“You are not disappointed?”
“No, Michael, I’m not. I’m guessing this is your roundabout way of saying you want a proper relationship with me?” At Michael’s nod, Gabriel continued. “Then this is my very blunt way of saying that’s exactly what I want. I’ve been around. Unending debauchery gets boring after a while, but don’t you dare tell the others I said that!”
“I will guard it with my life,” Michael said solemnly, and Gabriel’s lips twitched in suppressed mirth.
“Thank you.” It was easier to accept the declaration than explain why it wasn’t really necessary. “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve cared about anyone enough to have a relationship with them,” Gabriel mused. “I’d like to have one with you, though.”
“You honor me.” Michael gave a shallow bow. “Thank you, Gabriel. May I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“May I kiss you again?”
Gabriel grinned and for answer, leaned in and kissed Michael, a slow glide of heat and passion that made them both groan as Michael answered Gabriel’s desire with his own. Gabriel wrapped both his arms tightly around Michael, making love to his mouth with his tongue as Michael fisted a hand in the fabric of Gabriel’s T-shirt. The moon shone benevolently down on them as they kissed.
“I should go.” Michael sounded regretful. “I need to make sure everyone at the house is all right before they retire for the night.”
“Okay.” Gabriel reached up with his left hand to trail his index finger down the line of Michael’s jaw. “I’ll come over tomorrow to train your youngsters in the morning, then we can talk and spend tomorrow afternoon together, yeah?”
Michael’s smile was like the sun coming up. “I would like that very much.” Slowly, he stepped back, out of Gabriel’s arms, and Gabriel sighed at the pang he felt in his heart as Michael moved away.
“I will see you tomorrow,” Michael said.
“Definitely.” Gabriel smiled, watching as Michael’s form shimmered gold for a fraction of a second and then vanished, leaving the sound of rustling feathers in his wake.
Chapter Six
“SO.” GABRIEL sat down on the edge of Michael’s bed uninvited. “How’re you?”
Michael looked up from the reports he was reading and smiled. “Hello, Gabriel. I am well, and yourself?”
“Pretty good, aye.” Gabriel crooked a finger at him, and Michael stood up, quirking an eyebrow curiously as he walked over to him.
“Yes?”
Gabriel stood up, arms going to Michael’s waist and pulling him closer. “This,” he said, and then he kissed him. Michael hummed happily, his arms sliding around Gabriel’s neck as he returned the kiss.
Ending the kiss, Gabriel smiled. “What’ve you been up to today?”
“Field reports.” Michael shrugged one shoulder. “There is much going on.”
“I haven’t heard from Tzad yet,” Gabriel admitted. “I’m a little concerned.”
“Do you think he has taken harm?” Michael’s brow furrowed.
“We would have felt it through our connection if he had,” Gabriel said. “Tzad can take care of himself. I just hope that this human he’s gone to investigate hasn’t sent him on a fool’s errand, or done a runner.”
Michael’s expression became confused. “Pardon? Done a what?”
“A runner. Run away,” Gabriel clarified.
“I see.” Michael frowned. “It is possible, I suppose. You killed all the demons, did you not? They would be unable to make a report to anyone and raise the alarm that we were aware of the situation?”
“Aye, but anything is possible.” Gabriel sighed heavily. “Never a dull moment.”
“That is true.”
“I admit what I’m most worried about is that someone might get lucky and injure one of our kind,” Gabriel said. “I’m actually pretty worried that the neutrality of this Earthly plane is diminishing, that the balance is leaning more in Hell’s favor.”
“Raziel would know if such is the case,” Michael reassured him. “And as we have not heard from him, there is no point in borrowing trouble.”
“I know, I know. I’m theorizing, and I don’t like where my theories are leading.” As he spoke, Gabriel ran his hands up Michael’s back, fingers ghosting over the invisible edges of Michael’s wing joints.
Michael gasped, arching at the fleeting touch, and Gabriel carefully lowered his hands to the middle of Michael’s back.
“Sorry,” Gabriel said.
