Page 5 of Uriel
“Smart cookie, this one,” Azrael nods approvingly. “Yes, my dear. And I’m afraid what’s coming makes Lisbon look like a minor tremor.”
I clench my fists, steeling myself. “What must be done?”
Azrael’s expression turns serious for a moment. “That’s where you two come in. There’s a prophecy—an ancient one, older than me even. It speaks of a union between heaven and earth that will seal the breach and prevent Hell’s armies from spilling into this realm.”
My mind races, putting the pieces together. “And you believe Ms. Thornton and I are the ones mentioned in this prophecy?”
“Got it in one!” Azrael beams. “The stick-in-the-mud archangel and the compassionate human. Your union is the key to saving, well,everything.”
“Union?” Ms. Thornton sputters. Then her eyes widen as the rest of Azrael’s words sink in. She whirls to face me, her jaw dropping. “Wait. Archangel? You’re an actual archangel?”
I stiffen, unused to having my true nature exposed so casually. “I am,” I confirm, my voice tight.
Ms. Thornton stumbles back a step, her face a whirlwind of emotions—shock, disbelief, and something that looks suspiciously like grudging awe. “Holy shit,” she breathes. “I’vebeen arguing with an archangel. I called an archangel ‘Your Majesty’ sarcastically. Oh god, am I going to hell?”
Azrael chuckles. “Relax, kid. Uri here isn’t going to smite you. In fact, he’s going to be gettingverycozy with you, if you catch my drift.”
“What exactly do you mean by ‘union’?” Ms. Thornton asks, her voice higher than usual, still clearly reeling from the revelation of my identity.
Azrael waggles his eyebrows suggestively. “Oh, you know. The usual. Joining of souls, marriage in the eyes of the divine, consummation of?—”
“Absolutely not,” I cut him off, heat rising to my face. “This is preposterous. I am the Archangel of Chastity, Az. I cannot possibly?—”
“Yeah, no offense,” Ms. Thornton interjects, seemingly snapping out of her shock and back to her usual defiant self, “but I’d rather take my chances with the apocalypse. Archangel or not, he’s still a pompous jerk.”
Azrael throws his head back and laughs. “Oh, this is going to be fun! Look, kids, I don’t make the rules. Well, sometimes I do. But not this time. You two are it. The chosen ones. So you’d better start getting along, because you’ve got about... oh, let’s sayfive daysto fall in love and save the world.”
He stands, stretching languidly. “Well, this was nice. I’d better be off. Souls to reap, waves to catch... But fear not. I’ll be checking in periodically. Try not to destroy each other in the meantime, mkay?”
With a wink and a snap of his fingers, Azrael vanishes, leaving behind only the lingering scent of sea breeze and the faint sound of ukulele music.
I turn to Ms. Thornton, seeing my own shock and disbelief mirrored in her wide eyes. For once, we’re in perfect agreement.
“Well,” she says weakly. “Thathappened.”
Indeed it did. And may God have mercy on us all.
CHAPTER 6
Emilia
I stare at Dr. Angelstone—no,Uriel. Uriel the freaking archangel. My brain feels like it’s short-circuiting, unable to process the events of the last few minutes. One second I’m about to be fired, the next I’m apparently destined to save the world by shacking up with a celestial being. Just another day at Angelstone Hospital, right?
Uriel looks as shell-shocked as I feel. His perfectly coiffed hair is slightly disheveled, like he’s been running his hands through it. Those piercing blue eyes that usually radiate cool authority now shine with confusion and... is that fear?
We stand in awkward silence, the tension so thick you could cut it with a scalpel. I open my mouth, close it, then open it again. “I... you... we...”
“Ms. Thornton,” Uriel starts at the same time. “This is... that is to say...”
We both trail off, words failing us. It’d be almost comical if it wasn’t so terrifying. I take a deep breath, trying to ground myself in something familiar, something real.
“So,” I finally manage, my voice sounding strained even to my own ears. “Am I still fired?”
Uriel blinks, like he’d completely forgotten about our earlier confrontation. He straightens his tie, a nervous gesture I’ve never seen from him before. “I... no. No, you’re not fired.” His jaw clenches, and he adds begrudgingly, “As much as I might wish otherwise, it seems that would go against... divine plans.”
I nod slowly, still struggling to wrap my head around everything. My eyes dart to the door. Suddenly, the office feels suffocating, too small to contain the weight of destiny or prophecy or whatever the hell just got dumped on us.
“Can I leave then?” I snap, wincing at how harsh it sounds. But I’m desperate for some space, some air, anything to help me process this cosmic bombshell. “I’m needed at the ER.”
