CHAPTER 16
I never knew a person could be so meticulous about their personal hygiene regimen. Lady Maya ends up spending most of the night preening herself in the bathroom. I’m not completely sure what all she ended up doing to herself while she was in there, and I feel certain I don’t want to know. When she comes back out into the bedroom, I don’t see much of a difference in her appearance. She quickly declares that the bed is hers for the night and that I should make myself comfortable in one of the two chairs in the room.
“I thought I was the queen,” I protest. “Doesn’t that mean I should automatically get the bed?”
“Being called a queen here doesn’t mean the same thing as it does on other worlds,” she quickly informs me. “The title should actually be royal concubine, because until you give the king a son, that’s basically all you are.”
I plop down onto one of the chairs, finding the hard plastic quite ungiving.
“Seems weird to have these chairs here. Is there a reason why they’re facing the bed?” I ask, as I watch her bury herself underneath the black covers and fluff her pillow.
“They’re for the royal observers to sit and record each of your sessions with the king while you try to produce an heir.”
“You have got to be kidding me …” is the only response I can come up with, because what she just said is absolutely ludicrous.
“I am not … kidding … as you call it,” she tells me haughtily. “How else will they know each time the king fertilizes you and when to expect a positive result?”
All I can do is shiver in revulsion and thank my lucky stars that this will be the one and only night I have to stay in King Manas’ palace. I begin to wonder if the people of this planet are even worth rescuing, but then I remember Verati, Zane’s wife. She’s a native of this world and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. It has to only be the privileged on this planet who are so arrogant. It makes me ponder who Anna will place on the throne after King Manas loses the duel. Whoever it is, I pity them.
By the time morning rolls around and Lady Maya has prepared herself for the day’s events, she sets to work on me. I don’t need much done. The makeup she put on me yesterday is still on my face, looking flawless. All she does is take my hair out of the braid and allow it to flow naturally around my shoulders. She gives me a dress made from a peach-colored, chiffon-like material to wear to the duel. It’s a pretty halter top style dress with a long full skirt. After I’m ready, I ask Lady Maya for something to eat.
“I’m afraid you can’t have anything until after the consummation of your marriage to the king,” she tells me, obviously gaining a small bit of pleasure from denying me food.
“And why is that?” I ask since the monster that needs to be fed in my belly demands to know.
“It’s simply tradition,” she replies. “Normally after the king takes a new wife, there is a royal feast afterwards. Since your friends interrupted the festivities with their nonsense, the feast has been postponed until after the king has won the duel.”
“Exactly how many wives has the king had?” I ask. If the feast is a “tradition,” that must mean it’s happened multiple times.
“You are his tenth wife,” Lady Maya informs me.
“And how many children does the king have from these ten wives?”
Lady Maya looks nervous all of a sudden, and I’m not certain she’ll answer my question.
Finally, she does.
“The king has no heirs yet. We are all hoping that you will be the one who breaks the chain of his disappointments.”
I don’t dare say it out loud, but if Manas hasn’t been able to father a child after bedding ten wives, odds are it wasn’t the fault of the females he chose. Sounds to me like the king is shooting blanks and no one here has the guts to tell him that.
“I guess we’ll see,” I reply, just to appease Lady Maya, because I know I won’t have to worry about Manas for very much longer.
When the time comes for us to go to the arena, my ever-faithful faceless guards show up at the door to escort us there.
“I have to know,” I say to Lady Maya as we walk down a hallway of the palace, “are there real men under those black body suits or are they androids?”
“Oh, they’re real enough,” she tells me. “Each of them was caught trying to help one of the king’s wives escape the palace, and each of them lost what makes them a man and the skin that was covering their faces.”
I gasp in horror, suddenly feeling pity for my captors instead of dislike. I guess what they say is true about not judging people by the way they look. I just assumed they were mindless drones that King Manas controlled, which is partially true, I guess, but they were once men of honor who tried to do the right thing for past queens. I suppose Manas decided that death was too swift a punishment for them. Instead of mercifully ending their lives, he kept them around as a reminder of what happens to people who try to defy the king.
