Page 4 of The Redeemable 4

Chapter Two

“I thought I’d find you here,” Luc’s rough voice washed over me like a balm. I fought the wussy voice in my head that screamed “hug him now!”

It must have been the other wussy voice in your head, because I didn’t say any such thing, Arcadia said primly.

“I’ve always liked it up here. It has good harbor views. Plus, I’m a fan of extravagant gifts, you know that.”

He sat beside me, atop the Statue of Liberty's crown, our feet dangling down.

Luc grinned. “Yes, the view of New York Harbor is pretty good from the middle of the water.” He picked me up, and sat me across his lap, my wings spread out behind me. The hard knot that had sat in my gut for the last two decades, a twisted ball of anger and doubt and pain, finally relaxed as the heat of his body settled into mine. His scent wrapped around me and comforted my soul. I was back where I was supposed to be.

I ignored Arcadia’s sniffling.

“What am I supposed to do here, Luc? I need ideas, a plan, anything. Do I go beg Azriel to put her back? Do I trust him to do that?”

Luc snorted. “I wouldn’t trust him to reanimate a cat.”

He made a good point. Azriel was a good angel but a shitty person. He’d deliver Arcadia’s soul to the pearly gates himself if he got another opportunity.

I stood and ruffled my wings. It was still weird being back in my body. “There’s only one thing to do.”

“Have sex in Lady Liberty’s torch of freedom?” Luc winked and grinned. I’d forgotten his grin was my kryptonite.

“Okay, two things.” He leaned in to kiss me, and I dived into the kiss like a starving woman, which I was. Sure, watching Arcadia have sex with her guys was fun and all, but it wasn’t the same as feeling Luc’s mouth on mine.

Hey we had a deal! No watching! Both Luc and I chuckled. Never make a deal with a fallen angel.

“I have no problem with you watching, Arcadia Jones.”

Ugh, I’m fine thanks. We aren’t all giant perverts.

He kissed me again, and then bit my lip hard. “Damn it, what was the second thing you had to do?” Luc hated not knowing things. It was his pet peeve.

“Go home,” I said, a genuine smile splitting my face. How I’d missed the place.

Luc stroked the hair from my face with such tenderness that I wondered what the humans would think if they could see him now.

“Home it is, my love. Lady Liberty can wait.” He grabbed my hand, and together we sifted.

Home. The landing room in Luc’s palace looked just the same.

That is a lot of white marble. The awe in Arcadia’s voice made me smile. This isn’t how I imagined hell at all. I thought it would be more…

Dark? Fiery? I suggested.

Stinky. Where’s the sulphur smell? And is all that gilding real gold?

I looked around and tried to see the room from Cady’s perspective. The milky white marble was struck through with only the palest grey marble, as close to the color of clouds as you could get. Every corner, every edge, and the entire domed ceiling was gilded. With real gold. So the whole room was lit with this luminance. It was as close as you could get to landing at the pearly gates, minus the choirs of heavenly song.

“Where are my Princes of Hell?” Luc shouted, and I grinned. “Princes?” He shouted again, so it echoed through the room.

The giant golden door opened, and a figure clad only in black camo pants walked out, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Luc, dude, you know he hates it when you call us…” his words stuttered to a stop and his mouth swung open.

“Acerezeal?” He rubbed his eyes, almost comically, and whispered, “Ace?”

Holy shi… Cady whispered.

“Gusion!” I smiled as I ran to my old friend, and he wrapped me in his arms.

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