20. The Carpet Matches the Drapes in Heaven
CHAPTER TWENTY
THE CARPET MATCHES THE DRAPES IN HEAVEN
DEKE
“ W here the Heffalump am I?” I asked as pixelated pieces of the world’s most boring beige puzzle clicked together around me and sharpened into focus. “What the fuel is a Heffalump? Frank. Hemp. Ships. Cunning.”
My attempts at swearing failed, and my questions went unanswered.
No.
Ignored .
They were heard, though. Filled cubicles stretched as far as I could see, keyboards clicking away to create a steady din that set my teeth on edge.
“Hey.” I took a step toward the nearest one. Then another step. Then countless massive ones at an Olympic runner’s pace.
And I ended up exactly where I’d started. In the middle of that damn beige office building.
“You can all shuck my fudgy drink,” I shouted when they ignored me. “I can’t even say such?”
“Not in that context,” a voice said from an open doorway that hadn’t been there a moment ago. “Though you are dressed the part.”
I turned to see a sharp-dressed man in a suit leaning against the jamb.
No.
Not a man.
A sharp-dressed devil.
“They were generous with the rectangle, huh?” he asked before going into the room.
Glancing down to see a black rectangle censoring my nudity, I hung my head back. “For the love of angels.”
That they all heard.
Happy little whispers went through the room, and the fast-walking angels with their towering stacks of paper got a bounce in their step.
With a disgruntled mutter, I followed Levi.
I had to blink rapidly to get my eyes to adjust to the stinging brightness that illuminated the office. It was like staring at a sun during the eclipse.
Or at Aurora’s blindingly beautiful smile.
The walls of the already large office were lined with shelves, each packed with books. It would’ve been impressive enough, but when I raised my eyes, I saw they kept going.
And going.
And going.
There was no top shelf in sight. No ceiling, either.
Aurora would love this.
My attention was pulled from my surroundings and thoughts of my mate when Levi slammed his hand as he argued with whoever it was behind a desk. I had no clue what they said since they weren’t speaking English. Or any of the other Earthly languages I knew.
The man—or rather angel—had a head of wild red curls that seemed to crackle and ignite into small flames before extinguishing. The flaming sword mounted on the wall to the left of him didn’t do that. It stayed blazing, and the longer Levi ranted, the more the angel’s gaze darted to it.
Like he was tempted to use it.
I hadn’t had much interaction with Levi. Nate and Juno fell under his purview and were supposed to work closer with him.
At that moment, I related to the devil. I was pissed as hell to be dragged away from heaven to stand around in… Okay, in Heaven.
But it was nothing compared to the one I’d left behind on Earth.
Rubbing my chest, I said, “If you’re just gonna sit there beaching at each other, do me a favor, send me back.”
“If it were up to me, I’d say yes,” Levi said. “ You’re not the one I wanted to see anyway.”
“Go suck a churro,” the angel behind the desk muttered, a fiery curl bursting brighter before extinguishing.
Wonder if the carpet matches the drapes…
Levi burst out laughing.
The angel finally tore his focus away from Levi to glance behind him and then at the floor. “Of course they match. They’re both white.”
Levi laughed harder. “I’ll explain later.”
Thoughts are easier to read here.
Ship.
Shill.
Shift.
What the hunk? Not even in my own head?
“Why am I here?” I asked.
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Levi casually strolled over to the flaming sword and lifted it from the wall.
The angel reached for it. “Eh?—”
But Levi spun it with practiced ease.
“Ahh,” the angel gasped, making a grab for the hilt.
And nearly getting his hand removed and cauterized in one swift motion when Levi swung the blade down.
The angel yanked his arm back, pressing his fingers to his mouth. “Will you please put that back?”
“Nope,” Levi said, putting emphasis on the p with his mouth and also a stabbing motion.
His handling of the heavy sword was smooth and showed his familiarity with a blade. He hefted it with ease.
But that didn’t stop him from accidentally touching the flames to the wall, carpet, papers, and anything else he wanted to ignite.
