Splendor and Darkness (Rebel Angels) (7 page)

Staring directly into
Makatiel’s
hostile gaze, Enos let him draw his own conclusions.

“I’ve already made her body available to you. What more do you need?”

“Release her into my keeping. I cannot absorb her essence while she is linked to you.”

* * * * *

After utilizing her angelic sight to memorize the arrangement of the room, Lailah stripped to her chemise and crawled beneath the covers, determined to solve the mystery of the child. She’d barely begun to meditate when she heard the door open and ease closed. Daniel would have announced himself. She inhaled deep, wrapping Nate’s familiar scent around her like a warm blanket.

“I’d convinced myself you were a dream.” Even his hushed tone seemed loud in the silence.

She heard the scrape of flint against stone. Why could she see the girl and not her…beloved? Her mind tripped over the word. It was far too soon for such a conclusion. She felt affection for Nate, desired him, but love? Love was a frivolity counterproductive to her quest. The assignment that brought her to Monthamn Castle must take precedence over her feelings.

Scooting to the far side of the bed, she lowered her legs to the floor and reached for her dressing gown, which lay at the foot of the bed.

“I told you I was flesh and blood.” She chuckled, slipping into the dressing gown. “I would think, after all we shared that night, there would be no doubt in your mind.”

“You told me you were not an angel.” Myriad emotions complicated his tone. Without visual clues, she struggled to decipher his mood. “How could you have let me believe you were not—
”

“I am not an angel.”

“I saw you, Lailah. You spread your wings and disappeared into the night. I thought you were a lovely dream, an extremely inappropriate fantasy, but you are real. You are… What are you?”

“I was once an angel. I’m something different now.”

With surprisingly light footfalls, he rounded the bed and stood before her. His fingers traced the curve of her cheek, the line of her jaw. “What happened to you? Why do you no longer consider yourself an angel?”

She shook her head, dislodging his hand. She couldn’t concentrate when he touched her, could only think of him. Forces buffeting the castle were far more powerful and important than their budding romance. “It’s more complicated than my perception of myself.”

“Explain it to me. If you are no longer an angel, what are you?” His knees brushed her dressing gown. He didn’t try to touch her again, but he hadn’t backed away.

“Lucifer’s uprising left pockets of discontent among the angels.” Lailah braced herself for the emotional tumult that always accompanied the tale. Her heartbeat raced and she licked her lips, amazed at how dry her mouth had become.
“One third of Heaven Fell.
They were our friends, our families, and they were banished, transformed into creatures so vile we shuddered at the sight.”

“I’ve heard priests speak of such things, but I never thought about the events from this perspective.” His hands cupped her shoulders, his touch light and supportive. She didn’t shrug them aside. She needed his touch, his understanding. “To be honest, I never gave it much thought at all. It was a fanciful tale. I never thought of it as real.”

“It was certainly real to me.” The events had changed the lives of so many. Waves of consequence rippled still.

“You were not part of the original uprising?”

“Nay, I remained obedient, but my heart was torn. Nothing was the same after the
Fall
. Satan launched his war against mankind and our roles changed to compensate for the depravity.”

A long pause followed. She listened to his steady breathing, wishing she could sense emotions or hear his thoughts. “I can’t see you, Nate. You have to tell me what you’re thinking.”

“You didn’t become an Angel of Death until after the
Fall
?”

“Guiding spirits into the afterlife was always one of my responsibilities, but before the
Fall
, it was one of many. As humans multiplied upon the earth and evil became more prevalent, it became my only responsibility. Each day, every day, I dealt with death.”

He moved one of his hands to her face, caressing her cheek, following the arch of her eyebrow with his thumb. “Couldn’t you…ask for a different assignment?”

As much as she enjoyed his touch, she forced herself to step away. Her story had barely begun. “Angels are created to obey without question, yet I had so many questions, so much resentment.”

“Did they punish you?” He moved up behind her, his hands returning to her shoulders.

“Seven of us gathered on a hillside.” She shivered as images of that fateful afternoon flashed through her mind.

“What happened?”

She swallowed beyond the lump forming in her throat and paused to gather her thoughts. “We each voiced our resentment in a different way. Michael used our own words to define our quest then he scattered us across the mortal realm.”

“How do you know when your quest is completed? What happens if you fail?” His voice grew terse and brittle. She found comfort in the sound. He wasn’t angry
with
her—he was angry
for
her.

“The nature of the quest is different for each of us, but the outcome is the same. Either we learn from our mistakes and find peace or we Fall.”

He draped her thick braid over her shoulder and kissed the nape of her neck. “What did you say? How was your quest defined?” His warm breath wafted against her sensitive skin as he spoke, sending shivers down her spine.

“I told Michael that life had lost its splendor.”

