Issa held out Lucifer's gift but Edvardiel recoiled.
The golden mist shifted and shimmered—immortality encapsulated.
Edvardiel's hand trembled. "If it's a wedding gift, then it's for both of us. You should keep it safe."
Every muscle in his body was taut and his wings were half open as though he were about to flee.
Reluctantly, Issa nodded and slipped the vial back into her dress.
"Edvardiel," she said. "One more thing. Lucifer said that Eve is dead."
His brows pulled together. "She can't be." He gestured around them. "Eve is Earth's guardian. If she were dead, Hell would have swallowed up Earth. Something's still holding Lilith back."
He stared into the distance.
Her angel's face was impassive, stone cold and seraph-like, but angelfire stirred in his wings, scarlet wisps that grew like a storm. Then his hands curled into fists, anger breaking through his cool facade.
"What is Lucifer up to? Why would he leave his Essence with us and—" Edvardiel broke off, his angelfire flaring high. "Why would he tell us that Eve is dead when she isn't?"
"I don't know," Issa said. "I don't even know how he knew—"
"Seraphs can sense death," Edvardiel said. "As long as he had access to some of Eve's remains…"
"Her blood," Issa said, remembering the stains on Lucifer's robes. "I think Eve was the one who brought Lucifer's remains back to the Garden."
There was another long silence.
Angelfire continued to swirl around Edvardiel's wings, curling around his hair and feet, giving the impression of a great, bloody shadow as he began to pace back and forth. His face flushed gold and he ran a hand through his fiery hair. He stopped several times, taking deep breaths as though to calm himself, but his flames only grew more intense.
"Nothing makes sense," he said. "Not Heaven, not Earth, not the Apocalypse… None of our lives make any sense."
Issa stayed silent.
Edvardiel's eyes were filled with glory and hurt. "I gave everything to Heaven and look what they did to me. And you… you're ready to risk your life but is anyone here worth saving? You don't know how many people are plotting to kill you."
Issa lifted her shoulders. "I don't give a damn about them. I give a damn about you. About Alice, Rosalie, Jacob… Yassper." His name stuck in her throat. "You're the ones I care about. Everyone else can get eaten by demons for all I care."
She was certainly missing names—Paul, for one, would've been indignant by the exclusion—but she thought she got her point across.
"That's not true." Edvardiel's voice was soft. "You care. You care so much you would've let that Acolyte stab you." He took her hands—the same hands that had done so many unspeakable things—and ran his fingers reverently over them. "That's the difference between us, Issa. You pretend to be bad while being good inside, and I'm your opposite."
Issa gave a startled laugh. "Bullshit."
"You did nothing when that Acolyte was about to hurt you," Edvardiel said. "I knew he couldn't help it. I blew off his arm anyway. I didn't lift a finger when the others killed him."
"Edvardiel—"
"When I woke up and you weren't there… I knew that the people of Eden were loyal to my mother and they were trying to protect me," he said. "I burned them anyway. I threw them in the dungeons."
"That's not—"
"I almost killed my father. I burned everything within sight." He stared at her. "All the trees, the animals… I don't know how many living things I destroyed that day."
Issa held her tongue. Her angel needed to get this out. She had no idea how long he'd kept all of this inside.
"You think I saved you from Lilith out of the goodness of my heart." His face contorted. "You're wrong. When I met you, I was so lonely I thought I would die from it. I bound you to me because I needed it." He gripped her hands. "You never really had a choice."
"And you did?" she challenged.
"It was my fault I ended up in Heaven," Edvardiel said.
"You were a kid."
"I flew to Heaven on my own," he said. "I chose to listen to Michael. I chose to accept his mission. I chose to hurt everyone I'd hurt so far."
"Edvardiel." Issa put a hand on his shoulder, watching his angelfire dim at her touch. "Just because you didn't have Lilith controlling your will, doesn't mean your decisions were your own. Honestly, I don't know how you ended up sane with Michael as your father. Those were shit situations all around. What were you supposed to do—let that Acolyte stab me? Disobey Michael and throw your wings away?" She gave his shoulder a squeeze. "You said I needed to forgive myself. You do too."