The angel watched with wide light-blue eyes that grew more panicked at each mini pyro show.
“Enough,” I rumbled, still naked. Still needing my mate.
Needing her in every way.
I stormed forward and grabbed the sword by the flaming blade before placing it back in the wall mount.
“Your skin,” the angel worried.
“Is fine.” I held my hands up, palms out. “Years of working in kitchens have dulled the sensation there.”
“No, it’s your connection to me. I’m pleased.”
Levi wasn’t looking at my hands. Head tilted, his focus was aimed lower.
To where the censor bar was failing to keep up with my movements.
“Never mind,” he said with an arched brow. “Guess they weren’t being generous. Good for you.”
“Oh, for light’s sake,” the angel said before flicking his wrist. A white, three-piece suit that matched his covered my body.
It wasn’t my taste, but I couldn’t deny it was quality.
“Well, now I feel left out.” Levi’s dark suit changed to a light one. “I wasn’t going to change my rectangle to match yours. No use losing a few inches in the name of solidarity.”
Ignoring him, I looked at the angel and wagered a guess. “Why am I here, Uriel?”
A delighted smile spread across his face as more flames kindled to life in his hair. “You know me.”
“Had a lot of years on Earth to learn about a lot of different shrimps.”
“Shrimp? I’m taller than you,” Uriel pointed out.
I shook my head. “That was supposed to be a swear word, not an insult.”
This is getting old.
“The light, the fire, and the books clued me in.” I repeated my unanswered question. “Why am I here?”
Levi shrugged as he walked around the room, picking up books from the stretching shelves just to toss them haphazardly back down. Or to the floor. “I asked for Aurora to be brought here.”
I went alert as jealousy seared in my gut like I’d been stabbed by that damn sword. “What business do you have with my mate?”
“Juno sent a message that your mate is under the impression she was created by me. I’ve had my fair share of parties down there, but I feel like I would’ve remembered creating a child.” He shrugged. “Or not. Happy hour and body shots were definitely two of my better ideas.”
Uriel shook off his confusion. “Juno also got in touch when you found them. Where have you been since we lost sight of you in Salem?”
“Everywhere.” I took a seat across from him, and we both tuned out Levi’s destruction as I shared about my search for my siblings across the globe and my frequent moves. “I tried to put out word to the powers-that-be for help, but the only angel I was sent was one trying to destroy me.”
“Communication with Earth and our view there has grown strained.”
Levi moved over to a couch and flopped down, waving his hand over the coffee table in front of him. A French press, delicate mug, and a large churro appeared. At Uriel’s raised brow, he lifted a shoulder. “You’re the one who mentioned them.”
Uriel kept staring.
Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Levi swirled his finger until a small vortex appeared. He reached in and pulled out a fluffy pastry covered in powdered sugar. Both the pastry and the plate were shaped like the head of a mouse.
Juno mentioned a churro obsession, but I didn’t take her seriously.
“You should’ve,” Levi said. “Who doesn’t love the happiest place on Earth?”
“Tell us about this angel,” Uriel ordered, powder smeared across his pale face as he dug into the snack.
Levi gave another sigh as he repeated the vortex process and pulled out another pastry, handing it to me.
As I ate, I thought about Marissa.
She’d been ballsy and independent.
Not shy and sweet.
Tall and classically beautiful.
Not short with mesmerizingly beautiful and unique features.
She’d sworn almost as frequently as I did and had boldly pursued me.
No cheeks flushing at every muttered half swear. No tentative touches.
We could go days without seeing each other because we were both driven—me with my restaurant and her as a partner in an investment firm.
It hadn’t felt like I was leaving behind half my soul and losing my mind just by being in a different room.
She’d thought she’d crafted herself to be my perfect mate, but she’d been wrong.
Because she hadn’t been Aurora.
“A handful of years ago, this woman showed up in my restaurant in Mississippi, claiming to be my other half. That she’d been guided to me. She knew things I thought only my mate would know.” My gut clenched when I remembered the way she’d tried to play me.
How she’d almost succeeded.
She’d made a massive mistake, though.
