How did he know? “You seem to think you know pretty much everything.”
“ Well, being the head of an army has its perks.”
“ Like what? Angel concubines?”
“ What?” It was a flabbergasted sound—complete with clanging and rocks turning as he nearly fell backwards from whipping towards me so fast.
I regretted my little joke. Or maybe... he didn ’t know what concubines were? “Nothing. Never mind.”
“ Angels are monogamous,” he said with finality.
For some reason , that tickled my curiosity. “Monogamous? Really? Is there marriage in Heaven?”
“ Yes. We are Soul Bound in ceremony. And once we are, it would be a complete unraveling of ourselves if we decide to separate, or if we are untrue to each other. Our partner is generally chosen by those higher in rank... a partner that would bring more glory to the bloodline.”
“ Are you... Soul Bound?”
“ No. No, I’m not.”
“ Do you... have someone waiting for you?”
“ No. No one is waiting for me.” There was a bitterness in his voice that startled me. Unrequited love?
“ Are you... waiting on someone?”
Giovanni didn ’t answer in the same stiff way. In fact, at first, he didn’t answer at all.
“ Giovanni...” He looked at me then, his eyes open and waiting. “Are you waiting for someone to love you back? Or to be matched with someone in particular?”
“ It is not my right to want something like that.”
“ I am not asking what is your right. I am asking what is true.”
Giovanni flinched at that. “It is weak to love someone who will not love you back. I’ve made a choice not to.”
Giovanni looked vulnerable, even though his voice was even. He was admitting that he loved and there was no love for him in return. At least, that is what it sounded like.
“ How can you choose not to love someone? That sounds impossible.”
“ You lie to yourself. Over and over again. Until, you can’t remember the truth.”
“ And you are sure she, or um, he, doesn’t love you?”
“ First off, it is a she. And second...” His voice trailed off. I wasn’t sure if he didn’t know the answer or it just hurt to say aloud. “No, she doesn’t love me.”
“ Did she tell you that?”
“ No...”
“ Then how do...”
“ Because.” His voice was like a reprimand. “She doesn’t look at me the same anymore,” he said. His gaze shifted to the fire. “Her eyes are for someone else.”
I let the silence linger. So did he.
We stared into the fire. An apparently unloved angel, and a seriously messed up half-breed. The fire offered no answers, but the crackling was beautiful, the fire reached up.
“ Giovanni...”
“ Yes?”
“ I hope you find love.”
Giovanni grunted.
“I hope you find love and have lots of little cherub babies,” I smiled at him.
He didn’t smile back, but he slapped his forehead and leaned into his palms. “Cherub babies, huh?”
“ Yep. Cherub babies.”
“ We don’t...”
“ Have cherub babies?”
“ Well, no... I mean. We do, we do have children. Just not all ranks have children.”
“ What do you mean?”
“ Only highly ranked soldiers have children.”
“ Why?”
“ Strengthen the bloodlines.”
“ So what, are you all in essence cousins then?”
“ Well, I guess that is what the Legion is working on.”
“ That’s ridiculous.”
“ What is?”
“ That only some of you can have children. I am sure others want them. It is oppressive to deny them that right.”
Giovanni shifted. “Well, I don’t know...”
“ Are you ranked high enough?”
“ To what? Breed?”
I nod.
“Yes.”
“ Have they matched you?”
“ They tried once.”
“ What happened?”
“ I refused the match.”
“ Why?”
“ I wanted war and battles. Not a family.”
“ Is she the Seraph you love? Do you regret?”
“ No. She is not. I never had feelings for her. She is matched with another now.”
“ Then... who is it that you love?”
“ I told you... I
“ Well, being the head of an army has its perks.”
“ Like what? Angel concubines?”
“ What?” It was a flabbergasted sound—complete with clanging and rocks turning as he nearly fell backwards from whipping towards me so fast.
I regretted my little joke. Or maybe... he didn ’t know what concubines were? “Nothing. Never mind.”
“ Angels are monogamous,” he said with finality.
For some reason , that tickled my curiosity. “Monogamous? Really? Is there marriage in Heaven?”
“ Yes. We are Soul Bound in ceremony. And once we are, it would be a complete unraveling of ourselves if we decide to separate, or if we are untrue to each other. Our partner is generally chosen by those higher in rank... a partner that would bring more glory to the bloodline.”
“ Are you... Soul Bound?”
“ No. No, I’m not.”
“ Do you... have someone waiting for you?”
“ No. No one is waiting for me.” There was a bitterness in his voice that startled me. Unrequited love?
“ Are you... waiting on someone?”
Giovanni didn ’t answer in the same stiff way. In fact, at first, he didn’t answer at all.
“ Giovanni...” He looked at me then, his eyes open and waiting. “Are you waiting for someone to love you back? Or to be matched with someone in particular?”
“ It is not my right to want something like that.”
“ I am not asking what is your right. I am asking what is true.”
Giovanni flinched at that. “It is weak to love someone who will not love you back. I’ve made a choice not to.”
Giovanni looked vulnerable, even though his voice was even. He was admitting that he loved and there was no love for him in return. At least, that is what it sounded like.
“ How can you choose not to love someone? That sounds impossible.”
“ You lie to yourself. Over and over again. Until, you can’t remember the truth.”
“ And you are sure she, or um, he, doesn’t love you?”
“ First off, it is a she. And second...” His voice trailed off. I wasn’t sure if he didn’t know the answer or it just hurt to say aloud. “No, she doesn’t love me.”
“ Did she tell you that?”
“ No...”
“ Then how do...”
“ Because.” His voice was like a reprimand. “She doesn’t look at me the same anymore,” he said. His gaze shifted to the fire. “Her eyes are for someone else.”
I let the silence linger. So did he.
We stared into the fire. An apparently unloved angel, and a seriously messed up half-breed. The fire offered no answers, but the crackling was beautiful, the fire reached up.
“ Giovanni...”
“ Yes?”
“ I hope you find love.”
Giovanni grunted.
“I hope you find love and have lots of little cherub babies,” I smiled at him.
He didn’t smile back, but he slapped his forehead and leaned into his palms. “Cherub babies, huh?”
“ Yep. Cherub babies.”
“ We don’t...”
“ Have cherub babies?”
“ Well, no... I mean. We do, we do have children. Just not all ranks have children.”
“ What do you mean?”
“ Only highly ranked soldiers have children.”
“ Why?”
“ Strengthen the bloodlines.”
“ So what, are you all in essence cousins then?”
“ Well, I guess that is what the Legion is working on.”
“ That’s ridiculous.”
“ What is?”
“ That only some of you can have children. I am sure others want them. It is oppressive to deny them that right.”
Giovanni shifted. “Well, I don’t know...”
“ Are you ranked high enough?”
“ To what? Breed?”
I nod.
“Yes.”
“ Have they matched you?”
“ They tried once.”
“ What happened?”
“ I refused the match.”
“ Why?”
“ I wanted war and battles. Not a family.”
“ Is she the Seraph you love? Do you regret?”
“ No. She is not. I never had feelings for her. She is matched with another now.”
“ Then... who is it that you love?”
“ I told you... I
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