by K. Webster
With shaky five-year-old hands, he dumps the morsels into the dough, only managing to spill a few outside the bowl.
“Great job. Stir it up real good.” I lean forward and kiss the top of his head while he stirs, inhaling his scent of love and incense and chocolate chip cookies.
“What now, Mommy?”
The way he says my name in such a sweet voice nearly brings me to my knees. Every single time.
“Well,” I reply, blinking back my happy tears, “now, we drop scoops of the dough onto the pan so we can cook them. Can you help me with that?”
I hand him a spoon, and he sets to work.
“When I grow up, I want to be just like Daddy,” he chatters.
I grin at the mention of his father. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“Because he has big muscles and he can carry you. I want to carry you one day, Mommy.”
I burst out laughing. “Why don’t we focus on making that brain strong first? How was Miss Vivian’s class today? Did you learn anything?”
“I learned how to write Daddy’s name.” He grins broadly at me.
I mirror his infectious smile. “What about my name?”
He climbs off the stool and bounces over to his backpack in the corner of the kitchen. Then he tugs a yellow piece of construction paper out. When he brings it to me, I grin at him.
“You wrote Daddy’s name so well, sweetie. And your own name too,” I say with pride as I admire the big, beautiful heart he colored in the middle of the page around their names. “When are you going to learn to write mine?” I tease.
His chubby finger traces the outside of the heart. “You’re silly, Mommy. Daddy already taught me. He said I write your name like this.” Once again, he follows the heart with his fingertip.
Tears well in my eyes as I squeeze him to me, kissing his mess of curly hair again. “I love you, Andrew.”
“I love you too, Mommy.”
That, whatever just ran through my head, was not a memory. Yet I find myself clinging to it so it won’t disappear. It felt real, and I crave it more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my entire existence.
“I like you too, Love,” Clarence answers with a smile. As if entering people’s minds isn’t a big deal and he didn’t just cross the lines of social etiquette.
“That wasn’t a memory,” I tell him, my chin quivering.
He guides me into the elevator and pushes a button to take us up. “Love, we can see all. Not just your past. We can also see your hopes, intentions, and dreams. And darling, I like what I see. Jes was right about you.”
I sigh as we ascend toward my love. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“You’re one of the good.”
“YOU’RE ONE OF the good.”
When my eyes blink open, I see Jes smiling at me. His presence saturates its way through me, but it doesn’t fully erase the hell that’s contaminated my soul. I worry I’ll never be able to rid myself of the terrors I faced while in the horror closet. The thought of never ridding myself from the all-consuming dreadful memories depresses me beyond repair.
“Ever been on the roof?” Jes questions as Gabriel opens a door before us.
I shake my head and wonder why he’s taking me to the roof of HEA. The man continues to carry me like I weigh nothing but a bag of feathers. In the past, I would have worried about feeling like a pussy being carted around by some man as if I’m his child.
But I don’t care.
I need him.
I need him so I can get back to her.
As we walk into a beautiful domed observation deck, a warmth surges through me. This place is serene and calm. It shuts the terrible memories out and, instead, fills my head and heart with pleasantness.
“Care for a cookie?” he questions as he sets me on a bench.
Closing my eyes, I inhale the scent. Warm cookies. Sunshine. Smiles.
“I’d like that,” I tell him as my gaze falls to the glass in front of me. “What’s in there?”
He chuckles as he sits beside me and hands me a fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie. “Peace. Healing. Love.”
At the mention of love, my heart flutters.
“Well, not that Love. The other kind of love,” he reveals.
As I slowly chew on my cookie, I stare off into the clouds beyond the glass. They eventually part, and two figures approach. The smaller of the two runs ahead, and when he presses his nose to the glass, I gape at him.
The little boy with the backpack.
No longer is the boy sad and scared. There’s no hole in the side of his skull. It seems like eons ago that Connor and I attempted to rescue the boy. No, this boy before me is smiling broadly. When he waves, I can’t help but wave back at him. Happiness niggles its way through me, and nothing bad or horrifying will steal me away from this moment.