“We were seeing each other for a few months when she came over one night. She excitedly told me she thought my siblings were over in the UK where I’d been stationed when our territories were split before the curse. She said that was where we needed to be, and that she would leave behind everything to go with me. That she’d help me sell the restaurant. I’d already ignored my instincts when it came to her because I was desperate for my mate, but I was completely blinded by my desire to find my siblings. I began packing immediately.” I felt like a fool all over again, but I pushed on with my story. “I was supposed to leave the following morning, but at the last minute I decided to stop into Barley to let them know I was stepping away. When I got there, she was showing it to someone. I heard her say how well it would franchise. That they could switch to cheaper ingredients, raise prices, and cut the wages to increase the profit margins.”
Marissa had always been materialistic. She ate and drank and splurged. Her house had always been filled with takeout containers in the trash and stacks of unopened deliveries. She’d made her own money, so why the hell should I care what she did with it? I’d viewed it as a positive.
After living so long on my own in the dark, she’d been a strobing disco ball who loved life and lived it to the fullest.
Blinding me.
Disorienting me.
Not a steady light that guided me through the darkness like Aurora.
“My mate would never suggest any of that. Her own greed aside, she knew that wasn’t what I wanted or who I was. I went to confront her, and I was hit with this…” I rubbed my chest. “This void. Torn edges surrounded it, but the man no longer had a soul. I didn’t think. I knew my magicks wouldn’t hurt my mate or an innocent human, so I sent a blast into the room. They both turned to dust.”
Marissa’s had fallen with a heavy thud, the particles dense and black like the ones in Nate and Denny’s kitchen.
The man’s, though? It’d spread.
And then ignited.
“Wasn’t until I was staring at the powder that used to be my girlfriend that I figured out she wasn’t full of a soul. There was no spot for one because she wasn’t a human. Not a demon, either. That left angel. It also made me realize I’d never told her where I’d been before the curse.” I leveled a raised brow at Uriel. “Heaven’s having a loyalty issue.”
“We’re aware.” And his clenched fists showed what he thought of it. “What happened next?”
I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Her soulless Absolve partner had torched my restaurant on his way out. I took that as a sign, finished packing, and headed up to Maine to hide in a cabin till the world ended, or I worked out how to die.”
Uriel sat back, stunned. “Your visions didn’t guide you back to your siblings?”
“What visions?”
“You’re supposed to have visions.” He stabbed a finger to the shelves at the side. “Light. Fulfillment. Prophecy. Visions .”
“You got me on fulfillment. I can easily sense when people are physically or emotionally full.” I thought about what Lilith had said about Aurora’s aura—how it was golden—and pride filled my chest. “But the light and visions are my mate.”
“Told you we should’ve summoned her,” Levi said with a dramatic swing of his churro that sent cinnamon across the white couch and carpet. “You robbed me of a reunion with my daughter.”
“You don’t have a daughter,” Uriel snapped.
“Not with that attitude.” He kicked his feet up on the table and sent the French press tumbling, adding coffee and soaked grounds to the cinnamon mess. “I’ll have you know, plenty of women have called me Daddy.”
“Are we done here?” I asked, impatient to get back to what I’d been doing before they’d forced me to beige hell.
Uriel stopped praying for Levi to get amnesia and leaned forward again. “I thought you’d be happier, Dubhloach.”
“I am happy. When I’m with my mate. Which is where I’d like to be right now.”
“In just a flannel shirt?” Levi gave a low whistle. “Between you and Lenuson, I’m starting to think you’re all more me than heaven sent. Why be an angel when you can be a sex god, amirite?”
“Get out of my head,” I gritted out.
Ignoring Levi completely, Uriel tilted his head. “But you love angels. Isn’t that what you always say? For the love of angels.”
“I said they’re loved. Not that it’s deserved.”
My irritation changed in a blink. A shudder rocked through me as fear—no terror —skittered over my skin. Crawled up my spine. Its tendrils wrapped around my throat until no air was in my lungs.
“Send me back,” I wheezed out. “Now.”