“Son….” Gabe cupped both of his hands on Jared’s shoulders. “I’m proud of you.”
Jared choked, and his body gave way, allowing him to fall against his father. I covered my mouth, unaccustomed to seeing Jared relinquish control of his emotions. They embraced, and Jared’s knuckles turned white as he held Gabe in his arms. When Gabe released him, Jared used his thumb and index finger to make a quick swipe of his wet eyes.
“It’s good to see you again, Dad,” Jared said with a weak smile.
Gabe beamed. “You’ve done well, Son. You’ve done well.”
“I’ve tried,” Jared said, relieved at his father’s words. He took my hand, then. “You remember Nina.”
Gabe leaned down and kissed my hairline. “Of course.”
Eli walked up the steps, watching with amusement as Claire and Bex crowded their father. “Gabriel….”
“I know,” he said, seeming a bit sad. “One more thing,” he said. He wrapped his arms around Bex and Claire again, and then followed Eli through the double wooden doors, down the aisle of the chapel. Lillian was still frozen. The same sweet, small smile on her face hadn’t moved a centimeter.
Gabriel kneeled before her. He noticed her folded hands in her lap, and tenderly covered hers with his. “She is as beautiful as the day I first saw her,” he smiled. With two fingers, he brushed her cheekbone, and then leaned in to kiss her lips. His mouth lingered on hers for a few moments, and he closed his eyes, taking in his last moment with his wife.
Claire wiped a stray tear from her cheek, but her cheeks were glistening with preceding tears. “Eli…”
“I’m sorry, no,” Eli said.
“We’re already pushing the rules allowing Nina to be animated, not to mention allowing me to be here at all,” Gabriel said. His eyes didn’t stray from Lillian’s delicate face.
“Not unlike hacking into dreams to get your point across….” Eli said, looking away in dramatic fashion.
“The dreams,” I said. The moment I spoke, I wished I hadn’t. Bothering Gabe while he spent his last moments with his wife was ridiculously selfish. Regardless, Gabe touched Lillian’s lips to his once more, and then stood to face me.
“Yes, the dreams,” Gabe sighed.
I hesitated, and then decided to ask, anyway. “Why did you come to me in the dream if there was nothing in the book to help us?”
Gabe looked to the floor, and then to Jared. “At first, we were hoping you wouldn’t go right along with the prophecy and get pregnant the first chance that presented itself.”
A flush of red lit my cheeks, and Jared cleared his throat. “That’s not exactly how it happened, Dad.”
Gabe gave a quick nod. “You have the book?”
“Yes,” Jared said.
“Now that you have it, it’s safe to say that it would behoove you to help the Pollocks replace it. One less thing to worry about, wouldn’t you agree?”
Jared frowned. “But…if it puts us in danger, why did you take it from the Pollocks to begin with?”
“Answers. Jack knew the moment she was born she was in danger of being the woman in the prophecy. When you fell in love with her, Son, we knew it was a matter of when, not if. We were fighting time and fate…an impossible task. Still, Jack loved his daughter, and he wanted to do everything in his power to try to keep her from that path. We knew there was a chance the book could help us find a loophole, so we took it.”
In frustration, Jared shifted his weight. “But…by the time you came to Nina in the dreams, you knew there was no loophole. Why did you put her through that? Why the theatrics? Do you have any idea what she’s been through? What I went through?”
“To get your attention. We were desperate to find a way to stop you from commencing the prophecy.”
“By then it was too late,” Bex inserted.
“Obviously,” Claire grumbled.
Gabe shook his head. “Not quite. She still had time.”
I looked around the room. “Where is Samuel?”
Claire shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. She wore sweats, her gathered gray pants pushed up to just below her knees, and a matching hooded jacket over a ratty white tank top. She had been summoned unexpectedly. “Babysitting Ryan until I get back. Now that the trial is over, he’s vulnerable.”
“Is he okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “Kim goes home tomorrow. Father Francis is in stable condition, but he will be in traction for a while.”
Bex frowned. “That should have never happened. Clergy should have more protection than that.”
“Father Francis’ guardian is an Arch, Bex. His hands were tied when Donovan attacked him,” Claire explained.
“So what now?” Jared asked Gabe.
“Shax still wants his book. Hell doesn’t want the child to be born. Things are stacking against you, Jared,” Gabe said. “One thing at a time.”
“One thing at a time,” Jared repeated, letting his father’s advice sink in.
Gabe hugged his children one more time, and then made his way toward the door. “It’s a long time between now and the time she delivers the baby, Jared. We’ll keep an ear to the ground, but be on alert. Heaven won’t step in until you give them a reason.”
“You mean start a war,” Jared said.
“Figure out a reason, Son.” In that instant, Gabriel was gone.
“Huh,” Bex puffed. “Weird.”
Claire’s shoulders dropped. “He’s never coming back, is he?”
“Probably not,” Jared said with a small, apologetic smile on his face.
Claire sat on the closest pew, beside her mother. She leaned against Lillian’s shoulder and closed her eyes, pushing the remaining tears down her face. “I’m so sorry you couldn’t see him,” Claire whispered.
“She’ll know,” Bex said. “She always knows.”
The windows began to brighten, and light danced down the walls as if the sun were rising.
Eli smiled, kissing me lightly on the cheek. “Congratulations, kiddo. On both counts. See you soon.”
“How soon?”
He smiled. “It’s as I said before. When there is only one question left to ask.”
“But…what does that mean? What is the question?” I asked, but I was talking to empty space. He was gone.
Claire stood, taking a deep breath. “I have to get back,” she said, looking behind her. Samuel stood at the door with an outstretched hand reaching in her direction. “You look beautiful,” she said to me with a small smile. In no hurry, Claire ambled down the aisle. Once her hand touched Samuel’s, she was gone as well.
Bex laughed once and shook his head. “That’s so cool.”
Chapter Four
Little Heaven
Jared took my hand and led me to our former spots at the front of the church. Bex took a position beside his brother. We watched each other as the sun grew brighter, slowly brightening the faces of our audience. From the corner of my eye, I saw movement, and Father Julian shifted his weight, signaling their awakening.
The minister smiled, gesturing for us to turn. We faced our friends and family, and Father Julian placed his hands on each of our shoulders. “I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Jared Ryel.”
Every face in the room beamed, and applause filled the room. Even with the frightening events just moments before, joy consumed me. Jared’s hand enveloped mine, and we walked the few steps to the aisle, and then made our way outside. It was surreal to return to the scene of Jared’s trial, this time in the sunshine where birds sang, happily riding the bobbing branches that swayed with the breeze. The plaza at the bottom of the chapel’s steps where Michael and his small army had stood not ten minutes before now bathed in the warmth of the sun, waiting for our friends to occupy its smooth, rocked surface. The fountain gushing, the road peppered with townspeople — I
