by SJ West
“Welcome,” I say as I look between them. “I’m glad to see that you decided to accept my invitation, Helena.”
Helena raises a questioning eyebrow in my direction. “To be quite frank, I was surprised to receive one from you, Anna. Considering how things stand between us …”
“Well, I can’t honestly say that I’m pleased that you gave my daughter one of your seals,” I tell her, attempting to talk about the elephant in the room before things get out of hand, “but I also assume this means she’s under your protection now. If nothing else, you’re not one to rush into something without having it planned out to a T, and I seriously doubt you would waste time doing something just to have it ruined by a wayward rebellion angel seeking vengeance.”
“Yes. She is under my protection. You don’t have to worry about her safety around me or anyone else under my command.”
“Then I suppose there’s a small silver lining to something that can’t be undone.”
Helena tilts her head as she considers my rather calm attitude about the situation.
“What are you up to?” she asks, her eyes narrowing on me suspiciously. “It’s not like you to want to bury the hatchet so readily, especially when it concerns one of your own children. What’s really going on here, Anna?”
“I’m tired,” I tell her truthfully. “I’m tired of us always bickering with one another. You keep calling me your sister, yet you never treat me as if you really believe that. I’m tired of the hate that’s built up between us, Helena. I’m ready for a little peace in my life, and finding a way for you and I to coexist with one another is the only way I see that happening.”
“So what are you offering me? Your friendship?” she asks skeptically.
“My offer is to stop hating you if you’re willing to do the same.”
Helena remains quiet on the issue as she continues to keep a wary eye on me. I’m not sure if she believes I’m trying to play a trick on her or if she believes I’m sincere in my offer. Her expression gives nothing of her true feelings away.
Finally, she mutters, “I’ll think about it.”
I sigh in relief because I know it’s the best possible outcome I could have hoped for from this first attempt at forming a bond with her.
“Is that for me?” I hear Lucas ask eagerly as he comes to stand by my side.
Instinctively, I place a protective hand on his shoulder.
“Why, yes, it is,” Helena tells him as she hands the basket of candy to him. “Cade and I spent quite a lot of time traipsing around Virga this morning to find you the best candy they had to offer.”
“Awesome!” Lucas says excitedly, greedily accepting the basket from Helena’s hand.
A flash of Helena poisoning the candy enters my mind, but I quickly squelch it before fear has a chance to take hold. Cade would never allow such a thing to happen. Plus, I know Helena would by no means risk losing him over such a petty act of cruelty to a child.
“Can I share it with the others?” Lucas asks me.
“You can each have one piece of candy,” I tell him sternly. As he scampers back to the worktable with his treasure trove of sweet delights, I call out, “One piece, Lucas! So choose wisely!”
When I turn back to Helena and Cade, I suddenly realize that I have absolutely nothing to say to them. How am I supposed to start a conversation with Helena and keep it centered around an inconsequential subject after everything that’s happened between us? Most of our discussions have always involved life and death matters. How do you start a normal, polite conversation with someone like her?
“Good to see you again, Cade,” Malcolm says, coming to my rescue and making the situation a little less awkward. As my husband shakes Cade’s hand, I suddenly feel my years of training to entertain as an empress kick into gear.
“That’s a very lovely dress, Helena,” I say. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you before, but you have exquisite taste in clothing. Do you use one designer in Nimbo exclusively?”
“No. I have a few that I go to,” she replies. Her stiff demeanor tells me that she’s still uneasy with me acting so nice to her. I have to admit that it does feel rather unnatural, but I have to forge ahead for Liana’s sake. If I’m ever going to have a chance at a normal relationship with my daughter, I have to make this work.
I continue to make polite conversation with her about the various clothiers I buy from in Cirrus. This leads to a conversation about how each cloud city has adopted their own style for both traditional and casual clothing. I slowly see Helena’s posture begin to relax, which makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something.
“Cade, is that Lucas’ present from all of us?” I hear Gideon ask as he walks up, sucking on a lollipop.
“Hey, Gideon,” Cade says with an easy smile. “Yes, it’s his present.”
“Can I open it now?” Lucas asks from his place beside Bai over at the worktable.
Gideon snatches the present out from under Cade’s arm. “You bet, little buddy!”
“What did you all get him?” I whisper to Cade. “Gideon is so excited you would think the gift is for him if you didn’t know any better.”
“You’ll see,” Cade says cryptically as he watches his brother War Angel take the box over to Lucas.
Gideon places it on a table next to the one the kids are working at and takes a step back so we can watch Lucas remove the lid of the box. I see what looks like a mound of white fabric, but I quickly realize the cloth is simply covering something else within the box.
Carefully, Lucas lifts the white material up and to the side. He lets out a gasp of surprise as he peers at the contents. I watch as he reaches in and pulls out a black and white feathered cape, just like the one the War Angels came to Earth wearing.
“We all donated a feather from our own capes to make that for you,” Cade calls out. “We had enough to make one you can wear now and a larger one you can wear when you get older.”
