Soul Crossed (23 page)

“No! I won’t let this happen!” I yell.

“You’re just a child. What do you plan to do about it?” she asks, putting her face up close to mine.

“She isn’t going to do anything.” She straightens quickly and turns to face Mr. Griffith, who strides into the room. But it isn’t the sight of Mr. Griffith that makes my heart float. It’s Josh, walking in his wake. So beautiful that he takes my breath away. His skin seems to glow and so do his crystal blue eyes. He smiles at me, and I smile right back.

“Mr. Griffith,” Ms. Alvarez puts on her sickeningly sweet voice. “I was just about to cast this girl from our midst. She’s been consorting with Satan.”

“Lying does not suit our kind, Irma. Then again, neither does murder or torture or any of the other nasty things you’ve been doing.”

“This is his fault,” she says. She’s dropped the sweet act now and is pointing a shaking finger at Josh. “He’s the Demon. He’s the liar. Who are you going to believe?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you, ladies?” Mr. Griffith is all polite smiles. “Joshua is our newest Angel-in-training.”

Clouds roil over my feet as I stand in the midst of a crowd of people. They all look about as lost as I feel, staring up at the huge mother of pearl gates. I spin in place, uncertain what to do. The last thing I remember is jumping in front of Grace when I saw Cam lunge with the knife. Now I’m standing here, and here can’t possibly be what where think it is.

“Welcome, Joshua.” A tall and handsome man in golden robes strides toward me. His skin is shiny and black, and his head is perfectly smooth. My shoulders relax at once, the anxiety oozing out of me.

“I think there’s been a mistake,” I say.

“No. No mistake, son. My name is Mr. Griffith, and this is Heaven.” He places a strong arm around my shoulders and leads me toward the gates.

I’m still uncertain until a small brown blur hurtles toward me through the billowing clouds ahead. Tommy Two, whole and unblemished, leaps through the air and into my arms where he slobbers all over my face.

I whisper apologies as I stroke his warm fur, grateful that like Grace, he didn’t hold a grudge.

Mr. Griffith explains what happened, assuring me that Grace is all right. More than all right—here, in Heaven, where she belongs. And I’m here, too, because of my willingness to sacrifice myself for another person.

I don’t even hesitate when he offers me a job, and I mean
offers
. As in, I can choose to stay in Heaven either way, instead of being tortured.

“Joshua, please follow me. I have much more to explain, but I’m afraid it will have to wait. There is a pressing matter in need of our attention. Oh, and Joshua?” he stops and takes me in from head to foot with a frown. “Do change your clothes..”

I glance down at what’s left of the tuxedo the Devil put me in. I wish I had on my favorite jeans and blue button down shirt that Grace borrowed. Before I can ask him where to find some clothes, I’m dressed exactly as I wished. Nice.

Mr. Griffith leads me to a door, where I set Tommy Two down, letting him trot off to a giant pile of dog treats or whatever Heaven consists of for him. When I see what’s behind the door, I move to barge inside. But Mr. Griffith holds out a hand, and I withdraw, following his lead and listening quietly.

Grace and another woman are arguing. And although I don’t know her, I hate her already when I hear her threaten to send my Grace to Hell.

It’s all I can take of watching Grace suffer, but Mr. Griffith steps in, and I follow quickly after. I barely hear a word he says after Grace catches my eye. Her smile lights up my world, and I long to run to her and fold her into my arms.

“Joshua is our newest Angel-in-training.”

“No!” shouts the woman. “He belongs in Hell.”

“I’m afraid someone in this room does belong with Satan. But it isn’t Mr. Gaynes.” Mr. Griffith exudes power with every word, and the crazy woman falls to her knees. “Begging will not help, Irma. You have brought this on yourself.”

If her face is any indication, she disagrees with that statement. “You will regret this, Griffith.”

“Don’t worry, Ms. Alvarez,” Grace says. “Lucifer is dying to meet you. He told me himself what a great admirer he is of your work.”

The woman dives toward Grace, but before I can react Mr. Griffith raises a hand, and she is enveloped in a bubble of light. When it fades, she is gone.

Grace stands up and races toward me. I lift her into the air and spin her around in circles, both of us laughing like maniacs. Finally I set her down, and before I can say a word she kisses me. Her lips move against mine, and I gather her to me in a tight embrace.

“There will be plenty of time for that later,” Mr. Griffith says, interrupting our reunion. I pull back but leave my arms wrapped around her waist.

“You’re still in Cam’s clothes,” I say. She smiles at me, and suddenly she’s wearing the beautiful golden robes of the Angels. It suits her perfectly, setting off her hair and the tawny specs in her eyes.

“Miss Howard, I trust you will be completely impartial in your treatment of your first pupil.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Griffith?” Grace asks, unable to break her gaze away from mine.

“Mr. Gaynes is joining us, and he will be needing a mentor. I trust you feel up to the job?”

“Me?”

“Certainly. You have more than earned your wings, after all.”

Grace glances behind her shoulders, as though expecting to find fluffy white feathers sticking out. I laugh.

He is here, in my arms, in Heaven, and I am thrilled. Miraculously, the fruit is no longer forbidden. Then again, I was never Eve. I’m conscious of Mr. Griffith watching us, but I cannot wait to be alone with Josh.

“Mr. Griffith?” I ask.

“Yes, Gracelyn?”

“If you knew about Ms. Alvarez, why didn’t you intercede sooner? Why let us go through all of that?”

“Because then only one of you would be here, standing before me. Also, I quite think the Apocalypse would be on the way. All things happen for a reason, and often the most difficult things to bear are the most important of all.”

“I have so many questions—” I say.

Mr. Griffith holds up a hand. “You’ve been through quite a bit, Grace. I insist you take some time off to adjust. Visit your family if you like. Just don’t interact with them. It can hurt them more, I’m afraid.”

I watch, so happy I can no longer find words, as he exits through the door. I look up at Josh. He leans in for a kiss, but I press a finger to his lips.

“Just one adjustment first,” I say and concentrate on the room. Ms. Alvarez’s classroom vanishes, and in its place are candles—hundreds of candles—lit all around. Satin cushions in all colors lay strewn amongst the flames, and rose petals rain from the sky. Josh looks around, eyes wide.

“Leave it to a girl to come up with something like this,” he says. But his face tells me he is happy.

“I’m your new mentor,” I remind him, cuddling up in his arms. “So behave.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

And before I can find a retort, he kisses me again, and for the first time, this really does feel like Heaven.

Lisa Gail Green lives with her husband the rocket scientist and their three junior mad scientists in Southern California. She writes books so she can have an excuse to live in the fantasy world in her head.

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If you are reading this then you are a steadfast fan and I acknowledge you. I promise to keep this short.

I must thank my outstanding editor, Samantha, and my amazing agent, Melissa, for “getting” me and for taking a chance on my writing. The same goes for Rubin who saw something in my writing all those years ago. I appreciate the whole team at FFF, including Caroline, Nicky, Jane, and everyone else who read and/or helped out on Soul Crossed.

So many people have supported me on this incredible journey, and I’m so afraid I’ll forget someone! But here goes: Thank you to my Beta readers/critiquers/friends, Leslie, Julie, Ian, Deborah, Martina, and Cici. Thank you to my uber supportive friends, including Shona, Miya, Myer and Sarah. Thank you to my family for putting up with me. Thanks to the team at AYAP.

Thank you to Fiona Jayde for the breathtaking cover that captures my story so perfectly.

Thank you to all the writers whose pages have inspired my imagination and sparked my hunger for words.

Thank you to everyone who ever reads this book or any of my writing. If I’ve made you feel then I consider my job done.