“It is nothing, Gabriel. I was merely surprised.” Michael offered Gabriel a crooked smile. “It has been millennia since anyone has touched any part of my wings. They are… not as sensitive as they used to be, I fear.”
Gabriel scowled at that. “Bloody Lucifer. I wish God had let me kill him when he tried that shit—dragging you down into Hell with him. That was damn petty.”
“Language, Gabriel. And it was, yes, but Lucifer was always petty.” Michael smiled faintly. “Nevertheless, he is no match for me, even if he did attempt to use my wings to his own advantage.”
Gabriel grunted, still not happy. Although Lucifer’s Fall from Heaven had happened eons ago, before there was even such a thing as Time, it was as clear in Gabriel’s memory as if it were only yesterday. “Some of the Fallen said he grabbed your wings to punish God.”
“Perhaps.” Michael shrugged. “It does not matter. He is where he should be, and God has us where He wishes us to be. I am content.”
“You’re a good soul, Michael,” Gabriel said.
Michael blushed. “Not as good as I should be. I strive constantly to be better. I hope I have not disappointed Him overly much.”
“Hardly,” Gabriel snorted. “When I’m home, upstairs, in Heaven? I’m at His left hand. You ain’t disappointed anyone, Michael. I promise.”
“Perhaps.” Michael smiled. “These are topics of events long past, however. We must look closer at the present now, and towards the future.”
“Okay.” Gabriel grinned. “Your youngsters are talented, Michael. I think they’ll do well. After I finish putting them through second boot camp.”
Michael raised an eyebrow. “Boot camp? Is that necessary?”
“You want ’em to be good, or you wouldn’t have got me to train ’em.” Gabriel was pragmatic. “I don’t know what you want ’em to go up against, but I’m guessing it’s not regular grunt demons, so I’m training ’em to deal with more serious opponents.”
“You would be correct.” Michael sighed and gently pulled out of Gabriel’s arms, sitting down on the bed. Gabriel sat down beside him. “We are in trouble; you are correct about that too. These charms are of grave concern, and there are more and more demons coming up from Hell. It will only be a matter of time before there are Archdemons rising to join them.”
“I figured as much. Uri’s guarding all the gates as best he can, but….” Gabriel spread his hands in a helpless gesture. “We can be only so many places at once.”
“Indeed. Do your Seraphim troops report anything unusual?”
“Here and there. But here’s the thing—humans and demons multiply like rabbits. We don’t, like you said the other day. God made us, and He didn’t allow for us to procreate… well, okay, not since the days of Eden and the Grigori and their rape of the first human women. After that, He made us barren, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s all to the good. I’ve killed enough half-breeds to last a dozen lifetimes. The earth ran red with their blood before Uri unleashed Noah’s flood and washed it all clean.” Gabriel ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “Not the point. The point is, the numbers of humans and demons outnumber us. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“As you say,” Michael agreed. “I am unsure what He wishes us to do except what we are already doing.”
“You’re the Commander in Chief of the Host of Heaven,” Gabriel pointed out. “I’m your General, an’ God’s too. Where you two command, I go. Strategy has to change in or
der to keep the balance here on Earth. This planet is neutral for a reason. It has to stay neutral. Good is above, evil is below. Both are absolute. Here… here there’s both. I don’t like it, but it has to be that way so humans can grow as God intended. So whatever plan you have for these youngsters, I’ll back you.”
“You think there will be an argument from the others?” Michael shifted to look at Gabriel, his expression one of concern as he brought up what was clearly a main worry for him.
“No, but I think there’ll be questions. Not from Raz or Tzad or Sammy, they know what we’re up against. They ain’t in the field like I am or training troops like you are, but they know the intel, and they know the reality of the situation. Uriel won’t care either way, so long as he gets to set fire to something, somewhere. Raph, though, and Remi, Hani, and Metatron ain’t combatants. Raph only sees the aftermath—the injuries, the deaths. Remi sees the hope that’s lost, and Hani sees the destruction of love and families in the process of war. Metatron hears the Voice best, and sometimes he don’t hear the realities of this planet and what we do. They’re the ones who’re gonna have questions.”
