Chapter 44
Will
At the penthouse, he was greeted with a sea of bodies. The mortal servants were passed out all over the place as if they’d fallen mid conversation, and in some cases, mid-meal. This could only happen if Tobias had drained them in a bid to survive.
“What happened here?” Michael breathed, struggling to take it all in.
“These are Tobias’ mortal servants,” Will responded vaguely.
“All of them?” Michael’s eyes widened. “Have they expired?”
He ran to the bedroom he shared with Vixen and found it empty. The bed was stripped bare, but a large dark-red stain remained. Was that blood?
Will’s heartrate sped up. He stumbled back out, almost colliding with Michael, and ran from room to room in search of anyone conscious.
Somewhere in the house an infant began to cry. On full alert, he ran toward the sound. In the den, he found Rion sitting in a wing-chair, trying to soothe the new-born.
Will froze. “Is that…”
“Yes.” A deep weariness clouded Rion’s tone. “You have a daughter, a very hungry daughter. Kitty has gone to get formula to feed her, but she will return shortly.”
Will could not seem to stop blinking, as though it might ward off the truth lurking in his subconscious. “Why does she need that? Where is Vixen?”
Rion held out the swaddled infant. “I am certain she would like to meet you.”
As if on autopilot, he took the child into his arms. The moment they made contact, he was utterly enthralled with the tiny being he had helped create, his urgency to find Vixen momentarily derailed.
The baby gazed up as if she already knew him.
He had never known love could feel like this: so sudden, so complete.
A tightness formed in his chest, as he struggled to contain it all.
She squirmed a little in his arms, and something about the bulky shape beneath the blankets felt odd. Hesitantly, he peeled back the blanket. The breath caught in his throat as he stared at the pure white wings.
“What the…”
“If you needed proof his divinity was pure, I believe this qualifies as such.” Rion’s statement was directed at Michael, who seemed to be speechless.
Will kissed his daughter on the forehead. “You are a miracle, and so very loved.” With a weighted sigh, he finally turned back to Rion. “Where is Vixen? I assume she’s unconscious somewhere, like the others?”
Sorrow filled Rion’s eyes. Will felt threads of power whisper across the surface of his bare arms. Rion was sharing emotion.
“Where is she?” He demanded more forcefully.
“Kyriel abandoned Vixen during the birth. Kitty did everything she could, but the blood loss was unsurvivable.”
An icy cold numbness overwhelmed his entire body.
It couldn’t be true! After everything they’d been through, after finally securing the happily ever after they’d dreamed about.
.. He refused to accept this. How could the Savior let this happen?
Surely, he must have misunderstood Rion.
It had to be a mistake. They’d been so close to their fairy tale ending. It couldn’t be, it simply couldn’t.
“She… she didn’t make it?” Will stumbled over the words
“I am so sorry.”
“It’s real? She’s really gone?”
Sorrow leaked from Rion in an involuntary projection. “Yes.”
Will staggered backward and sank onto the couch. “No. No, this can’t be right. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I would have felt something. I would have known!”
“You were fighting for our future; it is natural you were distracted. Kitty was her guardian; your bond is different now. Was.”
“If I’d just gotten here sooner.” Will could barely breathe. “If I had found someone else to heal Lyla, I would have been here. I could have saved her, I know I could. Vixen is gone and I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
“Ms. Jane’s death was not caused by an immortal blade,” Michael interjected.
“Of course not,” Rion’s brows pressed down over both eyes. “She died in childbirth as I have just told you.”
“She cannot go to the higher realms, due to her service to the vampire.”
“Michael, would you quit stating the fucking obvious?” Will said testily. How was he supposed to take care of this child alone? She needed her mother! Vixen, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here. I want to see you so bad right now. I need you.
“I am unfamiliar with the laws governing the new Outer Realms Uriel spoke of, but as I understand it, souls loyal to the Savior who cannot be admitted above are sent here. Angels who are not permitted in the higher realms may also travel here. Am I correct?”
“That is… brilliant.” Rion mused.
“I could find her?” Will finally realized.
Michael smiled. “Assuming it works the way it does where I come from, she may need to go through certain ceremonies before they allow you to see her, but yes.”
Hope lit up in Will’s eyes. “I will wait if I have to.” He held the baby close for a couple of moments and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back soon, my beautiful girl. I promise.”