After what seems like forever, we finally reach the arena on the far side of the palace. The arena is a semi-circle made of the same black stone that the palace is constructed out of. It faces a sandy beach area where the fight will presumably be taking place. Our guards escort Lady Maya and me to the king’s box, which is at the center of the semi-circular structure. Manas sits on a large gold throne, wearing only a pair of brown leather pants and strips of the same leather wrapped around his wrists as arm guards. A large broad sword made from some sort of black metal lays across his thighs.
“I hope you aren’t too attached to the man I will be killing today,” Manas says to me, keeping his gaze on the horizon like he’s watching something in particular.
Thunder rumbles through the air like a harbinger of death. I look out across the water and see the dark clouds of a thunderstorm rolling in. Do duels get canceled because of bad weather? I definitely hope not. I wish I had asked Ethan if he can even die. I know the bodies of my mother and uncle can die, but if they wish to, they can move their souls into new bodies and live forever that way. Though, they’re rebellion angels. I’m not sure the same rules apply to War Angels. Besides, I quite like the body Ethan has now. I would hate to see him lose it.
I look around the arena, but I don’t see Ethan or Anna anywhere.
“Is it noon yet?” I ask Manas.
“They have one minute to get here,” he tells me, sounding pleased that they haven’t shown up yet. “Unfortunately for you, it appears that your friends are weak and intend to forfeit the duel.”
“They’re not quitters,” I defend them. “If they’re late, it’s for a good reason.”
Just as Manas is about to make a retort, a collective gasp can be heard from the gathered crowd. I return my gaze to the center of the arena and now see Ethan, Anna, Xander, Zane, and Verati standing on the sand looking like they just came from a bloody battle. Obviously, they’ve decided not to hide their ability to phase from the king any longer. All of them, except for a frightened looking Verati, have their weapons drawn. In what remains of the light despite the oncoming storm, their blades glisten with fresh blood. I notice that Anna has a streak of crimson marring her otherwise pristine white gown like a gruesome sash.
Even though they all look angry, it’s the rage I see within Ethan’s eyes that scares me the most. He looks like a man on the verge of losing his self-control as he stares hard at King Manas.
“Your men are dead, Manas!” Anna calls out across the distance between them. “What kind of ruler orders his minions to kill his opponents so he doesn’t have to fight a duel?”
“A smart one!” Manas replies snidely, showing no shame in trying to cheat his way to victory. “Frankly, I’m surprised any of you made it out alive.”
“There was a pregnant woman in that house, Manas!” Ethan rages. “Your men could have killed her trying to get to me and my empress.”
“Casualties of war are to be expected,” the king replies, sounding bored. “Now, are you ready to fight me, boy, or do you intend to keep standing there whining?”
I hear a few surprised gasps after King Manas’ taunt, but all it does is make Ethan look even more determined to teach the king a lesson in humility.
“I’m ready whenever you are, you coward,” Ethan taunts back while Anna, Xander, Zane, and Verati use a set of stairs on the left end of the semi-circle to watch the fight from a better vantage point.
The king grips the hilt of his sword and rises from his seat. He eagerly bounds down the steps from his throne to the sand just as the first few raindrops begin to fall.
“The gods are weeping over your imminent demise!” Manas goads him as he twirls his sword in his hand in front of Ethan.
“There is only one true God,” Ethan informs him, “and unfortunately for you, He isn’t on your side in this fight.”
Manas raises his sword and grips the hilt even tighter with both of his hands.
“I guess we’ll see about that,” the king says before he lets out a guttural war cry and runs toward Ethan.
Ethan charges forward across the sand as well and easily blocks the king’s first swing, twisting his sword downward and pushing Manas back a few steps.
“You fight like a child still learning,” Ethan informs the king, earning him a few chuckles from the crowd. “I know a seven-year-old in Cirrus who has better control of himself when he fights than you do.”
Manas lets out another war cry and attempts to rush Ethan with his sword held out in front of him and his shoulders hunched slightly as he prepares to barrel Ethan over with his maneuver. Even I can tell it’s a bad move.
