by SJ West
“What in the world are you doing here?” Malcolm asks as he steps away from Caylin’s husband.
“Our father thinks it’s the right time for me to explain a couple of things to you and Anna.” Aiden briefly looks in my direction and sees that I’m in the middle of breastfeeding the babies. “I can wait, though. It looks like you’re busy.”
“Why don’t you go downstairs?” Malcolm suggests. “The others should be down there somewhere. You might try the kitchen first. Lucas is supposed to be making us something to eat. Just ask them to lay the food out on the kitchen table instead of bringing it up here. That way you can tell us all why you’re here, unless what you have to say is only meant for Anna and me to hear.”
“No,” Aiden says with a small shake of his head. “It’s not supposed to be a secret. The others are welcome to hear it too.”
“Great. Then give us a few minutes and we’ll be right down.”
Malcolm closes the door and returns to his spot beside me on the edge of the bed.
“Why do you think God sent Aiden here instead of just coming to us Himself?” I ask, finding God’s logic hard to understand sometimes.
Malcolm shrugs. “I have no idea, but He must have thought Aiden was the best person to relay this information personally. At least he’s here to give us answers and not just more questions.”
“I suppose what you told me earlier might be true,” I muse. “Maybe God has decided to be more helpful.”
“Well, don’t get used to His cooperation,” Malcolm replies with a small chuckle before leaning forward to kiss my lips. “I’ll go find you something to wear for when you’re ready to go downstairs.”
“Just get one of my maternity dresses,” I instruct him as he saunters over to the walk-in closet. “Until I get that miracle cream Desmond told me about a few months ago, this stretched out belly of mine isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
Malcolm steps out of the closet a few seconds later with a sleeveless white chiffon gown that has a plunging neckline. The material of the skirt has a concealed slit in the front that isn’t visible until you walk in it. The dress displayed two of my best assets when I was pregnant while working the miracle of making me feel beautiful … even with my stomach extended out to the size of a house.
“Do you think we can have this dress taken in after you lose the baby weight?” Malcolm asks, laying the gown out on the end of the bed almost reverently. “I love how easily accessible certain parts of your body are in it.”
“Malcolm,” I chastise him, briefly looking down at the babies, “we’re not alone, you know. The babies can hear you.”
“Well, it’s not like I said which parts the dress lets me fondle,” he counters playfully. “I doubt they know what we’re saying anyway.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” I remind him. “As we’ve discussed before, they seem to understand more than they should.”
“I shall attempt to refrain from displaying my never-ending lust for your luscious curves while we are in the presence of the wonder twins.”
I can’t prevent a giggle at Malcolm’s nickname for the babies, but they are indeed a wonder to behold.
As I gaze at Liam, I’m instantly filled with an overwhelming sense of mutual acceptance that doesn’t need to be verbalized. With my son, I feel the light of love ignite my soul every time I look at him. It’s the same way I feel when I’m around Lucas.
When I turn my gaze to Liana, I’m disappointed that the same cannot be said. There’s a disconnect between my daughter and me that I can’t quite understand. Her previous reaction to me was disheartening to say the least. I’m not sure if her response is a natural animosity toward me or if it’s being caused by the seal Helena gave her. Was that Helena’s goal all along? To make one of my children despise me? The more I think about it, the more I doubt that is the case. Her real purpose will more than likely serve some particular need she has. Liana’s rejection of me could simply be an unforeseen side effect of having the seal.
As Liana maintains a steady gaze on me with her bluer than blue eyes, I know that she’s only feeding from my breast because she has to in order to survive. I have no doubt that if she was given an alternative means of gaining sustenance, she wouldn’t hesitate to take it. The chasm separating us seems almost impossible to traverse, but I silently make a vow to her that we will find a way to overcome it. She’s my daughter, after all, and no matter what she might feel for me or how she treats me in the future, I will always love her. I just need to make sure she understands that interminable fact.
