AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If Azrael took the time out of his busy day to come see a specific individual, there had to be significance to it. I’d never thought he would stay in touch with her after her ascension. What possible reason could he have for that?
“We’ll keep an eye on it,” Naamah said, breaking into my brooding thoughts.
I shoved those questions and worries about my father’s presence in Zoe’s life into a back corner of my mind, to be analyzed and ruminated on later, and focused on my mother instead.
“What was it like?” I asked her, my voice pitched low. “Seeing him again.”
She’d never mentioned running into him before, which was no wonder, considering how rarely present he seemed to be in Heaven.
“Are you concerned for me, my darling son?” She angled her head to the side, regarding me with an affectionate smile.
“Always,” I said, my voice rough.
Her smile grew. “I love you, too.”
Such simple words, yet they held the power to squeeze my soul until it bled.
“Seeing him again…” she said after a moment. “I’d thought it might be difficult. As it turns out, it wasn’t.” A brilliant smile adorned her face, and she shrugged. “There was a time when he was all I wanted. But my mind was dark back then, dark and treacherous. He brought me light, and for a time, I thought he might save me. So I clung to him like a shipwrecked sailor would cling to a raft. Only, he wasn’t my raft. He couldn’t save me. When he left, I lost myself in the dark again.”
I suppressed a shudder at the visceral memories of how deep that darkness had been for her.
She looked into the distance, but her expression was serene. “While I once thought I needed him to be my light, I now find I am quite well without him.” She faced me again, her smile calm and confident. “I am my own light now.”
My chest ached with gentle happiness at seeing her this content, this settled into her own self.
Leaning forward a bit, she lowered her voice. “Now, if I were petty, which I am not, it would bring me no small amount of satisfaction to see him dumbfounded that I am happy and doing well without him, not even looking at him twice. To watch him struggle with the realization that instead of falling at his feet and begging him to be with me, I am thriving on my own. To see the longing on his face when he looks at me and the way I glow.” She leaned back, a sly smile on her face. “But I am above petty. I am an angel now, after all.”
One corner of my mouth tipped up into a half smile. “Of course.”
CHAPTER 10
Zoe
“What put you in such a good mood?” Bifiel said with a sneer, her pert little nose all scrunched up.
I paused in humming and swaying my hips from side to side to the quirky melody playing in my head and blinked at her. I’d just emerged from the bathroom, all clean and fresh and pampered to the extreme in preparation for meeting Aziel again.
And just thinking his name brought a hot flush to my skin and a fizzing eruption of excitement to my belly.
“Oh, you know,” I said with feigned nonchalance. “Just imagining how I’ll switch out your shampoo with hair removal cream one of these days.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t.” I nodded with emphasis, a placid smile on my face. “That is absolutely, one hundred percent not a thing I would ever dare to do. There is no need for you to worry.” I made sure to pitch my voice to a tone that just skated the edge of being exaggerated enough that she would, in fact, worry.
The slight frown sneaking onto her face and the spark of concern in her eyes let me know I’d succeeded. “I hate you,” she muttered under her breath as she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room.
“Hate is unbecoming to an angel!” I hollered after her.
The way she slammed the door shut made joy bounce in my chest. Damn, my good mood from my encounter with Aziel yesterday was like some amazing armor against bullshit that even extended to making me better able to handle my annoying roommate.
Ever since I’d left the cave last night, I’d floated on invisible clouds, my spirits buoyed and my heart bursting with happiness. Nothing could bring me down. I’d never felt this way in my life, hadn’t known it was possible to walk around with a perpetual smile on my face and enough goodwill to even manage cantankerous Tabris.
When I’d entered his box for my shift earlier today, I’d greeted him with so much cheerful enthusiasm that it had somehow short-circuited his brain. The poor pointy horse hadn’t even dared to attack because he’d been so confused. I’d sung happy songs—completely out of tune, not that I cared—while cleaning his box, and all the while, he’d cowered in a far corner and eyed me like he couldn’t pinpoint my threat level.
I’d been so friendly and chipper, practically glowing with joy, that many an angel who usually wouldn’t look at me twice had done a double take, stopping in their paths to speak with me. Just on the way to and from work, I’d gotten three proposals to maybe hang out later, all of which I’d politely declined.
I was already spoken for.