Just before Manas reaches him, I watch as Ethan quickly takes a step to the left, leaving nothing but empty air for the king to tackle. Manas’ own momentum causes him to go sprawling across the sand face down, earning him quite a few laughs from his once loyal followers.
“I would advise you to forfeit this duel before you lose more than your planet because of your own stupidity,” Ethan warns him as he turns to watch Manas pick himself up from the sand.
Manas uses his sword like an old man uses a cane to get up off the ground. He doesn’t even bother to dust himself off before he attempts to charge Ethan again. I just shake my head in dismay over the king’s inability to control himself. It seems to me that no one bothered to tell Manas that he’s a horrible swordsman. I presume his instructors allowed him to believe he was good, just like the people here let him believe that it was his wives who were barren and not the fact that he is more than likely sterile. In a way, I feel sorry for Manas because it doesn’t seem like anyone has been honest with him his entire life. They’ve allowed him to believe he’s better than he is at a lot of things.
Ethan easily blocks Manas’ next strike and seems to play with him a bit as they exchange blows. While their duel continues, thunder rolls through the arena, causing the floor beneath me to vibrate with the force of its strength. Anna, Xander, Zane, and Verati make their way toward me and stand in a protective semi-circle around my back as we all watch the fight together. The rain begins to come down in sheets, making it difficult to see the battle between Ethan and the king. Although I guess it’s not exactly a battle as much as it is a lesson on proper swordplay. Manas seems to be struggling as his sword swings become weaker and less exact while Ethan stands strong and looks almost bored by it all. When the rain diminishes in strength, allowing all in the arena to have a clear view of what’s happening, Ethan seems to decide that he’s toyed with Manas long enough. In three quick and strong moves of his sword, Ethan disarms the king of his weapon, sending it sailing into the air and landing a few feet away. With one mighty kick to his mid-section, Ethan sends Manas flying through the air until he lands on his back, causing the other man to grunt from the force of the impact.
Before Manas can catch his breath or even think about sitting up, Ethan stands over him and places the tip of his sword against the king’s throat.
“Do you yield?” Ethan asks, loud enough for everyone in the arena to hear his question.
“I will never yield to someone as lowly as you!” Manas shouts, literally foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog. “You’ll have to kill me if you want my planet, because I’ll never hand it over to Earth scum like you!”
“I don’t want to kill you,” Ethan tells him. “And whether or not you verbally yield doesn’t really matter. You’ve already lost this duel. You’re unarmed and at my mercy.” Ethan pushes the tip of his sword far enough to make a small cut. As Manas’ skin is gradually stained red with his own blood, Ethan tells him, “By the laws of this world concerning duels, when a combatant is disarmed and first blood is drawn, the duel is over and the victor is granted the spoils agreed upon.” Ethan looks up, keeping his blade against Manas’ throat as he scans the gathering of people. “Who here agrees that King Manas has lost this duel?”
Practically the whole group present begin to cheer. I can’t tell if they’re trying to suck up to Ethan because they presume he will be the next king, or if they’re finally showing their contempt for the old regime and truly welcome the change dethroning Manas will surely bring to this world. Either way, no one in the arena—with the exception of Lady Maya who is strangely mute—seems to disagree with Ethan’s assessment of the situation.
Ethan looks down at Manas and says, “I officially call an end to this duel and hereby take your planet and your wife as the wager owed to Empress Anna of Earth. I would strongly advise you to take what belongings you can and find another planet to live on.”
Ethan withdraws his sword from Manas’ throat and turns away from him to head toward the center stairs of the arena leading to me.
Just as lightning strikes the sky over the ocean, I see Manas quickly stand to his feet and grab his sword from off the sand. Like a man who has nothing to lose, he rushes toward Ethan silently, possibly hoping to catch him off guard and run him through with his blade. Just as I’m about to scream Ethan’s name to warn him of the imminent attack, I see Ethan tilt his head slightly as if he hears Manas’ approach. Ethan’s eyes raise up to look at me as he lifts his sword. In the split second that our gazes meet, I see a mixture of emotions play across Ethan’s face. He’s determined to end this fight, but he also seems to regret doing what he knows must be done.
