Chapter 46
Will
It felt as though he’d been sitting on the chaise lounge in the great chamber for half a century.
The longer he waited, the more he felt conflicted over his choices.
If he didn’t see Vixen with his own eyes, going home felt wrong at a fundamental level.
Even though Kitty had replaced him as Vixen’s guardian, he still felt responsible for her death. He needed air.
The courtyard adjacent to the palace was elevated.
Despite the wall encircling it, the view of the realm below was unobstructed.
He’d never been to Ramiel’s palace before today.
The hills, valleys, and forests were a breathtaking sight, sprawling across the landscape, unfamiliar and yet somehow comforting.
Looking down upon it all conjured feelings of belonging and safety, as if a world this beautiful could never cradle a trauma so deep as losing the soul who completed you.
He turned away from it, choosing to walk among the manicured gardens and water features instead.
The palace was a stunning piece of architecture, which on any other day, would have seemed impressive.
Today, it was lost upon him as his thoughts refused to budge from the woman he didn’t think he could live without.
She’s my entire world. Even if she is Sauriel – and I fucking know it’s true – I don’t know how any of this is supposed to work now.
What if she’s not permitted to leave this realm?
They placed Kyriel in seclusion for centuries, and surely she wasn’t the only one.
I just want to take Vixen home. Shit. Do I even still call her that? What if she doesn’t want to come home?
In between these panicked thoughts, came guilt and regret. His precious child, a miracle he’d never dared hope for… was back in the In-Between. While Rion was more than enough to protect her, she shouldn’t have been his responsibility. She was Will’s.
I didn’t abandon her, I really didn’t. But it has to have been two or three days in the In-Between; The others will be worried. My sweet baby girl will think I’m not coming back. Fuck. I have abandoned her. What am I even doing?
“Will?”
Ramiel’s voice, so unexpected, caused Will to fall off the chaise lounge. He hurriedly scrambled to his feet.
“Yes?”
“Integrating souls with the Outer Realms is not a process that can be rushed. It takes time to let go of mortal binds, and in Sauriel’s case, welcome Holy divinity back into her body and soul.”
Will couldn’t tell if this was building up to good news or bad, so he simply nodded and stayed silent. None of this information was new or unusual. Why was Ramiel acting as though something unexpected had occurred?
Please let Vixen be okay.
“When she was granted reincarnation by the Savior, she was tired and weary. Her divinity had become a heavy burden to hold. Guiding souls to their final resting place comes with consequences. Not all are willing, and those of us who are guides must absorb that in a similar manner to grief.”
Will’s throat was dry and he couldn’t actually remember how to swallow.
“She chose the path of mortality because she wanted to understand the journey. If she was to feel the pain at the end of the lives of others, she wanted to feel the joy too.”
“Her life was terrible,” he whispered. “She endured so much.”
“And yet, all she can speak of is you.”
That snapped Will out of his negative train of thought. “Me?”
“It would seem you have had quite the impact. A life time of obstacles, and yet the short time since you declared your love for her has outshone them all.”
He blinked, trying to digest this truth. “I don’t know what that means.”
“Sauriel left us uncertain of whether she could ever claim her divinity again. She has returned begging for it. Not because reincarnation was a mistake, but because it led her to you. She did not want to reincarnate and lose her memories of your time together. She has pleaded and begged for any faster road back to you and the child you share. I have never in all my years seen anyone acclimatize after death this way. It is truly remarkable.”
“Ramiel… where is she?” His desperation made him want to scream the words, but knowing Ramiel angered easily, forced him to stay calm. He would not do a single thing that might hinder the outcome he so desperately needed.
“Oh, forgive me for rambling. She is ready to see you.”
Will stared at him. “Which is where exactly?”
“Will?” Vixen’s voice, more ethereal than it had ever sounded, came from the main palace corridor.
“Vix-Sauriel?” He called back, tripping over her name in his panic.
Please let it be her.
A Holy glow filled the doorway, as pure as any of the angels in the higher realms. As pure as he had always known she was at her core. It illuminated her tall slender form and creamy complexion like something out of a fantasy movie.
Her long brown hair shone as if it had been freshly washed, cascading in soft waves over each shoulder. The lilac-colored dress she wore, practically floated around her as she moved toward him, and those wings…
Will was awestruck by her beauty. It was still his Vixen, down to every last tiny freckle. Her eyes still held the same shape as before, but were now a bejeweled copper shade. She’d been stunning as a mortal. As an angel, she was absolutely flawless.
“I – wow…” He mumbled stupidly.
“I can’t believe you came for me.” She smiled sweetly.
“What the fuck else was I supposed to do?”
“Language!”
Will ignored Ramiel’s reprimand. “You’re my world, doll. As soon as I knew you were here, I had to find you. Now that you’re all of this,” he gestured wildly toward her Holy form. “I don’t know where we stand anymore.”
“Where we have always stood.” She cupped the back of his head and drew him closer for a kiss.
“I must be leaving. Important duties to fill and such.” Ramiel made an awkward exit.
“So, you’re coming home with me, right?” Will asked, unable to hide the hope in his eyes.
“Just try to stop me,” she said.
He hugged her tightly. “Thank the Savior. What should I call you now?”
