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I knew he was downplaying it. I also knew that he loved flying, and even if being wingless was temporary, it wasn’t going to be an easy time for him.
“Where are we going?”
Nate gave me a tight smile. “There are locations in most cities in the world that can take you to Heaven or Hell. It’s how I got here in the first place.”
“So just anyone can walk into Heaven or Hell?” How were there places all over the world and no humans had ever found them?
“In theory, yes. But ordinary humans can’t go to either place uninvited. At least not in corporeal form.”
We were quiet for the rest of the trip into Athens. Micah eventually stopped outside a tall, narrow building. The windows were all mirrored glass, so I couldn’t see inside at all, and there was no sign anywhere on it to indicate what the building housed. I guessed it didn’t get much human traffic.
Nate clutched my hand as soon as we were out of the car, leading me to the lobby with a confidence that I honestly found impressive. God only knew what kind of trouble we were in, yet he didn’t hesitate. He was facing fate head-on.
Inside, the lobby was starkly empty, no decorations or furniture. There wasn’t a speck of color anywhere. Everything was white with the exception of the silver elevator doors. White tile floors, plain white walls, textured white ceiling. It reminded me of something out of aMatrixmovie.
Micah walked straight to the elevator and pushed the button with an arrow pointing up. It glowed with white light. The whole moment felt surreal. I was about to take an elevator to Heaven. How was this my life?
We waited a grand total of five seconds before the doors slid open, revealing a steel interior. It looked so normal.
As I stepped inside, I half expected there to be a button for the six hundredth floor like something out of a Percy Jackson book. But there were no buttons at all on the inside. Not even a panic button. Probably because everyone who set foot in this elevator would want to push that button. Panic was an excellent way to describe my feelings as the doors closed behind us and the elevator started its ascent. There was no going back now.
Thirty-One
Nathaniel
In all honesty,I expected guards from the second order to drag us off to holding cells as soon as the elevator stopped.
But when we stepped out into Heaven, there was only one angel waiting, a girl who appeared to be in her midtwenties with long flowing waves of light reddish-brown hair and glowing bronze skin. It was possible she actually had as many freckles as Sierra. They dotted her nose, cheeks, forehead, and what I could see of her chest and shoulders. Pure white wings spread out from her back.
I didn’t think she was here to detain us. She was a messenger.
She smiled kindly at us. “I’m Danielle. Do you mind if I look at your injuries?”
I pulled Sierra closer to the girl, anxious to have those horrid cuts healed.
“Um, sure?” Sierra’s voice was hesitant.
“It’s okay,” I murmured in her ear. “It won’t hurt. I promise.” I’d never seen an angel heal a human before, but I knew Joriel had done it. According to him, it was painless, a little itchy at the worst.
Danielle nodded in agreement. “I only wish to take away your pain.”
Sierra pushed up the sleeves of the sweatshirt she wore and held out her arms to Danielle. The angel studied her skin and then ran her fingers over the slices. I watched in fascination as the cuts knit back together, turning to faint scars and then vanishing completely. Danielle was gifted. Looking at Sierra’s arms now, I never would have guessed they’d been injured.
“Show her your back,” I said, already reaching for the hem of Micah’s hoodie. I was trying very hard not to hate the sight of Sierra in Micah’s clothes. I didn’t want her to have to walk around in her bra, and I didn’t have a shirt of my own to offer her. If we ended up making it back to Earth, I was going to ensure I got to see her in some ofmyclothes.
Sierra shot me an annoyed look as I pulled the sweatshirt up to her neck, but her expression relaxed when Danielle’s fingers made contact with her skin.
“Thank you,” I said around an unexpected ball of emotion.
Danielle nodded, pulling Sierra into a quick embrace. “How do you feel?”
Sierra returned the hug with one arm while I continued to hold on to her other hand. “I feel perfect.”
The messenger angel smiled with genuine joy.
“Nathaniel, Sierra.” Micah’s voice cut through the room like a whip. “Time to go.”
I squeezed Sierra’s hand in reassurance. I didn’t have any power here, but it did no good for her to freak out. I would do whatever I could to protect her. Whether that would make any difference remained to be seen.