With the hilt of his broad sword gripped in both hands, Manas leaps into the air toward Ethan’s back with the tip of his blade in a downward angle. While the king is still in midair, the sword Ethan is holding bursts into blue flames as he whips around and slashes Manas across the gut. In the same sweep of his blade, he continues the gash from gut to sternum.
Manas falls to the wet sand with the heavy weight of a dead man. As his blood stains the ground around him, the crowd erupts into cheers to celebrate the king’s fall. I’m not sure what to think about their reaction. Perhaps the tyrannical way Manas ruled his people severed any feelings they may have had for their king, or they’re simply a bloodthirsty lot. I’m not sure. Either way, it seems sad to know that no one here mourns his passing. If their reaction is any indication, they welcome it with open arms, even though they have no way of knowing if Anna will be any kinder of a ruler. She will, of course, but no one here knows that for a fact. They seem to be of the consensus that anyone is better than Manas.
Ethan doesn’t turn around to face me. He simply remains standing beside Manas’ corpse, looking down at it. The blue flames on his sword slowly fade away as Zane and Xander walk down the steps to go to their commander to see what he needs. I see Ethan lift his head and tell Zane something. Zane nods in understanding and begins to walk back up the stairs to me, Anna, and Verati.
“Ethan asked me to take you home, Jules,” Zane tells me, looking slightly uncomfortable before he says his next words. “He says he doesn’t want to see you right now.”
I feel as though someone has just stabbed me in the heart.
“Why?” I ask, hoping for an explanation that makes sense.
Zane begins to shake his head. “He didn’t say. He just asked me to take you home. I’m sure he’ll explain things to you later.”
Anna turns to me. “He just needs some time to recover,” she assures me. “Ending a man’s life, even if he’s one like Manas, takes a toll on the one who delivered the killing blow. I’m sure he’ll come to you once he’s processed everything. Just have a little patience with him.”
I nod. “I understand and that makes sense, but tell him for me that I’ll be waiting in my apartment for him when he’s ready to talk.”
“I’ll let him know,” Anna promises with a gracious smile.
She turns her head away from me and looks back at Ethan with a worried frown. I sense a small bit of regret from her for making Ethan fight Manas, but we all know the king needed to be taken off the throne. It was his own arrogant stupidity and dishonorable act that led to his death. If he had simply accepted defeat graciously, he would still be alive now. Yet he chose to attack Ethan from behind like a coward. As far as I’m concerned, he deserved to be gutted like the pig he was.
“I’ll be right back,” Zane tells his wife, placing a hand on my shoulder and phasing me back to Sierra.
I soon find myself standing right outside Grace House.
“I’m sorry I can’t get you any closer to your place,” Zane apologizes. “I’m not even sure where it is.”
“That’s okay,” I tell him. “It’s not far from here. I can walk there.”
“I’m glad we finally got you out of the palace. I thought Ethan was going to go crazy when Anna told him we had to leave you there. He definitely wasn’t happy about that order. He argued that we should just grab you and go, but Anna felt that it was important to take the opportunity we were given to win Laed-i and free its people from Manas’ hold over them.”
“I understand,” I say. “Anna was right to do what she did.”
“She basically told Ethan that you could hold your own against Manas if it came to that.”
I let out a short laugh. “Well, I’m glad she had so much faith in me.”
“Ethan did too, but you know, he still didn’t like leaving you there.”
“How many men did Manas send to your house?” I ask. “At least I’m assuming they attacked your house since Verati was involved.”
“Yes, they came to my house. We’re going to have quite a bit to clean up there later. I might have to call in some of my brothers to come help with the pile of bodies. I think Manas wanted to make sure none of us survived, so he sent about a hundred men to get the job done.”
“Wait a minute,” I say, feeling sure that I heard the wrong number, “are you telling me that the four of you took on a hundred of Manas’ guards and won?”
