Max pulled his fingers back before they touched old metal and just stared. Orion set the item on the table in front of the stunned baby angel.
I reached over and picked up the ring. I pressed on the shaded in circle for Heaven. Nothing happened.
Orion objected instantly. "Rob, stop."
I pressed a different spot. “Call Heaven. Go. Heaven. Heaven!”
“Rob.”
"What? I’m just curious."
"Stop trying to call Heaven."
"Why? It’s not even working."
"Does it?" Max whispered. “Work? Do you think we really can reach Heaven with this somehow?”
“Nah,” I said, then glanced to Orion. “You think?”
Orion took the ring from me and placed it back on the table. "The one for Hell certainly worked. But Lex knew how to operate it and we do not."
Yeah. What if… I pressed the cuff again.
Orion grabbed my hand and pulled it away.
The novelty of the magical Heaven communicator wore off, especially since nothing happened. So, I went without protest when Orion pulled me to him. I just settled my arms around his shoulders when a rush of air tore across the room.
Hey, Frost was here.
"What are you doing?” he growled. “Stop right now."
Frost rushed over to Max, who had finally picked up the ring and started inspecting it for himself.
I edged behind Orion, hiding myself from the pissed off angel, but Max himself did not seem bothered. "Nothing’s even happening."
“Put it down,” Frost ordered. “What are you doing here, how did you even know?” Did Max look guilty? He must, just like me, even though Orion blocked him from my view. Frost reached the correct conclusion. “You’ve been looking into this on your own.”
"Of course I have!” Max yelled. “Youpromisedme that we’d keep looking for my parents and you keep stalling."
"Because it’s dangerous!"
"That’s what you always say."
"It’s always true. Heaven will destroy us both if they ever find us, and that’s thegoodoption.” Jeez, then what the hell were the other options? “Not all our relics are even safe. The last object anyone found with a credible link to Heaven was usedagainst me. It allowed the subjects on a case to stun and kill me.”
Okay, this dude was definitely still alive. Right?
“I recovered," Frost added when everybody gawked at him.
“I didn’t know that,” Max said. “How could I know that? You didn’t tell me!” He was angry for a moment and almost scary, but it drained away. “I can’t just do nothing. My parents are… I don’t have anything of theirs, not even a name anymore. I like being Max Temple, but some part of me still needs a connection to them. I need to know what happened to them or where I came from or… anything.”
"Max…" Frost seemed human for a moment, even apologetic. “I’m, I’m used to hiding alone, not there being two of us. I…”
Maybe it surprised Max as much as me because he relented. “Here, take it before I change my mind.”
The ring was in Max’s hand one moment, then Frost’s the next. I wasn’t sure if Frost had the magic touch or if Max using his angel-fu triggered something, but the thing lit up.
"Whoa."