He handed the baby to Rion and turned to Michael. “Are you coming with?”
The archangel straightened. “I would not intrude.”
“I’d be honored if you came. You can reconnect with a few old friends you thought were lost, while I make some inquiries.
” Will had forgiven the archangel a long time ago, for all the things the male did not know, and could not understand.
He had simply been waiting for circumstances to align in such a way their eternal friendship to be reclaimed.
Michael’s eyes filled with emotion. “Thank you, once again for being a male of honor, despite our shared past.”
Will placed a hand on Michael’s shoulder and the two angels dematerialized, leaving Rion once again alone with the baby.
“Ramiel!” Will called, once they’d reached the first of the Outer Realms.
Inadvertently, he’d flashed them directly to the palace.
He pushed open the gate at the front entrance and strode in.
In this realm, he wore dark earthly-colored robes, while Michael retained his royal-blue garments.
They blended in perfectly with the palace angels, as if they resided there themselves.
For the first time, Will didn’t feel comforted by the sanctuary Ramiel’s realm offered.
He would not relax until he had news of Vixen.
They passed by many angels on their way into the palace’s complex structure, all of whom stopped to whisper about Will’s companion.
Michael’s fame preceded him. Everyone knew who he was, and many were wary of his presence.
“I come in peace,” Michael said kindly. “Please do not be afraid.”
Some of these angels had experienced similar journeys to Will, and remembered what it had felt like to be cast out.
“Kneel!” Will hissed under a breath.
“What do you mean?” Michael asked in bewilderment.
Will dropped to both knees, and dragged Michael into a similar position by the fabric of his robe’s sleeve. “We apologize for our unexpected arrival. We have come to speak to Ramiel.”
A tawny-faced male angel stepped forward. “We have no grievance with you, Will.”
“It is me, I am the issue,” Michael said.
“We are confused by your arrival,” the angel said. “Particularly after some of the remarks you made before we chose this path.”
Michael leaned forward and bowed his head. “Please forgive me. I did not grasp the greater picture, the web of our world, until tonight. I have made mistakes, but I claim them all. I am grateful for this opportunity to make amends.”
“I appreciate your words of recompense,” the angel replied. “Time will unveil the truth behind your intent.”
“Thank you.” Michael returned to his feet. “Please do not obstruct Will’s counsel with Ramiel. We have important matters to discuss.”
“You seek to learn the fate of Sauriel.”
Will frowned and stood up beside the others. “Sauriel?”
The angel he spoke of had once resided in the fifth level of the higher realms. She had been responsible for guiding souls from the In-Between to their final resting place. When Will had been cast out to become a guardian, Sauriel had been at her post, fulfilling her duty.
Now, they were in the Outer Realms, seeking Ramiel, who fulfilled a similar purpose here. It didn’t make any sense. Why was Sauriel’s fate so important all of a sudden? Ramiel had been one of the angels fighting in the battle, Sauriel had not.
“Sauriel has not been with us for at least two decades,” Michael observed. “Why does her fate concern Ramiel?”
Will let out a sigh of frustration. He wanted to understand, but the urge to find out where Vixen had been taken was fighting for precedence. “I will be happy to discuss Sauriel’s fate after you tell me what happened to Vixen.”
“Sauriel was reborn.” The tawny angel tossed the statement out there as if the Holy being reborn was an everyday occurrence. It most certainly was not.
“She chose reincarnation?” Will’s lips formed an o-shape, his thoughts momentarily derailed. “Reincarnation as a mortal?” Mortals were reincarnated all the time, but angels? It was very rare.
“Yes.”
An unbelievable theory was forming in Will’s mind.
Did he dare to hope it was true? He’d met Sauriel several times.
A beautiful angel with long dark hair, copper eyes, and pearlescent wings, she’d had an effervescence about her that few angels could hope to match.
They hadn’t been close to one another, but he had always admired her.
The picture of Sauriel in his mind was hazy and incomplete. It had been so long since they had last spoken. Was it possible? Could his theory be correct?
“What is it, Will?” Michael asked.
“When an angel is reborn, what happens when they return to the immortal realms?”
“They return to their immortal form,” The angel said in an incredulous tone, as if he couldn’t believe they had to ask.