I’m mesmerized as parts of my soul mend themselves together.
“Omega, I really love the children,” Jes sighs. “They’re my reason.” His voice is filled with a love only a father could possess—a father much better than mine could have ever been.
“I’m glad he’s happy,” I choke out
The boy waves once more before scampering off. Then my gaze falls to the woman with flowing, dark hair. She peers at me, love and pride shining in her eyes.
“I love you,” she mouths to me.
I can’t hear her, and I snap my head to Jes to find out why.
Jes pats the top of my knee. “Go to her. She can hear you. You’ll figure the rest out.”
Popping up from the bench with renewed strength, I jog over to her and press my fingertips to the surprisingly warm glass. Her smile is breathtaking as she mirrors my action. My heart threatens explodes with joy—I’ve missed this woman for so long.
“Momma,” I rasp out before swallowing my tears. “You’re a vision of perfection.”
She grins and mouths words I easily figure out. “I’m so proud of you, son.”
We stand like this for seconds or minutes or hours simply staring at each other. The horrors from earlier seem like a painful, distant memory now that I’m looking at her.
That Jes is something else—knowing just how to heal me.
“Time to go, Omega,” he says after a while as he places a warm, kind hand on my shoulder.
I want to frown, but I’m too content. “But I’ve missed her so much.”
He squeezes my shoulder. “You’ll see her again. Trust me.”
I nod at him because I do trust him. His promise embeds itself into my heart.
“Goodbye, Momma. I love you.”
“I love you too, son. Goodbye.”
Reluctantly, I leave my mother and follow Jes out the door. Each step away from the outside of the door is like wading through molasses.
“Need a ride?” Jes questions with humor over his shoulder.
Now that I’m away from the blissful observation deck, I can’t help but find some of my old spark. “I’m no pansy. I’ll walk,” I tell him curtly.
He chuckles as we amble to the elevators. “Tough guy, huh?”
I grunt in confirmation, but when we reach the elevators I glance at him when he doesn’t enter with me.
“Omega, you did well.”
His words flood my soul.
“Thank you for healing me,” I tell him.
He nods as if walking through the flames of Hell and plucking a man from the molten lake of fire aren’t a big deal. “It’s kind of my thing.” He smirks. “Here.”
I reach for the key he’s handing me. “What’s this?”
“You need rest. Tomorrow starts your vacation. Take two weeks off—both of you—and see Pallas when you come back.”
My heart swells at his words. A vacation—with Love? I’ve died and gone to Heaven.
“Are you serious?”
He grins. “Yeah, man. But take care of her, for neither of you will be Leviathans anymore. In fact, until you come back, you’ll be every bit as human as your best friend Connor. Keep her s
afe.”
I growl at him. “I’ll take care of her until my dying breath.”
He places a palm on the side of my cheek. The world spins and I’m forced to snap my eyes shut. Visions and memories—all good, beautiful and pure—dance around in my head until the tilting stops. And the moment he removes his flesh from mine, I sag from the loss of it, a sudden heaviness weighs me down. I drag my eyes open to look at him.
“It is done. See you in two weeks.” The doors begin to close, but I stop them with my foot.
“Wait!” I exclaim. “What happens in two weeks? Can Love and I be together? What will happen?”
He gently nudges my foot back inside of the elevator. “Trust me, Omega.”
And as the doors close, I know I will.
The doors open to a quiet floor. No windows and only one door. After walking over to the door, I unlock it. Once I push through, I see that the small, simple room has a bed and not much else. Concert posters, much like those in Jes’s room in the basement, adorn the walls. Some rock music is playing in the background, but that’s all I notice, because when my eyes land on her, everything else disappears.
“Omega!” she cries out, leaping from the bed and into my arms.
