Chapter Seventeen
Eve
I stepped back, a crick forming in my neck, to survey my progress with the oriel. It had been a few more days of work. My ankle was fully healed now, though Gabriel still wanted me to go gently on it.
The entire inside of the oriel was clean now, all panels, from floor to ceiling.
It had been a massive undertaking. And still the outside top two thirds were filthy.
The bottom third, which was clean on all sides, was of pastoral valleys, meadows, and a stone wall running along the bottom.
The beginnings of a brown stone church perched on the edge of a field, but the light darkened due to the outside dirt and mud before I could see a steeple or tower.
It was difficult to tell if the sky was of night or if the dirt outside kept the blue glass appearing dark.
There was one spot, however, that was definitely black.
It flared, wide and large and twisted. It looked almost like wings, except I was fairly certain the pale spot in the middle was supposed to be a moon.
Wouldn’t Gabriel be pleased once I had everything clean? I grinned, surveying my hard work.
The oriel was nearly clean. I’d dreamed of a cottage by the sea again last night, but it wasn’t as warm or cozy as it used to be.
The truth was, I realized, freedom could take many forms. I didn’t need a seaside cottage to be happy—I was happy here at Mirkwold.
I just needed to be away from the church.
I just need to be near Gabriel.
But I’d kept the truth from him for so long…and I still feared what Zorababel might attempt to gain Gabriel. I’d heard nothing from him, and that made me more nervous. He was not a stupid man, and his punishments could be devious.
A nearly silent flap of wings behind me alerted me to Gabriel’s presence a half second before his warm hands landed on my hips.
I spun in his arms, smiling. “Hello.” It was nearly noon, judging on the emptiness of my stomach.
Where had he been today? He spent much of his time in the gallery or trailing me around Mirkwold.
I’d at first thought my feelings for him were an inconvenience for him and an embarrassment for me.
But..I thought…I hoped he felt them as strongly.
He smiled at me, green eyes sparkling. “Hello.”
Gabriel dipped his head and kissed me gently yet thoroughly. I raised my tiptoes, chasing the kiss. When he broke it, I tilted, off balance from the rush of sensation. I planted my hands on his hard, hot chest and smiled. “Oh my.”
Maybe I didn’t have to leave. Maybe I could stay with him.
Except my presence would draw Zorababel and his minions straight to us.
He already knows Gabriel is who he wants… the little voice whispered inside my head. You might as well stay.
Even though that was true, Zorababel would never let me leave. I was his betrothed. If he couldn’t keep me in line, the church elders would grumble and move against him. He might be the grandson of the great Reverend Grimshaw, but that could only go so far.
If I disappeared—when I disappeared—perhaps I’d draw enough of Zorababel’s anger that he would leave Gabriel alone. That was why I’d kept it a secret, even if it gnawed on me at night.
“What’s going on in that head?” His gentle smile pulled me from my ruminations.
I forced a smile across my face. “Nothing. Are you here to eat? Do you need me to cook?”
He grinned wolfishly. “I’ll eat. But not food.” His hand slipped down to my calf, and began running up to my thigh.
I squirmed and giggled. “Gabriel!” I batted at his hand. “If you’re going to do that, take me somewhere more comfortable.”
Hunger flickered in his eyes. “Like our bed?”
Our bed. It hit me with both a rush of affection and horror. I was growing too happy here. I forced a smile and nodded.
He adjusted his grip, putting one arm behind my back and the other behind my knees, hefting me up and unfurling his wings.
I imagined the strain of making a vertical takeoff with extra weight in your arms was significant, but he managed to make it look easy.
We had reached the rafters of the Great Hall and he moved toward the gallery when a loud knock came from below us.
He halted and we glanced at each other.
The thud sounded again, coming from the front door below.
A thrill of excitement and nerves ripped through me. “Castiel,” I exclaimed. “I hadn’t expected him until later.”
Gabriel looked torn—half disappointed he couldn’t devour me in his chamber, half excited to see his friend.
I laughed and patted his chest. “Put me down. I’ll start on lunch for you two.”
He kissed my forehead. “Three of us. You’ll join us, of course.”
Warmth filled my chest. “If you want,” I said shyly.
“I always want you.” His wings fluttered through the air as we lowered. His bare feet hit the cool stone floor, and he reluctantly set me down.
