Mercy for the Fallen (8 page)

“Do you always answer the phone that way?”

“At this time of night?  Yes, tacos are always the right answer.”

“I do have a job for you, but it’s a touch farther than Taco Bell.”

“Keep talking.”  I could hear the interest in his voice.

“How do you feel about playing tour guide?”

“Where are we headed?”

“To Eden.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Wait, I’m not at home.”

“Even better.  Where are you?”

“At the top of Smith Tower.”

If he was surprised by my location, he gave no sign of it.  “That’s a good a place as any to watch the sun come up.  I’ll be right there.”

“I’ll be waiting. Oh, hey, Adam?”

“Yeah?”

“Bring some tacos with you, okay?” 

“That’s my girl.”

Chapter Eight

“You smell good.”  Adam held me closer than was strictly necessary, but the flight to Eden had my navigational skills out of whack from traveling so fast.  Just because my body had enough Grace to make the trek didn’t mean my mind could wrap itself around that level of speed. 

“I smell like tacos,” I scoffed.

“No, it’s more like… like delicate white roses in bloom.”  He sniffed again.  “I always forget how good you smell and then bam… it’s like a thousand memories crash down on me at once.”

I knew exactly what he meant, but I kept my voice light.  “We don’t even have a thousand memories.  We weren’t
together
all that much in the time we were together.”

“Maybe you don’t, but I do.”  He leaned over to press his face against my hair. 

“Would you stop smelling me?”  Unnerved by how close he was, I jerked away, causing us to dip precariously, and I clung to his arm.

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” he smirked at my loss of composure.

“I’m not your sweetheart.”

“Your lips may say no, but… actually, I remember your lips saying yes, not all that long ago, pretty clearly too.”

“I’m trying to forget it,” I grumbled.

“You can try all you want,
sweetheart
, but I know I’m under your skin.”

“Like an itch.”

“You can’t wait to scratch,” he purred, pulling me closer and I used my considerable strength to pry open his grip, leaving us connected by a single hand alone.

“I will let go of you and plummet to the Earth if that’s what it takes you to shut up, I swear.”

Adam chuckled over my hollow threat, but he stopped teasing me for the rest of the journey across the sky.  The rolling hills emerged below, vibrantly green in the middle of the desert.  Once we crossed the barrier to Eden, the heat of the day dissipated, and a cool, sweet breeze stirred my hair. 

I let go of Adam’s hand as soon as my feet hit the ground, but the sudden reduction in speed had my head spinning.  “Whoa, take it easy for a sec.”  Adam’s arms encircled me, keeping me upright.  “Relax, I’ve got you,” he murmured, holding me close.  I clung to his arms until the spinning receded, only then opening my eyes to find him watching me, a pucker of worry on his forehead.  “There she is,” he smiled in relief. 

He was so beautiful when he smiled at me like that, without a leer or trace of sarcasm.  It made my heart clench painfully as I let go of him.  “Thanks,” I mumbled, stepping back before I did something stupid.  “So, any idea where we’ll find him?” 

Eden wasn’t what I’d call a vast land, but it was bigger than we could easily search in a day.  With the natural cave formations and all the trees, it’d be hard to spot him from the air.  There were plenty of nooks and crannies for him to hole up in, and it’d take forever to search on foot.

“Not offhand.  I mean, I knew he was up here, but it’s not like he invited me over for a barbecue or anything.”

“I guess we should get started then.”

“I’m totally fine searching with you for as long as it takes.”  His grin stretched wide.  “I’m all yours.”

“I think it makes more sense if we split up, don’t you?  There’s no reason we can’t fly up and get a better lay of the land, to start with.” 

“In that case, why not do it the easy way?  Samael!  Sam, get your ass over here,” he bellowed. 

I felt like the biggest dork for not thinking of that in the first place.  Hell, I might have been able to save the trip altogether by yelling for him from Seattle, but something told me he probably wouldn’t have left Eden for my call.  Still, when minutes went by and he didn’t show up, I started to wonder if we had some bad intel. 

“That’s weird.  Gabriel said he was here.”

“I guess we’ll have to do that search after all,” Adam shrugged, looking none too disturbed by the notion.

“Why don’t I try him?  Maybe he doesn’t want to talk to you.”  I could relate.  “Samael!” I called out.  “I have a message for you!”

