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None. Of. It. Made. Sense.
“It’s not like we’re good friends or anything,” she went on, unaware of my puzzlement, “but it’s been nice to have him swing by here and there. I don’t have that many folks with whom I’m comfortable asking weird questions, but he’s been a good source of information about all things Heaven and angels and stuff. He and Naamah are pretty much the two people who have been good company up here.”
My brain had broken. I simply had no way to process that both of my parents had been—separately, and likely unbeknownst to each other—a factor in Zoe’s life in Heaven.
And what the fuck was Azrael’s intention? There had to be some ulterior motive for keeping in touch with Zoe.
“So, if you’re not related to him,” Zoe asked, pulling me out of my cynical musings, “do you have other family?”
“Oh, yeah,” I said darkly.
She peered at me. “That doesn’t sound too happy.”
I sighed. “I have a handful of relatives with whom I am on good terms. The others…I could do without.”
“That bad, huh?” She petted my chest, her touch a soothing balm to my soul.
“You have no idea.”
“Tell me about the good ones, then.”
A small smile snuck onto my face. “There’s my mother. She has a wicked sense of humor. She’s confident, clever, and doesn’t suffer fools. If there’s a rule, she’s broken it.”
Zoe’s soft laugh was like feeling the sunshine on my face when visiting Earth after a long time in Hell. “She sounds amazing.”
“You two will be getting along wonderfully.”
She blinked at me, something like shy surprise flitting over her face. “I’ll meet her?”
“Of course.” When she seemed to hem and haw with something else to say, I pinned her with a look. “Tell me.”
“It’s just…that sounds like you’re planning into the future beyond our training here, and I…I wasn’t sure if you would want to keep this going even after your favor to Naamah has been paid.” More quietly, she added, “To be clear, I’d like that. A lot.”
I tilted my head and regarded her for a moment. “I see.”
Her eyes darted between mine. “What?”
“I’ve been remiss in making my intentions clear. Let me remedy that.” I framed her face with both hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “You are mine. I have no plans to let you go, neither at the conclusion of this favor nor beyond.”
Her breath hitched. “Oh.”
“I want you in my life, now and in the future. So, yes, you will meet my mother. And my sister. My nephew. My grandmother.” I paused, my brows drawing together. “Though, I might change my mind about my nephew.”
“Why?”
“He’s reckless, disrespectful, and a general pain in the ass,” I growled.
She gave me an amused narrow-eyed look. “Yet you counted him among the good family members, didn’t you?”
“My sister loves him,” I grumbled.
“And so do you.” She grinned and poked me in the chest.
I gave her a look full of challenge. “How would you know that?”
“When you talked about your mom, your eyes were full of warmth. Same as when you mentioned him. Your tone and words might have been grumpy, but your eyes showed affection.”
I stared at her, one corner of my mouth slowly tipping up into a crooked smile. “Don’t ever let him hear that. I’d never live it down.”