I went to the door—I was still his housekeeper after all—and flung it open, expecting to see the smiling, warm face of Gabriel’s former third in command.
Instead someone else stood in the threshold—tall, somber faced, bare chested, with a hawk-like nose and jawline that could cut glass.
His eyes flared at the sight of me, then an aloof, cool look entered them.
His wings, from what I could tell, were a charcoal smudge against the bright winter clouds behind him.
The hilt of a sword peeked over his shoulder, strapped to his back between his wings.
“Hello,” I said cautiously.
Castiel appeared in the doorway, elbowing the other seraph out of the way. “Eve! Good to see you!”
I backed away, gesturing for them to enter.
“This is Azrael.” Castiel pointed with his thumb to the sober, frigid seraph. Castiel seemed the most human seraph I’d met, and Azrael was certainly the most foreign.
“A pleasure to meet you, Azrael,” I stammered.
“Castiel! And Azrael?” No one could mistake the delight in Gabriel’s voice. “Two of you together? The skies have blessed me today.”
I scurried back into the shadows as the three large, tall males greeted each other warmly and with claps on the back, firm handshakes, and even wings that fanned enough to touch one another with feather tips.
“He popped up,” Castiel said with his regular good humor, “so I dragged him here.”
“What rock have you been hiding under lately?” Gabriel asked Azrael.
Azrael stared for a moment, shrugged, then turned to look around the Great Hall. “It looks better,” he said finally.
Gabriel’s chest puffed. “I have a housekeeper now.” He beckoned me forward. “Eve, come here. I want to introduce you to Azrael.”
Curious, I slipped forward until I stood in front of Gabriel.
Gabriel put a hand on my shoulder, warm and comforting.
Castiel’s eyes sharpened, and he glanced between that hand and my face.
I froze. Oh, shite. What would he think? Would he convince Gabriel this was a bad idea? Would he warn me off? Castiel seemed to like humans, but that was different than having a woman swive his captain.
Longing struck me like a wave, nearly pulling me under. Surprised, I could scarcely breathe as I weathered the onslaught of desire to stay, to be Gabriel’s housekeeper forever, to pretend the outside world and Zor didn’t exist.
Maybe I can find a way to make Zor go away. I could tell him everything, and then he could make Zorababel go away and never bother me again. Gabriel wouldn’t toss me out. I knew that now.
Unaware of my minor revelation, Gabriel continued to speak. “Eve, this is Azrael, who was our navigator. He can look at a map once and have it memorized for a century. He’s excellent with tracking through the air and even on the ground, too,” Gabriel boasted.
My heart ached to hear the happiness in his voice. He deserved this after everything he’d been through.
Azrael glanced at me, then nodded. His dark, dark wings tightened against the back of his body and a muscle in his jaw ticked. I had the feeling he disliked me. Or, rather, didn’t care enough to find out if he would dislike me.
I bobbed a curtsy. “Let me get food for you all.”
Castiel’s eyes brightened and he looked back at Gabriel. “She’s got you eating human food?”
I felt Gabriel’s shrug. Then, to my disbelief, his face as he leaned down and nuzzled my hair. “Eve has been encouraging me to try many new things.”
Castiel’s lips twisted, as if holding back a laugh, and I blushed. The innuendo was obvious.
Azrael merely blinked.
“Gabriel, why don’t you show them the long gallery?” I suggested, turning to look up at him.
The tips of his ears pinkened. “Oh, I don’t know if it’s ready.”
“Ready?” Azrael’s body tightened, like a bow ready to loose or a hunting dog waiting to run.
“They’ll want to see it,” I assured. “I’ll bring lunch to you there.” I paused and glanced at Azrael. “Will you eat human food? I have lentil stew and fresh bread.”
A pained expression crossed his face, but he nodded after a brief look at Gabriel. “If Gabriel’s…housekeeper cooks something, I will eat it.”
Hmm. Intent on loyalty, if not humans or talking in general. I smiled. “I’ll join you all soon.”
Gabriel led them up through the air and onto the gallery.
I hurried to the kitchen to prepare food, nerves rattling. I hadn’t expected Gabriel to…claim me like that. I thought I would be his little secret. Sleeping with the help, so to speak. Perhaps this was normal in his world? I doubted it. Not if their social hierarchy was even more rigid than ours.
As the bread toasted and butter melted, though, I couldn’t hold back my smile. He liked me. He liked me enough to show his friends.
