“It wasn’t the apple that was the mistake. It was their disobedience to the Lord.”
“You disobeyed God?” I felt my eyes widen.
His lips twitched. “No one is immune to the lure of temptation, and I fell hard. So hard it took me a long time to regret and even longer to repent.” He let out a shaky breath and looked away from the blooms above our heads.
“I still don’t understand how I fit into this story.”
“I need your help on my road to redemption.” Roth hung his head. “It’s all part of a bigger plan, one I can’t even begin to understand. I only know the role I have to play, and that role involves you.”
“Why me?”
He grinned, and my breath caught. He was even more stunning with that mischievous glint in his eye. “You do realize that has literally been the question of every person ever called by the Lord, right? I don’t think any of us ever understands why He chooses who He chooses. But He’s never made a bad choice yet.”
I bit my lower lip between my teeth, pondering his words.
“Come with me.” Roth held out a hand to me. “Please.”
My gaze dropped to his outstretched hand. “Where?”
“On an adventure.”
“I don’t know…” I’d never seen anything outside God’s court. The idea of leaving now with a practical stranger… Nerves fluttered in my stomach, but there was something else weaving among my fears and anxieties. Excitement. I wanted to go with Roth, to see the rest of the kingdom.
“Please, Laila.”
I looked up and met his pleading eyes. No one had ever really needed me before, but Roth looked at me like I was the answer to his prayers, the only being in the world who could save him. And there was no way I could tell him no.
I placed my hand in his, and his warm fingers curled around mine, connecting us together.
FOUR
Laila
Roth’s handnever let go of mine as he led me out of the garden through a door I’d never known was there and onto a narrow pathway that cut through the sky.
I sucked in a breath. It would be so easy to fall off the edge of the walkway and into the open air. It wouldn’t be a problem for me since I could fly, but Roth had shown no indication thathecould.
“The height doesn’t bother you?” I asked.
Roth’s lips curved up in a half smile, half smirk. “Are you worried about me? There’s no need. I’m not in any danger of falling to my death.”
I eyed his back, wondering again what exactly he was. I assumed he had to have wings if he claimed he wouldn’t fall to his death. Did that mean he was an angel, and if so, which order was he from?
“You’re trying to figure out what I am,” he said.
“Yes.” Heat rushed my cheeks as I realized he’d caught me staring at his back. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “I’m not looking for your apologies. All I want is a chance.”
“At what?”
“Doing the right thing and not screwing up the task I was given.”
“You won’t screw up.” It seemed impossible when he was so determined. I squeezed his hand. Being with Roth felt right, like he was the answer to a prayer I hadn’t even prayed. There was just a certainty that he was where I was supposed to be in this moment.
Roth led me off the walkway and through a large gate into a village of sorts. Buildings dotted the land. They were all simple but beautiful, made of stone and clay. Some had decorative doors or columns while others were plain, and nearly all of them had some kind of balcony or patio.
“What is this place?” I asked, staring around in awe.
