clue that it had gone through a grueling two-hour hike. She pulled it over her head. It was soft and warm on her skin and its heady sweet scent encompassed her. Lucy paused and impulsively reached under the shirt, untied her bikini top and tossed it playfully aside. Nathaniel watched her, an amused look on his face.
"I don't want to get your shirt wet," Lucy said with a shrug. Nathaniel looked her slowly up and down with approval in his face but he said nothing. They sat down on the blanket and Nathaniel opened the basket and began pulling out a feast of epic proportions. He dished out cold roast chicken, potatoes, buns and veggies. Lucy ate like a champ and after filling herself to capacity, laid lazily back on the pillows. She stared at Nathaniel through half closed eyes – he glowed in the afternoon sun, his ebony hair glinting in the light. He lay back beside her and looked up at the sky.
"I gotta tell ya," Lucy said, "I am not looking forward to the hike back."
Nathaniel smiled, and didn't turn his head to say, "I'll carry you."
"You are going to have to pal, because I am too relaxed to walk. Thank you for this, it's wonderful."
"I'll carry you," he replied.
"You'll regret saying that an hour into the hike."
He laughed. They fell silent. Lucy was totally tranquil and content. Suddenly, Nathaniel rolled over and grabbed Lucy behind the neck. She gasped at the unexpected movement. He stared intensely into her eyes and Lucy's breathing sped up as she lost herself in his cavernous gaze.
"I heard what Roman said," he spoke carefully.
"Which part?" Lucy whispered although she already knew.
"About me not loving you," he replied. Lucy just stared and held her breath. "It isn't true Lucy." She exhaled deeply and waited. He tightened his grip on her neck, "I love you Lucy Bower. I love you more than anyone has ever loved you. I love you more than anyone has ever loved anything, ever. I love you so much that sometimes I am quite sure that it would kill me if you left me. I love your mind and your smile and your laughter. I love your anger and your sadness and your stubbornness. I love your face, your body and your soul. I feel like I have loved you since before I met you, long before I think. I love you." He stopped, breathing heavily and gazed at her. Lucy lifted one hand and laid it on his face. A single tear formed in her eye and rolled slowly down her face and across his fingers.
"Why did you wait so long to say it?" she asked barely over a whisper.
"Because before you know you love me, you have to see this." Without warning, he sprang to his feet. Lucy sat up shocked and watched as he smiled a beautiful smile at her, turned and sprinted headlong towards the edge of the cliff. Lucy screamed in terror and leapt to he
r feet starting to run after him but he was far too fast. Without a pause or a look back he jumped off the cliff face to the open chasm below and disappeared. Lucy screamed again and froze in place allowing the shock of the last ten seconds to encompass her. Shock ripped through her making her muscles shake and her blood run cold.
"Nathaniel!" she shrieked knowing it was useless. He couldn't hear her.
"I'm right here," came his voice from the other side of the cliff. Relief swept through Lucy and then confusion as she questioned how this was possible. Slowly, Nathaniel came into view, floating up from the other side of the cliff. Lucy took a step back when she realized how he was floating. Nathaniel hovered over the edge supported by a set of massive wings.
Chapter Fourteen
Pieces of Heaven
"The 'Kingdom of Heaven' is a condition of the heart - no
something that comes 'upon the earth' or 'after death.'"
~Friedrich Nietzsche
Nathaniel stepped casually onto the ground and took a tentative step towards Lucy. She stood and took him all in. Nathaniel had always been beautiful but now he was breathtaking. His handsome face and perfect skin radiated light. The wings arched up above his shoulders and tapered into a heart shape along the sides of his body with the tips barely brushing the ground. Nathaniel spread them out slowly, stretching them to their fullest. Lucy judged them to be at least twelve feet tip to tip. She walked slowly forward, and was surprised that Nathaniel seemed anxious. Lucy reached him and carefully reached out and laid her hand on his bare chest as if confirming he was real. He placed his hand on top of hers.
"Is this," he asked tentatively, "ok?" Lucy gazed at him amazed that he could be nervous about showing this to her. He looked like he was expecting her to run in fear.
Lucy laughed a little. "Ok?" she asked astounded, "this is amazing."
"Lucy," Nathaniel said looking into her eyes, "It's a little freakish."
She smiled and shook her head. "Not at all," she said earnestly, "you have never looked more dazzling." Nathaniel looked relieved. "Can I," she paused, "see them?" she asked. He turned a quarter turn in response. She stepped behind him. The wings attached five inches apart between Nathaniel's shoulder blades and were obviously powerful. They were thick and covered in thousands of perfectly formed white feathers. Lucy ran her fingers gently along the ridge and down the side. "Can you feel that?" she asked. He nodded and flapped them lightly in response. Lucy jumped back and laughed as a gust of air blew her hair back.
Lucy walked back in front of him. "So is this why we had to come all the way up here?" she asked amused.
Nathaniel shrugged, "It was more the bath but it's not like I could have spread these out in your dorm room now could I?" Lucy smiled. He would have cracked through a wall. "But now you have seen me Lucy," he said, "all of me and now and only now can you decide if you love me." Nathaniel turned and held her hands to his chest, "Because you can only truly love someone if you've seen their true form."
"Now that I have seen you," Lucy said, "in your true form," she paused," although I am not happy with how you showed me. I could have lived without the jump." Nathaniel only grinned in response. "I love you more than I did five minutes ago," she said choking on emotion, "there is no man in this world or the next that I could ever love more than I love you Nathaniel. I love you and no other until the end of time."
