Zuriel's Fate

Zuriel's Fate CELESTIAL JUSTICE 2

Serena Yates

Published by Silver Publishing Publisher of Erotic Romance

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the South African Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated and is punishable by imprisonment and a fine." Cover Artist: Reese Dante Editor: Nicole Hicks Zuriel’s Fate © 2011 Serena Yates ISBN # 9781920501129 Attention Readers: This book uses US English. Thank you. All rights reserved. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. The Licensed Art Material is being used for illustrative purposes only; any person depicted in the Licensed Art Material, is a model.

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Dedication

To those who believe there is more to justice than the strict interpretation of the law—whether in Heaven or on Earth.

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Ducati: Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A El Capitan Fresh Mexican Grill: Flagstaff, Arizona

Zuriel's Fate

Serena Yates

Chapter One The perpetual noise of gunfire in the background was as nerve racking to Zuriel as this insane assignment was turning out to be. Yes, he understood that soldiers needed guardian angels just like everyone else, maybe more. And yes, he knew on an intellectual level that, as a Senior Guardian, he was expected not only to deal with the more difficult assignments, but also with those requiring him to guide a soul to the next life. He had observed but never dealt with them as a junior guardian. If he wanted a promotion to the next level this millennium, he had no choice but to master this and, above all, get a grip on his reactions. Thinking too much or questioning orders was not a trait his bosses liked. But—really? Why were the powers that be expending all this energy and angel power protecting human soldiers from the ravages of war instead of working with the diplomats to stop the cruelty altogether? Zuriel had never been closer to rebellion against his orders than at this moment. Knowing that he was expected to let his charge die gnawed at his heart, his conscience, and just plain went against his ingrained sense of justice. He knew death was a necessary part of life. Souls needed to move on, and he was normally good about following 7

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orders, but to let death take one so young just didn't seem right. Shaun was a new soldier on his first tour to Iraq, an idealist who wanted to fight for what he believed was right. Barely out of basic training, he was totally unprepared for the realities of an invasion that was controversial even among humans. Shaun moved forward with the rest of the US Third Infantry Division making its way north to bypass Baghdad as quickly as possible on their way to securing Najaf and Karbala. They had finally made it to Talil Airfield, a point of strategic importance if the invading forces hoped to gain control of the capital city. The Iraqi soldiers, however, were not giving up easily. They returned fire, fighting ferociously to defend their homes against the foreign invaders. It was an intense battle, the US First Marine Division lending support on their way to the eastern parts of the city from where they'd attempt to seize and subdue the city. Shaun was overwhelmed by the noise, the stench of burning buildings, and the shock of comrades being shot all around him. He maintained a brave front as he kept moving, seeking cover behind buildings and overturned vehicles whenever possible. Little did he know that he was not going to survive.

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Zuriel moved with him, invisible to the humans, his face set in grim lines of determination. Pure force of habit kept him with his charge, because—what was the point? He sighed as he took note of the sniper who was going to end Shaun's life. Making ready to accompany the young man's soul into the next world, the saddest duty any guardian angel ever had to face, he made sure that his energy enveloped Shaun when the bullets that ended the young soldier's life hit. Minimizing Shaun's physical pain was not strictly according to procedure, but at that moment, Zuriel could have cared less. He had been an exemplary guardian angel for over a millennium and figured he might be given some slack if the random selection process used by Internal Affairs picked this case for closer examination. Nobody was there to help him through the soul-deep anguish of feeling a soul ripped from its living body. The jagged pain sliced right through his soul, like it always did. He mentally gasped and focused on Shaun so he would not drown in the despair of losing a life he had been entrusted with. He gently caught the young man's soul when it emerged from the convulsing body, shock pervading every fiber of Shaun's being. "What?" Shaun's energies swirled in confusion,

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retaining their human outline for now but turning dark with the mental pain and shock at being ripped so suddenly from their physical body. The thought was barely audible, but Zuriel was well attuned to Shaun's mental signature. Nineteen years of looking out for the man had formed a certain bond. One that was about to be brutally ripped apart now. "You are okay now." Zuriel let his energies take a more human shape so Shaun could perceive him better. "You will be fine." The white beacon light to the next world, as humans called it, appeared above them and Shaun looked up, his energies still following the dictates of his now-dead body. It always took a while for the souls to adapt to their new existence. "I'm dead, aren't I?" Sean's voice sounded bleak, his energy turning darker. "Your physical existence has ended." Zuriel let healing energies flow toward the wounded soul. "But your life as a sentient being of the higher planes is only just beginning." "Why now?" Shaun's desperation was clear even through the turbulence of his confusion. "There was so much I still wanted to do." "I know." Zuriel shrugged. It was what most of

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them said, even the ones who had been given several decades to live. "It is not within my responsibility to understand. I was sent here to guide you to the next level." "Okay." Shaun made the mental equivalent of a sigh. "I guess you're just the messenger, right?" Zuriel nodded. Suddenly, the truth of that statement hit him hard. He'd always accepted his assignments and done his job to the best of his ability. The senselessness of Shaun's death, serving no particular purpose and after an even shorter time on Earth than most were granted, was particularly poignant. For the first time in his existence Zuriel really started to wonder what the point of it all was. But there was no time for philosophical deliberations. He would deal with the fallout during the debriefing. "This is it, huh?" Shaun had calmed down a little, probably realizing that there was nothing he could do anyway. "Yes." Zuriel pointed him toward the light that had descended until a tunnel-like opening was right next to Shaun. "Thank you." Shaun turned his attention toward the tunnel and vanished inside without looking back. Zuriel's pain intensified for a moment then diminished until it was gone. He sighed, wondering how it was possible that most humans, once faced with the

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inevitable, seemed to adjust rather well. One of the secrets of the universe he would probably never understand. He gave himself another few moments, tuning out the noise and mayhem around him. He remembered Shaun's life, quietly celebrating the triumphs and grieving that it was now over. When he was ready, he turned inward for the transition back to Heaven. It was time to face the administrative music.

****

"That was one of the most useless meetings I have ever had the displeasure of attending." Zuriel shook his head as he remembered the session with his boss, Guardian Manager Boriel, earlier in the celestial day. He had been through his fair share of debriefings, but for some reason he never noticed that they did not address anything beyond the bare facts. Thinking about it now, with the injustice of Shaun's early death fresh in his mind, he frowned. The facts were easy enough to ascertain, what with celestial record keeping being pretty much infallible. What was missing was a way to deal with the issues that arose in some cases. The truth of the matter was that he had never had any real problems before. Doing his job based on rules and

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procedures had always been enough. Decisions made on the basis of an accepted practice had always made sense. But with an emotional problem like the one he was having, making him question the ethics behind the rules, he had no idea where to go. Surely, others had experienced this before him? Was he the only one in eternity to notice that something was not right about management's priorities? Focusing on the formalities, like all humans having a guardian angel, and ticking all the boxes in terms of making sure their destinies were fulfilled should have been just the basics. Had they not been given the ability to think, to move beyond that, into looking at what was behind the rules? What was wrong with following the spirit of the law rather than each letter? Something about Shaun's case got to him. He had not wanted to discuss it in more detail because his boss was clearly not interested in any of the emotional side effects he seemed to be experiencing. Nor was he willing to enter a debate about the sense or nonsense of sending a nineteenyear old soldier to his death because his superiors could not find a way of negotiating for what they wanted. Not willing to risk his career by speaking up, he had shut up instead. "Do you mean to say that none of those meetings have ever been truly useful?" Hael grinned briefly before

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turning serious again. "Sorry, that was not what was meant to come out. It is just that I have never been in favor of having a meeting without dealing with the emotional fallout that the death of one of our charges can cause." "I know what you mean, now. I do not understand why I never saw it before, but after losing Shaun everything suddenly looks different. Am I just getting old?" Zuriel looked at his old friend, hoping the other angel had a solution. "I do not think that it has anything to do with your age. Things like this, the preference of how we approach things, does not usually change as we get older and gain more experience. It is part of our basic character structure. Which means that your sudden about-turn surprises me a lot. You were never the type to question the rules." Hael hovered next to him as they waited their turn to recharge their energies. The Celestial Center for Energy Management was always very busy, so they would be here for a while. Hundreds of angels were trying to get to the source as quickly as possible so they could return to their duties. The variation in body appearances was amazing. The center was one of the few places where the different divisions mixed, and since the angels in each division took on an appearance similar to the species their division was responsible for,

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there was a wide range of shapes. Everything from the more human-like bodies in Zuriel's division to eight-limbed tentacled bodies and every form in between was represented. "I am not sure that I am questioning the rules, not really. After all, they have worked for many millennia. But I am beginning to wonder whether I am really cut out for a more senior position within the guardian angel hierarchy." Zuriel sighed. "Not that I know what else to do. Maybe I need counseling. It did help my friend Araton get an assignment better suited to his strengths." "You do know that you need to be very careful about voicing the need for counseling?" Hael shuddered visibly. "That alone can be a career limiting move." Zuriel nodded. He really wanted to know what had become of Araton, which job he was doing now, and whether it made him happier than being a guardian angel. Araton's peculiar need for touch had always struck Zuriel as very strange. He chuckled. Some would call his emerging need for an emotional connection just as unusual. As for Araton, there was nothing else he could do, since he had been sworn to secrecy. The files were not accessible to angels of his rank, and he knew better than to start asking questions. Zuriel did worry that he hadn't heard from his lively friend again, but he would need to figure out

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how to get the information he wanted without drawing attention to himself. Anyway, his busy schedule had not allowed him any time to follow up, so far. As a Senior Guardian he was in charge of anywhere between six and ten humans at the same time. It was another thing he was really beginning to dislike. His ability to bend time may have ensured that his protective abilities were available in several places at once in those few cases where it proved necessary. The lack of emotional focus was his real problem, since his heart and soul were as linear as any human's. Without the ability to emotionally focus on more than one of his charges at the same time, there was no way he could really connect with any of them. And yet, that connection was one of the things he appreciated most about his job. Or, rather, what he had appreciated when he was a Junior Guardian with only one assignment at a time. Was he turning into a revolutionary? "Maybe one of your next assignments will be better." Hael moved slightly closer to their goal as another group of recharged angels left the big area. "Maybe." Zuriel did not think that would solve his problem, though. But what else was an angel to do?

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****

"Thank you for coming to see me so quickly." Guardian Manager Boriel barely looked up from the stacks of paperwork on his overcrowded desk as he pointed toward the empty chair in front of it. "No problem." Zuriel took the offered seat and waited for his boss to proceed. Finally the overworked older angel looked up and raked his disheveled hair with a slightly shaking hand. "As you may have guessed, the current state of affairs on Earth is rather desperate. The human penchant for creating havoc is beginning to seriously tax our resources. We need far more guardian angels than we currently have available. We are finding ourselves at an impasse. The budget cuts are making recruiting among existing angels from other divisions inefficient, even impossible. And as you know, the creation of new angels takes time." Boriel lowered the papers he'd been staring at and looked straight at Zuriel. "There is only one short term solution." "There is?" Zuriel suspected what that might be, but he was not going to make it easier for his boss. At the very least, he was going to make him say it. "Do not try to pretend that you have not figured it

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out." Boriel frowned. "We need to make better use of the existing forces, of which you are a key member." He knew it. "As of now, every Senior Guardian is being assigned an extra two charges. Waiting periods between assignments have been cut down to one day rather than the usual month. It is the only way for us to have any hope of getting through the workload." Boriel sat back and crossed his arms in front of his chest, clearly waiting for some sort of protest. Zuriel did not to offer any. He had tried to make his thoughts known once and they had completely ignored his ideas. He was not going to make the same mistake again. If the situation was really as bad as Boriel said, there was no point in fighting. Zuriel could not let innocent humans suffer because he was suddenly having trouble with the rules that he had followed for centuries. He needed to find a different solution for his predicament. "Well?" Boriel leaned forward as if to try and coax some sort of resistance from Zuriel's lips. "I assume I can pick up the new files from the administration office as usual?" He wanted to scream that this was wrong, but there was no point, so he held his peace for now. "No comments?" Boriel slumped back in his seat,

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looking defeated. "None." Zuriel was ready to get up and find out what his next assignments were going to be. "Okay." Boriel returned his attention to the paperwork as he waved a hand toward the door. "You know where to go." Is there a less caring boss in the whole of the universe? Zuriel got up, left the office and made his way toward the administration area. The more he thought about it, the more it became obvious to him that something needed to change. He could not do this for the rest of his existence, however many millennia that might be. According to some sources, it could be a very, very long time. Once he arrived at the section for new assignments he didn't have to wait very long. The angels working here were some of the most efficient in all of Heaven. They needed to be, considering how much the smooth running of Heavenly affairs depended on them. He was handed two files and told to take the rest of the day to study them. Mentioning the fact that it was his rest period would only have raised eyebrows, so he shut up, made his way back to his personal rest area, and started to read the files. The first was a simple case of a new baby being

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born, so there was not a lot of information in the file. He made note of the date and place of birth, less than a week from now in human linear time, and turned his attention to the second file. This one was unusually thick. It looked like a reassignment, and that was exactly what it turned out to be once he opened the dark green folder. Had he needed to breathe, his breath would have stopped once his gaze fell onto the picture of the man whom he was going to be in charge of after tomorrow. A ruggedly beautiful face looked up at him, with eyes bluer than a summer sky and a face framed by sleek dark hair that fell to the man's shoulders. The smile was crooked, as if he was thinking about something wickedly amusing. Once Zuriel was able to tear his gaze away from the fascinating planes and angles of the man's face, he groaned. The rest of the man was just as amazing. According to the file, he was six feet four, but even without knowing how overpowering he would be in person, his muscular appearance with the broad shoulders and flat stomach made it clear that he was a force to be reckoned with. Dressed in jeans and a leather jacket that had seen better days, the man exuded confidence, maybe even arrogance. He looked like he would jump off the page any

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moment. Zuriel could only stare. He had never felt attracted to someone as strongly as this, and that was based on nothing more than the man's picture. Meeting him in person might have more devastating consequences than total speechlessness. The weird thing was that it seemed to go beyond the soul-to-soul level Zuriel was used to between angels. No, this attraction was almost a physical need, the way his friend Araton had described what he felt when he looked at some beings. Zuriel blinked. This could not be happening, could it? His situation was suddenly even more desperate than before. Not only did he feel the need to form an emotional bond with his charges, apparently now he had developed a capability for physical feelings despite the lack of a physical body. As similar as an angel's body was to the species he was working with, it was definitely not supposed to behave like it was corporeal. What in Heaven's name was he going to do now?

