“We shall see.”
My dad stepped toward me and took my hand. “I can’t go back to Earth.”
“But what about Mom? She’s never given up on you.”
“It’s too dangerous.” He shook his head and placed a kiss on my brow. “I have many enemies.” He cut his gaze to Lucian, then back to me. “I’ll not put you or your mother in unnecessary danger.”
I nodded, understanding what he said yet still hating we had to part, that Mom wouldn’t get to be reunited with her husband.
“I’m going to tell her what happened, who you really are.”
He gave a weary smile. “It’s the least she deserves. Tell her I never stopped loving her, and perhaps one day, when things have settled down, we’ll see one another again.”
“Ugh. This display of affection is sickening.” Lucian snapped his fingers. “Time for everyone to leave my plane.” He turned toward Michael. “And if you and your armyeversneak in again, it will be the end. Of everything.”
Michael opened his mouth to retort, but Hell tilted, the reds and grays of the plane morphing into a kaleidoscope, sending Cain and me farther into the swirling maelstrom.
I clenched at his forearms and squeezed my eyes shut, sure we’d been blinked inside the volcano or into a pit of hungry demons.
Nausea churned in my gut, and I had to swallow my rising gorge.Thank God I haven’t eaten in a while.
Solid ground seemed to sit under my feet, and birdsong greeted my ears. The sulfurous, charred air disappeared, and only the scent of damp leaves and woodsmoke filled my nose.
Hesitantly, I opened my eyes. We stood on the sidewalk in front of my house.Never in my nineteen years have I been happier to be home.
Cain’s grip on me softened as he slowly spun in a circle, taking in the parked cars, the sleepy street. A yellow leaf from an oak tree spiraled to the ground, next to my feet.
“I-I can’t believe it,” he whispered.
“That he didn’t kill us?” I turned my attention to Cain’s face, and our eyes met. “Or the fact he actually sent us back to Earth?”
“That he cared enough to bring me back, especially after I betrayed him, and then let me go without any kind of strings attached.” Both of his hands slid to caress my cheeks. The tops of his wings stuck out over his shoulders, the bright sun lighting the colors of the feathers like they were made of glass.
“I think, in his own way, Lucian loves you.” Though it was hard to admit, I believed what I said. Lucian could’ve let Cain’s soul stay in Heaven, yet he didn’t. Yes, maybe he brought him back to life so he could keep his soul out of Heaven, but if that were the case, Lucian could’ve tried to make Cain stay in Hell. Instead, he released us. Begrudgingly.
“Love or not, I owe him no allegiance.”
A car approached, and as it passed, the driver’s mouth gaped, and the woman’s eyes rounded.
“Your wings, Cain, people will see them.”
He lifted his shoulders and closed his eyes, a line of concentration appearing between his brows. In an instant, the wings disappeared.
“You finally got what you wanted.” I tried to smile, wondering how different things would be since he was a true angel, and I was something lesser. A Nephilim, yes, but never his equal.
“I did get what I wanted.” He slid his hands to my neck and pulled me closer. “More than I deserved.”
Swallowing, I exhaled and pushed a hand against his chest. “What will you do now? Keep fighting? Join with my father?”My dad. I can tell Mom about him.This thought caused a well of happiness to rise within me.Though I’m not sure if I’ll be able to explain everything without scaring the hell out of her.
“I thought getting wings and becoming something greater would fill the hole in my heart.” He pushed his nose into my hair, next to my ear. “But vengeance doesn’t always bring happiness.” He pressed a tender kiss to my earlobe. “And it certainly doesn’t bring love.”
Sighing, I leaned into him, savoring the contact. “Love is so complicated.”
“No, love itself isn’t complicated.” He slid his hands to my waist and pulled me flush to him. “We’re the ones who make it such a mess. And I realized I don’t want these wings. They’re a horrible burden, a constant reminder of the things I did to earn them, even if they were consecrated by God.”
“Cain, you’ve worked for all eternity for these wings.” I pulled back and searched his face. “And if God gave his blessing, then they’re not evil.”
“Her blessing.”
