Talking with god is never what you expect. Not that many people would even dare to imagine they would get to have a one to one conversation with the big man himself. I certainly didn’t and even now after having had that conversation I couldn’t believe it had actually happened.
I have to admire every inch of the person I had learnt about in Sunday school as we stood toe to toe with one another. How I got to be this close to him I had no clue. And how he came to look like a bloody cowboy still eluded me. But, as my eyes swept over his bright white shirt that was open enough to reveal a small spattering of chest hair and his perfect figure hugging jeans, I have to admit that this look suited him. And looking into his eyes, I had never felt more at ease. Then God smiled at me and I felt at home.
We were stood in a small garden. It was one that looked like it belonged in the middle of the tropics rather than a small square of heaven. It was only golden guilt fences and the beautiful ornate bench in the middle which gave away its true purpose.
“Hello Child,” he whispered, his breath fanning across my face before he leaned forwards and touched his lips to my forehead.
My eyes fluttered closed as I revelled in the tender and fatherly gesture before pulling back so that I could look up into his eyes. They were incredible. Even now I could not remember truly what they looked like. I only knew what I had sensed and even that had been too complex to fully comprehend.
“Hello,” I responded breathily. I wanted to hit myself for my lame response but his mere presence dazzled me. Was it like this the last time we had met? Clearing my throat, I asked the only question that I could think of. “Am I dead?”
“No,” God responded offering me a warm smile as he pulled back. “You might have been if you were simply human or simply an angel but you have a purpose. Barachiel forgot his purpose. It is why I could not bring him back. He would have just kept killing because he had nothing to hold him to sanity.”
The sadness that was in those few words brought tears to my eyes. It was like his overbearing guilt and sorrow was being enforced upon everything in the immediate vicinity. Even thee flowers around our feet, that had been happily swaying in the breeze, were now drooped and wilting.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, unable to think of anything else to say but then feeling like I wasn’t saying enough.
God patted her cheek gently and gave her a smile before sighing.
“Back on to topic I think dear.” He said, speaking with more strength and authority than before. “You are not dead, merely in a deep sleep. It will allow you to heal and I could talk to you.”
I nodded my head but inside I was questioning just what God would want to say to me.
“Although my son did not succeed in killing you, he did succeed in opening the gates.” God paused when he noted my wide eyes and the terror lurking within them. “Not to worry my dear, for the most part it remains closed. But some have escaped and demons will continue to escape until the gates are closed. And the secret is already locked up inside of your head dear daughter.”
Using his finger to tap my temple he smiled down at me.
“My Star left it there for you and Lucius. She always was gifted in seeing the future. All it will take is a kiss to gain the knowledge that has been locked away there. But there is quite a lot so be prepared from weariness. These transfers are not done often and can be rather taxing.” God smiled and cupped my cheek and in that moment I couldn’t help but shake my head at the significance of the moment.
How many people could say that they had ever experienced something like this?
“Okay,” I murmured. That’s good; I thought to myself, all it would take would be a kiss from Lucius to help save the world. That would not be as painful as getting stabbed.
“I will send you back shortly, but you need to know the worst of it first.” God pulled his had from his head revealing hair as dark as night but with ribbons of gold and red running through that it was nearly impossible to put a name to the colour. “The gates of hell have opened as I said before but only a fraction. The longer they remain like that the easier it will be to open them fully. Something terrible and truly evil has already managed to escape.” God winced and his eyes closed for a moment before his eyes once again met mine. “My people need us Savannah Holmes. You have to go back now. The road ahead will not be easy for you dear daughter. ”
With a swift kiss on my forehead and before I could ask anything more I was blinking back the painful rays of sunlight that burned my eyes.
A shadow passed overhead and the blinding light was blocked out for a second or two. It took a few moments to adjust before I realised that it was Lucius almost mimicking his father as he placed a kiss upon my forehead. He pulled away and his sad and worn expression transformed before my very eyes when his eyes open and those beautiful blues met my gaze.
“Hi,” I whispered lamely, afraid to break the strange tension between us.
“Hi,” he murmured back, sitting back down beside me on the bed.
I could feel soft sheet brushing against my skin and they were too soft. I closed my eyes for a second and groaned. Damned man had obviously been spending too much money on me.
“What? What is it? Are you okay?” His hands hovered over my body as his eyes moved up and down the length of me looking for the source of my pain but too afraid to touch.
“I’m fine, but really? Silk Sheets?”
Lucius stilled and then sniffed.
“I own only the best.”
I snorted.
“You’re such a snob.”
“I know, but I’m your snob.”
I laughed and pulled him closer, being impulsive and yet having a niggling feeling in the back of my mind that I needed to do this. And then there was something there, some pull between him and me that told me I could not be pulling away or backing down, it would be him.
Leaning closer to Lucius, my tongue darted out to moisten my lips as I gazed up at him.
“We shouldn’t…” He murmured, mirroring my actions and yet the look in his eyes only spoke of his desire to do what we were going to do.
“I know.” I murmured and then before either of us could decide not to do it, my arms were around his neck and his lips were pressing firmly on mine.
It was incredible.
I have never been a believer in the fairy tale nonsense. When I was younger I often thought kissing was gross but with him it was so natural, so passionate and so …fulfilling. I felt like an idiot for even thinking it but, as warmth flooded through my veins and our lips moved against each other’s, it felt like he completed me. In that moment I was whole.
I revelled in the beautiful sensations until I felt dizzy and could barely keep upright. And then I was too dizzy. My head was spinning so badly that my hands were forced to hold onto his shoulders to hold me up through this weakness, because I didn’t want to let go. I could not let go.
And then behind my lids, images were starting to play. They were slow in the beginning, Lucius and Star right there before my eyes laughing and giggling but they were younger – not in body but it could be seen in their eyes. They were somewhere too beautiful for me to comprehend.
Lucius jerked up against me violently like he had just been zapped by lightning. He could see too, it was the only answer I could think of as his hands gripped painfully into my hair as he held me close. I could feel his heart thrumming and even as we became consumed in our passion and the stream of images that were flowing through my head became faster and faster, I could feel and sense every inch of his.
I could barely think, only react. And still we did not stop. I had never felt more alive and yet more disorientated in my life. The images continued to play through my mind as we became consumed in our passions, but it all came to a dizzying halt when a very familiar face flitted through my mind.
I ripped away from Lucius even though it agonised me to do so and I stared up into his equally shocked face. I ignored his swollen lips and his rumpled hair instead I just looked up into the beautifully shocked face of my devil.
“Phil,” he whispered.
Before he could continue speaking, I finished the thought for him.
“He’s alive.”
I didn’t get to say much more than that because the heaviness of sheer exhaustion settled within my bones and I slowly lowered back into the ridiculously comfortable embrace of the pillows and was drawn quickly into sleep. But my rest was far from peaceful.