She tried to give him a comforting hug but ended up so stiff and awkward that he chuckled despite himself.
"I'm glad you were lonely enough to let me leech off your glory," she mumbled.
One of his hands came around her waist, wrapping tight, while the other tipped her up her chin and made her look him in the eye. "You're the best thing that happened to me," he said. You were there when I had nothing. You gave me wings. You make me a better human and a stronger angel."
Heat crept up her face.
He held her close. "I love you," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "More than anything."
She sank into his warmth. "I love you too. We'll figure this out together."
He nodded but she could tell he was still overwhelmed.
"Edvardiel," she said. "Why don't you relax today? Enjoy the waterfall. Look for something to wear. Stop answering every time they summon you. We'll take care of everything else after tomorrow."
Edvardiel schooled his features into a calm that didn't fool her. "Let me take care of you first." He kissed her forehead.
Without further ado, he swept her off her feet and they shot through the skies.
Issa was glad he flew her back because reviving Lucifer seemed to have sapped all of her energy. Her angel put her to bed, staying to cuddle until she was asleep.
It felt as though she'd barely rested when she was awoken by the sound of someone sobbing.
Cautiously, Issa padded down the stairs to see a figure huddled in the corner beside the sofa.
"Jessica?"
Jessica lifted her head, her eyes red-rimmed. Her hands shook uncontrollably and Issa smelled smoke from the gun in her belt.
"Jessica?" she called again. "Are you all right?"
Jessica burst into tears again. "I-I think I shot someone."
Issa looked at Jessica clearly for the first time. The girl was barely eighteen. She'd probably grown up in Eden, safe from the horrors of the Apocalypse.
Issa came closer. "What happened?"
"I saw…" Jessica tried to catch her breath. "I was trying to investigate that demon eyeball. And I was thinking a lot about Tanya. I know she pushed you. And I know she's dead. But she was my friend. And I miss her… And… And…"
She swallowed. "I was walking through the woods. Trying to find more clues. And then I saw… I thought I saw her. Tanya. I got spooked and I shot… I shot at her." Tears streamed down her face. "I know it can't be her but I think I sh-shot another human."
The hair at the back of Issa's neck stood on end. Each time Lilith conquered a city, a select few would rise from the ashes—the Acolytes. The demons or other Acolytes always came to collect them. Issa remembered crawling out from underneath the rubble before Yassper found her.
Hesitantly, Issa put an arm around Jessica and waited until she calmed. "Did you see what happened after that?"
Jessica shook her head. "I ran away," she said in a small voice.
"Where was this?"
"Near the graveyard."
Issa stood. "I'm going to go and check."
Jessica looked scared but she got to her feet too. "I'll show you."
Issa thought about asking her to stay but no one in Eden was safe if an Acolyte was loose inside it. Issa began to reach for a kitchen knife before remembering that knives gave her horrible flashbacks. She picked up a nearby gun instead and they made their way to the graveyard.
Jessica parted some ferns, pointing towards a great oak tree. "That was where I thought I saw her."
Issa stepped towards the tree, beating around the bush, but found nothing odd. No blood, no torn clothing—nothing.
Jessica seemed relieved. "I must've missed her. Or maybe I imagined it."
Issa wasn't convinced. "You definitely took a shot?"
Jessica checked her revolver. "Yeah. I had six Edenium bullets before this. Now I have five."
There was no sign of a bullet either.
They continued looking around, Jessica splitting off in another direction. A startled cry made Issa's stomach lurch. She ran towards the graveyard to see Jessica staring at the pool of blood on Eden's grave. The one Lucifer left behind.
"Look at this," Jessica exclaimed.
Issa was about to dismiss her concern when she saw footsteps leading away from it. They were too big to be Rosalie's. She blinked. Had Lucifer walked out of the Garden?
Jessica frowned. "Those are Jacob's footprints."
Issa started. "How do you know?"
"Mike gave him those shoes when he first arrived in Eden," Jessica sniffed. "I was pissed about it because that was my gift to Mike for his birthday."