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Chapter Two "That isn't what we agreed." Luke Yarber bit the inside of his cheek to stop the harsher words he wanted to fling at the supplier from emerging. He gripped the receiver of the slightly grimy office phone tightly enough he imagined it would crack with the pressure. "I told you I needed those spare parts tomorrow. Not next week, or next month, tomorrow. My customer isn't willing to wait another week or however long you now say the delay is going to last." "There's absolutely nothing I can do." The salesman at the other end sounded bored. It didn't sound as if he was going to apologize. "You don't even care that we're talking about customer satisfaction here, do you?" Luke liked to keep his promises, both in his personal and his professional life. "Nope. I'm not paid enough to care." The salesman cleared his throat. "You're not—" Fuck that little prick! This was what was wrong with people. Nobody cared about anything more than fulfilling the minimum requirements. Getting away with checking the boxes on some job description was enough for most, and this little fucker was no exception. Too bad he depended on the 22

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idiot's goodwill, since Ducati wasn't exactly a common motorcycle brand, and spare parts for most of the models were harder to locate than snow in the Sahara. The kind of attitude displayed by the salesman didn't help, though. Luke's heartbeat was a lot faster than it should be, and his free hand fisted of its own accord. He wanted to reach through the phone line to throttle the bastard. Slowly. "Will that be all, Mr. Yarber?" A very put-upon sigh accompanied those words. "Yes!" The sound barely made it out between his clenched teeth. "Thank you for calling us with your query. We'll contact you as soon as we have an updated delivery estimate. Good-bye." The salesman hung up without further delay. "Fuck!" Luke slammed the receiver onto the ancient phone with enough energy to make it bounce off the cradle. Unfortunately, it didn't. At least that might have provided some distracting entertainment. He'd enjoyed watching the last phone fall apart when he'd thrown it against the wall. Nothing was going his way today. He took deep breaths, attempting to regain at least some measure of control. A few moments later, he started to laugh at himself. Man, he liked getting wound up and this was a real mess, but there was absolutely nothing he

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could do about it. And destroying phones was the last thing he needed. Business was tough enough without him incurring additional costs to replace broken office equipment. Spending money on inventory to keep the bike repair shop running was bad enough, but it was necessary because people didn't want to wait around for parts to come in. Office stuff was so low on his list it might as well not be there at all. Keeping his customers happy and paying his two employees a fair wage were Luke's top priorities. Not that he would have admitted to the latter under anything less than prolonged torture. He grinned. He'd worked hard to obtain his bad boy image, and he was going to hang on to it even if it killed him. Life was much easier when people didn't dare approach you or bug you with their problems. Shit, he had enough of those himself. "I don't care if he's on the phone. I want to speak to your boss. Now." The deep voice that boomed through the half-open door of the office sounded angry. An upset customer, just what he needed. In fact, Luke only knew one man with a voice that deep. And, from the sound of it, the powerfully built customer with the greasy hair who wanted to be addressed only as Spider was already angry. Oh, boy. Here we go.

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"What can I do for you?" Luke walked into the main room of the dealership, his best no-nonsense face already in place. Taking the bull, or, in this case, the biker, by the horns was usually the best approach. "Ah. Finally. Maybe now I can get some service." Spider shot an angry glance at poor Timmy who was trying to flatten himself into the wall. "You promised me last week that I could have the hydraulic clutch fully installed by today. This—person here just told me that the parts haven't even come in yet. You know I need to have the bike ready for this weekend's race. What the fuck is going on?" Fuck, this was even worse than he'd thought. But first things first, he needed to clear the area of any innocents before dealing with his irate customer. "Why don't you go and see if Rob needs any help with those spokes, Timmy?" Luke almost smiled when relief made Timmy look even younger than his twenty years. Nodding vigorously, the young man vanished around the corner as quickly as his legs could carry him. Rob probably didn't need any help at all, but there was no point having Timmy stay around just so he could end up more terrorized than he already was. Turning back to Spider, Luke tried to look apologetic. Not his most successful, or credible, look on a

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good day, but he had to try. Spider wasn't only a major customer in his own right, his entire pseudo-gang of friends also came here for most of their bike work. They made up a large part of his business. "I'm not sure what Timmy has already told you—" "Nothing useful, that's for sure!" Spider's face glowed red, and his hands were fisted at his sides. "All he said was that the bike isn't finished and that he had no idea when it would be. That doesn't inspire me with a lot of confidence that this is the right place to bring our bikes anymore. At least when your father still ran the shop, we'd get some service." "I'm very sorry, but in essence, Timmy was right." Luke took a deep breath and prepared for some real shouting once he'd finished his piece. If he even got that far. Spider looked as if he was going to lose it any second. "I was on the phone with the parts supplier to find out what's going on. Apparently there's been a strike at the manufacturer's main site and nothing has been produced for over a week. Since hydraulic clutches aren't exactly a high demand item, they didn't have any extras lying around either." "That just isn't good enough." Spider took a step back and lifted his hands. "It's no more than a pathetic excuse. You probably forgot to order the parts."

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"That isn't true." Luke found it hard to keep his temper. "But if you really think that we're not giving you what you need, it's probably better if you look for a different shop. Frankly, I'd rather you not terrorize my employees anymore." "What? But…" Spider's jaw dropped as he took another step back. "I'll take you to your bike now. Since we didn't start the work yet, it is still in perfect working order. I'm afraid you're going to have to look for another place to upgrade your clutch. We are quite clearly not suited to your needs." Luke started walking in the direction of the secure area without looking back. The loud hissing and stuttering behind him was reward enough. Nobody treated him like an idiot anymore. That had stopped the day he took over the bike dealership and shop from his father who'd died in a plane crash on his way back from a business trip. Luke may not have been able to stop his mother from drinking and following her husband into death, but he'd built a good reputation for the shop. Besides—good customer or not—it felt damned satisfying to give the pompous bastard a taste of his own medicine.

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****

Luke wanted to be drunk already. Why was it taking so long today? He'd entered the Lucky Cavern, his favorite seedy bar, a couple of hours ago and had been drinking as quickly as possible. Business had remained bad all day. In retrospect, he'd decided that kicking out Spider hadn't been his best decision, and he didn't even have anyone at home he could whine to. Getting drunk was his choice of evening entertainment. He wasn't going to get any peace and quiet, though. When the stranger came in, Luke stopped breathing for a moment. The man was tall, with broad shoulders and muscles in all the right places. He looked around the room for a few moments as if he expected to meet someone here. Apparently not finding what he was looking for, he turned his gaze toward the bar. Luke watched from the corner of his eye, surprised when he realized the other man was relieved to have found him. Not that the stranger made any move to let him know. At first ignoring him as if he wasn't there, the new patron took a seat two stools to his right. Then he proceeded to stare at him. It was unnerving.

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Especially since he turned out to be more gorgeous with every new detail Luke discovered. He cast surreptitious glances to take in as much as possible. The man's dark green eyes were framed by dense eyelashes a shade or two darker than his long, tousled, blond hair. His delicate face contained sinfully lush, red lips, high cheekbones, and porcelain skin. The slender but well-toned body was clad in deceptively baggy cargo pants and a blue T-shirt that didn't do anything to hide the well-developed pecs. Was he here for a hookup? Luke sure hoped so. There was something special about the stranger, a fascinating mix of innocence and sex appeal that made him irresistible. If only his stare and behavior hadn't been so off. He hadn't even tried to get the bartender's attention to order a drink. Not sure what to make of him, Luke attempted to ignore the weird guy and focused on his beer. The buzz from the alcohol made him feel relaxed and mellow, but not enough for him to truly be drunk. Not by a long shot. Finally he'd had enough and turned toward his disturbing neighbor. "What the fuck's your problem, man?" Luke stared right back for the first time.

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The stranger flinched then turned around, looking over his shoulder as if to try to find whom Luke was yelling at. When he couldn't find anyone he turned back around, his eyes widening as he looked at Luke "Yeah, I mean you!" Luke pointed at him for good measure. There was nobody else within ten feet of them, hadn't been since the stranger had come in. So why did he expect there to be someone else? "You can—you can see me?" The stranger's eyes were so wide Luke thought they might fall out. "See you? Of course I can see you! What kind of a stupid remark is that?" Luke shook his head. Did the man think he was invisible? "You've been staring at me for ten minutes, how can you expect me not to notice that?" "But that is different!" The stranger clapped his hand across his mouth as if he'd said something he shouldn't have. "How can that possibly be different?" Luke was beginning to wonder if the man had lost his marbles. "Forget I mentioned that." The stranger frowned and looked around as if he expected someone to jump him. What the hell was going on? "Okay, let's take this from the top." Luke took a deep, calming breath.

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The stranger was an enigma that begged to be solved. Luke wasn't yet drunk enough to have stopped caring, but he was definitely intrigued enough to try to find out more. Solving this riddle would give him something different to focus on than his shitty day. Who knew? Maybe the man was gay and they could have a quickie in the men's room or the alley. He wasn't picky. "First things first. Why are you here and staring at me like this?" He looked at the stranger expectantly. "I cannot tell you." The stranger looked almost apologetic. "I am not even supposed to talk to you." "You can't tell me? You're not supposed to talk to me? What is this—a spy movie?" He chuckled as the stranger's eyes widened even more. "Okay, let's start with something simple like your name. Can you tell me that, at least?" The stranger shook his head. "That isn't going to get us anywhere, is it?" Luke downed the rest of his beer and seriously considered leaving. The getting drunk part wasn't working, and the stranger didn't seem like such good entertainment anymore. Even his speech was weird. Who in their right mind spoke without using contractions? "We are not supposed to get anywhere." The stranger tilted his head slightly and shrugged as if he

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regretted that fact. "That's right." The voice came from Luke's left. "We don't like your kind here, so it would be best if you stop your disgusting attempt at flirting and leave." He turned around to find three bikers forming a threatening wall of muscles and fists. The trio stared at him and the stranger as if the two of them had just crawled out from under a rock. He knew that look. It wasn't one he was willing to tolerate. "They can see me, too?" The soft whisper from behind him wasn't any more shocking than the stranger's earlier question. The man obviously believed that he was invisible to everyone, not just Luke. Returning his attention to the three bikers, Luke tried to calculate his chances in case they started a fight. They didn't look very strong, but their determination was clear. Oh well, who am I to turn down a good fist fight? "This is no place for fags." The guy to the left pushed his bandana a little higher. It was the same voice he'd heard before. "But since we're nice guys who don't want any trouble if we can avoid it, we'll let you leave quiet-like if you're quick about it." "No trouble if you can avoid it, huh?" Luke was tempted to smack Mr. Bandana just for using the f-word. But he would never throw the first punch.

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"Come on, let us get out of here." The stranger's voice from his right sounded worried. "There is still time to avoid this whole situation." "That depends entirely on our three friends here." Luke didn't bother looking around, keeping an eye on the three threats was more important. "We're not your friends!" The middle biker was tiny compared to the other two, but his loud voice more than made up for it. "Yeah, you make me sick." The guy on the right was missing a few teeth, his stringy hair was a mousy brown. Who was this horrible creature to call the gorgeous stranger and him disgusting? Luke couldn't stop the laugh bubbling up from deep in his belly. He knew it was the wrong reaction and would only get them into more trouble, but the whole situation was just too hilarious for him to hold back. Fists were flying before he knew what happened. Yep, laughing had definitely been the wrong reaction. He gave as good as he got. The only problem was that there were three of them and only one of him. A glance to the side revealed the stranger glued to his spot, staring at them wide-eyed. He'd gone completely pale and was clearly in no condition to help.

