Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
Cleo
Your own decisions have determined your fate today.
Well, that’s great considering I have a knack for making the wrong choices as of late. From the exhausting trial I just went through to the Archangels’ all-knowing eyes, my emotions are heightened.
His love confession has also thrown me off-kilter. For some reason, despite how terrible this could turn out, a wave of relief washed over me like I’ve never experienced the second he said those three words.
Three little words—seemingly uneventful when used apart.
But when strung together into a sentence, they hold such vast power.
The power to calm weary souls.
The power to fight intrusive thoughts.
The power to heal deep scars.
My heart needed those words desperately.
I needed to remember that I deserve love.
As soon as he said those words, I swore I heard a clock strike the hour within my mind. For the first time since I took my last breath, that clock started ticking.
We may be doomed, but at least we’re doomed together. I will not allow any sentence to part us. Should they imprison him, I’ll follow closely behind. Should they exile him, I’ll pack our luggage this instant. Should they burn him into dust, I’ll burn with him.
I can’t imagine my world without Kai.
I see why his loved ones mourn him as fiercely as they do.
He’s something special—the kind of being who leaves your life a thousand times better than it was.
Nial looks into my eyes with a knowing look, then looks down at his feet. I raise a brow and tilt my head at him as Luke readies to give us his verdict.
Why did he just give me such a look? What does that even mean?
Oh, great. My shield. I accidentally left my guard down. He must have been reading some of my thoughts, meaning he heard me internally gushing about my lover.
Heavens. How mortifying.
“Let’s make this quick, shall we?” Luke nods to the others. “We have determined you both are eligible to ascend to the Golden Realm. In turn, we are gifting you new sets of wings at once.”
My jaw drops immediately. I’m aghast. “Excuse me?”
“Is there a problem, Cleo?” Nial asks, feigning innocence again.
Kai gently nudges me. Now may not be the time to challenge them, sweetheart.
But why wouldn’t they punish us? Don’t we deserve to be held accountable for what we did?
“Don’t think too hard on it.” Nial nods his chin at me.
“You both passed your trials, which, unbeknownst to you, were tests to determine whether you were ready to ascend. Yes, he broke a lot of rules, but we don’t look at violations at face value.
We can see that—despite how foolish his actions were—he never broke a rule to hurt another soul.
That is what ultimately matters. So, yes.
You both are getting your wings and are eligible to ascend, should you choose to. ”
“Just no more rule breaking.” Annalise scowls, looking directly into Kai’s eyes.
Jessenia rises from the dais and approaches us. Still unconvinced this is actually happening, I take a step back, tugging on Kai’s arm to join me. Nial chuckles.
She approaches Kai first, stepping behind him. “May I?”
He simply nods, not second-guessing her. Leave it to him to be all too trusting of these benevolent, ultrapowerful angels.
Only the whites of her eyes show as she slowly waves her hands in intricate patterns. Threads of golden magic flow from her fingertips to his back.
She’s giving him wings.
I’ve never watched someone receive their wings before.
As she weaves her hands in intricate motions, feathered wings slowly sprout from his back. They’re huge—larger than my old set of wings by far.
The light yellow shade of gold is so bright it’s nearly blinding.
I glance at his hazel eyes and see a thin line of silver tears brimming in his eyelids. My love.
He truly must have thought this day would never come. My chest aches as I watch him gain the best gift he’s ever received—his freedom.
Finally, Jessenia brings her hands down to rest at her sides. “It is done.”
“Couldn’t have chosen a dimmer shade of gold, huh?” I joke, gazing at her, still standing behind Kai. Her icy-blue eyes meet mine.
“As a reminder, we do not choose wing colors for angels. We construct wings from the essence of their soul within. His soul has a yellow-golden essence; therefore, his wings are golden.”
My wings being so dark makes perfect sense, seeing as they’re a reflection of the essence of my soul. Fitting.
I huff, then turn toward him. He immediately pulls me into him and bends down, exhaling a deep breath into my hair. He whispers, “At last.”
“At last.” I smile at him and run my hand through his honeyed hair.
He breaks away and immediately turns toward Jessenia. “It’s her turn.”
He hasn’t even taken the time to admire his own wings; he’s so caught up in me getting mine back.
“What’s the rush?” I chime.
“If you don’t get your wings back in the next ninety seconds, another rule break is in order,” he says in a low voice.
“Calm down, calm down,” Nial drawls, stepping off the dais. “Cleo. Are you ready?”
“What are you doing?” I question him as he towers over me. Goodness, Archangel males are outrageously tall.
“Jessenia doesn’t get to have all the fun. Plus, I gave you your set of wings in the first place all those years ago.” I raise an eyebrow at him, and he sarcastically gasps. “Don’t tell me you forgot.”
I break into a cheeky grin as Jessenia takes her seat on the throne again. “I’ll never forget the first time I earned my wings.”
“Hopefully, this time will be your last,” he mumbles, stepping behind me. “I’m happy for you. Friend.”
Then, he begins to work. A tingling sensation spreads across my entire back for several moments. I glance to my left at Kai, expecting to see a big goofy grin on his face.
Instead, he’s staring at my wings in awe.
Reverence, even.
“What? What is it?”
“And my work is done.” Nial claps his hands, walking past me back to the dais.
“Oh, Cleo.” Kai shakes his head, his eyes widening in disbelief.
I turn my head to see what he’s seeing. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the color—it’s different. It appears my wings are no longer dark.
No, not dark at all.
They’re light.
Very light.
The color of starlight—white gold. Nearly platinum.
“What happened?” My lips part.
“It appears the storm that had you in its grasp at the time of your death has simply dissipated,” Annalise says from the dais, with a gentleness in her tone I haven’t heard in decades. “The light of your soul has taken over.”
Something tells me there's nothing simple about that.
Holding back tears, I gaze into Kai’s warm eyes. I have you to thank for this.
He winks. Right back at you, angel.
Annalise clears her throat. “Now you both have a critical decision to make. Ask yourselves: are you ready to ascend? When that answer is yes, you may ascend the stairs to the next realm. While there isn’t an immediate rush, we want you to be aware.
Some angels have waited a very long time to greet you in the Golden Realm. ”
My chest tightens. Could they be referring to whom I think they’re referring to?
Kai wraps his arm around my neck, kissing my head. One of my favorite gestures of his. “Cleo and I will think about it and get back to you. Sounds good?”
“Um. Yes. That sounds good.”
“Great, because I’m ready to get the hell out of here.” He smirks. “Thanks for the second chance, guys.”
“Technically, this is your third, but who’s counting…” Nial sighs before pinning me with his amber stare. “Please give ascension fair consideration. Eloras is only a pony ride away from the Golden Realm, so you can visit certain places—like the library—occasionally.”
I nod my head, then Kai pulls me away.
I will consider it. I will.
But first, it’s time to celebrate.