Lash Broken Angel

23





Lash jolted up gasping for breath. “Naomi!”

His eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. Sunlight streamed through the wall-length windows in the Room of Offerings. He was home.

Everything around him was the same—the marble floors, the circle of white furniture in the center of the room, the rich tapestries, and the walls lined with sculptures and paintings. It was perfect, it was beautiful—he hated it.

He dropped his head into his hands as raw pain surged through his chest. She was gone. The one person who believed in him, had faith in him, was torn away from his arms. His reward became his punishment, and he was left to wander until the end of time without Naomi, half alive—broken. Would he ever find a way to heal his soul?

He trudged to one of the glass cases and stared at the statuettes: Raphael, Gabrielle, Jeremy, all of them. They all betrayed him. Rage boiled at the sight of them. He punched his fist through the case and swiped his arms over the shelves, smashing the figures to the ground. One after the other, he went along the walls, dumping over the cases, shattering them until there was nothing left, and he fell to his knees sobbing.

He couldn’t live like this. Naomi was somewhere close. He could feel it. He could hear her voice in the wind—her touch still lingered on his skin. He couldn’t live in Heaven, knowing she was near and never being able to see her again. Heaven, home, neither could exist without her.

Footsteps echoed in the distance and stopped outside the door. Lash held his breath, hoping whoever it was would leave him alone. The door opened and closed, and he felt a presence in the room. “Lahash, we need to talk.”

Raphael. Lash curled his hands into fists. “Go away.”

“I know you are angry with me, and there is much I need to explain.”

“What’s there to explain?” He jumped to his feet. “You tell me to keep Naomi safe and then you have Jeremy kill her. If this assignment was meant to make sure that I was miserable for the rest of my existence, well, bravo”—he clapped—“mission accomplished.”

Raphael’s eyes grew sad. “The assignment wasn’t to hurt you. It was meant to test your faith.”

“It was meant to see what kind of fool I am. When Gabrielle handed it to me, I should’ve—” he froze. She did want him to do it. She knew it would end like this and she acted like she didn’t want him to take the assignment, knowing that he would.

“Gabrielle knew Naomi would die. Damn her to Hell!” Lash punched his hand against the stone wall and a loud crack reverberated through the room. He clutched his hand to his chest and winced. Even in his angel form, it still hurt, but it didn’t compare to the pain in his chest.

“It is not what you think,” Raphael said calmly. “Come with me. There is something I need to show you.”

“No. I’ve had enough of you. From now on, I’ll take my assignments directly from Michael.” He walked past him and threw the door open to find Jeremy standing in the hallway.

There was a beat of silence. Before Jeremy could say a word, he lunged at him, sending them sailing down the hall.

In one move, Jeremy threw him off and leapt to his feet. “Stop it, Lash. I will not fight you.”

“Fine by me, a*shole!” He punched him.

The echo of his fists contacting Jeremy’s jaw sent a flurry of angels into the corridors. Rachel ran down the hall, her dark eyes widened as she watched his fist connect with Jeremy’s nose, splattering blood against the white walls. She gasped and turned back down the hall.

Jeremy’s eyes glowed with rage as he wiped blood off his face with the back of his hand. He tried to push Lash away, only to be punched again by his right hook. As Jeremy hit the ground, Lash threw himself on top of him. Lash was about to punch him again when Jeremy grasped his hands together and hit him on the chest so hard that he flew back smashing into the wall.

Raphael sped down the hall and tried to get a hold of Lash. There was a chorus of gasps when Lash dared to elbow him in the stomach. Raphael fell to his knees.

“That is enough.” Gabrielle pushed through the crowd with Rachel following close behind. She paused at the outskirt of the group, biting her lip with worry as she looked at Raphael who was still on the ground.

Gabrielle placed herself between Lash and Jeremy. Her green eyes glittered with anger as she stood face to face with Lash.

“Get out of the way or I’ll have to take you down, too.” He took a threatening step forward.

There was a deathly silence as Gabrielle pulled her shoulders back and expanded her wings to their full length, pulling her rank as archangel, as second in command only to Michael. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Lash paused taking in the scene around him. All eyes watched warily for his next move as they looked from Lash to Jeremy, blood dripping from his face, to Raphael, who lay still on the floor. Lash’s eyes rested on Rachel’s, silently pleading with him to stop. Anger drained out of him when he realized what he’d done. Never in his life had he ever resorted to violence against the archangels.

He stepped back and ducked his head in deference to Gabrielle’s authority.

She flicked her wings once then closed them back into her body. “Raphael,” she said gently as she bent down and placed a hand on his head. “Would you like to seek an audience with Michael to request a reprimand of Lash and his attack on you?”

Raphael wore a haunted look. “No, it is what I deserve.”

Lash’s head shot up at the statement. He admitted it.

“You have already been forgiven for your past.” She helped him up and pressed a hand against his cheek. “There is no need to punish yourself further.”

Lash glanced at Gabrielle with surprise at the softness of her voice. It was unlike her to be so kind. A look of tenderness briefly flashed across her face as she looked at Raphael. Why hadn’t he noticed it before?

Raphael patted her hand. “The past has a way of catching up to the present.”

Lash’s eyes darted between them, wondering what they were talking about. Again, more secrets kept from him. It was infuriating.

She blinked and cleared her throat. The expression disappeared and was replaced with the severe look Lash was familiar with. “Don’t make excuses for Lash. His wrongdoings are his own.”

“Gabrielle, I am sure you can you can understand the shock of the situation. I haven’t had the opportunity to share with him all that has transpired.”