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Deciding to take the largest guy out first, Luke focused on Mr. Bandana. The guy had a mean right hook, but Luke was no slouch. He hit him hard, aiming for his temple, hoping to make him dizzy or knock him out completely. The other two were pummeling his back before one of them started kicking his shins. Shit, that hurt. Someone shouting that the police had been called made the three thugs stop their assault for a moment. Thank God someone had called 911. The bikers decided they'd had enough. They left the bar through the back exit, almost falling over each other in their haste to get away. Maybe they just didn't want to speak to the police. Not that Luke particularly wanted to do that, either. "Come on, let's get out of here." He raked his sweaty hair back from his face. The scrapes on the back of his hand made him wince, but they weren't as bad as the bruises he could feel spreading on his face and upper body. Come morning, he wasn't going to look pretty. And his head hurt something awful. "You want to run from law enforcement?" The stranger's eyebrows rose all the way to his hairline. "Sure, we've got nothing to gain by staying here. The people who started the fight have left, so what are the

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police going to do? They'll only keep us for questioning or something, but there's no point since we don't know these guys. Even if we did, I doubt that the police would go after them." He took the stranger's hand and pulled him toward the exit. They really needed to get out of here. After resisting for about three seconds, the stranger gave up and followed. He even took the offered second helmet once they'd reached Luke's bike. He didn't make a single move to put it onto his head, though. "You need to wear that." Luke finished fitting his own, swung a leg over the bike, and started the engine. "I do not know how." Luke couldn't even get angry at him. He looked so adorably helpless. "Come here." Luke reached out, placed the helmet onto the stranger's head and fastened it securely. "You'll need to get on the bike behind me and hold on. This is going to be a very fast drive." The police sirens were getting too close for his liking and he was relieved when the stranger did as he'd been told. Having the man snuggled up against his back did all kinds of interesting things to Luke's groin. This was so not the right time for that, so he focused back on the road. He followed the Fort Valley Road north, away from his home in the southern part of Flagstaff. There were more

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opportunities to hide and wait for the situation to calm down up there. Coconino National Forest wasn't a complete wilderness, but it wasn't exactly the center of civilization, either. The sudden dizzy spell took him by surprise. The pain in his head flared up and he was unable to see anything but stars for a few seconds. Shit. The bike started to swerve and he didn't have the strength to straighten it. He was going way too fast to stand a chance at slowing down in time to avoid an accident. Fuck! "Hold on," he yelled uselessly. The sound of the engine drowned out his voice. The headwind carried away any remaining sound. There wasn't any point in holding on, anyway. At this speed, nothing other than a miracle could save them. He lost control of the bike and they careened off the road. His sight returned in time for him to see the huge tree coming at them. A loud crash, the screeching of metal being bent too quickly, and pain such as he'd never known flooded his body. Then everything stopped. He lay on his back, staring up at some foliage from the tree. He couldn't move. His eyelids were too heavy, so he closed them. Shit, this wasn't

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good. "Zuriel." The stranger's voice came from inside Luke's head. "My name is Zuriel. And I am not going to let you die." Everything went black.

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Chapter Three Zuriel took himself outside linear time to try to catch his metaphorical breath. He rose from where his body had been thrown by the impact, got rid of his helmet, and looked down at Luke's crumpled form. His head was at an odd angle, one leg was bent too far back to be natural, and blood seeped from several wounds. The man's energy, zest for life, and joy was gone. All that remained was an empty shell of a body with only minimal life signs. It would not be long until Luke drew his final shallow breath. It had all happened so fast. Zuriel desperately needed these moments outside time to recover at least some of his composure. Focusing back on his thoughts, he tried to figure out what was going on. He knew this accident was supposed to happen, it was in Luke's file. He had been so angry when he first found out that this was another death assignment. At first, he had ruthlessly quashed thoughts of not obeying the order to let this beautiful human die. That way lay only chaos and disaster. It had been drummed into him ever since he started training to be a guardian angel just over a millennium ago. Their position in the universe was not to think or question orders. Their job was to carry out what 38

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the higher-ups and fate decreed. What he had not counted on was that his charge would see him when he approached to take up what was going to be a very short assignment. He had no idea what had happened to Luke's previous guardian, why he had apparently been removed from duty. Unusually, that information had not been included in the file. All he knew was that he was supposed to join Luke in the bar, protect him during the fist fight—how ironic—then accompany him on his bike to guide him toward the next world after the accident. Zuriel checked, but he was sure that he had not accidentally revealed himself to Luke. As a rule, humans only saw their guardian angels in very rare circumstances. Children were an exception, but Luke was anything but a child. Adults normally only saw their guardian angels right before their death. Very, very few instances of adults seeing their guardians at other times during their lives had been recorded. Apparently, this was one of them. What was going on here? Instead of being blissfully unaware of his presence, Luke had clearly noticed him. Not that he had let on in the beginning. Zuriel had not been able to look away from his charge, fascinated with how much better he looked in

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reality than in his picture. The man just oozed confidence and charisma from every pore of his amazing body. He had wondered not only why he was suddenly noticing a physical body in such delicious detail, but how in the world he was going to stand by and let such beauty end. When Luke had finally looked at him, no, yelled at him, actually, Zuriel had been too shocked to make any sense. Not being able to reveal even his name had pained him. All he had wanted to do was answer Luke's questions and ask a few of his own. There was so much more to find out about this man than what had been in his file. The approaching bikers, although mentioned in the file and therefore expected, had been the second major shock. The fact that they also saw him was definitely not normal and completely against regulations. That was when he had realized something truly strange was happening. Looking back at it now, that was probably when, subconsciously, he had decided that everything was too odd to be a coincidence and therefore normal rules no longer applied. He winced. That must have been the flimsiest excuse for misbehavior ever. Zuriel sighed and returned his focus to the here and now of Luke's time. The decision had been made when he told Luke that he was not going to let him die. There was no way Zuriel could let it happen. He would probably be

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damned to hell when they found out, but it could not be helped. There were limits to what he would do, and this was one of them. Extending the bubble of non-time, as humans would call it, around the both of them, he knelt down at Luke's side and carefully took off his helmet. The long black hair was matted with blood, but a sweep of Zuriel's hand restored its former glossy nature. Another few sweeps repaired the damage to Luke's body. All that was left was for the man to wake up. He was going to be banned to eternal damnation for sure. But seeing Luke restored to the way he had been before the accident, feeling his strong heartbeat when he put a hand on his magnificent chest, was more than worth it. Unless they took it away, he would take this memory with him when it was time to face his punishment. He could only hope they would at least leave him the memory of this moment. All it could do was torture him with what he had lost forever, but it would be better than not remembering this amazing feeling at all. Calling Luke's name, he tried to awaken the man slowly. He needed to explain a few things before they found him or he had to turn himself in. Nobody escaped Celestial Justice for long. "Luke, please wake up. We need to talk." He

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cupped the man's cheek, marveling at the slightly stubbled skin against his hand. He had never touched anyone like this before, and it was not what he had imagined. The rasp of Luke's facial skin against his palm was almost— stimulating. Luke's eyes moved behind the closed lids before slowly opening. Rapid blinking was the result until he was able to keep them open. "Zuriel?" Luke coughed and tried to sit up. "Yes." He pushed back against Luke's chest. "Take it easy for a moment, your body has been through a lot." "What—shit, the accident." Luke pushed up. Zuriel almost moved back in surprise. The man was a lot stronger than he had given him credit for. His muscles bunched and strained until Zuriel had to withdraw his hand or risk causing both of them unnecessary pain. "What happened?" Luke grabbed his head and looked down at his body. "What do you remember?" Zuriel knew there was nothing wrong with Luke's body, not anymore, but he let his gaze wander across the tempting physique. This was ridiculous. He was not human. So why did he feel this attraction? "A fight." Luke frowned. "We heard police sirens… The bikers ran, and so did we. I remember how fast I was

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driving and the pain in my head…" Zuriel nodded. He knew, but he was not comfortable with letting Luke know. "I couldn't see for a moment. God, it was horrible. I lost control of the bike, crashed into a tree. The last thing I remember is your voice… It was in my head, wasn't it?" Luke's eyes widened. "That's just wrong!" "Which part?" Zuriel tried to stay calm. If Luke lost it now, there was no chance he was going to understand the rest of the story. Or accept what was sure to happen. "Good question. I don't think I should be remembering all this so clearly. In fact, I should have serious injuries. But I haven't even got the headache from before the crash anymore, or the cuts and bruises from the fight." Luke shook his head. "Can you explain all this weirdness? And I won't even start on the fact that I think I heard your voice in my head. That can't possibly be real, can it?" "I am afraid I can explain the weirdness, as you call it. Somehow, I do not think you will believe me, though." Zuriel had no idea where to start. "Okay, while we're at it, there are a couple of other things that don't make sense beyond what I've just mentioned." Luke lifted his finger, pointing at him accusingly. "Back in the bar when I asked you what you

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wanted, you seemed surprised that I was able to see you. The same thing happened when the bikers saw you. Why the hell did you think we wouldn't be able to see you?" Zuriel flinched at the swearing. The mention of hell, knowing what trouble he was in, did not reassure him. "Come on, out with it. Your explanation can't possibly be any weirder than what's happened." Luke narrowed his eyes. "Can it?" "Oh, you have no idea." Zuriel wished he could actually take a breath. He had seen the positive effect extra oxygen gave humans but had never experienced it himself. "All right, let me have it." Luke turned his hand and curled his fingers as if to pull Zuriel closer. "Let me start at the beginning. The reason I was surprised that you were able to see me, never mind the three bikers, was that I am not normally visible to humans." He waited for a reaction, but nothing much was forthcoming. "So?" Luke shrugged. "I'd already figured out that much, but what I want to know is why you seem to think that. You look pretty human to me, so I don't understand why you keep referring to us as if we were a different species." "That is exactly it. I may look human, but I am not." Zuriel faltered for a moment when he saw the shock on

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Luke's face. "Is that why you don't use contractions when you speak?" Luke laughed at his own joke but quickly sobered when Zuriel made no move to join him. "You're serious? You're—what, an alien?" "I am not an alien as the human race currently defines that concept." He cringed when he saw the utter disbelief on Luke's face. "What are you? You've already admitted to not being human, what else is there?" Luke scratched his head, looking lost. "I am a senior guardian angel." "A what?" Luke inserted his index fingers in both ears, shook them as if to clear his aural pathway and pulled them out again, looking incredulous. "Did I just hear you say that you're an—angel?" "Yes, a guardian angel to be exact. I do not know why I have been assigned to your case, but for some reason the powers that be thought it necessary I accompany your soul into the next life." Zuriel shook his head. "I could not do it." "Well, that much is fucking obvious since I'm still here." Luke scooted away from him and leaned back against the tree. "Man, this is something else. I can't believe I'm even thinking about believing you."

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"Why would you not?" It was probably a stupid question. Humans had considerable capacity for not believing things that were blatantly obvious. "There is a lot of evidence to support the fact that this is not a normal situation, as you would describe it." "That's certainly true." Luke sighed as his face fell. "The thing is that you're right. Your explanation makes a lot of sense. It also explains why I'm not injured in any way. Unless—am I dead after all?" "No, you are not dead. I was supposed to let you die, but I just could not do it." Zuriel hung his head in shame. "Is that so?" Luke's voice sounded amused. "I must be really irresistible." "Yes, and I am in big trouble for it." He looked up again, just in time to catch Luke's fading smile. Irresistible indeed! The man's ego was as substantial as his looks were exceptional. "You're in trouble? With who? And what are they going to do, whoever they are? It's a bit too late to kill me now. I hope." Luke looked doubtful for all of three seconds. "No, they'll have to find a different way of letting me die now. I guess you won't be my guardian angel any longer, will you?" "I am in trouble with my boss. I violated some

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pretty basic regulations by letting you live, never mind that I failed my mission. I do not know what will happen to you since I have never heard of a case like this." He hated the thought of not being able to protect Luke any longer. They were sure to assign someone ultra-loyal to this case now, someone who would never consider not obeying his orders. "What I do know is that at some point in the near future, they will come after me." "What do you mean—after you? Do you have police angels?" Luke's eyes were as big as saucers. "I do not know for sure, but I think we probably do. Most of the way humans run their affairs is a copy of what angels invented millennia ago. So it would make sense for there to be police angels or something equivalent." The thought alone made him shudder. "Okay, so we run. I don't like the thought of dying after all, and I can't say I'm in favor of them hunting you down to do whatever it is they want to do to you." Luke frowned and moved his legs, ready to get up. "I do not think you understand what is going on." He only wished there was a way to run. The relative safety of being outside of linear time protected them for now, but it would not last long. He could not keep them here forever. The fact that he was not where he should be would be noticed quite quickly and they would be able to track him.

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"There is nowhere to run. My bosses are powerful angels who may not be omnipotent or all-knowing, but they can and will find us whether we stay on Earth or try to hide in Heaven." "Nowhere to run, huh?" Luke slumped. "So what do we do? Turn ourselves in and hope for leniency?" "That is exactly what we need to do." He nodded. He did not want to return to Heaven and not just because he was sure he was going to get banished to hell or, worse, into the void. The need to stay with Luke, to get to know him better, was getting stronger by the minute. "You're not serious! They'll crucify you." Luke looked outraged, his fists balled as if he was ready to fight. "I am very serious. And crucifixion is not really something that is done, you know, considering what happened two thousand years ago." Zuriel was sure they would find something equally irreversible. "Oh, I see." Luke blushed. "So, what do we do?" A loud, screeching sound rent the air. Zuriel flinched with the pain it caused in his head. Suddenly he could no longer maintain their bubble of non-time around them. They dropped back into linear time with a loud whoosh. Three archangels in dark blue robes stood between them and the road. Their faces were masks of severe

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disapproval. This was it. Their personal guard into doom had arrived.