A rustle of leaves made them both jump and cock their guns.
"Whoa, it's me!" Jacob raised his hands.
"Oh for the love of god." Jessica lowered her gun. "Did you have to creep up on us like that?"
"Are you all right?" Jacob asked Issa. He looked much better despite his bloodshot eyes and eye bags. "I came back last night to check on you but… the fire…" He trailed off, glancing at Jessica but Issa understood that he was referring to Lucifer's protective wall of angelfire.
Jessica looked from Jacob to Issa, her eyebrows rising. "What fire?"
"Is that your blood?" Issa gestured at the ground.
Jacob rubbed his neck. "Yeah. I was still high and I accidentally burned myself."
"Are you guys going to keep ignoring me?" Jessica complained. Then she rounded on Issa, her eyes wide. "Are you cheating on Edvardiel?"
Issa nearly snorted at the idea. "No," she said. "I had some problems with my glory last night." She turned back to Jacob. "Are you all right?"
He nodded. "My leg was a bit burnt but Rosalie helped me with that." He looked at them. "What are you guys doing here?"
Jessica turned red and stared at her feet.
"Nothing," Issa said. "We're about to head back. Want to come?" She could tell that he was dying to ask her about Lucifer.
Jacob shook his head. "I'm going back to the main hall. I promised Rosalie I'd help with decorating."
"Right. Have fun." Issa was about to go when Jacob caught her arm.
His eyes glowed and his lips were at her ear. "Your fiancé's hiding something important from you."
Jessica frowned and Jacob dropped his hand. "Edvardiel seems stressed," he said. His tone was casual but his eyes burned into hers. "You should take him to the hot spring. Maybe help him change into his engagement clothes." He winked.
"Ew," Jessica said.
As Jacob walked away, she turned to Issa. "I didn't realise he was such a creep."
Issa was too busy trying to understand Jacob's words. Hot spring? Engagement clothes? Edvardiel had been acting strange for a while now—his flickering glory, his inability to ascend to Heaven, the violent flashes of memories she'd gotten from him at dinner—but she had no idea what he was hiding. And he wasn't talking to her about it.
"Did you find any engagement clothes?" Jessica asked her.
Issa sighed. "No."
Jessica rubbed her chin and stared at Issa's dress. "You know, I've been wondering… Is that an angel dress?"
Issa looked at her in surprise. "Yeah."
Jessica clapped her hands together. "I knew it! I used to have one from my great-great-grandmother. She was a guardian angel. You don't need an engagement dress, you already have one. Let me show you." Her eyes sparkled and she took Issa's hand and excitedly dragged her back through the inner gates, into the cottage and in front of a full-length mirror.
Jessica bent down and tugged at the dress. "She's getting engaged. Be pretty."
The dress swirled and then lengthened into an elegant white gown.
It swished outwards impatiently and Jessica quirked a brow. "Aha. You're a seraph so both you and your dress should be fireproof. Ooh, this is going to be good." She rummaged in her pockets and took out a match. She struck a fire and brought it down towards the dress.
It lit up.
The dress rippled as the fire spread and burned. Jessica squealed. "This is going to be such a showstopper!"
Issa stared at herself in the mirror.
The dress had merged with the flames, which had turned an angelic white-gold colour. It curled in a beautiful geometric pattern down her back and arms, flowing and dancing around her feet.
She was wearing fire on her skin.
The ring of glory in Issa's eyes—so faint from Lilith's poison—seemed to flare to life in the light of the blazing flames.
She looked heavenly.
She looked like an angel.
Lucifer's whisper echoed in her mind.
Heaven's abandoned princess. When you grow wings, Heaven will be all yours.
This week has knocked me out! I'm going to try to reply to reviews in a couple of days, gotta cook and head to bed, I have another 24h shift tomorrow (my life really revolves around those). In case I'm too dead to reply individually, I want to thank you all for following this story despite my erratic updates! It makes my day to know that there are people out there who enjoy my little fantasy world :) Take care and have a great week.