“A-all right.”
He stood and, suddenly trembling, tugged the robe from his shoulders, then turned to reveal the scars and tattoos on his back.
She gasped with...disgust?
“Oh, Koldo. You’re so beautiful.”
No, not disgust. Wonder.
How could that be? Wings were prized, not pale imitations. Yet still he’d spent six days having the back of his body inked, all but his spine colored by images of feathers and down.
By the time he’d had it done, his regenerative powers had been activated, and ambrosia had had to be added to the ink to ensure the colors remained vibrant. Ambrosia, what his mother used to add to her wine. Ambrosia, the flowers he’d picked for her.
Ambrosia, a drug for immortals.
Cornelia had hated her life with her unwanted son so much she’d drugged herself to endure it.
“You were injured,” Nicola said, seeing the scars beneath the tattoos. “How?”
“Torture.”
“Oh, Koldo. I’m so sorry.”
He wasn’t sure how to reply. He only knew he longed for her to stand, to reach out, to ghost her fingertips over the raised tissue.
But she didn’t. And that was probably for the best.
Probably? No. Definitely. He was unsure of his reaction.
She said, “You’re an angel, too, then?”
He shrugged back into his robe and slowly turned to face her. She’d set the teacup on the table beside her, the steam rising, curling around her, creating a dreamlike haze.
Must be near her.
Any other time, he might have fought the urge. But after what she’d just been through, he allowed himself to return to the couch and crouch between her legs. “I’m like the angels in many ways, yes, but I’m not an angel. I’m a Sent One.”
“A Sent One,” she parroted. “What does that mean?”
“I’ll explain as best I can, but I must start from the beginning.”
She nodded, eager. “Please do.”
Here goes. He hoped she was ready. “Long ago, the most beautiful of all the cherubim was Lucifer, and he was given charge over one-third of the Most High’s angels. One day, he entertained a glimmer of pride...then another...and another and another, until he was nursing his self-importance as a babe at a mother’s breast.”
“I know that word. Cherubim,” she said, her brow furrowed. “Cherub is the singular version, right? An actual kind of angel. And the Most High is your leader, I’m guessing.”
“Right on both counts.”
“But I thought cherubs were small, like toddlers. And okay, I’m just going to say it—don’t they wear diapers?”
“Lucifer is taller than I am, but I do like the image of him in a diaper.”
Her jaw dropped, but she managed to breathe out, “Wow. Anyone taller than you must be... I mean...uh, I like your height. It’s just right.”
A wonderful recovery, he thought as he continued his story. “Ultimately, Lucifer became so convinced of his own power that he decided to exalt his throne above the Most High’s. He gathered the angels under his charge, convincing them they would have a better life under his reign. Together, they attacked. The Most High defeated and denounced the treacherous angels, tossing them out of the heavens.”
She reached out, as if she meant to toy with the beads in his beard. Just before contact, she froze. Her hand dropped to her lap. “Were you part of the battle, helping the Most High?”
He hated that she’d changed her mind about touching him—and hated that he hated. “No. I wasn’t yet born.”
“Wait. Angels are born?”
“No. They were created.”
“But... Oh, I remember,” she said with the half grin he so admired. “You aren’t an angel.”
She was beginning to understand.
“So, what happened after the bad guys got spanked?”
“Back then, the earth was different than the place you know it to be, and home to another race of beings. And no, they weren’t human. Lucifer was so angry with the Most High, he infected these beings with his evil. They became so vile, the earth was destroyed—but the beings survived in the core, in hell, because nothing of the spirit can die. Not in the sense you know the word, at least.”
Her eyes widened as he spoke.
“Time passed. The Most High re-created and repopulated the world, this time with humans, and it was a veritable paradise. And to answer your earlier question, He loves your people and wants you kept safe because He created you. He created you because He longed for fellowship. You were to be His beloved children, to rule the earth as kings.”
He paused, waiting for her reaction.
She nodded to encourage him to continue.
“Lucifer decided there was no better time for a counterattack and, through trickery and deceit, stole the reins of control of the earth. The humans began to seek fellowship with him, cutting the Most High from their lives.” Hope had seemed lost.
Once again she reached out. This time, she was so distracted by his story that she failed to catch herself. Her fingertips glided over his jaw.
At the moment of contact, he sucked in a breath. It felt so right. So perfect. No wonder humans touched each other whenever they had the chance. A handshake. A pat on the shoulder. A hug. Each action offered comfort. He leaned into her, seeking something deeper, more intimate.
How many years had he yearned for something like this? Dreamed of it? Once, as a child, he’d even cried for it. And now, here it was. Offered freely.
Never stop, he thought.
“I’m so sorry,” she gasped out, and dropped her arm. “I didn’t mean to maul you.”
That gentle caress was considered mauling? What did she think he’d done to her? he wondered, a bit sick to his stomach.
“I liked it.” Koldo took her hand in his as tenderly as possible and brought it back to his face. Bit by bit, Nicola relaxed—and so did he. Soon, she was stroking his beard of her own accord, mesmerized by her actions. He had to swallow a purr of approval.
“What happened next?” she asked.
“Lucifer and his fallen angels introduced sickness, suffering, poverty and even physical death to the world. As for the beings living in the earth’s core, they were disembodied, desperately seeking a host. Some came to the surface, searching. They are the creatures you know as demons.”
A shudder of revulsion rocked her. “They all sound terrible.”
“They are.” More so than she realized. “For a while, the fallen angels lived among the humans, called themselves gods, stalked the land at their leisure and tormented whomever they desired. Some even mated with your females, and the offspring became known as the Nephilim. They were horrible creatures filled with hate and driven by greed. They were giants, savages, brutal and...” How to explain? “Different cultures have given them different names.”