****

Zuriel had never before experienced déjà-vu. The oddest feelings circled in his head as he sat on one of the stools in the waiting area of the Judicial Panel for CelestialHuman Affairs. This was exactly the same situation his friend Araton had been in not too long ago. Except this time he was not here to support a friend. He was here to face his own personal doom. And for some reason that he could not understand, Luke was still with him. On the one hand, that was very reassuring; on the other hand, he could not help but worry. What were they planning to do to him? If anything, Luke was the only one completely innocent. Zuriel glared at the imposing energy barrier between waiting room and court room, half wishing it was already over. Why did they always make the accused wait? Surely, the panel knew they were here and could have planned things better? "I'm sure it'll be all right." Luke smiled at him, but his lips trembled as he reached out and squeezed Zuriel's thigh in comfort.

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The poor man must have been far more scared than Zuriel, and yet he was the one trying to cheer him up. The irony of his situation was not lost on him. Back when it had been Araton's turn, Zuriel had thought something like this could never happen to him. The fact was, his situation was a lot worse than his friend's had ever been. A loud crackling from the barrier between the waiting area and the judicial panel's place of deliberation roused him from his reverie. Luke quickly withdrew his hand and joined him in staring at the now-transparent barrier. One of the justice-green clad ushers moved toward them. "The panel is ready for you now, Senior Guardian Zuriel." The usher stepped aside to reveal the brightly lit area behind him. "You are expected to go inside with him, Luke Yarber of Earth." Zuriel got up and walked toward what he was sure was his doom with far more confidence than he felt. He was not willing to let them see his fear. Luke followed him inside. As much as he liked that Luke was still with him, it worried him that the human was his only companion. Since there was no defense before the panel, accused angels were allowed some moral support. Apparently someone considered Luke to be the right person to support him. They were right! Luke's presence definitely

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calmed him down. Zuriel came to a stop at the center of the green circle in the middle of the room, facing the seven archangels who were going to decide his fate. He sensed Luke behind him, slightly to his right. Raguel himself presided, a sure sign of the seriousness of the case. The other six members of the judicial panel were grouped three each to Raguel's sides, all of them perched on golden stools that allowed their imposing wings free rein. Bright white light poured in from the transparent ceiling, reflecting from the mirrored walls and creating a feeling of exposure. "Senior Guardian Zuriel, you stand accused of failing to fulfill your mission of accompanying Luke Yarber's soul to the next life. Not only that, you allowed him to see you prior to the planned accident. To top it all off, you actively intervened in the death process by saving his life and restoring him to health." Raguel presented his usual stony face, letting his disturbing ruby-red eyes focus on Zuriel without so much as blinking. "Not only does this violate your orders, it created a serious rift in reality because Luke Yarber is now alive and did not join the next level of existence at the preordained time. I am sure you realize the seriousness of your failing." Zuriel looked down at the white marble floor and

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winced. That was the understatement of the millennium. He not only realized the seriousness of his failing, he was very aware of the consequences of his actions. They reached far beyond the fact that Luke still lived. A guardian angel who went against his orders was totally unheard of. He was not even sure there was a law applicable to this situation. He looked back up in time to see Raguel put aside the file he had read from. "The judicial panel is ready to hear your defense, should you have one." Raguel tilted his head, not looking like he expected anything of value to be brought forward. "I have no defense." Zuriel might as well be honest.

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Chapter Four Luke was still reeling with the impact of somehow having been transported to Heaven only to find it looked deceptively close to what he was used to on Earth. Sure, the walls were made from some sort of energy, or so he'd been told, and the beings running around were clearly angels if the wings and beatific smiles were anything to go by, but the rest? Was pretty much a copy of the human world. He grimaced when he realized it might actually be the other way around. Now, he stood just behind Zuriel in this weird-ass pseudo court they called a panel and was listening to the opening phrases of what sure sounded like a court case. The seven angels seated in a semi-circle looked extremely intimidating, and far more powerful than Zuriel. They were probably older, or higher up in the hierarchy, maybe both. The head guy, who had spoken the accusations, looked particularly vicious. His red eyes bore into Zuriel as if he wanted to dictate the poor guy into admitting his guilt. And the worst thing was that there appeared to be nobody there to speak for Zuriel. Surely they had some sort of lawyers here? Or were they a human invention? When Zuriel told the imposing judge, panel foreman, whatever, that he had no defense, Luke had had 53

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enough. "What the hell? No defense?" Luke was too outraged to let this whole ultra-weird situation cower him anymore. "What about some basic human decency? Or angelic decency, or whatever the equivalent is. Or aren't angels capable of feeling compassion?" The silence following his bold statement was deafening. Zuriel's body stiffened, and he slowly turned around to stare at Luke, his jaw literally hanging open. "What?" Luke began to suspect he'd committed a major faux-pas. This was rather scary behavior. "You are not supposed to speak!" Zuriel looked horrified, but at least his mouth was closed now. "I don't see anyone else speaking for you, do you?" Luke wasn't going to let them railroad Zuriel into what he was sure was going to be very harsh punishment. Not while he was standing there. "That is not how we do things here." The head angel's eyes turned an even deeper red. "You can lend moral support, but that is all. Did nobody explain the rules you? Or do you not have the capacity to remember what you have been told?" Luke blinked. Had his intelligence just been insulted?

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"Well, quite frankly, I'm not very impressed with the way you do things here. And what good is moral support without anything to back it up against these guys?" Luke pointed at the assembled group of angels. Several of them had their mouths hanging open, two weren't even looking at him, and the one at the left was trying to keep his lips from twitching. Yay for a sense of humor. But one out of seven wasn't good odds. "Moral support is all an accused angel is allowed. It has been like that for millennia and will not change just because you do not agree with it." The head angel's lips pressed into thin lines as if to stop himself from saying more. "You will not speak any more, or you will be removed from this room." Well, wasn't that just convenient? The head angel turned his attention back to Zuriel. "We have noted your plea of no defense. Are you ready to hear your judgment?" What? This was it? No discussion? Zuriel nodded, his whole body slumping in defeat, head hanging. "All rise." The head guy and the other judges stood, wings rustling. "It is this panel's considered judgment that Senior Guardian Angel Zuriel is guilty as charged. His membership of the guardian angel class is herewith

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revoked. His punishment is the eviction from Heaven and banishment into the void." That didn't sound good at all. Zuriel's head snapped up. All seven judges stared at him with an expression of severity that would have made Luke tremble if he'd really thought about it. This was just wrong on so many levels. He didn't care about the threat of being removed, it couldn't get any worse for Zuriel anyway. Shit, the angel had saved his life, the least he could do was try to help. "I want to appeal this decision." Luke was proud how sure and steady his voice sounded. "There's got to be a way of getting some leniency around here." "Leniency? Not another one!" The head judge's facial expression was horrified. "Yes." Luke stepped forward. No more of that standing behind Zuriel shit. If they were going to kick him out, at least he'd make it worth their while. "Is that such a difficult concept for you to grasp?" "The concept is not the problem." The head guy frowned. "Then what is?" He was going to lose it pretty soon. What a bunch of idiots. If these were the people in charge of Heaven, he wasn't sure he wanted to go there. "Well… according to celestial law, any angel

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accused of wrongdoing and sentenced by the judicial panel, no matter how severe the charge, has the right to appeal that decision." The head guy looked like he'd bitten into a lemon. "So. You do have some sort of real justice here after all. What seems to be the problem now? Is there some procedure I didn't follow?" In fact, he was pretty sure he hadn't followed any procedure, but he didn't care. They hadn't explained things to him properly, so as far as he was concerned, he was going to get off on a technicality. If they had such a thing. Then again, they seemed pretty hung up on process and following their procedures, so there was hope. "What are you doing?" Zuriel turned around, clearly trying to keep his voice down so the others wouldn't hear. "I do not want you to be pulled into this as well. They could kill you for this!" "I don't care about that!" He balled his hands into fists. "I'm dead anyway, since I was supposed to have died in that accident. They'll just find another way of getting rid of me as soon as possible. But for you, it's different. We're talking about your existence, which is going to be another few thousand years, for all I know. I can't believe they're going to convict you without a defense. Never mind that I think they're being overly harsh in their punishment. If

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there's any way of getting them to do an appeal, I want the decision to be reviewed by someone who's going to be less inclined to try and make an example of you." "And who might that be?" Zuriel raised his eyebrows. "How the fuck should I know? I'm only human after all." He pointed at the assembled angel judges, who were busy talking amongst themselves, faces intense and wings rustling. "But I bet you these guys have some idea, or they wouldn't have admitted to having an appeals process, now would they?" "You are actually on to something." Zuriel rubbed his temples. "I invoked the right of leniency for a friend of mine recently, and while you did not use the proper wording, apparently you have caused them to at least consider it." "Right of leniency, huh?" It was a good thing he'd put that word in there, it seemed to have triggered one hell of a discussion. Well, that, or the mention of an appeal. Not that he cared which word had done it—all he wanted was some sort of real justice for Zuriel. "The problem is that his case was totally different from mine. He failed to protect his human, leading to the man becoming a quadriplegic. While failure to do one's job is a serious charge, it is not half as serious as refusing to

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obey an order altogether. His case was one of neglect, mine is one of willful disobedience." Zuriel shrugged. "As far as my research indicated, he was entitled to counseling. I do not know what kind of counseling he received, since I was not allowed to talk to him after he left the courtroom. But I do know that it must have helped. I was told that I need not worry about him since he was given a new job and a chance to redeem himself." "So, what you're saying is that your problem can't be solved with counseling or a new job?" Luke glanced at the judges. No change. The debate was still as heated as before. "I do not think so. I have no idea what type of counseling would help in their eyes, unless it was something that 'convinced' me to blindly obey orders from now on. Since I have not heard of brainwashing as an option for angels, I do not believe that is a choice they have. On the other hand, my complete failure to obey will not encourage them to give me another job, where I would also have to obey orders. They would need to find something completely different for me. Looking at how much of a debate they are having, this is not an easy problem to solve." Zuriel looked exhausted trying to think his way out of his predicament. "God, my head spins from thinking about all this

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stuff." Luke froze when every single judge angel suddenly stared at him. "Do not use His name in vain, human!" The head guy's face turned red, his lips were pressed into an ultra thin line. "You have caused us enough problems as it is. You really do not want to add to the list of your sins." "What, trying to ask for justice for a fellow— person—is a sin now?" Luke shook his head. Where did these guys get their ideas from? "You know what I mean!" The head guy looked flustered, opening then closing his mouth without speaking again. Humans one—angels zero!

****

Zuriel could not believe what had just happened. Not only had he escaped the fate of being banned into the void, he was now being sent to receive emotional counseling, whatever that was, prior to the decision about his appeal being made. He had no idea if this process could actually help him. Never having heard about it before, it was difficult to judge its usefulness. At least it fit with what he saw as his key issue. The judges seemed to have picked up on it as well. The system basically prevented him from

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forming an emotional bond with his charges, something he craved desperately. The few times he had formed one, he had been in big trouble. So maybe they were onto something. He sat in a small waiting area in front of one of the many offices of the upper level. He had never been here before, but suspected it was the same one that Araton had been sent to. The fact that Araton had completely vanished after having been here was not exactly encouraging. All the assurances that his friend was okay had sounded fine before, but his current situation made Zuriel wonder. It did not feel as if anything good could come from it. Except if it avoided him being banished. That alone might be worth whatever they were going to put him through here. Luke sat right next to him, looking around with big eyes. The opulent surroundings were a lot to take in for anyone, but they must look far more intimidating to a human. The energy paintings alone, with their swirling colors and slowly changing subjects, would be a novelty. They were not exactly commonplace in Heaven either, but at least he had seen a few before when they first started becoming popular a century or so ago. He glanced at the energy barrier to Councilor Elemiah's office. It was still opaque, guarding the secrets of whatever was going on in there. It was amazingly

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appropriate that they had appointed the angel of inner journeys to this position as emotional councilor. He had never known about that job. But then, he had ever really thought about it before. "Zuriel?" He looked up, pulled back into reality. The tall angel with the wingspan of two normal archangels smiled. His power was obvious from his build alone. The way he carried himself, pride and selfconfidence emanating from his entire body, only added to the picture. "Yes, sorry. I was just thinking." What a stupid thing to say. "That is understandable. You must have a lot to think about. My name is Elemiah and I would like to try to help you with your, uhm, problem." The beautiful creature looked at Luke. "You will come with us, please? We cannot have an unsupervised human in the corridor, I am afraid." "Unsupervised human?" Luke grinned. "I've been called worse things, I guess." Elemiah stepped aside and pointed at the nowtransparent energy barrier. Zuriel followed him inside, trying to take it all in as he sat down. The brightly lit office contained no desk of

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any kind, but several filing cabinets were situated up against one wall. Groups of very comfortable leather sofas and easy chairs sat in three of the corners. There was soothing art in muted colors on the walls, and three mugs of steaming hot coffee on the low coffee table in front of the smallest group of furniture. "Why don't you have a seat?" Elemiah waved the barrier opaque and followed them to the sofas, sitting down next to Zuriel and across from Luke who had picked an easy chair. After getting his coffee, how human, Zuriel leaned back. He made sure that Luke looked comfortable before turning to the councilor. "I must admit that I am very curious to find out what you are going to do about this—situation I seem to have gotten myself into." Zuriel probably wasn't supposed to speak first, but he just could not contain himself any longer. "I have a very hard time imagining how emotional counseling is going to help." "I see." Elemiah had finished his hot drink and set the empty mug back onto the coffee table. "Let me give you a little bit of background. The job of councilor goes back to the same time that the judicial panels were established untold millennia ago. It was a time of great upheaval and many changes. One of them was the granting

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of more responsibility for running Heaven to the archangels. While the judicial panels were needed to ensure justice was done, the job of councilor was established to balance some of the potentially damaging consequences of a system running without prosecution or defense." "Why didn't they just add those job functions to the new system?" Zuriel pointed at Luke. "Like he said in the courtroom, some sort of a defense seems to be a logical thing to have, if you want a trial to be fair." "It was seen as too—human." Elemiah shrugged. "We are not the only division in charge of a species, and the celestial justice system has to work for all the races in the universe. Some similarities, like the appeals process, were seen as acceptable. After all, the human justice system is based on celestial principles, even if the actual execution has gotten off track from what was originally intended." "So, how does this appeals process work?" Zuriel wanted to get to the point. The background was interesting enough, but he had not come here for a history lesson. "Our job is to reevaluate the panel's decisions." Elemiah grimaced. "We have not had many appeals in the last few hundred years, but the ones we have had were quite important." "Important—how?" Luke sat forward, putting his empty mug next to the councilor's.

