“Not his soul!”
“How did thishappen?”
“No, no, no, not sweet Rafael! He will not last in the Devil’s clutches!”
“He does not deserve Hell!”
“Eternal damnation, all for loving another man!” Shoulders quaking,a man sobs into his hands as everyone in the room freezes. Earsplitting silence descends as he bawls.Loudly, with lots of wet sniffles and choked cries.
Call it instinct, but I’m guessing he’s that other man.
And every eye… everysingleeye in the parlor fixes on him, while I stand here, completely forgotten.
Can’t pretend I’m mad about it, though.
“What did you say, Frederico?” The older woman’s voice cracks as she stares, breaking the mile-thick tension. “Rafael loved… a… aman!?” The wails start fresh, heavier and more desperate now, and my shock subsides enough for impatience to take its place.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I groan under my breath, “why does this shit always happen to me?”
The tug in my gut forces my eyes to the couple that caused my summons. They crouch together in the corner, cuddled andholding hands while casting incredulous looks at the dramatics of their families.
They’ll be just fine.
Trauma bonding and all that.
“How could you lead him into a life ofsin?!” Hot tears stream down a man’s face as he openly weeps, slumped against the wall, and I am utterly done with this room of drama queens.
“There is nothing wrong with loving a man!” My wings snap out as I bellow, stretched to their full span as I snarl at the group of weeping faces. “Every single one of you can stop judging right now. Going to Hell for being gay, can youimagine?!”
The Big Man Upstairs would have a fit if he knew humans were spouting this nonsense… especially since he’s been known to entertain the occasional male visitor himself. “Rafael is… er,Iam bound for Heaven. Straight upstairs to the pearly gates. Frederico?”
“Yes, mi amor?!” Bloodshot eyes meet mine, and my irritation makes room for sympathy as he stares with complete adoration.
“Enjoy your life, and I’ll be waiting for you there, mi, uh, mi amor.” My Spanish isatrocious, but they’re too preoccupied by the wings to notice my terrible accent. Frederico’s soul shines at me from inside him, brighter than most of the others in this room. “Move on with your life, find love, and be happy. Never feel guilty about it, okay? You deserve a good life. And for the love of God, get away from my judgmental family.”
“O-Okay, my love… my Rafael… I promise.”
With that, before anyone can think to pull a phone out and start recording, I return to Beau’s bathroom, tucking my wings away mid-teleport so I don’t make an even bigger mess.
Chapter 6
Beau
After what might be the world’s longest shower, Azrael steps out of my bathroom. Steam billows behind him as he wads his dirty clothes into a ball. The flour is gone, no longer hiding the soft glow of his skin underneath.
My sweatpants swallow him whole, the fabric pooled around his feet even though he’s rolled them up a few times, while the t-shirt hangs halfway down his thighs. Instead of looking ridiculous, though, he’s absolutely adorable.
His ebony curls drip, dampening his collar as he wrings at the clothes in his hand. “Do you have a bag I can put these in?”
“Nope, because we’re going to toss them in the washing machine.”
“I don’t want to impose—”
“Azrael.” I adopt my strictest teacher’s tone, cutting through his stammer. His eyes flick up, a sheepish expression softening his features. “You’re here helpingme, remember? It’s not an imposition.”
“Thanks,” he says, voice gentle. “I’m used to doing things on my own.”
“I can understand that. Parents not much help?”