“I have no interest in listening to your explanations, Raphael.” Lash then turned to Jeremy. “Or yours.”

“Silence!” Gabrielle roared, the word echoed down the hall. She took a deep breath then turned to the others in the hallway. “Leave us.”

They all scurried away whispering to each other.

“Lash, please do what they say,” Rachel said. “You’ll feel better if you do. I promise.”

He smiled weakly at Rachel, and she flittered away.

“Come with me. All of you.” Gabrielle turned on her heel. When Lash didn’t move, she turned and threw him a glare. “Now.”

Gabrielle stopped in front of the doors in the Hall of Judgment and turned to Raphael and Jeremy. “You two wait out here.”

Lash laughed. “What am I going to get this time? Fifty years? A century? No wait. You’re going to send me to Lucifer. That’s it. Right?”

She gave him a firm look. “It’s beyond me why those around you care for you so much. They see something special in you. I don’t.”

She turned toward the door and placed her hand on the handle. Keeping her back to him, she said, “Although I admit one thing, and this is the last time you will ever hear it from me. I have never seen such courage as I’ve seen from you these past couple of days.” She then swung open the doors and turned to face him. “Whatever happens next, know that you have most definitely earned it.”

She stepped aside and gestured for Lash to go into the room.

***

The door slammed behind Lash as he stepped into the Hall of Judgment. There was little light in the room as there were no windows in the area. Candles lined the walls, providing the only illumination in the room. This was part of the old tradition and one of the few that Lash was glad they kept. It made it easier to hide your face in the shadows, to hide from the shame that was felt for whatever wrongdoing an angel was brought in. For him, he was able to hang his head and give the appearance of shame when he was being reprimanded. Michael, who sat in the seat of judgment, wasn’t able to see the smirk on his face whenever he was brought in. In the past, he thought it was a joke because he never felt he deserved any of the punishment he’d received—until now.

The shadows that lingered in the corners of the large chamber were a reflection of what he felt inside—an empty shell of darkness. Of the last three decades of his punishment, this was the first time that he felt forsaken. Now, he truly knew what it felt like to be one of the fallen, without the light of having or giving love. Without Naomi, there was nothing, just darkness to consume him.

He looked to the seat in the back of the room where Michael sat and passed judgment on him so long ago. It was empty. As he moved toward the back of the room, he saw a shadow move.

He looked over to his right. The shadow moved into the candlelight and he saw an angel with dark hair pulled up into the intricate style Rachel often wore. Her wings were an exquisite downy white, accentuating the curves of her body. He took in the slender neck and trailed down to a familiar patch of freckles.

Lash inhaled sharply. Was this a cruel joke? Not even Gabrielle would stoop so low to do this. Was this his punishment to be forever reminded of all that he’d lost?

A glimmer of hope flickered within him as he took in the curves of her back, the porcelain skin that glowed with perfection in the candlelight.

“Naomi,” his voice cracked as he tried to reign in his hope that she was actually there.

The woman turned and light blue eyes met his. Red lips curled into a smile. “Lash.”

Naomi. My Naomi. His heart jumped to his throat and for a moment he couldn’t move. It was as if his feet were frozen to the floor. He feared that if he took a step toward her that she would disappear.

She looked puzzled at his hesitation and took a step forward.

“Don’t,” he said. “Let me just look at you for a moment.”

She frowned. “You’re being silly.”

He sighed. Only Naomi would be irritable in Heaven. It really was her.

He walked to her, and his fingers brushed over her face as if he was touching delicate glass. Without a word, his eyes took in every inch of her face, her tilted nose, the flush on her cheeks, her sculpted lips.

Her breath quickened as his thumb slid over the bottom of her lip.

The heat of her breath hitting against his skin sent a jolt of desire like he’d never felt before. Lash pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. A mixture of heat and electricity passed between them, making him come alive and sending away the cold and dark shadows that had taken root in his chest.

“It’s you. I can’t believe you’re here,” he said in between the trail of kisses he planted along her jaw and down her neck.

“I can’t believe it either,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath. “One moment I saw Jeremy about to attack us then the next he’s sitting by my side when I woke up in a strange bedroom, then he brought me here.”

“Jeremy brought you here?”

“Yes. I asked him what happened and he said that Raphael wanted to tell us both. We were waiting for you.”

Lash shook his head. “What’s going on?” He placed a hand on the small of her back. “You know what. I don’t care. All that matters is that you’re here with me.” His hand traveled up her back and to her hair. “What’s with the new hairstyle?”

“I looked a mess when I woke up. Rachel helped me put myself together. It’s my first time here, and I don’t know the dress code. Unlike you”—she rubbed her nose against his—“I’d like to make a good first impression with the boss.”

He laughed and ran his fingers through her hair, loosening it from the braids. She shook her head and her hair cascaded down into waves over her shoulders.

“Beautiful,” he whispered as he kissed her gently. “You’ve nothing to worry about. You’re magnificent.”

“That she is.”

Lash and Naomi turned to see Raphael standing behind them.

He pulled Naomi closer to him. “If you’re here to take her away, forget it. Where she goes, I go.”

Raphael shook his head. “You have always had a problem listening to what people say to you.”

“Can you blame me? I did exactly what you said and I thought I lost”—he swallowed, unable to say the word, and instead, ducked his head to kiss her.

“There is purpose for all that has occurred. I promise to answer your questions,” Raphael said.

Lash looked at him skeptically. Naomi patted his chest and pecked him on the cheek. “Let’s listen to what he has to say.