You
have
to look after them or those idiots from the Scale will come for you.”
“It doesn’t mean I don’t believe! I won’t give up on Lucinda and Daniel.”
“Instead you would give up on us?” Tess was crying now; she sat in the center of the barn and wiped her tears on her muddy handkerchief. “Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, Arriane.”
“I know. We agreed to fly to Saint Valentine’s Faire, where Lucinda and Daniel and all the others will be.” Arriane’s voice wobbled. “We were going to be merry.”
“Merry? Pretending I am not your love and you are not mine? Pretending to search for what we already share?” Tess scowled.
Arriane didn’t answer. Tess was right. Their predicament was excruciating.
Tess stood at last and drew close to Arriane. She took the pail from her hands and set it on the ground. She cupped a hand to Arriane’s cheek. “Let Luce and Daniel have their Valentine’s Day. Let us have ours. Celebrate true love by making a covenant with me. Join me, Arriane. We could be so happy together—if we were
truly
together.”
Arriane swallowed the fear rising in her throat. “I love you, but I can’t turn my back on my promises.”
She moved from Tess’s grip. Arriane’s eyes raced to capture every detail about Tess: the slow sway of her red hair in the breeze, her pale bare feet in the rough straw, her hand making the shape of Arriane’s hand’s absence, tears rising in her bright blue eyes.
Even the spectacular golden gleam of her wings.
This would be the last time they would see each other. This would be their last goodbye.
TWO
THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST
N ever.
Never.
Never.
Arriane’s soul was heavy as she flew. She should have known this was coming! She
had
known. Something in her soul had long felt that a day like this approached, when Lucifer would call Tessriel back.
But she had
never
expected Tess to ask her to give up her place in Heaven—to trade it for the fires of Hell!
Her temper flared now and her wings flexed and strained in response.
Sometimes when Arriane stayed too long in mortal guise, she forgot how vast her wings were, how strong, how deep the pleasure of letting them out from her shoulders, the winged energy of delight. She should have been feeling the exaltation she always felt when soaring through the sky, but now her silver wings were just sad reminders of what she was, and of what her love was, and of how she and Tess could never be together.
Never.
I can remember the first time I said goodbye to you
, Tess had told her in the barn.
I was so afraid I’d never see you again
.
Arriane remembered it, too: thousands of years ago. She and Annabelle and Gabbe had been hovering in a dark rain cloud on the outskirts of a place called Canaan, watching a mortal celebration led by a man named Abraham, when the angel appeared out of nowhere and hovered before them in the sky.
“Who are you?” Gabbe was hostile, addressing the angel with the bright-red hair and crystal-blue eyes. To Arriane, the unknown angel’s wings were lovely, and her body looked as soft as a cumulus cloud. Lightning flashed across her radiant white skin. Arriane remembered wanting to reach out and touch her, as if to make certain the angel was real.
“I am Tessriel, your former sister in Heaven.” The unfamiliar angel had bowed her head in deference. “Angel of the thunder that rolls across Eurasia.”
Tessriel was looking at Arriane, and something in a distant meadow of Arriane’s soul recalled this angel. Her sister. Yes. They hadn’t known each other well in Heaven—there had been a league of other angels between them, but there had always been a connection. That inexplicable mystery called attraction.
“I bring news of your brother Roland,” Tessriel said to Arriane, who had gasped at the sound of his name.
“Roland resides in Lucifer’s domain,” Gabbe said sharply. “You bring us news from Hell?”
“I bring you news—” Tessriel’s voice
have
to look after them or those idiots from the Scale will come for you.”
“It doesn’t mean I don’t believe! I won’t give up on Lucinda and Daniel.”
“Instead you would give up on us?” Tess was crying now; she sat in the center of the barn and wiped her tears on her muddy handkerchief. “Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, Arriane.”
“I know. We agreed to fly to Saint Valentine’s Faire, where Lucinda and Daniel and all the others will be.” Arriane’s voice wobbled. “We were going to be merry.”
“Merry? Pretending I am not your love and you are not mine? Pretending to search for what we already share?” Tess scowled.
Arriane didn’t answer. Tess was right. Their predicament was excruciating.
Tess stood at last and drew close to Arriane. She took the pail from her hands and set it on the ground. She cupped a hand to Arriane’s cheek. “Let Luce and Daniel have their Valentine’s Day. Let us have ours. Celebrate true love by making a covenant with me. Join me, Arriane. We could be so happy together—if we were
truly
together.”
Arriane swallowed the fear rising in her throat. “I love you, but I can’t turn my back on my promises.”
She moved from Tess’s grip. Arriane’s eyes raced to capture every detail about Tess: the slow sway of her red hair in the breeze, her pale bare feet in the rough straw, her hand making the shape of Arriane’s hand’s absence, tears rising in her bright blue eyes.
Even the spectacular golden gleam of her wings.
This would be the last time they would see each other. This would be their last goodbye.
TWO
THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST
N ever.
Never.
Never.
Arriane’s soul was heavy as she flew. She should have known this was coming! She
had
known. Something in her soul had long felt that a day like this approached, when Lucifer would call Tessriel back.
But she had
never
expected Tess to ask her to give up her place in Heaven—to trade it for the fires of Hell!
Her temper flared now and her wings flexed and strained in response.
Sometimes when Arriane stayed too long in mortal guise, she forgot how vast her wings were, how strong, how deep the pleasure of letting them out from her shoulders, the winged energy of delight. She should have been feeling the exaltation she always felt when soaring through the sky, but now her silver wings were just sad reminders of what she was, and of what her love was, and of how she and Tess could never be together.
Never.
I can remember the first time I said goodbye to you
, Tess had told her in the barn.
I was so afraid I’d never see you again
.
Arriane remembered it, too: thousands of years ago. She and Annabelle and Gabbe had been hovering in a dark rain cloud on the outskirts of a place called Canaan, watching a mortal celebration led by a man named Abraham, when the angel appeared out of nowhere and hovered before them in the sky.
“Who are you?” Gabbe was hostile, addressing the angel with the bright-red hair and crystal-blue eyes. To Arriane, the unknown angel’s wings were lovely, and her body looked as soft as a cumulus cloud. Lightning flashed across her radiant white skin. Arriane remembered wanting to reach out and touch her, as if to make certain the angel was real.
“I am Tessriel, your former sister in Heaven.” The unfamiliar angel had bowed her head in deference. “Angel of the thunder that rolls across Eurasia.”
Tessriel was looking at Arriane, and something in a distant meadow of Arriane’s soul recalled this angel. Her sister. Yes. They hadn’t known each other well in Heaven—there had been a league of other angels between them, but there had always been a connection. That inexplicable mystery called attraction.
“I bring news of your brother Roland,” Tessriel said to Arriane, who had gasped at the sound of his name.
“Roland resides in Lucifer’s domain,” Gabbe said sharply. “You bring us news from Hell?”
“I bring you news—” Tessriel’s voice
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