Tom stared at Ezra who sat by himself at a table in the library. The crowds had dispersed and returned their attention to the fair the best they could. Othrowan glided round proudly like he had performed a miracle. Haisley sat behind the reception, probably resisting the urge to kick Tom and Ezra onto the street.
The rest of the demons still sat in the other room. Tom didn't want to leave Ezra, but he didn't want to disturb him. He was staring emotionless at the wooden table. Likely very bewildered by the abrupt change of his fate.
"How will you change him?" Tom asked Othrowan, who wouldn't wipe a smirk from his lips.
"I will convoke an angel meeting, and we will do it publicly."
"When?"
"As soon as possible."
They both looked towards Ezra. "Why did you wait so long to do this for him?"
"I had to wait until all those who witnessed his last punishment had died, otherwise they could have testified against the change," Othrowan said calmly.
"So, you summoned him here and planted this fake attack, so you could change him back and clear your conscience?"
"I summoned him here, so I could fix my mistake."
"Or maybe you just waited until you fucked up again, and then decided to make yourself look like the good guy." Tom crossed his arms when Othrowan turned to face him.
"We are done with this conversation, Thomas O'Connell." He walked away, and Tom decided that Ezra was ready to talk about what had happened.
He sat next to him at the table, making sure to pull their chairs close enough for their legs to touch, and for his arm to slot comfortable on the back of Ezra's chair. "Hey," he said with a smile.
Ezra looked at him with a vacant stare. "Is this really happening?"
"It is."
"I'm going to be an angel again." Ezra shook his head. "I've forgotten what it felt like to not . . . to not be this." He touched his neck. "But it's fake. I didn't save those women. They weren't really hurt."
"And you didn't murder those women all those years ago either. You deserve this, Ezra. You deserve the justice."
"And what about all those other demons? I thought we were close to figuring out why the violence was growing. Is this a diversion?"
Tom was silent for a moment. "Can you please put yourself first. Just this once?"
"Do I really deserve this?"
"Of course you do." Tom hugged him and rubbed his back until Ezra stopped tensing against him. "You've been through so many years of pain. Don't second guess yourself. You never deserved it in the first place. Please just let Othrowan do this for you, and then we will figure out the rest."
"I just can't believe it," Ezra mumbled. And that's all he said for the rest of the day. Even when the fair started to close, and people kept approaching him to congratulate him and to thank him for saving people who didn't need saving, Ezra was in disbelief.
"Is he okay?" Declan asked when their evening shift started at the pub. Ezra stood by the door, staring blankly ahead of him.
"He's just struggling to process it," Tom said, but he was worried. For some reason, Ezra didn't think that he deserved to be changed back. Years of feeling like a demon had rattled him with shame and guilt over a crime he didn't commit. His short fuse and blunt personality had sometimes made him mean. Ezra had never been that person, but the punishment warped him that way.
When the shift was over and the pub was locked and ready for a long night, they sat side by side on Tom's bed, struggling to think of things to say.
Instead of speaking, Tom crawled on top of him, straddling his thighs. He cupped his face in his hands and stared deeply into his questioning brown eyes. "What's on your mind?" he whispered, leaning close and tempting him with a hot breath on his lips.
Ezra's hands rested by his hips, and his head softly leaned back against the headboard, so he could look at him. "It's so muddled," Ezra replied.
"Well, think of me instead," Tom said, brushing their noses together before kissing his cheek, his jaw, and his neck, feeling Ezra melting into it, and rubbing his hands along his lower back. "Think of me," Tom whispered again. "Only me."
Ezra's face soon leaned into him, waiting patiently for his kisses to lift from his neck and touch his lips.
They kissed and touched one another until Ezra's mind was solely focused on Tom. When they were done, his eyes weren't lost anymore. Ezra knew where to look and what to fix his attention on as he ran a finger up and down the side of Tom's face.
"Thank you," he whispered. "For making sense when nothing else does."
Tom smiled and embedded a hand into his hair. "I'll always be here for you."