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"Let us just say that some of the decisions recently made by middle management have been less than stellar. Their preoccupation with rules and procedures has been increasing, leading to other areas of angelic development being neglected." Elemiah sighed. "Your particular issue, with the formation of emotional connections, is less rare than you may think. The increasing workload of individual angels has meant that each individual now has to take care of far more human souls than they did ever before." "Haven't senior guardians always had more humans to protect than juniors?" Zuriel finished his coffee, glad to be able to focus completely on the discussion. "Yes, they have." Elemiah nodded. "It has always been part of their career development since it is a good preparation for the next level. A guardian manager, after all, has a whole group of guardians underneath him, so he has to be able to deal with more than one case at a time. However, having to protect more than three charges simultaneously

stretches

even

a

senior

guardian's

resources." "Wow, I never knew." Zuriel suddenly felt a lot better about his problems. At least he was not the only one. "Some angels are better at dealing with this than others, so problems are still fairly rare. But we are finding that the more sensitive souls, like yourself, are having a

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harder time of it." Elemiah rubbed his forehead as if he was trying to remove the frown. He can say that again! "It means that punishing you by sending you to the void is not only far too harsh, it would also not accomplish anything other than making sure you never disobey another order." Elemiah sat up. "I have looked at your file, and I believe the way forward for you may be to experience an emotional bond to its fullest." "What does that mean?" Had he not done that when he was a Junior Guardian? Was a demotion even possible? He had never heard of one. "It means that you will be sent back to Earth and given the opportunity to explore emotions and what they mean to you. Depending on the outcome, you might be reassigned to a different position, you might find that you have learned to deal with emotions, or you might never want another emotional connection in your existence." Elemiah grinned. "Personally, I cannot see that last one happening, but you never know." "I will be sent to Earth? As what? A Guardian?" Zuriel was more confused than ever. How could he do his job if he was stuck on Earth? He needed the resources of Heaven, access to the files, to be a good guardian, even a junior one.

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"No, not as a guardian. That would defeat the purpose." Elemiah shook his head. "You will be fully human for the duration of one lifetime. At the end of it, you will reappear here and we will reevaluate your case. This is your new punishment, but I believe it will also give you a chance to find out what you want to do with the rest of your existence." "Being human is a punishment?" Luke snorted. Zuriel laughed. The man had such a quirky sense of humor. "You will still be accountable to celestial law, though." Elemiah's frown was intimidating. "Just remember that at the end of your human lifespan you have to return to Heaven, and you will have to live with both the good and the bad of what you did and learned while you were human." "Given those conditions, being human will be a punishment indeed." Zuriel did not know what to think. What in all of creation did he know about being human? He had guarded members of their species for over a millennium, but that did not mean he had the first clue what it was like to be human. Did it? Is that the point of the exercise?

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Chapter Five Zuriel awoke slowly. It was the strangest feeling. Returning from his meditative state after one of his resting periods was more like a slow drifting from one state of consciousness into another. What he experienced now felt as if he'd been gone completely, only to return to himself at this moment. Did this happen to humans every time they went to sleep? Not being conscious at all was scary and would definitely take some getting used to. He stayed still for a few moments more, trying to get to grips with his new situation. Elemiah had said he'd be fully human, but what did that mean? Exploring his surroundings through his new senses was going to be interesting. Starting by opening his eyes didn't get him very far. The space he was in was half-dark, and the few first rays of a sunrise poured through a set of half-closed blinds somewhere to his left. There were no sounds other than his breathing. Breathing. Holy—not swearing was going to take more of an effort now that he had a human brain and body to deal with. He was actually breathing. Fresh air went into his 68

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nose, down his windpipe and made his chest puff out then warmer air made its way back up, out of his lings and left his nose in a soft whoosh. What an amazing experience. Listening to his body more carefully, he discovered a gnawing emptiness at its center. What was that? Was it hunger? He'd probably need food on a regular basis. No more easy energy recharging sessions for him. Everything was different. And where was he anyway? He sat up and found himself on a leather sofa inside what looked like a living room. He was dizzy, and his sense of balance was off. God Almighty! He slapped a hand in front of his mouth even though he hadn't spoken out loud. Man, this controlling his thoughts was so much harder than it had been before. But really, he felt entitled to a bit of a panic. His wings were gone! He should have expected that, but still. It was awfully strange to suddenly be without them. Did that mean he'd have to learn to walk all over again? That might take a while. He lifted his head to look around. It was almost as if he'd lost part of his sight. All the colors were muted, he couldn't see through the walls or sense what was going on outside. His sense of smell was gone, as was the angelic energy that had given him strength and an ability to sense

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more than the five human senses could. He was wearing real clothes that chafed his skin when he moved. Jeans and one of the ubiquitous T-shirts humans loved so much. At least he wouldn't stand out too much. He lay back, still a little dizzy. "Zuriel?" Luke's voice sounded different, deeper than before, raspier. It made his stomach flutter. What was up with that? "Zuriel? Are you here?" Luke's voice came from behind him. "Yes, I'm here." His own voice sounded weird, muffled, as if he was speaking through a fog. "I think this is the living room." "Thank God!" Luke's steps on the floor were soft, sounding like he wasn't wearing any shoes. "I was so worried when I woke up in my own bed and you weren't there." "In your bed?" Zuriel's groin tightened. What in Heaven's name was that all about? "Not in my bed—necessarily." Luke chuckled. Light suddenly blazed into Zuriel's eyes and he quickly closed them. That brightness hurt, and he blinked his eyes open slowly so he could get used to the sudden illumination. "Oh, sorry, should have warned you about that."

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Luke's head appeared in his field of vision. It was upside down and sported a relieved smile. "Hey, I'm glad you're here." "So am I." It surprised him a little how true it was now that he'd said it. This speaking before thinking was another thing he'd have to watch out for. Looking at Luke upside down wasn't ideal, so he sat up. "Whoa!" The dizziness returned with a vengeance. "Careful." Luke now stood in front of him, grabbing his upper arms before he could blink. Zuriel leaned into the support, grateful it was there. The warm hands on his skin felt surprisingly good and he closed his eyes to focus on the new sensations. His angelic body had had a sense of touch, but it was all about pressure. This was very different. There was a certain pleasure in feeling the other man's hands on his skin. Was it supposed to be like this? Opening his eyes to see if he could find out anything from Luke, he found the other man's face inches from his. Blue eyes the color of cobalt stared back at him. The warmth from his breath caressed Zuriel's face. His lips were slightly parted, and Zuriel licked his own in response. With a low groan, Luke moved closer, very slowly, maybe giving him time to move away. That was the last thing he wanted to do!

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Zuriel had no idea what he wanted, or what all of this was about, but the need to be close to Luke, to find out what lips on lips would feel like was overwhelming. "Please," he whimpered, his groin suddenly so tight it almost hurt. Was this what an erection felt like? "Are you sure?" Luke looked adorably hesitant. Zuriel nodded and moved his head forward the last inch, closing the distance so their lips could touch. Hot. Soft. He pulled back, checking Luke's face. The man's eyes were closed and his lips curved up in a smile. Bringing up his hand to caress the other man's face, Zuriel leaned forward again to touch Luke's lips some more. Luke brought up a hand and buried it in Zuriel's hair, pulling him closer as he kissed along Zuriel's lips. He sighed, making sure he kissed back. A brief battle about who was kissing who ensued, then Luke's hand pulled them close enough to seal their lips together. Zuriel thought he was going to explode. Shivers of excitement ran down his spine, the skin on his entire body tingled, and he started shaking with the need to be closer. Letting Luke lead the kiss—after all, he knew nothing about how to do it right—Zuriel spread his legs and pulled at Luke until their bodies aligned from groin to chest.

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The sensations racing through his new human body as their hard cocks touched with only two thin layers of fabric between them were indescribable. Heavenly bliss had nothing on this. He pressed his chest against Luke's and brought his other hand up to hold onto Luke's shoulder. The kiss made him dizzy again. He couldn't breathe, it was so intense. His hips started moving of their own volition. Huh? The need to rub against Luke as hard as he could was overpowering. Luke moaned and pushed back. Oh, good, it was mutual. Giving up any attempt at thinking about what he was doing, he let his body lead. The pressure between his legs mounted to the point where the tension was almost unbearable. He held onto Luke for dear life and mewled in the back of his throat. He needed something more, but he didn't know what. It was going to drive him mad. Luke pulled back, his chest heaving with the need for oxygen as well. "Man, you can kiss." Luke's pupils were dilated and his cheeks were flushed. "I can kiss? I've never done this before. You did all of that." Zuriel was sure he was going to faint soon. "You're a natural, because that was one hell of a kiss." Luke grinned and gave him another peck on the lips

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for good measure. "How can I be a natural? I've been an angel all my life." He blushed at that statement. He probably shouldn't be doing any of this. But how was he supposed to resist something that felt so good? "Doesn't matter." Luke shrugged. "Do you want more?" "Yes." That sounded awfully certain, but he wasn't going to think about it. His body tingled all over and it was as if he stood at the edge of something tremendous just waiting to be discovered. He had to find out where all these feelings would lead. The small voice at the back of his head trying to remind him about celestial law didn't have a chance. Luke pulled him back into his arms and after a slow slide back onto the sofa, he found himself on his back, Luke half covering his body and bending down his head for some more kissing. Tongues and lips tangled until they needed air again. Luke caressed down Zuriel's side with one hand, the other still lodged behind his head to hold him in place. It was nice, being held like this. Like he mattered. Sharing Luke's body heat made him feel close to the other man in more than a physical sense. He tilted his head, wanting to speak, but Luke put a finger against his lips.

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"Shshsh, don't think. Just feel." Luke smiled and slid his hand under Zuriel's T-shirt to caress his stomach. "Ohhhhh." It was too good to remain silent. Luke just smiled and continued his caresses. Zuriel closed his eyes and moved into the touches, letting the other man lead. The warm hand moved across his skin in small circles, followed by long strokes. It all felt good. Suddenly the fingers were fumbling with the button of his jeans before the zip was pulled down. Zuriel's eyes flew open. Luke's gaze was on him as his hand moved inside, touching his throbbing cock to pull it out. Luke's fist closed around it and he pushed it down to the base, then back up. That was all he needed. Zuriel opened his mouth to scream his ecstasy but no sound came out. Sensation exploded inside him, needing an outlet. His hips bucked upward and his balls contracted, shooting warmth across his stomach. Pulse after pulse of bliss raced through his veins as he covered himself and Luke's hand in white seed. It was almost too much. Still trembling with aftershocks that zinged through his body and made him want to howl with pleasure, he sank back, totally sated. "Wow." He was bathed in pleasure, but exhausted.

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All he wanted was a nap. Luke stilled his movements, pulled his hand away, and wiped him off with something soft before closing his pants and taking him back into his arms, briefly kissing his mouth and relaxing at his side. The silence felt comfortable and Zuriel let himself drift off.

****

Luke looked down at his sleeping angel and grinned. His cock was still hard as rock, but seeing Zuriel come for the first time was worth any amount of discomfort. The man was absolutely beautiful anyway, but the way his dark green eyes lit up when pleasure overcame him had been breathtaking. Now he looked well fucked, his long blond hair tousled from Luke's hand running through it as he pressed the other man against him when they'd kissed. He'd never had reason to wonder what a fallen angel would look like, but now he knew. Zuriel looked like more, like someone he never wanted to let go. The trust with which the newly made human had given himself to Luke, the way he'd looked at him in the throes of passion, made his heart clench. Luke wasn't used to feeling like this. It was a little

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unsettling, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. Adventure was all fine and good, but the idea of an emotional attachment to someone who was essentially a stranger? Yes, they'd been through a lot together, but still. He wasn't sure if he liked feeling that way. Wasn't sure what to think at all. The whole situation gave him the idea that he belonged with Zuriel. How was that even possible? He shrugged. In the scheme of things, and considering all the weird stuff that had happened, this actually fit right in. His entire life had been turned upside down in the last day or so, finding one more significant change somehow wasn't all that surprising. "What are you thinking about?" Zuriel's voice was rough with sleep. "You look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders." Luke looked down, right into Zuriel's wide open eyes. Man, he'd sure recovered quickly. "Nothing much." He shrugged. "Just this whole weird situation and what it might mean for us." "Oh. I see what you mean." Zuriel nodded, his tousled hair moving with him. "It's all been a bit much, hasn't it?" "You know what I've just noticed?" He laughed. "You'll think this is ridiculous, but you're using contractions now when you speak."