“You never did ask me which of the seals Helena gave her,” I say to Malcolm. “Do you want to know?”
“I have to admit that I was curious, but I didn’t want to upset you any more than you already were at the time.”
“It’s Lucifer’s old seal,” I reveal. “Silence. Do you think that’s significant?”
“It could just be Helena’s way of rubbing Lucifer’s nose in his own failings,” Malcolm reasons. “You know how much she hates him. What better way to get back at him than to give his granddaughter his seal?”
“Maybe,” I reply, having a bad feeling it means so much more.
Thirty minutes pass before we’re ready to make our descent downstairs. After the babies drink their fill of milk, they both promptly go back to sleep. I ask Malcolm to carry Liana down while I cradle Liam in my arms. I worry that if I hold Liana, she might begin to cry again, and I don’t want her to wake Liam. Besides, my son seems completely content in my arms. The cherubic little smile on his sleeping face seems to indicate that he loves having me hold him. I’m not sure the same can be said about Liana at this point. As Malcolm walks in front of me and down the stairs from the second floor, I can hear him speaking to Liana in a hushed tone. I don’t think he intends for me to hear what he’s saying, but I do.
“I need you to do me a favor,” he whispers to our daughter. “Be nice to your mommy. She literally went to Hell and back with you kids. She also suffered through a lot of pain to bring you and your brother into the world. If you’re as smart as we think you are, show her how much she means to you, because she means the world to me, little girl. She’s my life, and I can’t live without her. So I would really appreciate it if you were nicer to her.”
I secretly hope Malcolm’s words have some effect on Liana’s disposition toward me, but I’m not counting on it.
When we reach the kitchen, we find Aiden helping Lucas make pancakes on the gas stove. Luna, our resident hellhound, is sitting patiently a foot away from Lucas with an eager look of expectation on her face as she waits for him to drop a pancake, either intentionally or unintentionally. Most of my War Angels are present as well. Zane and Xander are sitting on stools at the kitchen island while most of the others are sitting at the large wooden dining table in the room. Only Gideon is missing from my contingent. I also notice that Lucifer, Jess, Mason, and my papa are nowhere to be seen.
Ethan, the commander of the War Angels, sees us enter the room before anyone else does. When he stands from his seat at the table, the others notice our entry and also rise to show their respect.
“We’re all glad to see you looking so well, Anna,” Ethan says, walking away from his chair to come stand in front of Malcolm and me. Funnily enough, when Ethan peers down at Liam and Liana, his expression turns to one of extreme apprehension. I have to say that he almost looks scared by them, which amuses me. I’ve never seen Ethan look nervous about anything.
“Have you never seen a baby before?” I ask Ethan, unable to come up with another reasonable explanation for his reaction to my children.
“I’ve seen them,” he says slowly, keeping a wary eye on the babies like they might jump out of our arms and attack him, “but I can’t say I’ve ever been this close to one—or two in this case—before.”
“Hold your arm out,” Malcolm practically orders as he tries to hand Liana to Ethan.
To my great amusement, Ethan actually retreats from us,
taking a step backwards.
“I don’t think that would be wise,” Ethan protests. “What if I drop it?”
Malcolm raises his eyebrows at Ethan in obvious annoyance. “I would appreciate it if you refrained from calling my daughter an ‘it,’ Ethan. Just bend your arm like mine is and you won’t drop her.”
Without giving him any other recourse, Malcolm forces Ethan to either take Liana in his arms or risk her being dropped in midair.
A very reluctant Ethan accepts Liana’s small form, cradling her gently against his chest. I watch as she opens her eyes and looks up at my War Angel commander, as if silently questioning who he is to her.
“Hello,” Ethan says, obviously not having anything else better to say to a baby.
I hear Xander snicker from his seat at the kitchen island. When he looks at me, I give him a withering glare that quickly wipes the smirk over Ethan’s awkwardness off his face. With Xander looking properly contrite, I return my attention to how Liana reacts to Ethan. She doesn’t make a sound as she continues to look up at him questioningly. After a few seconds, she must deem Ethan as safe because she closes her eyes again to go back to sleep.