“It’s … it’s …” Lucas stammers, staring at the cape in his hands with wide eyes. “It’s awesome! Look, Bai!”
Lucas quickly turns to Bai, still clutching the cape in his hands as if he fears it might disappear forever if he lets go of it.
“Put it on, Lucas!” Bai encourages him excitedly.
Lucas doesn’t need any more encouragement than that to do such a thing. He quickly tosses it onto his shoulders but seems to have a little trouble with the silver clasp at the neck. Gideon kneels down in front of him and fastens it.
“There you go, little buddy,” Gideon says with a smile. “Now you’re an honorary War Angel.”
Lucas turns around as the other War Angels in the room comment about how good he looks in his new attire. I feel myself truly smile for the first time in a while as my son models for his War Angel admirers.
“That was a very thoughtful gift.”
I turn my head to look at Helena, surprised to hear those words come from her mouth.
She must feel my gaze on her, because she looks directly at me and says, “Don’t look so surprised, Anna. I may not practice it, but I can recognize kindness when I see it.”
“Mommy,” I hear Lucas say as he taps me on the arm to pull my attention away from Helena.
I look down at him and ask, “Yes, sweetie?”
“Can we have some music?” he whispers. When I see him give a furtive glance in Bai’s direction, who has resumed working on her matchbox robot, I understand exactly why Lucas wants the music.
“Let me see what I can do,” I whisper back with a wink for good measure.
After Lucas returns to his seat beside Bai, I turn to Malcolm and ask, “Do you know how to turn on the sound system for this room? I’m sure there has to be some pre-recorded music available.”
“I think I might know where it is,” he says, “but whether or not it’s functional is another matter entirely. Let me grab Travis and take him with me. If it needs to be repaired, he’ll know what to do.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Malcolm walks off to fetch Travis.
“I could play something for Lucas while we wait,” Cade offers unexpectedly.
“I didn’t realize you played an instrument,” I confess, instantly feeling ashamed that I didn’t know that about him.
“I taught myself how to play the guitar when we first arrived here,” he informs me.
“If you don’t mind doing it, I think Lucas would really enjoy having you play something for him. Thank you, Cade.”
“I’ll be right back,” he says to me before looking at Helena. “Will you be all right staying here by yourself for a few minutes? I just need to phase home and get my guitar and picks.”
“I’ll be fine,” Helena reassures him. “I doubt Anna will let anyone attack me while you’re gone.”
“No one here wants to hurt you,” I tell her.
Helena lets out a derisive snicker. “If you truly believe that, sister, then you’re more delusional than I thought. Everyone here, besides maybe the children, would rather see me trapped back in Hell than roaming the Earth freely, and if you didn’t have your own hidden agenda, you would want the same thing. Of that, I have no doubt whatsoever.”
“I’ll admit that things would be easier if you were still trapped there,” I say, seeing no reason to lie to her about that. If I did, she would see right through it. “But you’re here now, and I think we need to try to make the best out of an awkward situation. I would much rather have you as an ally than a constant adversary.”
“I’ll be right back,” Cade tells Helena, leaning over and kissing her lightly on the cheek.
Cade phases to his beach house, leaving Helena and me standing together in uncomfortable silence.
“I had no idea he played the guitar,” I say to her. “Has he played for you yet?”
Helena shakes her head. “No. He hasn’t, but I can’t say that I’m surprised he taught himself how to play. He seems like the type who would do such a thing.”
“So, how are things progressing between the two of you?” I ask, seeing an opening into Helena’s inner thoughts. It’s a topic that most women would discuss with each other, especially if one of them is falling in love for the first time.
Helena purses her lips, looking reluctant to share such personal information with me about her relationship with Cade.
“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine,” I assure her. “I just thought you might like to have another woman’s perspective on the situation. I know when Malcolm and I first started spending a lot of time together, it was a confusing period in my life, but I had people around who gave me a lot of good advice.”
Helena continues to look at me as if she can’t quite decide if I’m being sincere in my offer or if I’m simply digging for information.
“He aggravates me,” she finally confides. “He stoutly refuses to have sex.”
Well … I can’t honestly say that’s where I saw the conversation starting off, but I guess it’s as good a place to begin as any. At least she’s talking to me.
“Has he told you his reasons why?” I ask.
“No,” Helena huffs in aggravation. “He just keeps looking at me and saying that I’m not ready yet, but I’m more than ready!”
Helena’s outburst causes quite a few eyes to turn our way. I smile at them all, reassuring them that everything is fine.
When I return my attention to her, I say, “Well, I think it’s important to remember that he’s an angel, Helena, and he’s waited a very long time to have a chance to live on Earth. He probably just doesn’t want the two of you to rush into things and miss all the small moments before sex becomes an issue.”
“But we’re soul mates! It’s not as if I’m likely to find another one of those lying around to help me satisfy my physical needs. I’m a very willing partner. What else does he want?”
“I’m not sure,” I say with a shrug. “Maybe he’s waiting for a perfect moment before the two of you are together physically. I do understand your frustration, though. Malcolm drove me nuts about making love. I thought I was going to go crazy before it finally happened.”