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"I am?" Zuriel tilted his head. "I guess it comes with being human, huh? I can try to stop doing it if it's weird." "No, it sounds just right. It's just not what I was used to from you." Luke was sure it was the smallest of the changes Zuriel was going to have to deal with over the next few days, maybe weeks, until he got used to being human. "Okay." Zuriel still looked thoughtful. "You know what? I don't even know where to begin. Getting used to this body will take some time, although I'm beginning to think it's not going to be as difficult as I thought. But there are so many other things we'll need to talk about…" "I'm not sure we should talk about all of them at once. If we did, it would be completely overwhelming. And we'd still forget stuff that seems unavoidable. It's not like there's a checklist of things we need to cover, or a manual telling us what to do in this situation." Luke chuckled. "Maybe we should write one in case something like this happens again." "I think you're right. But I don't even know where I am right now, and that's very disconcerting. I used to be able to sense my surroundings much better than this. Not having my angelic abilities anymore is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought." Zuriel frowned. "You're in my home. And you're welcome to stay as long as you want." Where the hell had that come from? It

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was true, but the certainty with which he'd made that statement, considering the fact he hadn't even thought about it before speaking, was a bit worrying. "I am?" Zuriel seemed to relax at that. "Thank you. At least I'm not going to be homeless. But that means I'm going to have to think about finding a job, doesn't it? I can't just live here and not contribute." "I guess you are. But that opens a whole new can of worms. You don't have any qualifications that I am aware of, and you'll need ID. I don't even know where to start obtaining that. Without a birth certificate or some sort of documentation, they're not even going to believe you exist." Luke could give Zuriel a job at his dealership, but the thing with the ID wasn't so easily solved. "The qualifications are going to be a problem, yes." Zuriel nodded. "But the ID isn't. They wouldn't have sent me here without giving me at least the basics for survival. Knowing how fixated they are on documentation, I'm sure they'd consider ID one of those." "Are you serious?" Luke couldn't wait to see how they'd solved that. "Here, let me up so I can have a look." Zuriel sat up and put his hand into the back pocket of his jeans. He pulled out an envelope which looked a little worse for wear. Inside were an Arizona driving license and

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a birth certificate. "Apparently I'm Zuriel Angelli." He grinned. "Born in Paradise Valley, Arizona." "Looks like someone up there does have a sense of humor." Luke laughed out loud. "Okay, I'm glad we have those bases covered. The rest will be easy." "It will?" Zuriel pushed the envelope back into his pocket. "Yeah, you do know that I own a motorcycle dealership, don't you?" Luke was pretty sure that information would have been in his file. "Yes, but what does that have to do with a job for me?" Zuriel rubbed his forehead. "I have no skills in that area whatsoever." "That doesn't matter. I can always teach you. You can be my apprentice, if you're more mechanically inclined, or you could be my assistant helping me out in the office, if you're more administratively inclined." The main thing was that Zuriel would be around and they'd have a chance to get to know each other better. Luke was expected to live a full human life, after all. A relationship was definitely part of that, even though he'd have denied that fact only a few days ago. With anyone else, his inability to trust would become an issue fairly quickly. Somehow he didn't think that would be the case with Zuriel.

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"Considering how much I hate paperwork, I can only hope I have some mechanical talents." Zuriel winked at him. "We'll start exploring that on Monday." Luke was relieved they'd solved at least one problem. "What day is today?" Zuriel shook his head. "I can't believe that I've lost my sense of time as well." "I think that something really odd has been going on with time, too, so I can't blame you. According to my internal clock, we spent almost two days in Heaven. But when I checked my cell just after waking up, I found out it's actually Saturday morning." "But that means we've been gone just a little over twelve hours in Earth time?" Zuriel scratched his head. "That's a pretty extreme distortion. I bet it has something to do with the cover story they had to find for your accident. Or with making it un-happen in any witnesses memory, whatever." "They can do that?" That was really scary. "Yes. They don't often use those powers because it's quite difficult to obtain clearance. But in this case, I think there was no other way." Zuriel shrugged. "How do we find out?" Then it occurred to him. "Of course, all we have to do is check if my bike is in the garage and what condition it's in."

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"Once we've done that, can we please get something to eat? My stomach feels quite empty, and I have no idea how life-threatening it is to go without food for much longer." Zuriel looked almost apologetic. "Of course we can get something to eat. Although I don't think it'll be life-threatening if we wait another few hours, being hungry is not a good feeling, is it?" He was going to have so much fun introducing Zuriel to the joys of eating food. "No, I hate it. Sorry." Zuriel looked depressed all of a sudden. "You probably think I'm stupid and weak for not being able to deal with such a simple thing." "No, I don't." Luke took Zuriel's hand and squeezed. "You have lots coming at you at the same time. Everything is unfamiliar and new, so there'll be things you'll need to get used to." "Thanks." Zuriel looked relieved. "Okay, let's go check what's in the garage." That might be a good distraction. Not that he was curious or anything. When they made it to the garage that was connected to his adobe style house, the surprise of seeing his motorbike completely undamaged was a shock. Luke may have expected something like this, but remembering the condition of his bike right after the accident and seeing it

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now, as if nothing had happened, it shook him up considerably more than he would have expected. It would take a while to wrap his head around this one.

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Chapter Six Dinner had been an eye-opening experience. Zuriel sat in the passenger seat of Luke's car, the guy not having wanted to take out the bike so soon after an accident they both clearly remembered, even if all traces of it had been removed. They were on their way home. Zuriel stopped in his mental tracks. It was Luke's house, and he had been invited to stay, but to think of it as home already? That was fast. Is it normal to develop an emotional attachment so quickly? He'd been sent here, to Earth, to learn about emotions. What he wasn't so sure about was whether they were good or bad. Knowing about them and experiencing them firsthand were certainly two very different things. His feelings were already pretty strong, but what if Luke didn't return them? Where was that going to leave him? And what if he wasn't supposed to have them in the first place? He'd need to go back to Heaven eventually, Councilor Elemiah had been quite clear about that part, and then what? Was he supposed to just stop feeling and return to his former 'unblemished' state? "Are you okay?" Luke had stopped at a traffic light and turned his head toward him. "You've been awfully 84

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quiet." "Just thinking about things." He wasn't ready to talk about all of this, so he needed to find a distraction— quickly. One that wasn't a lie. He may be human now, but lying was not within his repertoire. "One of them is dinner. I can't believe how good the food tasted. It seems as if all my other senses are muted compared to what they were like before, but my ability to taste has grown into epic proportions." "So you really liked the food at El Capitán? It's just a fairly simple Mexican food place, you know? I mean, they're good, especially their enchiladas, which are well known throughout Flagstaff, don't get me wrong. But I'm glad you liked it so much. We'll have to go back." Luke smiled before he turned his attention back to the road. "It wasn't just the food. Although that was my favorite part." Zuriel leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. He was suddenly very tired. The whole day had been amazing, from the clothes shopping they'd done in the mall, to the movie matinee they'd watched in the afternoon. Dinner had just been the high point. Experiencing everything, being a part of what happened rather than just observing it, was so very different. "We're home." Luke's soft voice woke him from his

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nap. "Already?" He looked outside to discover they were in the garage. "Sorry to be such bad company, I must have dozed off." "It's okay." Luke smiled and put a hand on his thigh, squeezing lightly. "You must have needed it after all those new experiences." "Yeah." He put his hand on Luke's, loving the warmth that came from it. "Thanks for understanding. It's just all so new." "Did you have a good time, though?" Luke didn't move his hand. The warmth coming from it seeped right through the fabric into Zuriel's skin, sending a shiver of excitement straight to his cock. "Yes, thank you." He had a very hard time thinking with that distracting hand on his thigh. The feelings coursing through his body were quickly accumulating into a need to be even closer to Luke. He wanted to be in his arms again. Luke began to move his hand up and down, slowly stroking Zuriel's thigh. Little jolts of arousal raced to his cock and he began to stiffen. He looked up into Luke's smiling face, wondering if it was normal to be this responsive to another human's touch. Caressing the hand which stroked him made the feelings spike to the point

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where he definitely needed more. "Luke…" He didn't know what to do, wasn't sure what he wanted. "What?" Luke grinned, moving his hand between Zuriel's legs, caressing the hard bulge through the fabric. "You want me to touch you again?" "Please!" That would be a good start. "Let's take it inside the house. We'll be more comfortable there." Luke bent toward him and kissed his lips. Zuriel moaned with the intensity of that second touch. He moved forward when Luke withdrew, not wanting to let go. "Inside." Luke's voice was husky and his eyes were hooded. Maybe his lover—wasn't that what they were moving toward?—was just as affected by this as he was? When he looked down at Luke's crotch, there was definitely more than just passing interest there. He smiled. At least he wasn't alone. They didn't even get the shopping from the back of the car. It would be safe in the locked garage for later retrieval. All that mattered now was getting inside and getting naked. He was surprised when they continued past the living room and went upstairs; maybe he shouldn't have

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been. Standing inside Luke's bedroom somehow helped him realize what he was about to do. A quick look around revealed dark wooden furniture, a massive bed with two nightstands against one wall, and a wardrobe and dresser against the other. A window looked out on the garden, and an open door led to the bathroom on the fourth wall. Luke still held his hand and pulled him toward the bed. His lover opened his arms and Zuriel moved right into them, pushing up against the other man's hard body as he was looking for the touch and friction he craved. "Man, I love it when you touch me like this." Luke slid a hand behind Zuriel's neck and caressed his nape with an agile thumb. "All over touch is so good." Zuriel moved into the touch. His nape was another area that seemed to have a direct connection to his cock. "But kissing is even better." "Is that a request?" Luke smiled and pulled them a little closer together. "Because if it is, I'd be very happy to grant it." "Only if you want it, too." He didn't mean to be selfish. "Oh, I want it all right." Luke touched his lips then pulled back. "There isn't anything I don't want to do with you. But you have to tell me if it's all right. I know this is

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all new for you, so you've got to let me know what you like and what you don't. I want to go all the way with you, but I'll stop anytime it gets too much for you." Did he want to 'go all the way'? Heck, yes, more than anything. The increasingly ignored and very small voice in a corner of his now very human brain kept saying that this might not be such a good idea. Angels were not supposed to have sex. He was supposed to return to being an angel at some point. But he waved the thought away. He was human now, and he was desperate to find out what it was like to make love to Luke. Making love—not having sex. He rolled the thought around in his head while Luke very patiently waited for an answer. Being with Luke was about more than just the physical for him. The man was funny, great company, had stood by him under very difficult circumstances, and wasn't afraid to speak his mind no matter who was at the receiving end. Luke was a man he would be proud to call partner. Even though it was much too early to talk about it, he suddenly knew that was what this was all about. "Zuriel?" Luke had an adorable little worried frown on his forehead. "Yes, I understand." He didn't, not really in all its consequences. But that was okay. He trusted Luke, and that was all he needed to be sure of right now. "I'll let you know

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if there is anything I don't want you to do." "Thank you." Luke smiled, the frown gone as if had never been there. "Now, where were we?" Zuriel bent forward, pressing their lips together, enjoying the little gasp that came from Luke before the other man opened up and brought his tongue into play. Exploring each other's mouths was all they did for a few minutes. When it got too hot and intense, he backed off. Looking deeply into Luke's eyes, no words were needed for both of them to know what was next. As if of one mind, they undressed each other, clothes falling left and right without further regard as he focused on unveiling Luke's chest. It was covered with a light flurry of crinkly, dark hair that surrounded brown nipples. He wanted to lick and kiss them. What would they feel like against his lips and tongue? The need to touch was overwhelming. Lifting his hand before he could think about it, he suddenly hesitated. Would it be okay? "Go ahead." Luke's raspy voice and his breath came faster than before. Zuriel lifted his hand and slid it up Luke's naked arm. Goosebumps followed in his finger's path. How fascinating. He let his hand follow the contours of Luke's shoulder before sliding down across his pecs. The crinkly

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hair made his fingertips tingle, and when he reached the stiffening bud, he smiled at Luke's gasp. It seemed as if his lover was going to enjoy this as much as he was. Bending

forward,

he

kissed

along

Luke's

collarbone, moving slowly toward one nipple. When he reached it, he licked across it once, making Luke hiss and push his chest out. Yep, this was going to be fun. Licking and sucking first one nipple into stiffness, then the other, he yelped when Luke suddenly grabbed his upper arms and pushed him away. Gently, but still. Panicked, he looked up into his lover's hooded eyes, afraid he'd done something wrong. The expression was one of enjoyment, though, so he relaxed. "If you keep doing that, I'll come right now." Luke was breathing hard. "And I'm not sure either of us want that." "You can come from this?" His eyebrows rose. "I never did before, didn't even think it was possible." Luke took a deep breath and blinked. "But watching you enjoy what you were doing to me and feeling your amazing tongue on my skin got me pretty close, so who knows." "Can we try that another time?" He wouldn't have minded trying it now, it was all new and wonderful for him, but if Luke didn't want it, he'd have to wait for another

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time. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?" Luke's broad grin clearly said he wouldn't necessarily mind. "No way. I'm having too much fun. I can't wait to see what's next." He couldn't resist kissing each nipple one last time. Making Luke shudder was such fun. "More of the same, I believe, but I'd like to be naked and horizontal." Luke pushed him the rest of the way toward the bed, pulled off the blankets, and opened the nightstand drawer to retrieve condoms and lube. "I assume you know what these are?" He could only nod. This was really going to happen. "I know you're clean, and I am as well, but you can't be sure until I get tested, so we'll be careful for now." Luke put both items next to a pillow. "Okay." His voice was more of a squeak than normal speech. He wanted to get back to the touching and kissing, that was a lot easier. "Naked." Luke showed what he meant by toeing off his shoes, taking off his socks and pants. Zuriel hurriedly followed suit, not wanting to be left behind. Luke slid onto the bed and opened his arms. "Come here." Moving into those arms, lying side by side with his

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lover, was the easiest thing in the world. This time, they weren't touching through layers of fabric, but skin to skin. It was so much better that he almost forgot to breathe. Passionate kisses and roaming hands drove his arousal even higher as Luke explored his body everywhere he could reach. When Luke slid his hand across Zuriel's ass cheeks, his breath hitched and he pushed into the touch. The kneading and caressing of the suddenly very responsive muscles made Zuriel want even more. He hitched his leg up, putting it across Luke's hip, to give his lover room to play. He knew where he wanted him to touch but blushed just thinking about actually saying it out loud.