“I fear you are right.” Michael shook his head. “I do not know what to tell them.”
“Tell them the truth.” Gabriel reached out to brush his fingers through Michael’s hair, smiling fondly as Michael leaned into the touch. “Tell ’em that it’s God’s Will.”
“I hope that is enough.”
“It will be.” Gabriel grinned. “I have faith.”
“I am glad one of us does.” Michael smiled sadly. “I have seen much loss, Gabriel. I fear I cannot always see clearly because of it.”
“I know. You work closer with humanity than any of us do.”
“And yet,” Michael said, chuckling, “I understand them the least. I have spent centuries living among them—as a beggar, a slave, and in my female form as a dancing girl too. They still remain a mystery to me.”
“They’re contrary beings,” Gabriel agreed. “They confuse me too.”
“At least I am not the only one.”
“Not hardly.” Gabriel laughed. “They confuse us all. I think it’s just we’re confused about different things. Like, take this for example: deep fried chocolate bars.”
Michael blinked in confusion. “Pardon?”
“It’s a chocolate bar, right, and they coat it in batter, then deep fry it and eat it.” Gabriel shuddered dramatically. “I don’t get it. I mean, I don’t have arteries, but I can imagine ’em hardening just from looking at it.”
“And… this is… something they enjoy eating?” Michael’s face was a study in blank confusion.
“Sometimes? John tried to explain it to me once, but it made no sense. Why ruin a perfectly good chocolate bar that way?”
“How odd,” Michael mused.
“See? Humans are weird.” Gabriel stretched out his legs. “I like ’em, though.”
“They are young. We are crocodiles.” Michael turned his head to place a chaste kiss on Gabriel’s palm. “They are still growing and learning.”
“Good analogy.” Gabriel gazed steadily at Michael for a long moment. “Are you free tonight?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I thought I’d take you out for dinner and dancing.” Gabriel grinned as Michael’s eyes lit up. “It’s the Festival of the Tango in Buenos Aires, and I thought you’d like to go with me.”
“I would enjoy that.” Michael was smiling wide and bright, and at that moment, he was so beautiful that he took Gabriel’s breath away. “Thank you.”
“You’re always welcome,” Gabriel said. He stood up, leaned down, and kissed Michael’s forehead. “I’ll go make the arrangements, and I’ll come pick you up at, say, 7:00 p.m.?”
Michael also stood and took Gabriel’s hands in his. “I look forward to it.”
“Then I’ll see you at seven.” Gabriel kissed Michael quickly and teleported back to Deep Bay before he thought of an excuse to linger. He wanted to make this a romantic, memorable night for Michael, their conversation having given him a little insight into Michael’s worries. A night of dining, dancing, and relaxing would be a good start, Gabriel thought.
There was also at the back of his mind the idea that the understanding between him and Michael was so new, so unusual for both of them, that getting to know one another and experiencing life together would be a good way to build foundations for a relationship. As they were immortal, Gabriel thought, it made sense not to rush things, although the idea of shoving Michael up against a wall and kissing him, touching him, tearing off his clothes, and fucking him was more than a little appealing.
“Good things come to those who wait, Gabriel,” he muttered to himself as he appeared on the back step of the house in Deep Bay.
And Michael was worth waiting for.
GABRIEL returned to Michael’s home just before 7:00 p.m., dressed in a simple charcoal gray suit with a blue tie. Nervously, he knocked on Michael’s front door, and after a moment, Michael opened it and smiled shyly.
“Hello, Gabriel.”
“Hi.” Gabriel boldly eyed Michael up and down, noting how good Michael looked in the cream linen suit he wore. “Ready to go?”
“Yes.” Michael stepped out of his apartment and carefully locked the door.
Gabriel offered him his arm, and when Michael took it, he moved them straight to Buenos Aires and a club by the sea. The doors and windows were all open, a paved plaza between the club and the beach filled with couples dancing and laughing and talking. Gabriel stepped back from Michael and bowed gracefully. “Would you dance with me?”
