Before the Fall (18 page)

“What are you doing?”

“I am going with you. I will speak with your father one more time.” She placed a hand on his cheek. “No matter the outcome, please know that we love and cherish you.”

***

L
ahash threw open the inn door. An older version of Naomi spun around, her blue eyes wide with terror. The light from the lamp she held cast a shadow over her face. Her hand shook when her eyes rested on his drawn sword, causing the oil in the lamp to spill onto the floor.

“Please, we have nothing of value for you to steal,” she said, her voice trembling.

He looked at the sword he had directed at her and realized what he looked like charging in there.

He felt his mother’s hand on his arm, and slowly he lowered the sword.

“Rebecca?” The woman let out a breath. Then realization crossed her face as she looked from his mother to him. She smiled, lines crinkling around her eyes. “You must be Lahash. Naomi has told me so much about you.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I am here to see Gideon,” he said.

A sad look crossed her face. “He is speaking with your father and brother in our living quarters upstairs.” She looked to the stone steps and then leaned in toward him.

“Hurry,” she whispered urgently.

He flew up the stairs, taking two at a time, with his mother close behind him. When he reached the landing of the second floor, he froze. In the soft lamp lights that lit the room, Jeremiel stood in front of Gideon, his face beaming as he held out a gold ring.

Naomi stood behind her father, her skin pale. Blotches of red covered her cheeks and neck as she bit down on her lip. Her eyes watched in disbelief as her father took the ring.

“It is an honor for me to accept your proposal to marry my daughter. She will make you a fine wife,” Gideon said.

“Father,” her voice croaked as she placed a hand on his arm.

Gideon stiffened under her touch. It was barely noticeable but enough for Naomi to bite down on her lip again and turn her head away.

“And Raphael, your offer of half your herd is generous,” he continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “Very generous indeed.”

“No, Lahash.” His mother whispered when he took a step forward. Placing an arm around him, she drew him to her and spoke into his ear. “It is too late. Gideon has accepted your brother’s offer.”

“Ah, the rest of your family is here to celebrate,” Gideon said.

Naomi looked up and their eyes locked. The longing on her face was unbearable.

Gideon glanced over at him and then back at Naomi. He cleared his throat, glaring at Naomi. She gave him one last look and then turned her head away.

It was too late. He had lost her. He felt the weight of the sword in his hand. Not even that would be enough. Not when his father was willing to give half his herd to Gideon. He had nothing to offer her family.

“Lahash, Mother, come and let us celebrate my betrothal to Naomi,” Jeremiel cried. He reached out to their mother and pulled her to him. “Naomi is almost as beautiful as you are.”

His face was radiant as held out his hand to Naomi. “Come, let us go downstairs to celebrate.”

Naomi looked down at Jeremiel’s hand. She swallowed and then slowly placed her hand into his.

No!

He gripped the sword and found himself raising it. He couldn’t lose her. At that moment, he hated his brother.

“Remember who you are, my son,” his mother whispered into his ear.

He paused, fighting the hate that threatened to overwhelm him. Memories of him and Jeremiel as they grew up together flitted through his mind. There had never been a day that went by when his brother had not said a kind word to him. He had always been there for him. And when he had asked, Jeremiel had even broken their father’s rules and won the race, because Lahash had asked him to.

He lowered his sword.

Naomi’s hand remained clasped within Jeremiel’s.

Who am I without her?

“Lahash!” he heard his mother cry out as he flew down the stairs and out the door.

L
ahash waited across the square watching the inn’s entrance until Jeremiel and the rest of his family left. As much as he wanted to run away and live his life in misery in Jericho, he couldn’t. He had promised Naomi that they would have a lifetime together. He had to find a way. Even if it meant crawling on hands and knees to his father and begging him, he’d do it. He would do whatever it took to have her as his wife.

When they were gone, he sneaked up to the inn. He went to the side of the building to her bedroom window. He threw a pebble. It tapped against the shutter.

“Naomi,” he called out as loudly as he dared. “Naomi.”

