Page 85 of When Monsters Fight
“You know that Shem was obliterated by Soul Reaper, but you may not know that your friend Bastian also perished.”
I’d known, deep down, I’d known as soon as he’d hung up the radio. My eyes heated, but I blinked back tears because if she was now the new God here and I was her sister then… “We have to bring them back.”
The corner of her mouth lifted. “I thought you might say that.” She stood and held out her hand. “Come with me.”
I allowed her to lead me from the room, out onto a balcony that floated above mist. Steps came off that balcony extending up into clouds and more mist to join with other balconies where disembodied doors waited.
“This is heaven?”
“The central hub of heaven. Every nodule of heaven can be accessed from here. You’ll get used to it.”
Because I was staying here? But what about earth? The people? My friends? And there was something else. A promise I’d made. Jilyana’s face filled my mind. “The djinn, Jilyana, she said she had a daughter. I believe the Dominion were keeping her hostage to control Jilyana.”
“Yes.” Lucifer sighed. “There was indeed a child, born of a celestial and djinn union. An abomination that the Dominion kept hidden until she perished.”
“What? She’s dead?”
“A long time ago, but they didn’t tell Jilyana that. I saw it all in their collective memory when I ended them.”
All this time they used her. They lied to her. Poor Jilyana. “She didn’t deserve what happened to her. “
“No, she did not. But let us turn our thoughts to happier things.” She led me up a stairwell suspended over nothing and through a door into a cozy living room, and my worries melted away at the sight of the occupants.
Two celestials, with glowing white and gold wings, broke off their conversation and turned their attention to me. My heart skipped several beats. Because I knew these faces. Shem’s features were etched into my memory, except now he’d been restored, bronze and beautiful, chestnut hair laced with gold and neon blue eyes piercing my soul. And Bastian…Bastian looked larger and exuded radiance.
Lucifer had ascended him somehow. Made him a celestial.
“A gift, dear sister,” Lucifer said. “I’ll leave you to your reunion.”
She slipped away, and I ran to my guys. They cocooned me in a group hug and showered me with kisses as they wrapped their wings around me.
“This is a dream.”
“No, Rue, this is reality,” Shem said. “Forever.” He cupped my face and kissed my forehead.
“Look at you.” I beamed up at them both. “You look amazing.”
“You should see yourself,” Bastian said. “I didn’t think you could get any more beautiful than you already are.”
My cheeks warmed. “The others? Are they all right?”
“Yes. They’re on earth,” Bastian said. “We’ve been rebuilding. Gabriel dismantled the Golden City and tore down the walls. The watchers have been cleaning up the surrounding areas of any monsters that weren’t sucked back into Gehenna. Bee’s taken a leadership role in the city too, and Storm is helping.”
“The world is healing,” Shem said.
How long had I been gone? It didn’t matter. I was here now. “I’d like to see it. I…I want to see everyone.”
Shem stroked my cheek. “Gabriel should have been here too.”
“I told him to come,” Bastian said.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Why didn’t he?”
“I don’t think he feels it’s his place,” Shem said. “Not yet anyway. But you can change that, Rue.” My gaze shot up to meet his and he smiled. “It’s all right to let your heart love him.”
“He’s a good guy,” Bastian said.
“Yes…yes he is.” I looked from Bastian to Shem. “Please, take me home.”