Less than a minute later, Sam emerged from the woods, his wings brushing the treetops.  “Mercy!” he cried out in delight.  His mop of blonde, unruly curls fell to the tops of his shoulders, a testament to how long he’d been away from polite society.

“Sam!” I laughed, instantly buoyed at seeing him.  “You
are
here!”

“I am here!”  His face alight with joy, he swooped down, gripping me in a mighty hug that nearly knocked me off my feet.  “You are a sight for sore eyes,” he said, his words muffled against my shoulder. 

It felt so good to feel his arms wrapped around me again.  Where my contact with Adam was often tinged with regret and not a small amount of longing, I could enjoy Sam’s love without any guilt attached.   “I missed you too, buddy.”

“What are you doing here?”  He let me go, his gaze going back and forth from me to Adam and back again.  “Are you back together again?”

“No,” I answered.

In the exact same instant, Adam said, “Yes.”

“No,” I stated more firmly.  “I came to give you a message and Adam is just here to navigate.” 

“That’s her story anyway.”  Adam rolled his eyes.

“What message?”

“The Big Guy said that your petition was heard, and you should start your quest.  But be sure to keep it on the down low.  Does that mean something to you?”

“Where is the down low?” Sam blinked in confusion.

“She means keep it to yourself,” Adam supplied.  “Sounds like a lot of crap to me though.” 

“What sounds like a lot of crap?” I asked.

“The idea that the skirts upstairs would get back to him already.  How long ago did you petition them, Sam?  A year and a half ago?  Two tops?  I doubt it’s even made it to the His attention yet.”

“It’s been nearly two years since I made my formal request,” Sam said quietly, and I laid a hand on his shoulder, sad to see his jubilant mood crushed so easily. 

“What’s the request for?”

Sam merely shook his head.  “I fear Adam is correct.  Perhaps someone is playing a joke on me, thinking to torment me further.” 

“I’m with you, Sammy.  When in the history of ever has it worked anyway?  I say you give up that stupid idea altogether.  Come back to the world with me and I’ll help you forget all about it.”

Sam shook his head.  “I don’t want to forget.  I cannot forget.”

“Hey, guys?” I interrupted.  “Whatever it is you’re arguing about that I’m not supposed to know about – it’s the real deal, I swear.  I have it from Gabriel himself.”

But they ignored me. 

Adam was too busy being him, pushing Sam to let it go.  And Sam was rapidly disappearing into a shell of depression, the way I’d seen him at Evie’s birthday party.

My job here was done.  I was reasonably sure I could make it home under my own power without Adam’s help, I didn’t need to stick around.  Sam didn’t seem like he wanted to reminisce much either, his scowl deepening as he descended further and further into bickering with Adam.   

I got sick of it.  I had a message to deliver, and they were blowing me off.  Maybe it was my own fault for telling it to him like I was bringing him up to date on
Gossip Girl
, but I’d be damned if I was going to leave without them listening to what I had to say.

I don’t know where it came from, call it divine intervention if you will, but my Grace suddenly blazed as I boomed in a thunderous voice.  “Hear me, Samael, the Fallen.  I speak God’s truth.   Your petition has been heard on high.  You are to begin your quest, and may speak of it to no man, lest ye fail.  Only God may judge when it has been completed, and only God will judge if you are worthy.  Do you accept the will of God?”

Sam fell to his knees, nodding before he found his tongue enough to stammer, “I-I do.”

“And do you accept the charge?” 

“I do.”  He answered stronger this time, his face shining with happiness. 

Operating on pure instinct, I called forth my sword, touching it to his shoulder as if knighting him.  Golden fire danced along my blade, giving him a burst of Grace that kindled with his own until he glowed brighter than he had before. 

“His will be done,” I said, dropping the sword.  Sam and I stared back at each other for long seconds.  I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but his smile was back, so I had to think it was a good thing. 

“What the hell was that?” Adam demanded.

“I was doing my job,” I shrugged. 

“You were really good at it,” Sam beamed, and I smiled back at him.

“Thanks, Sam.”

“You didn’t tell me you could do that.”  For some reason, what I’d done appeared to bother Adam.

“I’m the Clarion.  I’ve got to have some skills, don’t I?  Otherwise what’d be the point of me telling anyone anything if they don’t believe me?  You do believe me now, don’t you, Sam?”