“How could he fault you for that?” His voice snapped with protest and he turned her around. “You were surrounded by death.”

She shook her head. “I was surrounded by Heaven.”

“So he blinded you and banished you to earth. How will this help you rediscover life’s splendor?”

He sounded so disgusted, Lailah smiled. “The quests were not designed to meet our needs, but to test our merits and focus our priorities. My quest was well under way when I lost my sight and the Council of Ancients has made allowances for the loss.” She sighed. “Let me explain the events in order or you’ll never understand and there is much you need to comprehend.”

“I won’t say a word until you give me leave.”

She smiled, resting her hands on his chest. “If you’re a man of your word, I could keep you silent for the rest of your life.” She paused, waiting for his reply. Nate said nothing. “This could be fun.” He reached down and cupped her bottom with both hands, dragging her flush against his body. “I think I’d better speak quickly.” There was an undeniable catch in her tone.

Nate remained silent, but his hands continued their sensuous dance.

“At the heart of each of our complaints there was a common thread.
Humanity.”
Silence closed in around her, amplifying the darkness. She had to see his face, judge his reactions to her tale. Besides, her body’s eager response to his touch was threatening to end the conversation.

Careful to keep her wings furled, she released her angelic nature. Her human body disintegrated and his arms closed on empty air. His gasp echoed as she waited for her angelic sight to activate. “I want to touch you and I need you to touch me, but right now I need to see you more.” His rugged features came into focus and the tension within her uncoiled.

He opened his mouth and then closed it, his brow arching in silent question.

“Please, speak to me.”

“You are not blind in this form, yet I can see through you.” His voice was husky and reverent, his gaze wide with fascination.

“It grows harder for me to hold this form each time I release my angelic nature. Ordinary angels can solidify or remain unseen as their missions dictate. My quest is nearing its end. This is likely my final assignment.”

He shook his head, fear gleaming in his gaze. Lailah had forgotten how much angelic sight differed from human. She had seen Anna in full color and definition. The room around her glowed with Heaven’s Light and everything within it appeared black, like detailed charcoal sketches drawn on a field of gold.

Was his hair as dark and silky as it appeared? It had been trimmed since she last saw him, but a stubborn lock draped his forehead. His high cheekbones slashed unrelentingly and his wide, thick-lashed eyes reflected the candlelight. They appeared lighter than his hair. Were they green, blue or gray?

“Your quest makes no sense to me.” He dragged her attention away from his handsome face. “They set you up to fail.”

His anger pleased her more than she cared to admit. He obviously felt more for her than physical desire. “Michael didn’t create anything within us. The resentment was already there, festering and consuming what was good and pure within us. All he did was
redefine
our boundaries so we could experience the things we thought important at the time.”

“What does that mean?”

“Angels don’t feel the same range of emotions present in humans. Freewill is foreign to them and the power of creation was only granted to the Grigori. These are all invaluable gifts and humans take them for granted. We are God’s first creation, yet we were reduced to messengers, guardians and guides by the coming of humankind.”

He nodded, accepting the information, if not agreeing with what she’d said. “The seven who gathered on the hillside all harbored this resentment?”

“Aye.
We are known as Rebel Angels. That was the last time all seven of us were together.” She paused, clearing her throat. “When Michael scattered us, the emotional barriers within us dissolved. We were free to feel, question and participate in life as we had never done before.”

“That’s why you feel desire when other angels do not.”

She nodded. “We feel desire and jealousy, hatred and rage, all emotions unknown to other angels. Angels can speak only truth. Obviously we are no longer bound by that restriction.” He smiled and warmth pervaded her being. She raised her hand to stroke his cheek, but her fingers were intangible.

His gaze moved over her face then focused on her eyes. “How did you lose your sight?”

* * * * *

Enos scooped
Byleth
up in his arms and transported to the forest far above. He couldn’t stand the stench of the Netherworld another moment. She stirred, clinging to his neck as the velocity startled her awake.

“What…? Where are we? Does
Makatiel
know what you’ve done?”

He chuckled, sliding her body against his as he set her on her feet. “
Makatiel
has relinquished your training to me.”

Her eyes widened and her lush lips formed a perfect O.

“Does this please you, little fledgling?”

She relaxed her features into a more natural expression, but shock and suspicion remained in her eyes. “You challenged
Makatiel
? I thought you said you weren’t part of their—”

“I’m not.
Makatiel
and I want the same thing and he has entrusted you to me so we can get it.”

“Me? What do you need from me?”

His gaze ignited with demonic intensity.
“Everything, sweet
Byleth
.
I’m a different sort of master, but make no mistake, you belong to me.”

“Aye, sir.”

Anticipation surged through Enos, setting his senses on fire. Demons were tied to the Netherworld. It was the source of their power. His choice to live among mortals had forced him to find other ways of replenishing his energy.