Stomach growling, I followed him and took the seat he offered.
When he sat beside me, he continued, “If you’re thinking she’s unsafe, don’t. She’s very much safer there than with your family.”
I grabbed a piece of bacon and pried open a buttery biscuit. “That’s not why I asked. It’s Heaven. Of course, she’s safe.”
He quirked a brow. “That confident you’ve been sending those kind souls to a perfect place?”
“Don’t,” I muttered, then bit into my biscuit.
“Well.” He took a deep breath. “It is perfect, peaceful, and utterly boring for those who don’t belong.”
I stopped chewing as I studied Luke. He was inspecting a piece of sausage like it was the most interesting thing in the world. But I figured he was more lost in thought. The more I watched and tried to understand Luke, the more compelling he became. I wanted to crack him open and ask so many questions. The most important one might be: How did he live forever and not have regret or remorse, which brought the word to my lips, “Explain.”
“Explain what?”
“Why did you try to overthrow your creator?”
He stiffened. “I thought you were asking what Heaven was like.”
I put down my food. “I want to know, but I’m curious about why you were cast out. The truth.”
Crimson eyes pierced mine, then he turned his body to face me. “Heaven is peaceful because you merely exist there.”
I frowned, which made him rub the tip of his left horn. “There’s nothing,” he continued. “No love, no family, no need to eat. You may rest, but even that’s not needed. Angels merely walk around their golden homes, in a harmony that only exists there, while they watch God’s other creations live. Angels call each other brother and sisters, but it doesn’t mean the same as what it does for humans or other species. Curiosity exists there,but never the desire for more. Angels also know beauty. It’s probably the one thing they allow themselves.”
“I’m confused.”
“Don’t be. It’s simple. Heaven is peaceful, wonderful even, because love doesn’t exist there. Love can’t exist without hate, jealousy, envy. Family can’t exist because there’s no room for favoritism. There’s no one you’re allowed to love more. Everyone treats everyone the same. See? That’s why it’s beautiful, because a harmony exists there that a person couldn’t dream of getting anywhere else.”
His words caused a trickle of unease to slide through me. “So, it’s true you don’t remember who you are there?”
“I don’t know what it’s like for humans, but I’d imagine God takes all their pain away. That’s how He is, but to do that and to keep His peace, I assume He must take everything.”
My stomach churned. “So, Gwendolyn most likely won’t remember anything.”
“Don’t listen to me. I truly don’t know what He does to humans. I knew what it was like as one of His angels.” He pushed a plate toward me. “Eat.”
I didn’t. Instead, I met his intense stare again. “Why did you do it? Even when you talk of your creator, you don’t sound vindictive.”
“Don’t be fooled. I loathe what He’s done to me.”
“But you—”
“I know what I did. No need to remind me.”
“So, why?”
“You’re like a dog with a bone,” he muttered.
I nudged his side. “Tell me.”
His shoulders deflated before he looked away. “I used to be like every other angel, then humans were created, and we got to watch them through a scrying glass embedded into a watering well. When I saw the humans for the very first time, I also saw a glimpse of something else in the well. The second time I saw it, I changed, physically and mentally.”
“What did you see?” I asked.
Something about the fire in his eyes scorched me head to toe. “I don’t know.”
“How do you not know?”
