“I’ll let Him know you’re here,” Paras said, already turning away from me.
The sky slowly began to lighten while a couple of humans moved through the great hall, sorting through people. It wasn’t just the angels who were either being asked to stay or leave. It made me all the more curious to know who this ambassador was and where he was from. Why did it matter so much which angels and humans were here to greet him?
I knew the ambassador had arrived by the hush that settled over the great hall. The second I saw him, I understood why. He was tall with dark curls that fell across his forehead haphazardly. No wings were visible from his bare back, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t an angel. He certainly wasn’t human.
His face was handsome, and he had a close-cropped beard that darkened his jawline. He was unlike any being I’d ever seen. A sort of darkness radiated from him, but it was more fascinating than frightening. Looking at him hurt, like I could feel that he was in pain, the kind that didn’t usually exist within God’s court.
He moved forward with purpose, light amber eyes trained on the double doors tucked away in an alcove. He clearly knew where to go and wasn’t interested in looking around at his surroundings. In fact, he seemed to be deliberately ignoring everything around him.
When he reached the doors, he paused for half a second before opening them.
I continued staring at the doors several seconds after they had closed behind him.
“Who was that?” I asked the human closest to me.
“No idea,” he answered.
Tension blanketed the great hall as hours went by. We all attempted to go about our normal business, but it was impossible to forget about the stranger who’d walked through or to forget the fact that everyone in this room right now had been selected specifically to be the greeters. Not that the ambassador had looked at any of us. We might as well have been furniture.
Eventually the doors opened again. My gaze swung toward the man. He looked… different, more relaxed, as if spending time with the Father had given him some measure of peace.
His gaze darted around the room, taking in the faces around him. My breath caught when his stare landed on me. I couldn’t read the expression on his face, but my heart beat faster with every second our eyes were locked. There was something so intriguing about him. I couldn’t look away. I wanted to look closer, to understand who he was and what he was thinking as he studied me.
He winked, and his lips curved up at the corners just slightly. Then he turned his attention to the table that ran through the middle of the hall. Pain, stark and raw, flashed across his face before it was gone, replaced by the unreadable mask.
As I watched, an angel approached him. “Would you like something to eat?”
His smile didn’t reach his eyes. He shook his head. “No, thank you. I have much to accomplish before that will be possible.” His voice had a lyrical quality to it that I’d only heard from the oldest angels and humans. I could listen to him talk for hours.
With one last glance in my direction, he nodded to the room at large and headed for one of the many doors leading off the great hall.
I swallowed hard as I watched him walk out the door.
That wink had been a message, I was sure of it. I just didn’t know what he wanted from me.
* * *
I had officially lostmy mind. There was no other explanation for why I was wandering around the palace, looking for the stranger who could have left by now for all I knew. Though the fact that the older angels were still banned from the great hall and the gardens until daylight suggested he was still here.
We were currently in the longest sunset in the history of Heaven, or at least the longest one in my memory. It had started soon after the ambassador had left the great hall, and I estimated it had been going on for two or three earthly days.
I stepped onto the soft ground of the palace gardens. Since this was the only place other than the great hall that was specifically restricted to most of the angels while the ambassador was here, it seemed like a good place to start looking. If I didn’t find him, I’d return to my room and forget that I’d ever seen him.
The garden was one of the most beautiful places I knew of. It was filled with all the edible plants of the world and was normally tended by a number of first-order angels. Despite the plants not being for decoration, many of them flowered, and it was impossible not to see the sheer and utter loveliness of the place.
I reached out and brushed my fingers over leaves, fruits, and petals as I moved through the oddly still space. I wasn’t used to having the garden all to myself. It was usually more populated than this.
“You came,” a deep lyrical voice said.
I froze, feeling like I’d been caught doing something wrong.
“I was beginning to think you’d leave me waiting forever,” he continued. “Not that I would mind. I should be thanking you for giving me an excuse to stay here longer. I forgot how stunning this place really is.”
“You were waiting for me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I was.”
“But you didn’t tell me to meet you here. How was I supposed to know you were waiting?”