Without saying a word, Ethan hands Liana back to Malcolm, who readily accepts her.
“Uh, thanks for letting me hold her,” Ethan says, not sounding thankful at all, before making a hasty retreat back to his seat at the table.
“The pancakes are almost ready,” Lucas informs us as he lifts one out of the pan in front of him and gingerly places it onto a white china platter that must contain at least forty of them already. “Go ahead and sit down. Aiden and I will bring them to you.”
With the table already set with plates, utensils, and glasses, Malcolm and I sit side by side at the head of the table.
Lucas hops down from the stool he was standing on and grabs the platter of pancakes to bring over to us.
“Those look delicious,” I croon as the intoxicating scent of freshly made pancakes fills the air around me.
Lucas smiles proudly as he sets the platter on the table in front of us.
“Aiden showed me a little trick with them,” Lucas tells me. “We added in a little bit of vanilla and cinnamon.”
“No wonder they smell so delectable,” I praise, causing Lucas’ smile to grow even wider with delight.
“How many do you want, Mommy?”
“I’ll take two please.”
“Anna,” I hear Aiden say as he comes to stand beside me and slightly behind Lucas, “why don’t you let me hold Liam for you while you eat?”
“Are you sure?” I ask, not wanting to bother my great-grandfather many times over with such a task.
“It would be my honor,” he replies. Aiden’s expression is one of reserved happiness as he gazes down at my son. It’s almost as if holding Liam will bring him joy and sadness at the same time. I don’t quite understand it, but it doesn’t give me any reservations about handing my son over to him either.
I hold Liam out for Aiden to take, which he does readily. Aiden’s brows lower slightly as he studies my son’s face with baffling intensity.
“Hello, Liam,” Aiden says, caressing the side of my baby’s face with the tips of his fingers. I’m suddenly overcome by the odd sensation that this isn’t the first time Aiden and Liam have met. It feels more like a reunion between two souls than a first meeting. I don’t comment on it because Lucas draws my attention away from them as he begins to fork a pile of pancakes onto my plate.
“I’m pretty sure I said I only wanted two, sweetie,” I tell him, trying to keep my tone from sounding ungrateful for his apparent need to feed me.
“You’re breastfeeding, right?” Lucas asks, catching me off guard with his knowledge of such a thing at his age. “I read that you need to eat at least an extra five hundred calories a day when you’re breastfeeding, and since you’ve got twins, it has to be closer to a thousand calories.”
I lean toward Malcolm and whisper, “I thought you were going to start keeping an eye on what he reads.”
“We’ve been a little busy,” Malcolm whispers back as his excuse.
“Don’t worry,” Lucas assures me. “Cade only read the helpful stuff to me from the book about babies. He never let me look at the pictures it had.”
The mention of Cade’s name tugs at a corner of my heart, making me realize just how much I already miss his presence among us. My War Angel guard doesn’t seem complete without him.
“Speaking of Cade,” Ethan says from his seat at the other end of the table beside Roan, “where did he get off to? The last time we saw him was in the living room when he brought Liana back.”
It’s only then that I realize Cade’s brothers are in the dark about the bargain he made with Helena to secure Liana’s release from Hell.
“He’s with Helena,” Malcolm informs them, saving me from the discomfort of having to explain things.
All the War Angels immediately erupt with questions. Malcolm has to raise his free hand and say, “Calm down and let me explain the situation.”
My husband goes on to tell them why Cade is with our archnemesis.
“It figures that thing would hold a child’s well-being over Cade’s head to make him do what she wants,” Xander grouses, unable to conceal his disgust over Helena’s ultimatum.
“How long does he have to stay with her?” Alex asks, looking more concerned over Cade’s welfare than mad at Helena.
“He didn’t know,” I reply. “I don’t think they put a time limit on it.”