The emotion on his face was tangible. He pulled Lucy forward and kissed her with such power that Lucy's legs failed her and Nathaniel was holding her up – his lips the only anchor. Nathaniel wordlessly picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "I told you I would carry you home Lucy," he said smiling at her. Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed her body to sink into his. She felt a burst of wind as he beat his great wings and they lifted off the ground. Immediately they were airborne. Lucy wasn't frightened; in fact, she had never felt so safe.
They rose a mile in the air and Lucy looked about her. The view was stunning and she gazed about taking in the mountains and forest and the sky in all their glory. Nathaniel beat his wings again and they took off with a speed that would rival a 737. The flight would have been a short one but Nathaniel took Lucy on a tour. They flew past an eagle's nest tucked high in the trees and paused to see the fledging eaglets blind and chirping at the sun. He flew low over a wolf family, cuddled up and sleeping like lap dogs in the moss. He flew over a huge glistening lake and Lucy reached out and ran her hand through the water as the trout jumped for her fingers. Lucy laughed.
"Let's go home," Lucy whispered in his ear. Nathaniel picked up speed and flew straight for the house. He ignored the door and instead headed straight for the second story window that opened by itself upon their arrival. He laid Lucy gently on the bed and his wings disappeared from sight. Lucy did not care to ask where they went. It wasn't important right now. Nathaniel lay beside her and kissed her, running his hand up her back, under the t-shirt and clasping the back of her neck.
Lucy reached her arms around him and traced his bare back with her fingertips. Nathaniel responded by kissing her harder, seeking more and more of her as he pressed her body closer to his. "So beautiful," he reveled. Lucy grabbed his neck and pulled him towards her. He kissed her mouth, her face and her neck before pulling up to gaze at her.
"Are we going to?" Lucy trailed off at the end of her question not because she was embarrassed or uncomfortable but because all words seemed trivial now.
"No," he said plainly.
"Oh," Lucy replied feeling the disappointment sting her pride.
"Lucy," he said reading her face. "Do you not realize how much I want you?" Lucy shook her head confused. "Why do you think I had to leave last night?" he asked not waiting for an answer. "It wasn't because I was angry or bored with you. It was because if I stayed for one more second I wouldn't have been able to control myself." Lucy thought back to his attitude the night before and tried to reconcile it with one of passion but simply couldn't do it. She shook her head again. "When you came downstairs from your shower," he explained, "in those sweatpants and a tank top with your hair all wet from the shower, it was all I could do to stop myself from throwing you across the table and taking you right there. Don't you realize my love, how beautiful you are?"
"Then why don't we…" Lucy started.
"That's my point," he said brushing the hair back from her face, "I want to more than I've ever wanted anything. It's just that I can't."
"Oh," said Lucy – now not wanting to bruise his ego, "you can't."
Nathaniel laughed a little. "No," he explained, "I am quite capable; it's just that I am not allowed to." He paused. "You see, as you know there are rules that Heavenly souls have to abide by. There are some that I have been bending but this one cannot be violated in any way. Immortal Heavenly Creatures cannot have sex with mortals. It simply isn't allowed." Lucy was about to protest and tell him that this wasn't fair. What would they do if he broke the rule anyway? "But," he continued, "I would like to try something else."
"If you are going to tell me that playing Monopoly is just as fun, I won't believe you," Lucy said with a smirk.
He laughed, "No Monopoly but I would like to give myself to you in a different way. Do you trust me?"
"Yes," Lucy said without hesitation. Nathaniel leaned down and kissed her, Lucy kissed him back with passion, excited for what ever was about to happen next.
"Don't be afraid," he whispered against her mouth.
"I'm not," she whispered back, "I trust you." He ran his hand around her body and laid it softly on her stomach under the t-shirt. Lucy's heart skipped a beat. He slowly and gently began to run his hand up her abdomen. He looked away slightly and squinted his wide eyes in concentration. "Are you looking for something?" Lucy whispered.
"Your soul," he said quietly. Lucy's heart began to race at a breakneck speed as his hand continued upward and came to rest in between her ribs. "I love you Lucy. You are mine." he whispered as he looked deeply into her eyes and smiled at her. Be
fore Lucy could reply, it began and she was unable to speak.
It started as a warmth deep inside her chest like she had just swallowed hot coffee too fast. It was intense though and formed itself into a ball of heat. It warmed more and began to pulse. Slowly, it grew, taking up more and more space inside her. Lucy looked at Nathaniel and he was shining with his skin giving off a radiant white light. His eyes were intense and Lucy got the impression that this was taking some effort but he was smiling his deep devoted smile. The pulsing heat inside Lucy grew more powerful and pushed against her body as if trying to find escape. Lucy sucked in air willing it to stay for this was the most glorious feeling she had ever experienced.
"Are you ready?" Nathaniel whispered.
"There's more?" Lucy asked amazed.
"This is just your soul Lucy," he said smiling, "you haven't even felt mine yet." He pushed his hand into her and she felt an electric shock run from his hand directly into her. Red heat seared into her and the ball of warmth grabbed it, wrapped around it and the two exploded out of Lucy and Nathaniel with such force that she had to arch her back to support it's power. The bed began to shake beneath them as Lucy felt every nerve in her body alight with sensation. The light spilled out through Lucy's arms and legs and neck. She lifted one hand and saw that there were beams of light spilling from her fingertips. She looked at the ceiling where the ivy was shaking as light danced across it.
Lucy's mind emptied of every thought, every memory and filled only with light, love and complete happiness. Nathaniel was the only thing holding her to this Earth. He was her beginning, her end and everything in between. There was nothing but Nathaniel and his devotion to her – nothing at all. Lucy knew that she would die or kill for his love and feel no regret for it. There was nothing else that mattered. She closed her eyes and allowed the light to consume her.