Zane grins. “To be honest, it really wasn’t a fair fight. He should have sent more men.”
I have to chuckle at that remark, which earns me a smile from Zane, but my thoughts quickly take me back to Ethan.
“He’ll come to you when he’s ready,” Zane says.
“Am I that transparent?” I ask, feeling somewhat embarrassed and wondering when my thoughts began writing themselves on my face.
“Caring about someone else isn’t a bad thing, Jules. In fact, it’s one of the best things about being alive.”
I know he’s right, but it’s been so long since I cared about someone who wasn’t my mother or uncle. I haven’t let myself feel much of anything in the past five years. I’ve allowed myself the privilege of wallowing in self-pity for so long it feels strange to be thinking about someone else’s needs before my own. Maybe it’s a sign that I’m finally ready to let go of my past and find a better way to live what remains of my life. Yet there’s one thing I have to tell Ethan before things between us reach a point of no return. I have to tell him that I’m unable to have children. I know from my mother that God’s plan for the War Angels He sent from Heaven is to progress humanity to their next level of evolution. Considering that fact, Ethan may change his mind about getting involved with me because I would be preventing him from accomplishing one of his primary objectives.
“Why don’t you go home and get some rest?” Zane suggests. “You’ve been through a lot the last couple of days.”
With the mention of rest, I realize that I’m exhausted. Trying to sleep in that chair last night was nearly impossible, and now I’m feeling the aftereffects from all the excitement from the duel.
“I think that’s a good idea, and you need to get back to that beautiful wife of yours.”
Zane grins at the mention of Verati. “She and I will probably be busy for a while. I’m sure Manas’ death will cause a lot of fallout that will need to be handled. Anna said she would help as much as she can, but Verati and I have personally dealt with the aristocracy there and know how to deal with them.”
“Will Anna take the throne on Laed-i, or hand that responsibility over to someone else?”
“She hasn’t really said anything about that to us yet, but I’m sure she has a plan in mind. I don’t think she’ll let the throne go unoccupied for very long. The people on that planet need someone to follow. They’re not very adept at thinking for themselves, as you might have noticed. I think that’s because Manas’ family has ruled them for so long that the people there have forgotten what it’s like to make choices about their own lives. I know the first thing that we have to do is slow mining on the planet, if not stop it completely. Manas has already harvested over seventy percent of its natural resources. If the planet has any hope of surviving, we have to let it heal, especially the vegetation, or Laed-i will end up being a barren rock hurtling through space.”
“Don’t let Verati overexert herself,” I say. “That little baby growing inside her will be using up a lot of her energy, especially when she gets closer to giving birth. Make sure she gets plenty of rest.”
Zane smiles. “It’s not me you’ll have to worry about. Verati thinks she can do the work of a hundred women. Maybe you can talk to her at the party for the twins this evening and convince her to take it easy.”
“I’ll certainly try,” I promise.
“Good,” he replies with a small nod of his head. “I’ll see you later, Jules. Go get some rest.”
Zane phases away, and I turn to start walking down the street toward my apartment building.
Once I’m inside my home, I feel the weight of the past day land on me like a ton of bricks and don’t even make it into my bedroom. I simply slip off my sandals and plop down on my couch, hugging one of the throw pillows. Within a few seconds, I’m sound asleep.
I’m not sure how long I nap, but I’m suddenly awoken by the consecutive slamming of the cabinet doors in the kitchen. My mother is always bringing me groceries, so I assume that’s who’s making so much noise.
“Mom,” I moan loudly, placing the pillow my head was resting on over my ears to block out the sound of her racket, “I’m trying to sleep!”
“Well, instead of sleeping, you should be out shopping for some food,” I hear Helena chastise me from the kitchen, which immediately causes me to sit up straight on the couch.
“Helena?” I call out, convinced my tired brain is confusing my mother’s voice for Helena’s.
Helena steps out past the wall of the kitchen and stands beside the dinette. So unless I’m hallucinating, she actually is in my home again. She has a glass jar of peanut butter in one hand and a silver spoon in the other.
