Ignite by Ignite (epub)

Author:Ignite (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Published: 2013-06-12T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

“I’ve seen the stars.” He keeps his forehead resting against mine and brings his one hand up to cup the nape of my neck. With his other hand, he twines his fingers with mine and circles his thumb across the back of my hand, drawing strange patterns I can’t identify.

“Not my stars,” I insist. “You haven’t seen what they really look like. You’ve seen them from behind, in Heaven.”

“And what are your stars like?”

“Magical,” I sigh. “When the sun sets, they blink on like Christmas lights. They’re cool and bright, dusted across the sky in beautiful patterns. Some are more gold, their light warm and hazy, while others are a sharp silver. When you look up into the night sky from Earth, it looks limitless. You’re dwarfed in comparison to this wide open universe. It’s not the same from Heaven.”

He nods. “The stars are hollow, tinny.”

“From above, but not from below. They’re dreamy.”

“Dreamy,” he echoes, closing his eyes. “Earth is so different.”

“I want to show you my stars,” I say again.

“I can’t.” He sits back, raising his face to mine. “Not tonight, anyway.”

“Because of your curfew.”

“That, and there’s something happening in Heaven. I’m not exactly in the loop up there, but it’s something big. I may not be able to come back for a couple of days,” he says.

I let out a breathy, halfhearted laugh. “You don’t owe me an explanation. And I think I’ll survive a couple of days without you.” I drop his hand gently and knot my own fingers together to keep from reaching back out to touch him.

“I have no doubt you’ll survive. I’m more concerned about myself.”

“Ah, worried about cabin fever while locked behind those pearly gates?”

“Sure, let’s call it that.” He shrugs, taking a moment to find the right words to share. “I’m alone up there. Isolated, really. I have no friends, no one to talk to. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I have lessons every so often. History, mostly.”

I make a face and he laughs.

“I know. It’s very dull. But it’s the only time I’m not by myself.”

“You are alone in Heaven?”

He nods once, small and quick. “Almost always. It’s like they don’t want me up there. But I don’t think I’m ever completely alone, even when I’m by myself. I feel them watching me all the time.”

He glances up through the branches and into the cloudy sky that hangs heavily over us before looking back at me.

“They don’t trust me and I’m not sure why. I haven’t done anything wrong.” His voice is sad. “I think my presence makes them uncomfortable. Just being back, not fully belonging. Maybe they’re afraid that Hell has done something to me that they won’t be able to undo. I’m different, and they don’t know how to handle me.”

“Haven’t they been training you? Isn’t that what you were doing when Az and I first saw you at the asylum?” I ask, leaning into him.

“Yes, but I’ve proven to be a disappointment to them. They’ve tried training me to become an archangel again, the Michael I used to be, but I ask too many questions.

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