“I would be honored.”
As Michael stepped into his arms and they began to dance, Gabriel couldn’t help but notice how happy Michael seemed. Indeed, the smile on his face was wide, and his eyes were alight with pleasure as they danced, pressing close to each other. Gabriel hummed along with the music as they danced cheek to cheek, focused entirely on the feeling of Michael’s body against his, Michael’s hand in his, the warmth of Michael’s breath on his skin. Nothing existed for Gabriel at that moment other than Michael.
Gabriel idly mused on that to himself as they danced together on the edge of the dance floor, the light breeze blowing in from the sea rich with the scent of salt and sand. He had had many lovers in his life, even some relationships. Yet, for Gabriel, as for all of his kind, the stretch of a human lifetime was merely a blink of an eye, and he had grieved when his lovers and loved ones died, old and infirm while Gabriel himself remained unchanged and unchangeable, beautiful and unaging forever.
Michael had loved a mortal woman at the end of the tenth century, and her death during a raid by thieves in Mongolia, along the Silk Road, had wounded him deeply. Gabriel did not know the full story and was too respectful to ask. If Michael wanted him to know, then Michael would tell him. What he did know was that at the meeting of the Archangels in the opening months of the year 1000 AD, Michael had been withdrawn, grief-stricken, and angry. He had said nothing to the Brotherhood, merely handed Raziel a roll of parchment that contained his report and left. Raziel, knowing all things hidden and secret as he did, had explained to Gabriel and the others that Michael’s love had died and that Michael himself would most likely be grieving for a good long while.
True to Raziel’s prediction, Michael had kept himself separate from the other Archangels until the twelfth century. That meeting had seen Michael appear to stop Gabriel, who, driven insane by sorrow at the death of the mortal woman he had loved, was about to embark on a murderous rampage in revenge for her death.
Gabriel had loved the city of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, and he had spent more than two hundred years there. His love, Theodora, had died when Crusaders, driven wild with greed at the imagined wealth behind the thick, high walls of Constantinople, had taken it upon themselves to breach the walls, assault the city and take whatever they had wanted—wine, women, and gold.
Wracked with grief and rage, Gabriel ha
d fought Michael when the eldest Archangel had arrived with a dozen Seraphim. They had to drag him, screaming his fury, from the city, and Gabriel regretted the harsh words he and Michael had exchanged afterward. He had apologized profusely later, for Gabriel knew that if anyone could understand how he felt, it would be Michael.
Now he held Michael close, moving in the familiar steps of the dance, the two of them in perfect sync with one another. It felt very, very right.
“Are you all right?”
“Hm?” Gabriel blinked as he was pulled from his reverie by Michael’s soft voice in his ear. He smiled as he turned his head to look at Michael and nodded. “Aye. I’m very all right.”
“As you say, then.” Michael smiled back. It was a small, shy smile, and Gabriel’s own smile broadened. “You seemed very far away, that is all.”
“I were thinking,” Gabriel admitted, “but only good stuff. Mostly.”
“Mostly?”
“Aye. I just wanted to say I’m sorry. Again. For how I treated you back in Constantinople those centuries ago.”
“There is nothing to apologize for, Gabriel.” Michael’s hand squeezed Gabriel’s own. “I understood then, and I understand now. In truth, I have forgotten it.”
Gabriel laughed softly. “Okay. Then yeah, my thoughts were of good things. Are you hungry?”
“A little, perhaps, if it is no trouble?”
“It’s no trouble.” Gabriel led the way off the dance floor, not letting go of Michael’s hand as they walked. “There’s a nice little bistro down here; it’s quiet and clean and the food’s good.”
“That sounds nice.”
They walked in companionable silence the short distance to the bistro, and Gabriel held Michael’s seat for him, earning a chuckle from Michael as he sat down.
“You are very kind,” Michael said as Gabriel sat down beside him. “Thank you.”
“I HAD a wonderful night tonight, Michael.” Gabriel stood at the door to Michael’s apartment. He felt awkward, as if he were a gauche teenager escorting his date home for the first time.
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