“This might be for the best anyway,” Ethan ruminates as he leans back in his chair with a reflective expression on his face. He looks down the table at me and says, “Maybe spending more time with her will finally break any notion he has that he can change her.”
“Well, we don’t know that he can’t,” I half-heartedly argue.
“Don’t we?” Ethan counters, looking steadfast in his opinion about the situation. “She may have a physical form, Anna, but she’s still Hell itself walking on two legs. It would be like asking Heaven to change. I don’t think it can be done, and the sooner Cade realizes that, the better off he’ll be.”
I decide not to debate the point with Ethan. I still have hope, if only a sliver, that Helena can become more than she was made to be. I can see from the looks on the other War Angels’ faces that my optimism for her reform is not shared by any of them. The only mutual point of fact is worry over Cade’s safety, but I’m confident he won’t allow Helena to manipulate him into doing anything that he doesn’t want to do. Yes, she did coerce him into spending more time with her, but, as my husband pointed out earlier, Cade probably would have ended up doing that anyway.
I see Roan hold up his hand as he says, “I have a question.”
“I can’t promise we’ll have an answer,” I tell him. “What’s your question?”
“It seems strange to me that Helena would go through all the trouble of kidnapping Liana only to give her back so readily,” he points out. “Do you know why she did that?”
I look over at Malcolm, not sure if we should tell them about the seal. He meets my gaze and nods at my unasked question.
I look back down the table at Roan. “She gave Liana one of her seals.”
Again, the War Angels erupt with a dozen questions.
“I’m sorry,” I say over the bedlam in an attempt to quiet them, “we don’t know what it means. We have no idea why Helena would willingly give up a seal like that, but I think we can all agree that she did it to benefit herself in some way. The only thing we can do now is wait to see what she’s up to.”
Atticus looks over at Aiden, who’s still holding Liam in his arms.
“Do you know what Helena’s planning, Aiden?” Atticus asks him. “Is that why you were sent back here?”
I look over at Aiden beside me and watch as he shakes his head at Atticus.
“I’m sorry,” he replies. “I don’t know what Helena has planned. That isn’t why God sent me back.”
>
“Why are you here?” Malcolm asks hesitantly. “You said God thought it was time you told us something important. What is it?”
“I’m here to tell you more about your children,” Aiden answers. “And to inform you that I’ve been assigned to be Liam’s guardian like Will is Liana’s guardian.”
“Why does he need one?” I ask nervously. “What are you protecting him from?”
“Whatever might come,” Aiden replies. “All I know is that God came to me and asked if I wanted the job. It’s a duty I gladly accepted, especially when He told me who Liam really is.”
I feel my forehead involuntarily crinkle, showing my confusion. “What do you mean by that?”
“Is he a reincarnation of someone?” Malcolm asks. It is a logical question. Since Lucas is the reembodiment of Gabe, Malcolm’s inquiry makes perfect sense.
“Not exactly,” Aiden says tentatively. “Do you remember God telling you that the seals became Liam’s and Liana’s souls?”
“Yes,” I say. “We’ve known that almost since they were conceived.”
“The energy from the seals that was used to generate their souls was also attached to something else,” Aiden tells us, watching our reaction closely before he continues. “I know you’ve been wondering why the babies have been acting like they know what’s going on around them.”
“And this something else that their souls are attached to is what caused that?” Malcolm questions, attempting to work through what Aiden is trying to tell us.
“Yes. Malcolm, do you remember who God asked to protect the seals before the princes stole them from Heaven?”
“Of course. Seven of the Guardians of the Guf.”
Aiden looks at Malcolm meaningfully, as if indicating that he just answered his own question.
“Are you saying,” Malcolm says slowly, making the connection, “that the souls of the Guardians the seals once belonged to are now inside our children?”
“Yes,” Aiden answers, looking down at Liam with a faint smile. “And Liam has the soul of the Guardian who made me inside him. God knew I would want to be the one assigned to protect Andel and your son.”
