“What? So who’s looking after her? And what about Chuy?” Naomi paced the length of the hall. “It’s not right. We can’t just leave them like this. We can’t let Lucifer use them as pawns in whatever crazy scheme he’s up to. Tell her, Lash.”
Lash gaped at her, wishing he could support her. He wanted to so badly. How could he explain to her the ramifications if they helped or that she’d lost her father because of his interference thirty-five years ago?
“Naomi, I’ve made the mistake before. It’ll put too much at risk if we interfere. Believe me, I know.”
Her face filled with pain. “I thought you were on my side.”
“I am on your side. It’s just...” He felt like kicking himself. She didn’t know he was the one who’d saved Jane, who’d been meant to die on that plane so many years ago. The same Jane who had killed her father.
“What?”
“I...” He glanced over at Rebecca, and she gazed back at him knowingly. Instead of being bothered that she knew, he felt comforted. But how did she know? She was forbidden to see Raphael, so he hadn’t told her, but somehow, she knew. “I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.”
Naomi reached out to him and placed her hand on his chest. “It can’t be a mistake to care for the ones you love.”
“Naomi, you’re new to our world. There are rules in place for all of our protection,” Rebecca said.
“Sometimes, rules need to be broken.” She turned back to Lash. “You broke them to be with me.”
“And I’d do it again, just to be with you.”
“So why not break this rule, for me?” she breathed, begging him.
“You need to tell her, Lahash,” Rebecca said softly. “No more secrets.”
“Tell me what?” Naomi asked.
Lash glanced at Rebecca, and she nodded with encouragement. This secret was a burden he’d carried with him ever since he fell in love with Naomi, and fear of what she’d do if she knew nagged at the back of his mind constantly. His mother was right. He had to tell Naomi his secret about her father’s death. If they were to be bound together, he had to be truthful with her.
He picked up her hands and kissed them. Then, he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for the strength.
“Lash?” Her voice sounded worried.
He opened his eyes and looked deeply into hers. “No matter what happens, know that I love you more than my own life.”
“You’re scaring me.”
He took a deep breath. “I was waiting for the right time to tell you this. And, well, there is just no right time. I never told you about the assignment that got me kicked out of Heaven.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“I was sent to watch over a little boy. A boy named Javier Duran.”
She inhaled sharply. “It was you. You saved him from the plane explosion. Welita told me it could only have been from divine intervention that he was saved. I thought it was luck because of where he was sitting. He was behind a twelve-year-old girl, right?”
He nodded. “Welita didn’t tell you who the little girl was?
“No. I didn’t think it was important to ask.” She furrowed her brow. “Why?”
“Well, the girl made it out alive because I saved her and she”—he gulped—“she wasn’t meant to live.”
“Why not? She was just a little girl.”
“Because she ended up being with Lucifer, and...” He looked over to Rebecca, who smiled sadly, her eyes shone with love and support. “That little girl was Jane Sutherland.”
There was a beat of silence.
Naomi’s face grew pale as she stepped away from him. “No,” her voice was barely above a whisper. “That’s not true. Tell me that’s not true.”
“Naomi.” He reached out to her, his heart breaking into pieces. “I’m sorry.”
She jerked back and shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “Don’t touch me.”
“Please, Naomi.”
“No, I can’t. I just...can’t.” She spun and fled out of the house.
“Naomi!”
He tore out of the house chasing after her. She shot high into the sky, her wings spread at full length, giving her the power to out-fly him.
He pushed with all his might to try to catch her. If he could only reach her, he could explain everything. Then maybe, just maybe she would understand and forgive him.
Faster, he soared up higher and higher. With one final push, he got close enough to reach out and grab her shoulders. He turned her to face him, and his heart stopped at the shattered look on her face.
“Naomi, I—”
“Don’t.” Her voice was raw. “I can’t be with you right now.”
He inhaled sharply as the pain in his chest crushed him. She looked at him one last time, turned, and flew away.
7
Not knowing where else to go, Naomi paced the path that went through the cherry tree gardens. It hurt too much to go to the mountain home she and Lash shared. Being in the beautiful gardens didn’t help, either. Everywhere she looked, she thought of Lash: his beautiful hazel eyes, his strong arms around her, the feel of his unshaven jaw against her palm, and then the torment in his eyes when he told her about saving Jane Sutherland.
She felt her heart breaking as she struggled between her love for her father and her love for Lash. If only he had listened to his orders, then she would still have her father.
She remembered the last time she saw him. It had been at her college graduation. She recalled the proud look he wore as she walked toward him with her diploma in hand. She smiled as she thought of him sitting on the porch next to her as they both gazed up at the stars that night.
She sank onto a bench under one of the dozens of cherry trees. A breeze blew gently, causing stands of her dark hair to brush against her face.
She was so confused. If she accepted that her father dying was somehow Lash’s fault, then how could she continue to love the person who basically shortened her father’s life? But then, if that hadn’t happened, she would’ve never known the love of her life.