“Oh, yes, I do!” Sam grinned enthusiastically. 

“Great.  Adam, could you be a puppy and get me something to drink?  This messenger thing sure makes a girl thirsty.”  I smiled at him sweetly and Adam nodded, stalking off without saying another thing.  I didn’t stop to worry about what had his panties in a bunch, instead I focused on catching up with Sam while I had him there. 

“So, Sam… long time no see.  Have you been here this whole time?”

“No, I’ve been here and there.  Though I’ve come to find Adam was right about Eden, it is a good place to think without fear of being disturbed.  I am happy to be disturbed by you though.  Tell me everything that has transpired since last I saw you.  Is Bunny well?”

There was no way to cover it all, but I hit some of the high points for him, glossing over the weirdness of late.  It was so good to see his expressive face light with joy and laughter again as we talked.   Whatever his quest was, I hoped like hell he made it.  I noticed he steered clear of asking any questions about Daphne, and I didn’t bring her up, not wanting to ruin his mood.  I finished up with telling him about Parker’s proposal.    

“I thought you were already engaged.”  His head canted to one side in confusion.

“No, I broke that off before you left, you know that.”  I’d only agreed to move in with Parker. 

“I don’t understand how such a pledge can be broken.  Once you give your heart, it’s not yours to take back.”

“It’s not that simple,” I sighed.  “When someone stomps all over it, it kinda reverts back to you to give out again once you heal the scars.”

“And if they don’t heal?”

I debated whether or not I should bring Daphne up now since it was obvious where his thoughts had led.  “If you miss her that much, you should go see her.”

“I can’t.”  His head hung low.  “Especially not now.” 

“Maybe when your big challenge is over then?”  I offered hopefully, but Sam just shook his head.

“I can’t think about that.  I might never complete it.”

“She asked me about you the other day, you know.”

Sam’s head snapped back up, the eager light coming into his eyes once more.  “She did?  What did she say?”

Uh oh.
  “She wondered how you were.  I didn’t have much to tell her, not with you staying away for so long.”

“Oh.  Is she happy?”

“Sometimes I think she is.”

“Has she found her Prince Charming yet?”

“Honestly?  I think she’s still waiting for him to show up with the glass slipper.”

“I should go.”  Sam took a step backwards, looking skyward.

“Already?  But I just got here.”

“I know.  And I’ll see you again, someday, I promise.  But I can no longer hide away here.  My purpose is clear.”

“Good luck to you, whatever it is you’re after.”

Sam’s face shone with hope as he looked back down at me and he pulled me close for a last hug.  “Thank you, Mercy.  You truly are my BFF.” 

“I love you too, Sam,” I smiled against his shoulder, holding him tight. 

* * *

“Is he gone?”  Adam stepped out of the trees a few seconds after Sam disappeared into the clear, blue sky.

“Where’s my drink?”  Not that I expected him to come up with much, given our location.

“I didn’t exactly feel like trotting all over the countryside with water cupped in my hands.” 

“Then why did you leave?”

“You seemed like you wanted a few minutes alone with Captain Clueless, so I made myself scarce.”

So, the man was capable of picking up on subtle hints after all.  “Why call him that?”  Sam had come a long way since his clueless puppy days. 

“Because he thinks he actually has a shot at this stupid quest thing.  It’ll keep him busy for a while, I guess, but it’s just another way to torture him, if you ask me.”

“What’s it all about anyway?  Does it have something to do with the Angel of Death?  They haven’t appointed a new one as far as I know.  You haven’t heard anything, have you?”

“You’d know about it if they picked a new one, it’s a pretty major thing.”

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense.  What else would Sam petition God for?  “Is that what his quest is about?  To somehow redeem himself and get his old job back?”

Adam shook his head.  “That doesn’t happen.  Once you’re Fallen, you stay Fallen.  No exceptions.”

“So what was that all about?” I asked, but Adam only shrugged.  “You know, don’t you?  Oh, come on, I won’t tell anybody.”

“It’s not my secret to tell.”  That was all he’d say on the subject.  As a matter of fact, he was silent for the duration of the flight home.  He didn’t try to hold me close, or smell my hair or any of the stuff he pulled on the way over.