Naomi popped her head out just as he threw another pebble.

“Ouch!” She rubbed her nose on the spot where pebble hit her.

“I am so sorry.”

“What are you doing?” She sniffed.

From where he stood, he could see that her eyes and nose were puffy and her cheeks stained with tears. It made his heart ache to see her like that. Jeremiel’s gift of enhanced vision was just as good as his, if not better. Why couldn’t he see that Naomi was not happy about their betrothal?

“We need to talk.”

She ducked her head back into the room and then came back out. “You can come up here.”

“Are you crazy? What about your father? What if I wake him?”

“We can talk on the roof. No one will hear us there.”

“What if your father comes looking for you?”

“He’s had too much drink and he’s passed out. Nothing could wake him up now. And if for some strange reason he does wake, you can hide between the stalks of wheat that are stored on the roof.”

“I don’t know. What about we meet on our hill? Can you get away?”

She lifted a finger, telling to him to wait, and ducked back into the room.

He closed his eyes and focused in the direction of where she was. Thankful for his gift of enhanced hearing, he heard Naomi and her mother arguing in hushed whispers. She pleaded with her mother to let her leave.

After a moment, Naomi poked her head out the window. “Yes. I can. I shall be there within the hour.”

***

W
aiting on top of the hill, Lahash looked up into the night sky. The moon was so bright and full it seemed like if he just reached out his hand, he could touch it. It was on nights like this when he was stuck sleeping alone with the herd that he wondered what it was like to touch the sky, to touch Heaven.

“Why is this happening to me?” His voice echoed in the darkness.

He froze. He thought he heard a sob in the distance. He waited.

The only sound was the rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through the trees and the bleating of the herd.

He laughed. “Now I’m hearing things that are not there.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw a movement. He stopped and his eyes focused on the moving shadow.

“Naomi?”

The shadow disappeared into a grove of trees. He caught a glimpse of the feminine silhouette and it looked oddly familiar. It couldn’t have been Naomi. It was smaller.

He remembered the woman he had seen in Ai. It couldn’t be her. What would she being doing here in the middle of the night?

“Rachel?”

One of the ewes bleated loudly as if frightened and the shadow vanished. He blinked, confused, and then turned to see Naomi running up the hill toward him. All thought of the strange shadow left his mind as he watched the love of his life hurrying to him.

She was an angel, her blue head-covering fluttering behind her as she ran. She paused midway up the hill, her eyes locking with his. And for a moment, the world disappeared as they gazed at each other. Her face was glowing with excitement. Behind her, the full moon in all its glory paled in comparison.

She gathered her long tunic dress, lifting it up slightly as she ran toward him. It was if she couldn’t stand to be away from him for another minute. His heart soared at the sight of her legs running to him. She was his. There was no doubt about it. She wanted to be with him. Why couldn’t Jeremiel and his father see that?

When she reached the top of the hill, she threw herself into his arms. There was no hesitation. No shyness. In one leap, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips onto his.

He caught her, locking his arms tightly around her body. She was so soft. He held onto her, never wanting to let go. After a moment, she pulled back, gasping for breath, her lips red and puffy. All he could think of as he tried to catch his breath was how much he wanted to kiss them again.

“Lahash, what are we going to do?”

Pale blue eyes looked at him for the answer.

“My heart belongs to you. I cannot fathom a life without you in it. It tears me apart, the thought of living so close to you and not being able to touch you.

“Of speaking to you and seeing your lips.” Her fingers traced his mouth, making him shiver. “And not being able to kiss you.

“Of seeing you one day married to another and holding her instead of me.” She placed her head on his chest. “And knowing that the race of your beating heart was because of someone else and not...” She took a shaky breath. “me.”

She tore herself away from him and walked a few steps, her shoulders shaking.

“Naomi, please don’t cry. We will be together. I will find a away.”

She turned to him, her eyes filled with tears as she reached out to cup his face. “I care not if my father has promised me in marriage to Jeremiel. My love for you will never die.”

“My sweet Naomi. Your love gives me strength.”