****

Luke held his breath. Was Zuriel asking for what he thought? Slowly moving his hand closer to the tempting crack and what lay between the taut cheeks, he took his time approaching the opening he knew waited for him. Never letting up on the kissing, he slowly stroked across the wrinkled skin. Zuriel moaned and pushed closer, making their hard cocks touch. "Man." He was going to lose it any time now.

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Really. Nobody had ever revved him up like this. Zuriel's golden skin, his long blond hair that looked like a halo, even now that he was human, his dark green eyes and beatific smile were enough to drive Luke crazy with desire. The way they'd had fun today, Zuriel's warm personality, and the avid enthusiasm with which he chased each new sensation had drawn him from the very beginning. But what really did him in was how responsive his lover—and he finally admitted to himself that that's who Zuriel was becoming to him—was to each of his touches. The way Zuriel had reacted to their kisses, then his arousing exploration of Luke's nipples and chest, had made him think he was going to come before the main event. How embarrassing that would have been! He normally had more stamina than that. But he was beginning to understand that this wasn't a normal situation. Zuriel wasn't another of his quick hookups. He was a potential partner. He swallowed. What if Zuriel rejected that idea? Wouldn't he want to experiment, experience different men, now that he had a human body? What if Luke fell in love with him, and he was already dangerously close, and Zuriel rejected him? He knew what rejection felt like, had experienced it often enough. He didn't know if he'd survive being rejected by

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Zuriel. He was already far too attached to the man. All of those thoughts left his mind in a rush when Zuriel moved back into his touch, beginning a rocking movement between the friction he clearly wanted on his cock and the finger touching his opening. Deciding to experiment, Luke pushed a little harder when Zuriel next moved back. His finger slid in and Zuriel stilled. "You okay?" He pulled back to try to get some eye contact. Zuriel had his eyes closed and he smiled. Luke grinned and wiggled his finger. Zuriel wiggled his ass and moaned as the digit slipped deeper. "Not without lube." He reluctantly pulled his finger out of the hot, tight opening and grabbed the bottle. "Hurry. Please." Zuriel looked up. His pupils were dilated with lust, his hair in total disarray, and his lips were wet and swollen from all the kissing they'd done. An image of those lips wrapped around his cock made Luke's hips buck. He was going to lose control any time now. Thinking practical thoughts, he coated his finger with lube and returned it to Zuriel's entrance. This time, it slid in almost without resistance. It was as if his lover had just been waiting for his touch. "Yesssss!" Zuriel closed his eyes and threw his head

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back as he began fucking himself on Luke's finger. What a picture! The sensation of his lover's tight ass around his finger, the intermittent friction as their cocks touched, added to his arousal to the point where holding back was beginning to be a real challenge. He needed to hurry this along to avoid the nightmare scenario of coming before he made it inside Zuriel's tempting bottom. Two fingers and lots of scissoring later, he couldn't wait any longer. He withdrew his hand, fumbled on a condom and was about to ask Zuriel to turn onto his stomach when the other man rolled onto his back and spread his legs. Hell, yes, this would work too. Grabbing a pillow and shoving it under his lover's ass so he'd be more comfortable, he positioned himself between the trembling legs, slid his elbows under Zuriel's thighs, and spread him as far as possible. "Please." Zuriel looked up at him with those big green eyes full of trust and wide with desire. "Make love to me?" "Baby, I've been making love to you for a while now. This is just the final step." Luke trembled with excitement and the need to push inside the tempting opening. "I just… I want you so much." Zuriel pushed

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toward him, shaking with need. No longer restraining himself from what he wanted to do most, Luke pushed forward. His cock was so hard he didn't need to hold onto it. When the tip touched Zuriel's twitching hole, they both moaned. Seconds later he was pushing and Zuriel pushed back with equal force. Before he knew it, he was half way inside his lover. Zuriel winced. Luke stopped moving and held still with almost superhuman effort. The tight sheath around his cock, the rhythmic contractions as Zuriel tried to adjust to the sudden intrusion, and the big-eyed wonder in his lover's expression made this moment unforgettable. He burned it into his brain with extra care, wanting to be able to remember it always. "Big." Zuriel panted, his hands scrunching the sheet. "Take your time, baby. This was too fast." God, he hoped he hadn't hurt Zuriel. "No. I wanted it. Feels fine now." Zuriel smiled and wiggled his ass experimentally. "Fuck." He needed to move so badly. Zuriel's eyes widened. He probably wasn't used to swearing. Well, he was going to get an education whether he wanted it or not. Swearing was something Luke was very, very good at. But not now. Now he wanted to be as

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close to Zuriel as possible, make them both feel good. And, fuck, but he needed to come. "Come here." Zuriel opened his arms. How could he resist? He slowly pushed all the way in, using shallow thrusts and watching Zuriel's face for any sign of discomfort. Even the promise of Zuriel's arms holding him and kissing him wouldn't make him hurt his lover. When he finally bottomed out, Zuriel's arms came around him and they kissed like never before. Being inside his lover's body, feeling him caress him with his ass muscles, was adding an extra level of arousal that made him see stars. Without thinking, he started pulling out then pushed back in. He made sure his thrusts were slow and deep. Before he knew it, they were both panting with need. He tightened his grip around Zuriel's shoulders, loving how his lover gripped his ass cheeks, as if to make sure he wouldn't leave. Speeding up as gradually as he could bear, he angled his hips to find Zuriel's prostate. "Ahhhh!" Zuriel pushed his head back into the bed, eyes wild as his legs started trembling. "Yeah." Found it. There was no holding back now. The intense look from Zuriel as they stared into each other's eyes, the

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increasing speed of his thrusts, and the needy moans falling from his lover's lips as he responded to the most intense fucking Luke had ever experienced, drove him toward the edge faster than he ever thought possible. Without

warning,

Zuriel

stilled,

hot

semen

splashing between their bellies as he came. Luke followed him within seconds, his feelings totally overwhelming him. He emptied his balls into the condom, shaking with the pleasure that raced up and down his spine, wrapping his entire body in unbelievable ecstasy. When they were done, he collapsed on top of Zuriel for the few crucial seconds he needed to come back to himself. He pulled out of his still-shaking lover, dealt with the condom, and grabbed some tissues for an emergency clean. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. Turning them onto their sides so they could rest in each other's arms, he entangled their legs and held onto Zuriel for all he was worth. "Wow." Zuriel snuggled closer. "That was amazing. We need to do that again." "We will." He laughed. "Let me recover first." The bright blue light that suddenly appeared to come from everywhere was a shock, to say the least. The thunder that went with it made him shudder. "You didn't think you'd get away with this

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unpunished, did you?" The harsh voice right next to the bed shook Luke to the very core of his being. "What the hell?" Shooting up into a sitting position, and pulling Zuriel with him in case he needed protection, Luke glared at the blue-robed intruder whose expanded wings almost brushed the walls. Luke thought he might faint on the spot.

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Chapter Seven "Who are you?" Luke focused on his breathing so he'd calm down. Maybe. "He must be an officer of celestial law." Zuriel clung to him, eyes wide and entire body shaking. "A police angel, I guess you'd call him." "How did he get in here?" Luke wasn't too impressed with some police guy, celestial or not, appearing in his bedroom unannounced and most certainly uninvited. "Your human brain is unable to grasp the exact procedure. Let me assure you, it was not as difficult as you imagine." The blue-robed celestial cop with the short blond hair, the first angel with that sort of hairstyle, couldn't have looked more arrogant and superior if he'd tried. The sneer on his face said it all. "Is it even legal for you to just enter here? Don't you guys have warrants and the decency to knock on someone's door?" He may have been at a disadvantage, naked and only covered with a sheet, and he was only the 'inferior' human here, but surely there were limits to what these celestial officials could legally do. "Uhm, it's not wise to aggravate an officer of the law by questioning their motives or approach." Zuriel looked positively mortified. "They're very powerful." 101

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"Indeed we are." The police angel drew himself up to his full height, his wingspan expanding even farther. "As for warrants and other types of administrative requirements, you can rest assured that procedure was followed to the letter. I would not be here if it was not. Knocking on someone's door is a human concept and does not need to be followed in cases of severe transgressions such as this." "Severe transgressions?" Luke wasn't even going to try to argue about celestial procedures. He'd seen them in action, and wasn't impressed with how thorough they were, procedurally speaking. He wouldn't get this guy on a technicality, that was for sure. "What did we do?" "Lack of repentance will not improve your situation." The police angel's bright blue eyes blazed with anger. "Look, I'm not ready to discuss any potential repentance yet. I'm just trying to figure out what we're being accused of." Luke thought it was too bad celestial law didn't include the concept of a lawyer. He was sure beginning to feel like they might need one. "You dare to question the validity of the charges?" The police angel's eyebrows rose so high they would have vanished under the hairline had his hair been longer. "Uhm, not a good idea." Zuriel's voice had never sounded more timid.

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"Man, what is it with you celestial and ex-celestial types? I'm not questioning anything—yet. I just want to know what the fuck we're being accused of!" He was ready to jump up and shake it out of the guy, except that probably wouldn't be very effective. Not in terms of getting results and definitely not in terms of getting them out of this situation, whatever it was. But the angel cop had mentioned punishment, so it wasn't good. "Swearing will not be counted in your favor." The police angel shook his head. Luke just rolled his eyes. Come on. "As for what you are being accused of, Zuriel will know. But for your benefit I will put it into words even a human can understand." The police angel raised his right hand and pointed an accusing finger at them. "You engaged in forbidden levels of physical intimacy!" Luke waited for the rest. The police angel stared at him with pursed lips in a frown. But the guy didn't add anything. "I don't want to lose you." Zuriel clung to him more tightly than ever before. "Why would you lose me?" He'd clearly missed at least one memo. Probably more than one, actually. "Isn't it obvious?" The police angel's voice rose. "No, it really isn't. I wouldn't be asking if I got it,

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would I?" Luke shook his head. "As far as I understood, Zuriel was sent here to live a human lifespan, as a human, so he could experience emotions and, presumably, make emotional connections. Why is it suddenly an offense worthy of punishment now that he actually starts to do so?" "Because he was sent here to learn about emotions, not physical relationships!" The police angel glared daggers at them. "Well, I've got news for you: for humans, the two generally go hand in hand, unless you're talking platonic relationships or love within a family unit." Luke glared right back which seemed to surprise the police angel. Good. "Neither of those are applicable to the two of us. We're not related and nobody, not even Councilor Elemiah, said anything about our relationship being limited in any way. In fact, he didn't mention it at all." "Because it was obvious!" The police angel looked a little red in the face now. What would happen if an angel got so angry he couldn't control himself anymore? Would he want to be around to find out? Was it even possible? "Well, it wasn't obvious to me, and nobody explained it, either. Never mind that I don't think it's right to exclude certain types of emotions or relationships from the spectrum available for experience." He couldn't believe

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celestial law was that restrictive. He looked at Zuriel. The man still hadn't moved, but he looked more thoughtful than upset now. "It is not up to me to make that decision. It is my job to apprehend you so I can return you to Heaven where you will face the judicial panel. They will decide the details of your punishment." The police angel started to lift his hand as if to whisk them away. "What? We've already been found guilty without so much as anyone listening to our side of the story?" Luke couldn't believe the celestial hierarchy would be that selfabsorbed, blind to anyone else's values, and plain unjust. Two things happened at once. The police angel froze mid-move, utter shock on his face as he struggled against a sudden barrier that seemed to hold him immobile. A bright white light filled the room, completely drowning out the blue coming from the police guy. The brightness came from nowhere specific and spread into every corner, permeating not just the entire room but illuminated the entire house. The police angel's eyes widened then rolled up in his head as his body went limp. Had the freezing force not held him up, he would have collapsed to the ground. "What now?" Luke turned away from the spectacle

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of seeing the cop disarmed, so to speak, and pulled Zuriel closer against him. "What is it with these sudden appearances and all this color coding?" "Zuriel." The deep voice came from all around them and made Luke tremble for the first time. There wasn't a visible threat, but the voice oozed power. "Y-yes?" Zuriel started shaking, not letting go of Luke one bit. "You know why I am here." The voice was even, almost unemotional. "I do?" Zuriel pushed back farther into Luke's embrace. "Only you hold the key to resolving this— situation—you seem to have gotten yourself into." The voice paused. "To that end, you have a decision to make." "Finally, someone is asking one of us what we want instead of making assumptions and throwing around accusations." Luke didn't know who was behind this newest color, but at least whoever it was had stopped the police guy from doing his worst. "To be more exact, you need to confirm the decision you have already made in your heart. I need to hear it from you so that it becomes final." The voice sounded as though its owner was smiling. "So, Zuriel, what is your decision?"