“Honestly, Jules, it’s no wonder you’re so skinny considering the paltry amount of food you keep in your home. You don’t even have anything to offer your guests when they visit.”
“Guests are usually invited, and I don’t remember inviting you,” I grumble tiredly.
“Trust me,” she says as she walks into the living room and sits down in the chair across from me, “I would much rather be somewhere else right now, but that decision was taken out of my hands.”
Helena rests the jar of peanut butter on her protruding belly like it’s a small table and proceeds to take a large scoop of it out with her spoon.
“What do you mean by that?” I ask. “Who made the decision that you should come here?”
Helena doesn’t answer right away, and I know it will take a little while longer before she’s able to, considering how large a spoonful of peanut butter she just placed inside her mouth. I watch her jaw muscles move as she works the sugary spread down her throat. Once her mouth is clear, she looks back at me.
“My son brought me here and won’t let me leave yet. I’m just not sure why,” she tells me, sounding mystified by her unborn baby’s actions.
“Your son brought you here?” I have to ask, finding this an odd turn of events. “How exactly is that possible?”
“The little angel has hijacked my powers for his own needs,” she tells me as she reinserts the spoon into the jar and pulls out another large portion of the spread to eat. “I just don’t know why he brought me to you.”
“Maybe he knows you need to apologize to me,” I tell her irately. “How could you pawn me off to King Manas to pay for Xander’s gambling debt? What did I ever do to you to deserve that?”
Helena narrows her eyes on me and says, “Nothing that I know of, but since you’re a bounty hunter, I can only assume that you’re working with Ethan to find a way to take my baby away from me. I’ve seen my son now, and I can tell you for a fact that there’s no way I’m going to let him go. You’ll have to find a way to kill me first, and I can assure you that even that won’t be enough.”
I sit up straighter in my seat. “So you did go to Desmond to let him check the baby?” I ask excitedly, forgetting about what happened on Laed-i for now. “Is the baby okay?”
Helena grins. “He’s more than okay. He’s perfect.”
“Then why have you been having so much trouble with the pregnancy?”
“It was nothing to worry about,” she says off-handedly. “Everything I was experiencing was completely natural.”
I breathe a small sigh of relief. “That’s wonderful,” I tell her. “I’m so glad you went to see Desmond. Have you decided if you will let him be present for the delivery?”
“No. I haven’t made a decision about that yet,” she says right before placing another spoonful of peanut butter into her mouth. Once she’s swallowed her second helping, she declares, “This stuff is delicious! I can’t believe I’ve never tried it before now.”
I suddenly have a surreal moment when I realize Hell is sitting in my living room eating up all of my peanut butter.
“So, tell me, Jules,” she says, as she dips the spoon in the jar a third time, “what happened on Laed-i with King Manas? Since you’re here and not there, I can only assume something interesting transpired.”
“I’ll tell you, but you have to tell me something first,” I try to bargain.
Helena raises a dubious eyebrow as she considers me. I have a moment of trepidation when I wonder if she’s thinking about killing me for my insolence. It’s not the first time she’s looked at me in such a way, and before now, I didn’t care what she did to me. Now, I do. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s made the difference or, in this case, who. I have something in my life now that I don’t want to lose. I need to know where things are going with Ethan, and I want to experience the sensation of falling in love with him. We’re at the very beginning of what could end up being a lifetime together, and I want to know if that’s where we’re headed. For so long, I’ve felt dead inside. Now, I feel a glimmer of hope that my life could be changing for the better. I don’t want to let that spark die. I want it to ignite into a flame and drive away all of my loneliness and self-loathing.
“I’m sure you’ve probably already figured it out by now,” she says with a small shrug. “I wanted to keep Ethan busy for a while, and the best way to do that was to put your life in danger.”
“And if I had died?” I ask, deeming her reason as purely self-serving, but I’m not sure why I find that so surprising since I know exactly who and what she is.
“I could sit here and tell you that I would have mourned your death, but obviously, that would be a lie. I do have a modicum of respect for you, so I won’t tell you that. I will say that I’m pleased to see that you didn’t die, because I know now how much Ethan truly does care for you. Are you his soul mate by any chance?”
