Pity for the cherub washed over me. For him to have to go through the pain I'd felt with women all over the world? That had to be intense agony. "I am not angry with you, Sandalphon. But you must explain why you cursed Lucian."
He looked up at me with a furrowed brow. "I did nothing to your husband. I don't have the power to curse the Lord of the Morning."
Michael cursed. "Are you kidding me?"
Sandalphon shook his head. "I swear, touch me and know my honesty."
If I'd been ethereal, I would've been able to do just that. It was one of my gifts. Not as a human, though. "Do you know anything of his curse?" I asked.
Sandalphon shook his head. "No, and at first I had no idea which of your mates you'd end up with, either."
"How did you know our life spans would be long enough to bear a child?" I asked.
Sandalphon smiled. "It is my gift to know approximately how long a human will live. There are things that can and do change that, of course. Humans have free will and their fates change all the time. But you and Lucian still have many years to go. I don't know why this life cycle is longer than any you've had before, but it is not my place to question the will of God."
I put my face in my hands. "Dude. Question next time." My voice was muffled behind my fingers.
Michael chuckled. "Yeah, if you'd said something to Gabe when you first realized they had a long life span, he might've been able to prevent a lot of problems."
"I didn't know Lucifer was cursed," Sandalphon said. "Can I help?"
I shook my head. "No. And you damn well better not say anything to anyone."
With a sigh, I waved my hand at him, dismissing him. He didn't wait around for Michael to help, he disappeared with wide eyes.
"Of all the bullshit," I muttered. Suddenly starving, I stood from the table and opened the refrigerator door, staring inside without seeing a damn thing that looked good.
My emotions overwhelmed me, the hormones from the pregnancy and shocking news more than I could take. Throwing my head back, I wailed. Tears streamed down my face in a quick rush, soaking my cheeks before Michael could scramble out of his chair and rush to my side.
"Oh, Lil. I'm sorry." He pulled me into his arms, tucked his hand under my knees and carried me to the couch. He stayed quiet with me on his lap, rocking back and forth gently. When my sobs subsided, Michael smoothed my hair back from my face and smiled at me. "You're blotchy."
I snorted. "It would be a good time to do a blog about covering red skin."
I hiccupped and burrowed into his chest. "It was just a lot, knowing that I could've had children over the years."
"Yeah, but what about raising them? You wouldn't have been able to."
He rubbed slow circles on my back.
"I don't know. Maybe once I experience handing a baby over to an adoptive mother, I'll change my mind, but right now it seems a little bit better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."
He hummed his agreement. "We'll have to petition the Big Man, if he will even listen. See if he'll lift his edict from Sandalphon and let things happen as they happen. He was always all about meddling in human affairs, but lately, he's been more standoffish, so he may surprise us."
We sat like that for a few more minutes while I calmed down, but the sound of the garage door opening startled both of us. Michael moved me to the couch and grabbed my hand. Pressing a firm kiss to it, he winked at me. "Back when I can."
He disappeared, and in my state, my mate leaving caused me to dissolve into a fresh round of tears.
Jellybean, who had laid on the ground at my feet, put his head in my lap until Lucian came in and heard me crying. Soon I was curled up in his lap, trying to explain it was just a hormonal fit, and I was fine.
He didn't buy it, but he also didn't press. I stayed on his lap until I fell asleep.
17
Gabriel
Istood before the gate separating the between and Hell. Fallen were spread out all around me, eerily silent as they stared up at the dark golden gate. Each of us had our wings visible behind us, and the glow that hovered around all angels and Fallen lighted the darkness of this realm. It was rare to see this many Fallen gathered in one place, but the rumors couldn’t be stopped.
The gate was falling.