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"I want to stay here, with Luke." Zuriel took Luke's hand and entwined their fingers, making absolutely clear what he meant. "They said I could experience a full lifetime on Earth as a human. Well, that is what I want to do." Luke exhaled and squeezed his fingers. "So noted. Please consider, though, that Israfil, the angel sent to return you to Heaven prematurely, was right in one respect. The original agreement made by the judicial panel, as adapted by Councilor Elemiah, did not include a full-fledged human existence. They saw only part of the picture." The voice chuckled. "Something they have become quite good at." "But that wouldn't be fair." Luke could only hope that the power behind this new light was more reasonable than what they'd encountered before. "Indeed, it would not." "So, what's the problem here?" Luke still didn't get it and it was beginning to really annoy him. "The 'problem', as you call it, is that a full-fledged human existence means that a return to being an angel at the end of it, which is what the panel envisaged, is not possible. The proper path for a human soul is to ascend to the next level, at which point a decision is made regarding what will become of them. Being an angel is an option, but by far not the only one." The voice sighed. "If Zuriel

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chooses to stay with you so he can experience the full range of being human, he will become as mortal as any naturalborn human." Wow, talk about making a big decision!

****

Zuriel watched the emotions flit across Luke's face. Yeah, his lover got the full impact of what was about to happen now. Not having any angelic senses to find out what was going on in the man's head, if he was up for the long-term commitment Zuriel was about to make, was hard. But somehow it was fitting that the first major decision on this new path of his would be made with only human tools at hand. "I still want to stay with Luke." Zuriel looked at his lover. "I would like that very much." Luke smiled at him and squeezed their entwined fingers. Whatever happened next didn't really matter. Hearing those words from Luke, confirming that they were on the same page, was all he needed to know. It made him happier than he thought possible. They were going to try to make this work long term. He would always have this moment and the certainty that their life together had been

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entered with the best of intentions and a willingness to make things work. "Then so shall it be." The light brightened to blinding intensity. Zuriel cried out, a sudden pain flared up inside him and along his spine where his wings had been and made him curl in on himself. He felt Luke's strong arms tighten around him, giving him the support he needed to go through this. The temporary removal of his power had been painless, but this more permanent adjustment apparently came with a stinging hurt that went soul-deep. "Do not worry, Luke. He will be fine." The voice was soothing, trying to assure his lover when he couldn't. "Yeah, just give me a moment." He tried to squeeze Luke's fingers but managed only a very weak fumbling. A few moments later the pain leveled off, then vanished. He looked up, and the light level was back to what it had been before. He relaxed in Luke's arms and felt the deep breath that signaled Luke's relief that it was over. "Are you okay?" Luke pushed a strand of hair back from Zuriel's forehead and placed a tender kiss on his temple. "Yes, I am now." Zuriel smiled up at him. "Thanks for holding me through it." "I'm glad you're okay." Luke relaxed back against

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the headboard, leaving his arms around Zuriel. It felt wonderful, but he needed to be sure it was permanent. "So this final? Nobody can call me back?" Zuriel wished he had someone to look at. But the light was too diffuse for him to pinpoint its source. It spoke of a higher level of celestial power than even an archangel's "Yes, this is final. The lower echelons will call this a punishment for giving in to the temptation of carnal pleasures instead of focusing on a supposedly 'purer' type of relationship." The voice sounded amused. "The lower echelons? You mean the judicial panel that convicted me? Have they been called in again?" Zuriel tensed. He did not like the sound of that. They were pretty powerful beings compared to a senior guardian. And he was no longer one of those. "Yes, they have. But

your friend Elemiah

intervened on your behalf to support your decision." The voice laughed. "They will not like it, but they need to learn that they are not infallible and that there are other considerations than just the administrative application of the letter of the law." "Wow." Zuriel smiled. "That's excellent news." "Now that everything is put back in order, it is time for me to leave. One word of advice before I go. Do not

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waste your life, and always remember that love is the most important thing." The voice faded with those last words and the light dimmed until the room was back to its normal brightness. There wasn't even a trace of the police angel. The silence was deafening. "Who was that?" Luke's voice trembled. "I think that was the Big Guy himself." Zuriel's voice shook. He'd finally let go of the tight control over his feelings now that everything was over. "The Big Guy? You mean… Surely not." Luke sounded more shocked than after the appearance of the police angel. "Well, it wasn't Elemiah, and I don't think an archangel can even appear as non-corporeal as this." Zuriel shrugged. "Does it matter?" "No, not really. I was just curious." "I hope you were serious about wanting me to stay." Zuriel turned around so they were facing each other. "It looks like you'll be stuck with me now." "There's nothing bad about that, is there?" Luke grinned. "Just think of all the stuff we can get up to, now that we know we have an entire lifetime to explore." "Yeah?" Feeling courageous and wanting to celebrate inspired him to let his free hand travel down Luke's spine. He cupped one of Luke's ass cheeks. "And

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would that include some more exploration of the type of physical intimacy that got us into such trouble?" "I'm sure it would." Luke shifted so his ass was more easily accessible. "Especially since we can't get into trouble for it now." Zuriel looked up at Luke's laughing eyes and smiling mouth. He was the luckiest ex-angel on the planet, that much was certain. "You'll let me explore?" Zuriel started kneading the firm ass cheek. It felt almost as good as being on the receiving end. "Please." Luke looked absolutely certain. "Well, in that case…" His cock was already hard, so it had clearly gotten the message. Every movement Luke made as he ground back into Zuriel's hand increased the urgency he felt to move forward. It was a good thing they were already naked. He doubted he'd have the coordination to take his clothes off at this point. "Fuck, you make me want." Luke pushed his groin right up against Zuriel's thigh, making them lay back down. Luke lay half underneath him and he took the opportunity to seal their mouths in an explosive kiss. He ground himself against Luke's hard body, wanting to crawl inside him and never come out.

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"Want you." Luke's pupils were dilated, his breath coming in short gasps. Luke didn't look away as he fumbled for the lube, finally getting it from where they'd dropped it before. He was amazingly good at flipping the bottle open one handed and coating the fingers of his other hand with the liquid before turning onto his side. Sliding his hand behind him as he brought one leg up to spread himself open, it was quite obvious that he was preparing himself to be entered. "Ugh." Zuriel wanted to watch, but he could feel the urgency. Next time. He took hold of Luke's hard cock and stroked it as his lover moved his hand in an unmistakable way. Moments later he pulled his fingers out of his ass, lay on his back, and spread his legs. "Please, fuck me." Luke's voice was low and raspy. He trembled to see Luke offering himself up like this. Never having done this before he wasn't sure he'd be able to satisfy him. "Now would be good?" Luke winked. Just like that, the tension was gone. This was Luke, the man whom he'd pretty much made a lifetime commitment to. The man who'd stood by him through all the celestial trials and power games. The man he was quickly falling in love with.

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Moving between Luke's thighs, he bent forward so they could kiss. Hot lips met his, and he groaned as he sank his tongue into the softness of Luke's mouth. He finally moved back and smiled at the dazed look in Luke's eyes. He wasn't feeling much more coordinated himself. Fumbling for a condom, he sheathed himself and put the tip of his swollen cock at Luke's opening. "Please." Luke nodded and reached out to pull him closer. Zuriel slowly pushed inside, not wanting to hurt his lover, and groaned when his cock was gradually enclosed by a tight, amazing heat. He stared into Luke's eyes as he kept pushing until he was all the way inside. He slid his arms around Luke and held on for a moment, loving this moment of initial connection and closeness. When Luke nodded, he carefully started to thrust. Deep, slow strokes made Luke moan. He increased his speed, and they both started panting for breath. "Yes!" Luke bucked his hips, responding to each thrust. Sweat beaded on his forehead as Zuriel started to push into Luke's clenching ass with all the force he could muster. A realization of what it meant to 'fuck someone into the mattress' was his last conscious thought. His balls were heavy with the need to come. Luke started to squeeze

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his muscles rhythmically and he lost it. Pounding into his lover in helpless abandon he pushed for completion with all he had. "Fuck. I'm gonna…" Luke arched his back and hot semen sprayed their bellies as he came, shaking and gripping Zuriel's cock even more tightly than before. "Luke!" Zuriel saw stars as he came, filling the condom with his response. The pleasure coursed through his body as he kept moving as long as he could, prolonging both their orgasms until he was unable to move and collapsed into his lover's arms. "I love you." Zuriel couldn't have stopped those words if he'd tried. The emotions he had for his lover were so deep already, he had to express them or explode with it. "I love you too." Luke smiled and kissed him. Thank God it was mutual! Zuriel pulled out, dealt with the condom and minimal cleanup, and moved right back into Luke's open arms. He put his head on Luke's chest and listened to the slowing heartbeat that seemed to be linked to his now. "If this is what the rest of our life is going to be like, I'm certainly glad I made the decision to stay." He tightened his embrace. "I'm glad as well." Luke squeezed back, pulled up the sheets, and settled them in for a much needed nap.

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Zuriel smiled. He couldn't have imagined a better fate if he'd tried.

The End

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About the Author:

I'm a night owl who starts writing when everyone else in my time zone is asleep. I've loved reading all my life and spent most of my childhood with my nose buried in a book. Although I always wanted to be a writer, financial independence came first. Twenty-some years and a successful business career later I took some online writing classes and never looked back. Living and working in seven countries has taught me that there's more than one way to get things done. It has instilled tremendous respect for the many different cultures, beliefs, attitudes and preferences that exist on our planet. I like exploring those differences in my stories, most of which happen to be romances. My characters have a tendency to want to do their own thing, so I often have to rein them back in. The one thing we all agree on is the desire for a happy ending. I currently live in the United Kingdom, sharing my house with a vast collection of books. I like reading, travelling, spending time with my nieces and listening to classical music. I have a passion for science and learning new languages.

Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.serenayates.com/ Facebook: Serena Equality Yates

Twitter: @SerenaYates Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show2964333.Serena_Yates

Also by Serena Yates Available at Silver Publishing: WORKPLACE ENCOUNTERS The Elevator Mechanic The Chauffeur The Ship Engineer CELESTIAL JUSTICE Araton's Destiny Zuriel's Fate KEEPING YOU: To Find and to Keep (print)

Available at Dreamspinner Press: DÁLRIATA The Eye of Scota: Cináed MISTLETOE SCIENCE The Mistletoe Phenomenon The Solstice Mistletoe Effect The Mistletoe Experiment KEEPING YOU To Find and To Keep To Keep and To Love

Available at Total-E-Bound: Max's Italian Romance The Magic Thieves NEW HORIZONS

Rescuing the Librarian Discovering the Actor Encouraging the Writer Supporting the Director MEN OF RIVERSIDE Finding Elliot Rediscovering Adrian Understanding Mark With A.J. Llewellyn ELEMENTAL SUPERPOWERS The Cake The Blancmange (October 2011)

Awards:

The Elevator Mechanic Best GLBT Book 2010 Siren Book Reviews

Best GBLTQ Author 2010 Love Romance Café Nomination

Reviews for Araton's Destiny "I loved the way these men cling to one another from the beginning. This was definitely a relationship that anyone would be awestruck by." —Peppermint, Whipped Cream Reviews **** Standing in any courtroom waiting to face justice would be intimidating enough, but standing in front of the judicial panel for celestial-human affairs in Heaven, would be unimaginably frightening, especially when the actions placing you there weren't deliberate. At the beginning of 'Araton's Destiny', by Serena Yates, that's exactly where Junior Guardian Angel Araton finds himself. One of the things that I loved most was the interaction between Araton and Jake. Araton was so naive, yet so responsive, trusting that Jake only had his best interests at heart. I wasn't expecting the sex between them to be so toe curling sex, but it was a very enjoyable surprise, definitely scorchingly red-hot! I was gratified to see that Jake took such care to make sure Anton was at ease. Watching their

passionate, yet gentle relationship blossom was wonderful. I really liked Anton's gradual transformation both physically and emotionally. I admired the way they accepted the changes going on around them and took it in such stride. Araton may have been sent to Jake as a Christmas Angel in order to help him find a Christmas miracle; however, Anton was his Christmas miracle just as Jake was Araton's. 'Araton's Destiny' is an enjoyable, sweet Christmas story with passionate, wonderfully written love scenes and a great happy ending. It's a marvelous tale about justice, passion and setting things right. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and out and if you are a romantic like me, it will have the same effect on you. —Lena at Queer Magazine Online