The moment our bodies connect, power surges and nearly restores me. I’m no longer weak or sad. With her in my arms, I’m strong and unbreakable.
“Love,” I groan as I press kisses all over her perfect face. “Sweet Love.”
She sobs, and her hands are all over me—groping and clutching and caressing. “I love you, Omega. I missed you so much.”
Even though our time spent apart can’t have been more than a couple of hours or so, it feels as if we haven’t seen each other in ages.
“I know, angel. I love you too,” I growl as I slip my hands over her shoulders and slide the material off them. “But these clothes have to go, woman.”
Her giggles are a salve to the last bit of my bleeding heart. And as I tug the dress completely off, I know deep down in my gut that everything is going to work out. Jes told me so.
“I need to love you, Love. I need it more than air,” I tell her as I rip my shirt from my body.
Her fingers are unbuttoning my jeans, and together, we both shove them down my body. Once we’re both naked, I lower us onto the bed, and in an instant, I’m inside her.
“My God,” I growl, but then I halt my movements, enjoying the way her hot, tight body grips my cock. “I want this forever.”
She whimpers and wiggles beneath me, urging me to buck into her. “Omega, please,” she begs.
My mouth finds hers, and I taste her slowly as I begin an unrushed thrust. I want to feel her—and do it at my own pace.
“You saved me,” I mutter between kisses. “When things were at their worst, it was you who took away my pain.”
Her fingers tangle in my hair, and she moans with each pound into her. “I will never be a source of pain for you again,” she vows, “I will always be your whole heart.”
“Who will you be, angel? Is she gone? Lillian? Who are you, baby?”
She shivers beneath me. “Lillian died a long time ago, Omega. Sure, parts of her exist within me, but she’s gone.”
“And Lovenia?” I question with a grunt as I feel my balls tighten, my climax nearing.
“Lovenia never truly existed at all. Lovenia was a farce,” she hisses, her body quaking at my touch. “I’m Love.”
I slide my fingers into her hair and hold her in place. My eyes find her dark ones, which are brimming with unshed tears—tears of joy and happiness. I know they mirror my own.
“Love is all I’ll ever need,” I groan and burst inside her. My cock throbs out its release the moment her body clamps down around mine. “I’m going to marry you, Love,” I tell her after a fierce kiss, my dick softening within her and her breathing becoming more rhythmic.
Her smile is broad, and I grin back at her.
“Don’t you think that goes against some rule?”
I laugh as I pull out of her and roll onto my side, tugging her warm body flush against mine. “Since when do we follow rules?” I chuckle. “Besides, Jes said we get a vacation—a human vacation. And humans who love each other get married. Simple fact.”
She palms my cheek, and I close my eyes, relishing her touch.
“That simple, huh?” she asks.
“Yep. That simple.”
God, I love her with my whole heart.
GOD, I LOVE him with my whole heart.
The waves crash along the shore, and I sigh in contentment. A week ago, I would have never imagined actually going on vacation. And with my husband, no less. Life really is mysterious and beautiful.
The day after we were given vacation time by Jes, Omega and I hightailed it to Father Owen. We were married that morning by the gentle, old man, and things have felt perfect ever since.
As I dig my toes into the sand, Omega tosses Alysson into the ocean toward Conner, who effortlessly scoops her into his arms. Her girlish squeals bring more joy into my heart.
“You look happy,” Lark says, lying next to me on the blanket.
I tear my gaze from the beautiful scene before me and regard her pregnant form. Loads of nearly black hair with streaks of pink are piled haphazardly on top of her head. Her limbs are thin and pale, but she’s beautiful. I make the mistake of glancing at her swollen belly. She’s due any day now. A pang of envy seizes me—that’ll never be me—but I quickly squash it. I’m truly happy for them.
“You have no idea.”
She shields her eyes from the sun and flashes me a rare smile. We haven’t ever been friends, but I feel like, without the façade of Lovenia the Leviathan, she can see me for who I really am.
Love.