They cleaned up and settled back onto the mattress, entangled around each other. "Sleep will help."
"I hope so. You might have to pinch me in the morning. I'll think this is all a dream."
Tom then knew how much it meant to Ezra to be changed back into an angel. It was a dream for him, something far away that he never thought he'd ever reach in the physical world. "I'll make sure Othrowan does this as quickly as possible, even if I have to follow him around every minute of every day."
Ezra smiled against the side of his face. "Sleep first. I know you barely got any last night."
They slept deeply, and for a long nine hours. The sun was glaring through Tom's bedroom window when they woke. And the birds were singing loudly. Tom blinked at the time. Ten in the morning. If his parents hadn't woken him, he didn't need to get up.
He rolled over and was met with Ezra's thigh. He was already sitting up, twiddling his fingers, staring anxiously down at him with his large expressive eyes.
"Good morning," Tom mumbled, stretching against him.
Ezra's lips curled towards a smile. He waited until Tom had sat up and finished his yawn to ask, "Do you think it'll happen today?"
"I hope so." Tom squeezed his shoulder. "I don't see why it wouldn't."
"I have to go and speak to Othrowan."
Okay." Tom rubbed his eyes. "Let's get dressed and go."
They dressed quickly, ate their breakfast quickly, and walked quickly to the village. The stalls were already halfway down. The bunting was yet to be touched, as were the fairy lights that trailed from house to house. Tom looked around at the change in expressions from the locals.
Nobody scowled at them. They all stared in wonder and intrigue. Tom knew they would soon be nosey enough to ask questions. He just hoped that they didn't ask details about the attack, or the woman's injury, or who had attacked them.
Tom wondered what would become of Gerry as they entered the library. Surprisingly, Haisley looked up with a slight smile. She didn't say anything, but she didn't tell them to leave, or make them feel unwelcome.
"Is Othrowan here?" Tom asked.
"He's through the back." Haisley pointed to the closed door next to the reception desk.
They peered in through the window. Othrowan was sitting by himself, staring out of one of the tall windows that flooded the empty room with daylight. He pushed open the door, and Othrowan didn't even turn as he said, "Good morning, Thomas and Ezrakhell."
"Morning," Tom mumbled, allowing the angel's calming aura to glide through him.
"You're here to ask about the changing ceremony." Othrowan then turned, looking as wise as ever in his cream robe that trailed the floor. His sunken eyes bore into Tom until he wanted to look away.
"Does it have to be a ceremony?" Ezra asked. "Can't you just do it now?"
Othrowan shook his head to say no. "You'll need more elder angels. And an audience is necessary. We will get this arranged for you as quickly as possible. Now, in the meantime, I want to talk about the group of demons who-"
"How quickly?" Ezra interrupted. "You've made me wait this long. How much longer?"
Othrowan walked closer, barely making a sound on the old wooden floor. "It won't be too long now, Ezrakhell. I can promise you that."
"Forgive me but I don't trust your promises."
"I would not have stripped you of your punishments so publicly if I did not wish to go through with it. Now, lets talk about the group of demons you have been meeting."
Tom and Ezra shared a quick glance. "Talk about what?"
"You are wary of the angels."
Tom frowned. "How do you know about that?"
"I know a lot of things."
Tom rolled his eyes. "If you want to know what we've been talking about, you'll have to ask them yourself."
"Why are you wary of the angels?"
"Because you don't treat demons fairly," Tom explained. "You care about your power, and that much is clear because you're not exactly shy on hiding it. So, either you don't realise how you look or you're too arrogant to care." Tom felt Ezra step closer to him. "Sorry Othrowan, but that's how I personally feel."
"You're always welcome to speak your mind to me Thomas. But I would be careful about the way in which you speak to your elders. Rudeness is not an attractive quality."
"Ah, there you are," Ezra muttered with a look of disgust. "I bet you wouldn't have said that in a room full of people." He took Tom's hand. "Sort this ceremony out, I'm not waiting longer than a day."