“I have no idea,” I tell her. It’s the truth, but I get the feeling that even if I knew the answer to her question that I shouldn’t tell her. She would probably find a way to use the information against Ethan. She already used me once to distract him. It’s quite possible she could try to use my safety against Ethan again in order to stop him from taking her baby.
“Interesting,” she says before sucking on her spoon to pull off the remainder of the peanut butter. She lifts the jar from her belly to look inside it. Then she lowers it and looks over at me. “I don’t suppose you have some more of this hidden somewhere. I don’t recall seeing another jar of it in your cabinets.”
“Sorry. That’s all I have, and now I have none because you ate it all.”
Helena drops the spoon in the jar, causing the metal to clang against the glass.
“Why is it that you’re here alone, Jules? I thought Ethan would stay glued to your side after being held captive by Manas.”
“I think he needed some alone time,” I say. “After he killed Manas, he asked Zane to take me home.”
“He didn’t even bring you here himself?” Helena asks. She seems to find this development troubling.
“I honestly don’t know why he didn’t. I mean, I get it that taking a man’s life is a big deal …”
“Not for a War Angel,” Helena interrupts. “No, there’s another reason, but I’m not sure what it is.”
She stands from the chair she was sitting in and waves a hand, motioning for me to stand up as well. I do it, but only because I want to know what she’s up to.
“I think you should go see what’s wrong with lover boy,” she announces, setting the empty jar of peanut butter down on the glass coffee table. “Come closer and I’ll take you to him.”
I slowly shake my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. If he wanted me with him, he would have asked me to stay.”
“Between the two of us, who has the most experience with angels and the inner workings of their guilt complexes? Trust me, he wants you with him. He’s just too stubborn to admit it. If you go to Ethan, it’ll show him that you care. Right now, he needs someone to listen to him so he can bare his soul. And if you happen to be his soul mate, there’s no one else he’ll open up to as readily as you. If I were in your shoes, I would ask him if he’s your soul mate. I mean, isn’t that something you should know?”
“What if I’m not?” I ask, considering this a real possibility.
What if I’m not Ethan’s soul mate, and he finds out that I can’t have children? Would that be enough to make him dismiss what we have growing between us and wait for his soul mate to show up, hoping she’s able to bear his children? Just the thought of that scenario makes me nauseous, and I seriously consider not taking Helena up on her offer.
“Do you know where he is right now?” I ask her.
“I assume he’s gone back to Cirrus. I can take you to where I think he will be there, and if he isn’t, I’m sure you can find someone in the palace who can take you to him.”
“What you’re offering to do seems a little too kind for you,” I say cautiously. “What advantage do you get for taking me to him?”
Helena smiles. “You learn quickly. I like that about you. I advise you not to worry about what I’m up to. Whether I take you to him or not, it won’t stop me from doing what needs to be done.”
“So you are planning something,” I say knowingly.
“When am I not?” Helena asks in exasperation with a roll of her eyes. “Do you want to go to Ethan or not, Jules? Your window of opportunity is closing fast here.”
Against my better judgment, I put a little faith in Helena and walk over to her. She places one hand on my arm and one on her belly.
“Are you planning to let me go where I want to this time, little one?” she asks her baby bump, making me wonder if she can speak to her son telepathically or if she’s just being rhetorical.
Apparently, her son does grant her access to her powers because we phase into a fancy looking hallway, right outside a white door.
“This is Ethan’s room,” Helena tells me. “Good luck.”
She phases away before I can say anything in reply.
I stare at the door, trying to work up my nerve to knock. This could be the moment Ethan decides I’m not really the woman he wants. And who knows? Maybe he never imagined us in a serious relationship. He could just want someone to spend time with while he waits for his soul mate to magically appear. Either way, I need to know where he stands, and he needs to know that I’m unable to have children.
With my heart pounding double-time inside my chest, I raise my right hand and lightly tap on the door to discover which path my life will take.