“What had to happen to make him give in?”
“I had to marry him.”
Helena grunts her irritation. “Well, if that’s what Cade is waiting on, we’re never going to have sex.”
“You wouldn’t even consider marrying him?” I ask, finding her reaction strange.
“Holy matrimony?” Helena asks incredulously, looking at me like I may have lost my mind. “Do you honestly believe that God Himself would bless a union between Hell and one of His perfect little War Angels?”
“The War Angels aren’t perfect,” I tell her. “I thought you would have realized that while they were in Hell with you. None of God’s creations are completely flawless, Helena. We’ve all made mistakes, and we’ll all continue to make them for the rest of our lives. God doesn’t only love us when we’re perfect. He loves our imperfections too.”
“It must be nice to view the world so idyllically,” Helena says, almost sounding envious of me. “To think you can be loved by just being yourself.”
“Are you capable of loving anyone?” I ask her point-blank. Malcolm and I have had discussions concerning Helena’s ability to love, but neither of us knows the truth. All we’ve been able to do is speculate on the possibility. But if Cade is truly Helena’s soul mate, surely that means she has the capacity to feel such an emotion for someone.
Helena remains silent, but I can tell she’s seriously considering my question.
“I don’t know if I am or not,” she states truthfully. It’s then that I remember that my ability to know when someone is lying to me has returned.
Helena honestly doesn’t know if she can love someone or not.
“Have you ever tried to love someone?” I have to ask.
“No one has ever given me a reason to care about them, much less love them.”
“You know that Cade is in love with you, right?”
Helena gives a little shake of her head as she says, “He has no reason to love me, except for this soul mate business.”
“You should just accept his love and not question it, Helena. I think you want to love, but you’re afraid to let your walls down, even for him. Cade would never intentionally hurt you. That’s not the type of person he is.”
“I know that,” Helena snaps as she looks away from me, but I can tell she’s seriously contemplating my advice to her. I just hope she takes it.
Cade phases back in beside us, grinning from ear to ear as he holds his guitar in his right hand.
“Sorry it took me so long,” he apologizes. “I hid my stash of picks from myself. It took me a while to remember where they were.”
“It’s fine, Cade,” I say. “We were just having a little talk while we waited for you.”
Helena looks in Cade’s direction but not directly at him. Instead, she rests her gaze on the guitar he’s holding.
“So you can really play that thing?” she questions, sounding intrigued by the possibility.
“Pretty well actually,” Cade replies, grinning at her. “Let me show you.”
Cade sets off toward the table the kids are sitting around. When Lucas sees the guitar in Cade’s hands, he seems to know exactly what’s about to happen. My son pulls out the chair he was using and instructs Cade to sit down on it.
I can’t help but smile as I watch Lucas walk over to Bai, lean his head down next to hers, and whisper something in her ear. Bai lifts her hands to her mouth to hide an embarrassed giggle, but when Lucas holds his hand out to her, she readily accepts it and stands from her chair. Lucas leads her over to the front of the room and onto the dance floor. He places one hand on the side of her waist and lifts their still joined hands up to assume a proper stance for dancing. He looks over at Cade and nods his head, indicating that he’s ready for the music to commence.
Cade strums the strings of his guitar before he begins to play a piece of music I’ve never he
ard before. It’s a slow tune, filled with hope that acts as an unexpected balm on my aching heart.
I chance a glance in Helena’s direction and notice her watching Cade with an intensity that makes me wonder what she’s thinking in that moment. I have more hope now than I did at the beginning of the day that my plan will work. During our conversation about Cade, I felt Helena open up to me in a way she never has before. Perhaps being around him has made her realize that she can have a life away from her domain that isn’t filled with so much hate and pain. I have to believe that there’s a part of her that wants to have a normal life filled with the love and kindness of a good man.
Just as I’m about to look away to leave her with her thoughts, I watch in horror as everything I’ve worked so hard for that day is shattered to a point where I’m not sure it can ever be repaired.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Lucifer rushes Helena, grabs her by the upper arms, and pushes her until her back slams against the wall behind us with a distinct thud.
Cade’s music abruptly stops, as does my hope for peace with Helena.
Chapter 13
(Helena’s Point of View)
“What are you planning?” Lucifer yells at me, his eyes wild with madness. “I know you’re up to something!” He pulls me forward just enough to slam me back up against the wall again, this time even harder. “Tell me what you’re about to do to Anna!”
I smile at Lucifer because I catch a glimpse of the old bastard in him resurfacing. Nothing would make me happier than to see him revert to the man who brought humanity to the brink of extinction with the Great War.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I mock him with a low, throaty laugh.
There was a time when this sort of tactic from him might have made me bow to his will and obey him … but not any longer.
“You don’t control me anymore, old man,” I taunt him haughtily. “I’m not even sure you ever truly did.”
“Tell me what you’re going to do!” he demands again.
I feel him pull me forward, presumably to slam me up against the wall again, but he never gets the chance to complete the action.
