He took Uriel to Heaven and out of our hair. With a wave of his hand, Michael cleaned up the barn and removed all the blood. It had been getting rancid there. "I don't know about you guys, but I need food and sleep."
It was almost twilight, and I'd lost all track of the days. Without any leads or possibilities, we had nowhere to go. Nowhere to look.
"Maybe if we all rest, something new will come to us tomorrow," I said. There was nothing else to try. My poor human body was near breaking down. I felt the strain of the magic on it, too, even with the barrier I'd put in place.
We all needed showers again. I wasn't sure if it had been one or two days since we last took one, all of us in the bathroom together before we went after Ezekiel and Genevra. Or had it even been a whole day yet?
However long it had been, I felt gross, and though I could magically clean my body, I craved the feel of hot water rushing over my skin.
"I'm going to order pizzas," Luc said. My stomach growled on cue. I moved me and Luc to the kitchen and Gabe and Michael followed of their own accord. We could've magicked ourselves some dinner, but the food had to come from somewhere. We didn't have the ability to create it out of thin air. We didn't like using magic for things like obtaining food, because it might take it out of someone else's mouth. Better to do the right thing and pay for it, even if that meant another forty-five minutes.
Now that I had nothing driving me to the next task, my hunger and exhaustion moved to the forefront of my mind. "I'm going to shower while we wait."
Gabe grimaced. "I'll join you."
We trudged up the stairs and into the bedroom. "We need a home on Earth," Gabe said. "Somewhere we can go even in our angelic bodies. Like a vacation."
"We could start using human brokers again," I suggested. We used to reveal ourselves to one human, carefully chosen, to do things on Earth for us. They owned our properties, made business deals, and dealt with any offspring we might have had as humans. Of course, I'd never had any, but others had. The children of two angels in their human cycles had always been human. Another reason I'd assumed Ariel would be.
But then, Luc and I weren't normal angels, either.
I stripped slowly as the water heated up. Gabe watched. "If I wasn't so tired, I'd take you right here in this shower."
Goosebumps danced across my skin as I smiled at his words. "If I wasn't so tired, I'd let you."
Too bad for both of us, I didn't have it in me. If I laid down on this floor, even on my knees, I would've been fast asleep.
The tankless water heater Lucian and Connie had installed was a blessing. I stood under the spray until my skin was wrinkly. My worried mind wouldn't quiet, even though the exhaustion was making clouds push in the edges. Where was Ariel? What was Raphael feeding her? Had he found someone to care for her? I couldn't picture him being particularly maternal.
If she appeared on Earth, would I feel her? Would I know?
I reached out with my magic to try to sense her, but it resisted.
Damn. I knew I'd pushed myself too far when even my magic didn't want to go out to play, and after three decades of not being used. It was normally very eager to be of use after an Earth cycle. As it lay dormant inside us, it recharged and reconnected with the Earth itself, giving us more power and vitality. It generally lasted about five centuries before it began to wane, and when it was too weak, it would launch us into our next Earth cycle. We never had warning specifically when it was happening, but we usually had a general idea and could prepare ourselves.
"Lil." Michael's voice pushed through my thoughts a few minutes later. I'd gotten in the shower with Gabe, but Michael stood beside me now, a concerned look on his face. "You fell asleep."
I took my arm off the shower wall. "Wow," I whispered, and my voice came out as a croak. "I didn't even wash." I laughed and grabbed the shampoo. "I don't think I've ever fallen asleep standing up, in all my lives."
Michael took the bottle from me and turned me around. "Just try to stay upright. I got you."
Closing my eyes and focusing on staying awake, I let him lather my long dark hair.
He grabbed the removable shower head and rinsed the suds out. "You've always had hair that made me want to keep my hands in it," he said. "Silky."
I hummed low in my throat, barely keeping my mind focused on his words. When he turned me to rub my loofah all over my body, I opened my eyes in surprise. I hadn't even realized he'd stopped stroking my hair and lathered up with my body wash.
My gaze drifted down. I knew caring for me like this turned him on. He'd always gotten off on pampering me. All part of his loving nature.
He lifted one of my legs as I balanced myself with my hands on his shoulders. Running the loofah down the inside and up the outside, he washed me better than I usually washed myself.
Did anyone wash their legs this thoroughly? That was what shaving was for. I giggled as he hit the inside of my ankle. It tickled.
His efforts relaxed me and put me into a state of contentment. I wasn't exactly happy, but my sleepy mind pushed the panic and worry away and let me enjoy my husband's devotion for a few minutes.
When he finished my legs, he kept one held up and moved the loofah between them. We'd showered together many, many times over the years, and he knew exactly how to wash my sensitive lady parts. As an angel, I was impervious to most diseases, but Michael and I had spent numerous Earth cycles as a married couple. He'd learned where to and where not to apply soap.
He wasn't as tired as Gabriel. When he finished spreading soap over me, he dropped the loofah and grabbed the showerhead with one hand, holding my leg with the other. I was so relaxed, I balanced on the other but let him hold most of my weight by leaning against him.