She tilted her head back to look at the clear blue sky.
Why was this all happening to her? Fate. Free-will. Had Lash put something into motion that wasn’t meant to be? Was she meant to have lived her life on Earth with her father, her family?
She burst into tears. She couldn’t give Lash up, but she couldn’t even bear to look at him. She felt so lost. For weeks, she had struggled with missing her family. She wanted more than anything to feel like she belonged in Heaven, to have a home with Lash. And now, now it felt like Heaven was her Hell.
She heard footsteps approaching and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Raphael,” she croaked. She cleared her throat and forced a smile on her face. “How are you this morning?”
Raphael looked into her eyes, reached out, and brushed a stray tear from her cheek. “He told you.”
She nodded, choking back fresh tears.
“It is not easy being an angel, and to be an archangel, that can be even more difficult. Lahash has great compassion for others. It leads him to be ruled by his heart rather than by what his superiors tell him to do.”
“It’s not supposed to be like this. My father should still be alive. I’m supposed to be with him and Welita.”
“Perhaps,” he said. “Or maybe things are exactly the way they should be.”
She looked at him, surprised. “Are you saying his disobedience was meant to be?”
“I was just as surprised as Lahash when he was thrown out. For years, I went to Michael, advocating his return. Now, I am not quite sure of this, but it seems to me there is something larger at work here.”
More secrets. She couldn’t take it anymore. “This is too much. I can’t think right now.”
Raphael looked over her shoulder and spoke softly. “Gabrielle and Jeremiel are coming. I can divert them if you wish.”
She let out a breath. “No, I’ll be fine.”
/> She needed a distraction, anything to get her mind off how miserable she was feeling at that moment. Burying herself in training with Gabrielle was just what she needed right now.
Squaring her shoulders, she stood to greet her. “Gabrielle, I’m sorry for the late start, but I’m ready for my training session now. Is Jeremy joining us today?”
Seeing Gabrielle’s green eyes dart from Raphael to her, Naomi hoped her eyes weren’t too red and puffy, although she knew her voice sounded strained. She must’ve looked awful because Jeremy kept staring at her strangely.
“There’s other business we must attend to today. Where’s Lash?”
“Uh, he’s—”
“He’s in the Room of Offerings, repairing some of the damage,” Raphael interrupted.
Naomi shot him a surprised look. Raphael could be sneaky when he wanted to be. Lash had told her about the mess he’d made when he thought he’d never see her again. She had wanted to go with him to help him clean it up, but he’d kept putting it off.
“I see,” Gabrielle said, looking suspiciously at him. “It’s taken him long enough to do so. Well, then, let’s get straight to the business at hand, shall we?”
Gabrielle handed her a small white envelope. As she took a hold of it, Gabrielle looked intently into her eyes. “It is of utmost importance that you stick to your assignment at all costs. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I do,” she said quickly.
Gabrielle continued to hold on to the envelope. “Although you are moving along quite nicely in your training, I fear you are not fully invested in the role you’ve been given. However, events have taken place that make this assignment necessary.”
Naomi dropped her hand at the seriousness of Gabrielle’s voice. She wasn’t ready to take on something like this. “Maybe it’s better to send someone else.”
“Michael made specific instructions for you to carry this assignment, and Jeremy is to go with you.”
“I hope you don’t mind the company,” he said, his dimples flashing as he smiled at her.
“N-n-no. It’s just...uh, well, after last night, I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea.” As angry and hurt as she was with Lash right now, she didn’t want to make things any worse. Although Lash appeared to have made peace with Jeremy, even asking him to give them permission to go down to Earth, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Lash still had a problem with him.
“You have no choice in this matter,” Gabrielle snapped. “Jeremy is to accompany you. He’ll serve as a mentor to you as well as taking care of his own assignment.”
Naomi glanced at him. With Jeremy going with her, maybe she could search for Welita. If it were Gabrielle, she’d never be allowed to do it.
“Okay,” she said as she reached for the envelope and pulled out the card containing information about her assignment. “When do we—holy shit! This isn’t...this can’t be...”
She slapped a hand across her mouth, mortified.
Gabrielle’s face turned a bright red. “We do not use such foul language here.”
“Aw, come on, Gabrielle,” Jeremy said. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thrown around a cuss word or two when Lash was around.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Never.”
“Cut the girl some slack. She’s just in a bit of shock.”
“It is her first assignment, Gabrielle.” Raphael added, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Her face softened. “Fine, just mind your tongue, Naomi.”
“I’m sorry,” Naomi said. “This just isn’t someone I expected to ever have to watch over. So, when do we leave?”
“We’ll need to head out right away,” Jeremy replied. “We can stop by the Room of Offerings so you can say bye to Lash before we head out.”
“Why would you say bye to me?”
Naomi spun around at the sound of Lash’s voice. His face was a mask. The pain in her chest resurfaced, and she found it hard to breathe. She turned away, unable to look at him.
