Between Heaven and Hell (PA #2)

Chapter Sixteen

"Are you going to stay up there all night?"

I shrug, a gesture that's wasted in the dark. "Maybe. I've always wanted to become one with nature."

She snorts. "Really living up to your name."

What does she—oh, right. Willow. Tree. Me.

Is this ironic? "Somebody call Alanis Morissette," I quip.

"Who?"

"She's a singer. On Earth."

"Okay..."

"So, what brings you out here?" I ask, effectively changing the subject.

"I was looking for you."

That's unexpected. "Why?"

"It's about Cassie."

Alarm bells ring in my head. "What happened?"

"Ruth and her cronies were harassing her—"

Without a moment of hesitation, I jump off the branch, tuck-and-rolling onto the ground. I get leaves and twigs stuck in my wig and my butt feels bruised, but none of that matters.

"Take me to her," I demand.

Roz is a little stunned, her eyes bugging out by my acrobatic display.

Shaking it off, she leads the way. "The girls always give her a hard time, on account of her brother and all."

I frown. "I was under the impression that the angels worship the ground he walks on."

"They do."

Her tone is curt, the lines of her jaw hard as her teeth grind. "Then why would they mess with her?"

"Are you really so clueless, lacking any and all observational skills?"

I have been distracted by my own drama lately. It's made me selfish, I realize. So consumed with the perils of being Willow the Human, I haven't paid much attention to those around me.

"Can you just tell me what I'm missing?" I ask.

She shakes her head, mumbling about something I can't catch. Probably shit-talking me, not that I don't deserve it.

"Galileo hates his sister. Resents her entire existence. It's no secret in Heaven. Galileo has a lot of power, both in Heaven and here in Purgatory. Angels are always trying to get on his good side, so they do things to make him happy. Bullying Cassie is one of those things."

"You told me Cassie was raised by her mother and they were both cut off from everyone else. How can he hate her if he doesn't even know her?"

Galileo also told me that he was raised in similar isolation, at least for the first ten years of his life. Was that a lie? Can both instances of childhood neglect and trauma be true?

She lifts her shoulders before dropping them back to a resting position. "A lot of hatred is born from ignorance. Ignorance and fear. Do you have to know something to fear it?"

Is this Aristotle wearing Roz's face? What's with the philosophical inquiries? My mind is still stuck on thirty minutes ago, when I was writhing against Galileo's body like a woman possessed. I'm hardly in a state to answer her questions.

She doesn't wait for my answer, not that I have one to give her. "Ruth, like almost every other female angel of eligible age, is hoping to catch Galileo's eye for more than a quick fuck."

She side-eyes me at the last part of her statement, and I blush all the way to my roots. Am I reading into things, or is she aware of what happened between me and Galileo in that meadow?