I didn’t care what I had to do; I wouldn’t allow Caim to leave her here to die from the loss of her Chosen. She’d suffered so much, been locked in a tomb most of her life, and recently found happiness. She deserved better than to be locked into a new tomb of melancholy until she died.
I started to step forward, but Wrath seized my wrist and halted me. I almost turned and punched him in the face, but the smile breaking across Caim’s face and the joy radiating from his rainbow-hued eyes stopped me.
Then his smile faded, and he squeezed Raphael’s arm before releasing him. “I cannot return home, brother. I can never again be the angel I once was. I’ve seen too much, and I knowtoomuch.” His gaze drifted to Fiora, and his joyful smile returned. “Ilovetoo much to return.”
Some of the terror left my sister’s face, but her lower lip trembled when she smiled at him.
“But Heaven is your home,” Raphael said.
“Heavenwasmy home, Hell wasnevermy home, and Earth is where I belong. I’m happy here. I miss my brothers and sisters, but I could never be truly happy with them again.”
River crept closer to her uncles as she gazed between the angels with an expression of sorrow and joy. “I thought you couldn't go home.”
“The Being is willing to make an allowance for me and has forgiven Caim,” Raphael replied.
“I do not want or need forgiveness,” Caim said. “I chose the right path.”
“But—”
“I choose therightpath, Raphael,” Caim interrupted. “And the fact you and the others will never understand that is another reason why I cannot return. I love you all, but I am far different than all of you. I can’t return to the golden angel I once was or the fallen angel I became. I am happy with who I am.”
“And who is that?” I inquired.
Caim’s eyes twinkled when they met mine. “Caim the redeemed. Hero of the downtrodden, savior of the palitons who would have been lost without me, and one hell of a good-looking guy.”
Wrath laughed while everyone else glared at the fallen angel.
“Savior, my ass,” I muttered.
“Can I kill him?” Lix inquired as he placed the porkpie hat one of the other skelleins had given him on his head.
“Not if I get to him first,” Kobal muttered.
“I’m also an angel in love.” Caim ignored the rest of us as he held out his hand to Fiora. When she took it, he drew her close and kissed her. “And I will not give that up.”
Some of Raphael’s joy vanished as he glanced between Caim and the sky. Then he looked at all of us.
“You are all my family too,” Raphael said.
It had taken a long time to get to know and like the golden angel, but I never thought that he looked at us as friends or family. He was always so standoffish and often seemed annoyed by us. But maybe that was the way of the golden angels; they all acted like they had sticks shoved up their asses.
“I cannot leave you here alone, brother,” Raphael said to Caim.
“Yes, you can.” Caim clasped Raphael’s arm once more. “If you want to go home, then go. I never expected to have you or any of the other angels above as siblings again, but I was granted that gift, and I will cherish it forever. You will always be my family, but I have a new family here too, and I have Fiora. I love her, brother. I cannot and willnotleave her.”
He looked to Fiora before glancing at all of us and grinning. “And honestly, they need someone like me around to liven things up a bit. These demons are a rather uptight bunch.”
I barely managed to keep my jaw from dropping.Wewere uptight? Before today, I couldn’t recall the last time I saw Raphael crack a smile; although, Caim was free with his.
“Hey, Caim, don’t stay on our account,” Corson called out, and the others chuckled, but I knew we would all miss him if he left.
Caim grinned at Raphael. “See, they’re a bunch of grumps.” Then he grew solemn again. “Go home, brother. You do not belong here. You know it, I know it, and everyone in Heaven and on Earth knows it. We also knowIdon’t belong in Heaven anymore. We went our separate ways before, and we found each other again. Now we will go our separate ways once more, but this time it will be with our love and friendship intact.”
Raphael’s head bowed. “You’re right; I do not belong here.”
“No. You are far more honorable than any of us, especially Michael.”
Caim had changed a lot in the time I knew him. His relationship with Raphael had gone from adversarial to loving again. His relationship with all of us had changed from distrustful and sometimes hostile to the annoying friend you contemplated stabbing as often as you laughed with him.