“I’ve asked to be reassigned, so my angelic name no longer applies. If I am to be Holy once more, I want to be a guardian like you. I want to help people live their best life before they stand at the gates of any of the Savior’s realms waiting to cross over.”
After another more passionate kiss, he took her by the hand. “You’re going to be amazing, doll. I just know it. Now, why don’t we go home to our daughter?”
“I’d like that very much. Oh, what did you name her?”
A frown knit both brows together. “I… didn’t.”
“She doesn’t have a name? Will!”
“I thought we were supposed to decide that together.”
She laughed, a sound that had always sounded like bells, was now even more melodic. “I suppose you’re right. I tried to make shortlists but could never find anything I loved enough to use.”
“Aurora.” His suggestion came out of nowhere, surprising even himself.
“Our connection between heaven and earth,” she mused. “It’s perfect.”
With a mile-wide grin, he engulfed her in another embrace. “I don’t want to let you go,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m afraid none of this is real.”
“Me too,” she said quietly. “But, it is.”
“How did we get so lucky?” He sighed and nuzzled against her neck.
“Let’s not ask why, let’s just be thankful we did.”
Smiling at one another, they dematerialized from the Outer Realms.
Tobias
Tobias was in the Fade, Kitty had gone to check on some charges, and the baby was asleep. He finally had a moment alone with Lori, but the fire he loved so dearly had disappeared from her eyes. Her posture was bowed, and her lips nothing more than a straight line.
She’d been like this since Uriel had resurrected her nine hours earlier, barely speaking, and sitting in the den alone.
She refused to go into the great room, where the other servants lay unconscious.
His attempts to comfort her were rejected, along with any encouragement to eat.
He stood in the doorway, watching her with concern.
“Little one, please,” he begged. “Let me help.”
He tried to project calming emotions upon her, but they failed. Lori’s legendary masking abilities had locked him out. Her inability to accept recent events mirrored his own, which tore at him. It was as though he couldn’t face his own pain while those he cared for still suffered.
“It cannot be made right,” she said, sorrow leaking from every pore.
“Vixen is not gone, Lori. She merely exists beyond this realm.” He came to sit with her.
“As traumatic as her death was, Rion, it is only part of it. Christo is also gone, and that’s permanent.
I lost my two best friends in the space of minutes.
Then I awake to this.” She pointed in the direction of the great room.
“Seeing them all lying there like that, just reminds me of what we’ve lost, and how close we came to losing it all. ”
“But, we did not.” He took her hand in his. “We knew this would be difficult. It had to be endured regardless; we had to fight for the greater good.”
“I know.” She wiped a solitary tear. “That doesn’t make it hurt less.”
“Tell me what I can do.”
“Nothing.”
The air distorted in front of the fireplace for a fraction of a second, before Will and Vixen materialized. He was dressed in his usual faded denim, knee-high leather boots, and heavy-metal tee.
Vixen on the other hand, was almost unrecognizable. It took a moment or two before her Holy form receded and the female they knew took her place.
“Oh God…” Lori whispered. “Oh my God.” She burst into tears and ran toward the pair sobbing. Will and Vixen both enveloped her with their arms.
Rion jerked into a standing position and watched with intrigue as both the angels before him joined auras and wove a miracle. Lori was bathed in pure Holy light. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen with their two auras, one pale blue and one gold, intertwining.
They’d reached her in a way he could not. There was no jealousy, only relief, and he felt privileged to observe this unusual healing.
Once Lori had calmed, Will led her back to the couch, an arm still draped about her shoulders. Vixen approached Rion, and hugged him.
“There are no words to express how grateful I am, Rion. Thank you for looking after our baby until I could return.”
“It is what family does for one another, is it not?” He smiled and hugged back.
“Where’s Tobias?” Will asked.
“In the Fade,” Rion replied. “He is incredibly fragile at present, due to the loss of you and Christo. Kitty is still depleted in Holy energy as well. Uriel resurrected Lori, but it was all we could do.”
“We are not depleted,” Vixen said. “We would be honored to assist.”
“I’ll start out there,” Will said of the great room. “Why don’t you see what you can do for Tobias?”
Vixen nodded. “I will, but first, I need to see our daughter. If I don’t hold her in the next few minutes, my heart is going to burst.”
“Of course,” Rion nodded. “We have set up a nursery in the second guest room.”
She smiled and dematerialized.
“That’s… going to take some getting used to,” Lori said.
“Indeed.” Rion chuckled.
While Will and Vixen were getting acquainted with their daughter, Rion held out an arm to Lori.
“Come. Let me hold you,” he said.
Slowly, she scooted closer on the couch and let him fold her into an embrace. With a soft sigh, she gazed up at him.
“I still feel empty and broken, love. It’s not suffocating anymore, but it’s still… I don’t know…”
“The pain of loss is valid and to be expected. You need not justify it.”
“I know,” she said. “And, I know you understand.”
“I do. My mother is gone forever, and I wielded the weapon that killed her. Obviously, it was not intentional, but I shall carry that for the rest of my days. I thought I had Lyla’s death on my conscience too, but it would seem she lives after all.”
“Oh Rion.” Lori trembled a little, but she hugged him tighter.