As he gazed into her pale blue eyes, it was at that moment he knew what he had to do. It was the only hope for them.

He placed his hands over hers, turned his head, and kissed each of her palms. “I shall plead with my father to give half the herd on my behalf so that I may have your hand in marriage. I care not what he does with me so long as I can be with you.”

“And if he says no?”

He let out a breath. Deep inside, he knew there was little chance that his father would agree. And he had no idea how Jeremiel would handle his request. He held on to the hope that if his father wouldn’t see reason, perhaps his brother would.

What if he didn’t? Could he do what he needed to do to be with Naomi?

His eyes searched her face. Love was written all over it. Yes, he could.

“Then we shall leave this place. Will you go with me? Can you leave your sisters, your family, and join me?”

“Yes,” she said without any hesitation. “I cannot bear to be without you.”

“Then I shall fight for you. I’ll never stop fighting for you.”

“Nor I you.”

U
riel sprinted through the courtyard. There was a chorus of voices as he ran through the crowd of angels gathered in there. He knew they were shocked to see him. He was surprised himself.

He had left before Lucifer did his work on Jether. He couldn’t bear to stay and watch evil being breathed to life by someone who was once favored in all of Heaven. With every hour that passed, he could feel the evil crawl further up his skin and further into his soul, sucking out his life’s core.

When he had asked for permission to leave, Lucifer had waved him away, obviously assuming he was going after Jeremiel and Lahash. He had run as fast as he could through the valley in the direction of Raphael’s home.

He’d had no intention of even attempting to get Jeremiel and Lahash. He was thankful that Lucifer was arrogant enough to believe he would do as commanded without question. As soon as he had felt he was far enough away from Lucifer and his minions, he had done what he hadn’t in what seemed like a long time. He had transformed into his angelic body, spread out his wings, and taken flight.

As he ran down the angel-filled corridors, he listened for Michael and Gabrielle. He had to warn them about Lucifer.

“Uriel?”

A soft voice echoed in the vast hall. He would recognize that voice anywhere. It was the voice of reason. The voice that made him feel like there was no other in Heaven or Earth like him.

The eyes of a dozen angels stared at him as he turned to face the owner of the voice. They whispered frantically to each other as they watched him.

He gazed into a pair of big brown eyes in a heart-shaped face. It was like he was looking at her for the first time. Those eyes, the same eyes that haunted him in his sleep. They held a love for him that he couldn’t understand. Why after all this time was he just now seeing it?

“Rachel,” he breathed.

The angels’ whispers grew louder as he stared at Rachel.

“Do you know how long she waited for him to return?”

“She even went down to look for him!”

“She has never gotten in trouble before. Never.”

“Poor Rachel. How can she love someone like him? He is one of the fallen.”

His heart caught in his throat. Was what they were saying true? Was it possible that sweet Rachel, the one who obeyed every command of her superiors, had disobeyed them . . . for him?

Every angel in the corridor looked from her to him, wondering what she would do.

“You’re back,” she said. There was a question in her simple statement, almost as if she was afraid to hope that his return was permanent.

“Yes. I am.” He walked to her. “Is there a place we can talk?” He glanced around at the other angels and threw them a glare. “Alone?”

They scattered away. Good. They should mind their own business.

She nodded. “The Room of Offerings is empty.”

When they reached the room, he stood to the side, holding the door open. He felt her hesitation. The last time he was in that room he’d been trying to convince Gabrielle to join him. Then, when Rachel had come, he had seen the look in her eyes. She hadn’t wanted him to leave. There was a small voice deep inside of him that hadn’t wanted to go either. He wondered what it would be like now if he had stayed. Would he be closer to her? Would she finally see him for what he truly was . . . a selfish bastard?

What had he done instead? He had joked about it. At least he had told her that he’d miss her. And then, as he had been about to step out the door, she had been going to say something important to him. And for that brief moment, he had hoped she would be the one to say it because he was too afraid. When she hadn’t, he hadn’t been able to help but feel the ache of disappointment. He should have known. It was better that he had left. She was better off without him.