“Michael has given Naomi an assignment,” Raphael said. “Jeremy is to accompany her. They’re leaving at once.”
Naomi could feel Lash’s eyes on her. She wanted to look at him. She wanted to forget everything he had told her. She wanted her Lash back. But, she couldn’t take those words away.
“I see.” Lash’s voice was cold.
Taking a deep breath, she looked to Jeremy. “I’m ready.”
“Don’t you”—Jeremy’s eyes bounced between her and Lash, puzzled—“uh, okay then, come with me.”
She stared down at his hand as he held it out to her. Her head turned slightly, fighting the desire to see Lash one last time before she left. She couldn’t look at him, not now, especially if she wanted to focus on the assignment she’d been given. Slowly, she placed her hand into Jeremy’s, and then they were gone.
* * *
It took every ounce of strength for Lash not to cry out to Naomi as he watched her place her hand into Jeremy’s. He kept repeating to himself that she’d been given an assignment, that Jeremy was just doing his job as an archangel. But with what Raphael had said about Jeremy wanting Naomi so long ago, and the way he’d looked at her last night, he couldn’t forget it.
“Lash, I would like to speak to you in private,” Raphael said. “Gabrielle, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. I’ll be with Michael,” she said and then disappeared.
Lash slumped on the bench. “Did you know about this?”
“I was told about it some time ago. I didn’t think it would happen this soon. Something must have changed to speed up the events.”
“You knew Jeremy was to go with her? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Raphael gave him a stern look.
“Right. You archangel, me lowly seraph. You’d think I would’ve learned that by now.”
Raphael let out a breath as he sat next to him. “You told her about saving the girl.”
“She didn’t take it very well, and now she’s gone.” Lash leaned forward, placing his forearms on his knees. “She couldn’t even look at me.”
He dropped his head against his chest, not wanting Raphael to see the tears forming in his eyes. The look of pain and betrayal on her face was seared into his mind. She didn’t have to say goodbye to him—her silence said it for her.
“My son, she is not gone forever. She’s merely off on assignment. She will return to you.”
“I know she’ll come back, but will she come back to me? Can she forgive me?”
“Naomi loves you, and I have faith in her.”
Lash shook his head. He wanted to believe in her love. He wanted to so badly. He just couldn’t shake off that look.
He felt Raphael’s hand pat his back. “Think of it this way: she’ll have time to think this through, and I know she will understand that you meant no harm.”
“I don’t know if I can do it, wait so long without going crazy.” Even though time went faster in Heaven than Earth, each second seemed like hours to him.
“How did you do it, Raphael? How do you make it through all that time without seeing Rebecca? The thought of being away from Naomi for even a day leaves me breathless.”
Raphael swallowed thickly. “It is...difficult.”
Lash looked up at Raphael and wondered if he should tell him about seeing Rebecca. Would it hurt him more if he did?
Crap! I can’t tell him. Only Jeremy knew about them going down to Earth.
“Son, you’ll be with her again soon,” he continued. “Mark my words. And once you are, she will need you to be there for her. Just as you were tested, she too will be tested in her faith and loyalty to her Heavenly family.”
“Naomi is strong.”
“That may be, but I fear that Naomi and Jeremy’s assignment will test her limits. And she has been here for such a short time.”
“She gets along with everybody. I don’t think she’ll have a hard time with it. Who’s her assignment?”
“You and I know her well. You
may know her just a bit more so than I.”
Lash’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You have carnal knowledge of this person.”
“Who?” he squeaked.
“Megan. Megan Dalene.”
8
Jane Sutherland tapped a pen against the desk as she read her tenth newspaper that morning. She scribbled on her yellow note pad furiously as she read the opinion page. Each paper she went through bashed her position on environmental policies. Most of them even dared to claim that she didn’t care for families or the community and instead sided with big business. Being a senator, she’d thought she would get used to being questioned about her voting record. She even accepted the fact that she’d be scrutinized because she was a close friend with Luke Prescott. Regardless, it still stung to read what people thought of her and her closest confidant.
If only people could know the Luke she’d known almost all her life—kind, protective, sometimes overly protective. But saying she didn’t care about the people in her own home state of Texas—that was going too far.
“Jane, dear, how many times have I told you reading the papers will make you old before your time?”
She looked up from the paper to see a pair of kind gray eyes gazing at her.
“I know; I know.” She sighed. “I’m just working on my speech.”
“We have speech writers on staff for that. Use them.” Luke sat on the sofa across from her desk and placed a cup and saucer on the coffee table. “They’re the best in the field.”
“I’m sure they are. Announcing that I’m running for the presidency is very important to me. I want to get it right.”
“Even more reason to use a speech writer.”
“This is personal for me, Luke. I’m doing this because I truly believe I can make a difference. The American Federation party can make our country better for everyone.”
“Spoken like a true politician.” He grinned.
She rolled her eyes. “I mean it, Luke.”
“Then use what we have at our disposal. This is going to be a long campaign, and we’re fortunate to have plenty of financial resources.”
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