It was then she noticed a glimmer of light coming from the stones where they rested on the bed.
“They’re glowing,” she whispered.
“They’re still working,” he said simply.
When Obsidian moved, she went with him. He repositioned so that he was propped up, leaning against the headboard, and she was sitting in front of him, his warm arms embracing her.
Before her eyes, the four stones rose from the silver comforter. They came together as though magnetized, glittering as they spun rapidly, suspended in the air in front of them.
Obsidian brought his finger to her lips. “Score it.”
Confused but intrigued, Penelope pierced his finger with the sharp tip of her fang. When blood pooled at the tip, Obsidian held out his hand, allowed two drops of blood to spill onto the stones as they swirled before them. Penelope had no idea what was happening, but she couldn’t look away. There was a brilliant flash of light an instant before the stones fell to the soft comforter. This time there were two.
“Pick them up,” he instructed.
Penelope reached for them, giggling when she realized they were no longer free stones but rather rings, the black metal shimmering in the light from the gems. Obsidian plucked one from the set, then took her left hand, holding it up.
“Angels don’t have weddings,” he informed her. “However, there are a few human traditions we get behind.”
She spread her fingers as he slid it onto her ring finger. In the center was the alexandrite gem, stunningly beautiful, surrounded by tiny chips of the moonstone.
She retrieved the other ring, then did the same with Obsidian’s finger, sliding it on and positioning it so they could admire the thick band embedded with tiny chips of both stones.
While she didn’t need a material item to remind her of her love for him, Penelope knew she would cherish the ring for eternity. And every time she looked at it, she would remember the sacrifices they’d made for one another and the love that brought them back together.
Reclining against him, Penelope turned her head so she could look up at him. “I met the Fates.”
He smiled. “Did you? And?”
“They were kind to me. Provided a distraction from my worry. They allowed me to see you while I was in Heaven.”
“I’m glad they took care of you,” he whispered.
“There was a man, but he didn’t speak to me.”
“Michael,” Obsidian said.
“He nodded, as though giving the Fates his approval. Then Nevaeh took my hands and sent me back here to you.”
Wanting to be closer to him, she shifted onto her knees, then turned in the circle of his arms, straddling his thighs.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” She pressed her lips to his neck, his collarbone, his shoulder.
Penelope could hear his ragged breaths as she trailed her tongue over him, relished the salty taste of his skin. His entire body hardened, spurring her to continue her exploration.
“How about a shower?” he proposed, his arms tightening around her, the muscles rippling as he moved.
The sound of the water dropping to the tile in the bathroom had her lifting her head, smiling. “You’ll have to teach me all those nifty tricks of yours.”
“I will,ayreme. All in due time.”
A few minutes later, they were beneath the warm spray, wrapped in one another’s arms, a fumble of hands and mouths as they fought to get closer.
And when Obsidian lifted her off her feet, Penelope wrapped her legs around him. Her back met the cool tiled wall seconds before he filled her so exquisitely. She held on to him, but it wasn’t only their bodies that were joined as one.
Hearts, minds, and souls were connected.
Two halves of a whole.
