They landed in an unceremonious heap on emerald green grass. The Angel had landed on top of her, his weight stifling. With a grunt, Rayi pushed him off her and lied there, breathing heavily. He sat up and rubbed his head once more before gaping at the extent of his injuries. He glared at her accusingly.
"You told me they weren't that bad."
She huffed. "That was the little one, not me. You didn't think to ask me."
"You, her...Melanie! Is she still there?!" He looked frantic with worry then, his wounds momentarily forgotten. She ignored the little pang of jealousy she felt.
"Yes, yes, she's still there. You're welcome by the way." She said grouchily.
He paused and quieted for a moment. He seemed hesitant and she waved her hand at him. "Ask me away."
"Are you...are you going to let her go?"
Rayi had to actually stop to think about it. On one hand she would be able to do whatever she wanted; she was stronger than Melanie and could hold her at bay for a lifetime before tiring. On the other hand, the Angel was inadvertently giving her the puppy dog eyes. As tempting as freedom would be, she grudgingly acknowledged she would feel guilty if she was the source of any of his unhappiness.
"Yes. Is there anything else you would like to know while we have enough time to catch our breaths?"
He managed to get to his feet and his wings stretched simultaneously with his arms. He flinched when his wounds flared from the movement. "Were you telling me the truth back in the throne room?"
"About what, the Adsecula? Yes. I do not lie unless it benefits me in some way and that would not have benefited me. I was truly the Angel of Peace during Lucifer's time. Of course, I didn't always look like...this." She gestured to her face and chuckled bitterly, still lying on the ground.
The Angel looked at her uncertainly. She closed her eyes, feeling the blades of grass tickle her bare skin and the gentle breeze scented like lilies and summer. She recalled wistfully the days she had spent with Kopa down in the Human World in meadows. Her reading to him as he rested his head in her lap or as he sharpened his claymore. They had been siblings since the beginning. Irsya was a new addition this time around. While she grieved the canyon between her and Kopa now, she did not regret her decision to kill her sister.
"Alright, Angel. I will give you your little one back now. I have a lot on my mind." And, with that, she drifted off.
Melanie
Being shoved from one's subconscious back to the very front of the mind causes quite the headache. I whimpered as my head pounded. I hugged my scalp before I felt warm fingers massage my temples. I didn't relax until I recognized the scent and the familiar tiled pattern of Will's bathroom. To my amusement, he had been holding up my body as he seated it on top of the counter. He permitted me to lean against him, my chin digging into his shoulder, for a minute longer before grasping me by my shoulders.
He looked better now that he had applied that salve from Heaven on his festering wounds. He didn't feel as hot as he did in Hell and he had wrapped his torso and bandage his face as best he could. Will had changed out of the filthy trousers he had on in Hell and replaced them with light gray silk pants. I noticed then that I was no longer in my dress and in one of his tunics. My face set aflame.
"It was dirty!" He defended, a touch of pink kissing his cheeks as well.
"I-I'm not even going to ask...how did we get out? Rayi pushed me back into my subconscious so..." I trailed off and looked at him expectantly.
Will explained to me everything, though I felt he left some parts out regarding Lucifer's conversation with Rayi, and how she helped him escape. That confounded me. When she first took over, I had expected her to turn on Will and side with Kopa. They had always been as close as Zane and I had been. When he got to the part where Rayi had killed Irsya, I felt the familiar ache of loss. I couldn't stop the tears that erupted.
He was understanding. He grabbed my face and gently wiped my tears away with his thumbs. "I'm sorry, Mel, but I don't think she left Rayi much choice."
"I know," I hiccupped, "b-but it still hurts. And poor Amnon!"
I grievously recalled seeing his body and the cry of pain I gave in my conscious. He hadn't deserved that at all. Will looked contrite. "Yeah, that one hit me a little hard, too. He seemed like a good guy. But, the important thing is we both made it out of there alive and you never will go back again."
Sniffling, I wiped the rest of my tears away and smiled lightly at Will. He returned my smile and kissed me once before withdrawing. He sobered quickly. "I need to return to Heaven for a bit. My absence has undoubtedly been noted and I will need to placate my brother before he goes searching for me. I will be back soon; I promise."
He kissed me once more before he disappeared out of the room and down the hall. I listened for the door to close before sliding off the counter. My body was severely taxed for reasons I could only imagine and bed sounded too tempting.
I limped into the bedroom and pulled the fresh sheets and comforter back. My weight sank into the feathered bed and I nuzzled the pillow that smelled like Will. My eyelids dropped like they had weights attached to them.
William
My wings and torso burned still from the wounds. I had been horrified by the damage and by how quickly infection set in. There were several raw patches on the membrane of my wings from the shackles and my wrists and ankles were tender from the shackles that had been placed there. Before Melanie came to I had taken a knife to my hair, evening the places that needed it from the demons' butchery of it. Part of me mourned the loss of my hair.
Each flap sent a shock of pain that left my brain tingling. I landed inelegantly in front of the gate, which swung upon with great haste.
"Send word to Lucas and God; William has returned!" One of the guards commanded a Lesser Angel. The little slip of a thing saluted and flew off as quickly as her wings could carry her.
I waved off the guards as they inquired about my whereabouts and what happened to me, already dreading the line of questions my brother most likely had. I ran into the Angel of Femininity, Aspen, before I ran into Luke. She blinked up at me before giving a mournful cry of, "Oh, William, your hair!"
"I thought it time for a change." I said sarcastically, gently nudging her out of my way and continued down the hall.
Luke rounded the corner, his face looking more severe from his scars. I braced myself as he swung at me. I dodged the blow and asked wryly, "Is that any way to greet your brother?!"
"You dolt; where were you? Why are you so banged up? What happened?" He fired off, his eyes blazing with fury and worry.
Before answering him, I embraced him, patting him roughly on the back. "It's good to see you, too, Mother. I thought I'd take a vacation and it didn't go as planned."
"You mean demons. William, listen, there have been some rumors regarding you and a demon." He said, disgust coloring his tone.
I swallowed thickly, wondering how exactly that had reached Heaven's ears. I smiled as easygoing as I could manage. "That's ridiculous. As if I would have anything to do with a demon."
Luke didn't seem wholly convinced but the soft footsteps of Joel kept him from saying anything more about it for the moment. Joel's gentle face was wrinkled with worry as he stared at my bandaged face. "William, what happened to you?"
I dropped to one knee before him, my forehead nearly touching my knee. "I was just telling Luke here that I decided to go for a vacation but things didn't go according to plan."
"Rise, William." I obeyed and looked at Joel, then wished I hadn't. His cerulean eyes had that knowing gleam in them again. Apprehension washed over me and my mouth went dry. This time I understood what it was he seemed to know. I needed to leave.
Taking a step back, I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder. "Well, I came to report back that I am not dead or have run off with a human lover. William Taylor is reporting to duty once more. If there isn't anything pressing you need me for I think I shall return to my home and begin work. Goodbye, Luke, Joel."
I hastily bowed and jogged away from the two, ignoring Luke's calls.
When I returned home, dusk was dying and a quilt of stars blanketed the sky. I sensed Melanie's aura upstairs in the bedroom and quietly made my way to her. She was on my side of the bed, to my annoyance and amusement, her face buried in my pillow. Silently, I slipped under to covers with her and carefully pulled her toward me. Her grip on the pillow slackened and her arms wound around my neck as she snuggled closer to me. I pressed my lips to her forehead as her silky hair tickled my nose.
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