I carried a large tray full of food up to the gallery.
“Once it’s complete, it will be almost like the sparring sphere we practiced in by that river garrison.” Gabriel’s voice echoed through the gallery and out the open door.
“It looks good,” Castiel said.
Azrael grunted, which must’ve been a compliment for him.
“Is that your sword over there? Captain, why on earth is it wrapped in that awful cloth? Have you polished it lately?”
Now it was Gabriel’s turn to grunt.
“Captain, I didn’t just drag Azrael along to catch up.” Castiel’s voice turned more serious than I’d heard before. “Azrael has been hearing things.”
“Even under that rock of yours?” Gabriel teased.
I paused in the doorway. I shouldn’t eavesdrop. But I was curious what the sedge had been like as a military unit.
“There have been more strangers in the area than normal.” Castiel sounded serious for a change. “The villagers have been keeping their mouths shut—you know they’re frightened of you and certainly don’t want to lose the free rent.”
“Strangers? What for? This place is far removed from any city or even a trade route.”
Rustling sounded, as if Castiel did the wing equivalent of shrugging.
“Have you seen them yourself?” Gabriel asked.
“He has.” Castiel must’ve been referring to Azrael.
Azrael cleared his throat. “As I was flying in. The fog was thick, so no one saw me. There were two or three men and two women, I think. They were arguing over angels and where to find the winged ones.”
My heart dropped. All my pretty fantasies about life with Gabriel collapsed, disintegrating like ash. Guilt and shame returned, sliding through the remnants of a dream that seemed more and more impossible by the second.
They promised me six weeks! I seethed, my eyes burning with unshed tears. It had been a month. Why were they back so soon? Did something happen, or did Zor get tired of letting me take charge of the mission?
If Zor grew more desperate, he’d grow more dangerous. Even Gabriel might not be able to keep him away.
I shivered as a knot formed in the back of my throat. My eyes squeezed shut. I could practically hear the sound the leather whip made as it whistled through the air. I needed to flee after all.
The silence in the room was deafening.
“Why is anyone searching for us?” Gabriel finally asked. “We stay low and far from anyone's attention. How does anyone even know I might be here?”
“Let them come!” Castiel’s voice echoed, harsh and demanding. “We are warriors of a race far more powerful than their own.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I held my breath to better hear the answer.
“Mortals are no match for us,” Azrael agreed. “As long as they do not know our weakness, we have every advantage. We could smite them now, before they pose a problem to us.”
He was right. If the people from my cult never learned how seraphim reacted to saltwater, they could not fight against enemies who descended from above and had superior senses and healing abilities. Ayim was a powerful thing, and I was sure I barely knew the half of it.
If you are so powerful, why kill humans as if they are a threat to be eliminated? I wanted to demand. Did Azrael just hate humans?
“We originally kept ourselves hidden because we did not know the dangers in this world, nor how humans would react to us,” Gabriel said slowly.
“But if we need to protect ourselves, of course we will do what we must, especially now we know we’re some of the most powerful beings in their world.
” He sighed. “If we can, we should avoid bloodshed. Some humans…they are the best people either of our worlds could offer. We ought to respect that.”
I took a deep breath, pasted a smile on my face, and strode briskly into the room.
“Lunch, gentlemen,” I chirped.
All three males turned to face me. Castiel, brown eyes soft and kind even though he brought dangerous news. Azrael, black eyes cold as obsidian, and Gabriel—Gabriel, whose eyes turned the shade of the forest after a summer rain.
Castiel smiled first. “Thank you. Bring it here, then. Eat with us.”
Azrael crossed his arms and stared blankly, as if he was granite. Or maybe I was the boring granite.
I glanced at Gabriel, whose face softened as he tilted his chin in a tiny nod.
“I, uh, I’d love to,” I improvised, “but I’ve left bread in the oven and I can’t leave it unattended. I’ll let you enjoy yourselves up here for the rest of the day.”
Gabriel opened his, perhaps to protest, but I set the tray in Castiel’s strong hands and backed away. I scurried out the door, then raced to Gabriel’s bedchamber for my heavy cloak.
I’ll tell them I need more time. I’ll tell them to leave Gabriel alone. Then I’ll tell Gabriel goodbye.
Tying it around my neck with shaking fingers, I ran out of the house.