The woman who loves her warrior with all of her being.
“I have a clue,” she says as her hand absently strokes her belly and her eyes find her family.
We sit in comfortable silence as we watch everything we love in this life play in the ocean. Finally, after a while, Connor scoops his daughter out of the water and they make their way over to us.
“Ready to go home, Twiggy?” Connor questions Lark as he sets Alysson to her feet and reaches a hand for his wife.
She grabs it, and he pulls her up from the blanket. “Yeah. I’m tired.”
While they gather their things, Omega leans down, dripping water over me, and presses a kiss to my forehead. “We’re going to stay and watch the sunset,” he tells them as he plops down beside me.
After we say our goodbyes and the three of them leave, Omega snakes an arm around my waist.
“I love you, angel.”
I smile and meet his lips with mine. Everything is perfect. I’m not sure what the future will hold, but with my husband, I’m not afraid. As long as we’re there together, I’ll be more than happy.
“Come on,” he growls. “Let’s go swim.”
I squeal when he effortlessly pulls me into his arms and stands. He carries me toward the ocean, and when he gets waist-deep, he tosses me into it without warning. Salty water rushes over my beach-wave hair, which I spent an hour fixing, and I burst from the water.
“God, you’re an ass,” I faux pout and rub the water from my eyes.
He tugs me into his grasp, and his cock pokes my belly between us. “Your ass,” he says with a chuckle.
“Yeah, but now, I look like a drowned rat thanks to you.”
His full-bellied laugh fills my soul as he drifts further and further into the water with me in his arms until we’re shoulder deep. “You’re beautiful. Inside and out, angel.”
I sigh at his sweet words, but my heart quickens when his hands find my hips and he tugs at the strings of my bikini bottom, pulling them off in one fluid motion.
“Here.” He smirks. “Hold this.”
Rolling my eyes at him, I take the bottom half of my swimsuit. “Now what?”
He grips my bare ass and urges me to hook my legs around him. Once I’m settled, he tugs his c
ock out, and a moment later, he’s inside me.
“This,” he says in a smug tone.
I go to swat at him, but a big wave nearly knocks us over. His grip is firm and protective as he keeps us from going under. Omega has always been the force that keeps me grounded and safe.
“You rescued me,” I moan as I bounce on his thickness.
He slides a palm over my breast and pinches my nipple through the fabric. “You’re mine. I’ll always rescue you.”
Once we’ve finally come, he helps me put my swimsuit back on so we can go back to our blanket. We curl up together and bask in the sun, which is quickly setting. Everything feels right.
“What do you think is in store for us when we go back?” I question.
He drags a finger along my arm, and I shiver. “I’m not sure, but I trust Jes.”
“Me too.”
“Love,” he states. “After what happened with Luc and the horror closet, I’ve been unsettled. The urge to do what’s right is ever present. I don’t want anyone to ever have to go there. We have to do our part, angel—to promote goodness and kindness. To save those who need saving and protecting. It’s our duty. ”
I’ve know this all along. I’m not sure what our part will be though. Will they make us Seraph Guardians? Will they separate us? What exactly will our jobs entail when we get back?
“Don’t worry though,” he murmurs before kissing my head. “We’ll do it together. Whatever it is, we’ll find a way to have a life.”
Tears well in my eyes, and I latch on to his words.
“But we’ll never have what Lark and Connor have, Omega. Does that make you a little sad? It guts me to know we’ll never have a family.”
Thoughts of the young boy baking cookies with me assault me. I remember the way he smelled. The sound of his sweet little voice.
God, how wonderful would it be to have a child of our own—a little, perfect blend of the two of us.
My husband rolls me onto my back and kisses me hard, tugging me back into the present. When he finally breaks away, his jaw is firm and his brow is furrowed.
“You’re my family, Love. Always and forever.”
I nod as the tears spill over, and then I tug him to me for another kiss. “You’re right,” I mutter into his mouth. “All we need is each other.”
