“What’s happening? How are you hurt?” I yelled, leaning down. Precious reached out one hand and touched Sunny’s arm, and she immediately stopped screaming.
She panted for a moment, then managed to say, “My wings. My fudging wings.” My mind filled with curse words that all sounded a tiny bit like the evil voice I had hoped was gone for good. I had no idea Sunny’s stupid vow on her wings would keep her with Precious no matter what. Had she known?
Hope frowned up at me, embracing a weeping Sunny, who was holding Precious again. “What trip did she mean?”
Haneul explained, and Hope’s face crumpled like an aluminum can.
“But I cleaned everyone of their smut!” I half yelled at the Great Soul—though how great could she really be if she couldn’t take one extra Protector to her realm? “She’s fine! She’s pure!”
“It’s not only the smut. She hasn’t ascended,” Haneul said gently. “And she’s not as close as she would need to be. She has growth that must be completed here.”
“She’s one of the strongest they have,” I pleaded.
“Not anymore.” Hope stood, and shook her head with a look of shame. “I lost hope, Feather. I… I’ve been talking to the others here, and even after you cleaned the realm, they don’t believe in you. They blame you…” Her voice broke. “Go, and don’t come back here. They don’t deserve you. I’m not sure they ever will.”
I bit my lip, knowing what had happened. The worst kind of smut came from acting against your own nature. She had lost hope, and fallen farther from grace than she would have by committing a dozen other offenses.
Haneul sang a few notes that seemed to erase a tiny bit of care from Hope’s brow. Sunny murmured, “Feather must go to the Celestial Realm. Mikhail and Righteous, too, and the baby.” She looked up into Hope’s face with tears sparkling in her gorgeous dark eyes. “She wants me to go, and I have to. You saw what happened. I swore on my wings to take care of Precious. I can’t leave her, Hope.”
“We must leave now,” Haneul repeated. “The child’s presence here changes things. There is no time to waste. Sanctuary is balanced, thanks to Feather. The Abyss is… no worse than it was yesterday.”
Hope lifted a hand and traced the line of Sunny’s cheek. “It’s okay. You made a vow. I’ll get purified, and ascend, and find a way to get to you. Believe in me.”
“I do,” Sunny whispered, and I fought my own tears, holding Precious tightly to my chest as the two women held each other.
“What about Earth?” Gavriel rasped. “You said Sanctuary and the Abyss are fine. What about Earth?”
“Who are the best qualified candidates for leadership? Have you been training your replacement?” Haneul asked.
Gavriel spoke through a clenched jaw. “Righteous was the next in line. Then Hope, then Valor.”
“Where is this Valor?”
“He’s dead,” Sunny said, her voice wooden. “I killed him.”
Haneul blanched. “I see.” Her eyes were filled with sadness again, as she turned back to Gavriel. “Well, if you come with us, Gavriel, I’m not sure that Sanctuary would… whether it would fare well.”
The area was silent for the space of two deep breaths. Then he asked, “Why would I go with you?”
For some strange reason, it felt like he’d punched me in the chest. I couldn’t breathe, though I tried not to show my response.
Haneul blinked, and sputtered for a moment. Then I felt that slightly nauseating sensation as she entered my mind, but dove deeper. It reminded me of when Rumple had smooshed my brain in the Abyss.
So that’s where she went, I heard in the back corner of my mind before the pages stopped turning.
Her face was a mask when she gazed at Gavriel and asked, “You have a mate?”
He nodded, but said nothing. It was as if he were a statue, with no emotions showing. No regret or sadness at losing…Mikhail,I reminded myself.At losing his best friend.Gavriel had never liked me. But wouldn’t he miss Mikhail?
“What could pull me away from Sanctuary, and my vow to lead it no matter what?” He hesitated. “And yes, my mate is here. What reason could you provide for me to abandon her?”
“Oh, how tragic,” Haneul murmured. “No reason at all, I suppose, Gavriel.” She closed her eyes for a moment, a brilliant pulse of light exploding from her form, so bright we all had to shield our eyes.
When I could see again, I realized Haneul had folded Gavriel in her arms, their foreheads pressed together. She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and stepped back. “Mother says you have your second chance. Make better choices, hm?”
He shook her off, and at last I saw a crack in his façade. He was angry.
Anger. That was the only emotion he could come up with while saying goodbye to me and Righteous? And Sunny—who was kissing Hope like they might be able to merge into one physical body and jump start her ascension then and there. Not sadness, not regret, not affection… but anger?
