Whoa. My mind was blown.
‘This is intense. Ask him if Michael has a human wife,’ Sera commented. I nearly jumped, having forgotten she was with me.
“Does Michael have a human wife?” I blurted out the rumor about the most popular archangel.
Raph’s eyes glittered. “Are you going to keep my answer confidential?”
My mouth popped open. “He does?”
The archangel nodded. “And a daughter.”
What! “How old is she? Where do they live? How long have they been married? Is his daughter human or—”
Raphael’s belly laugh stopped me in my tracks. “I think it’s time you got back to class.” He stood swiftly, pulling me up by the hands as he did.
Damn, I was so close to learning all of the answers to life’s most sought-after questions.
Raphael patted my shoulder. “Some of life’s most satisfying answers come from things we learn ourselves.”
Ugh. Boring.
My eyes bugged suddenly as a new thought came to me. “Was my dad reincarnated? Is he a kid walking around somewhere on Earth?”
Raphael smiled again and shrugged. “Probably not. He’d want to wait for your mother before reincarnating again, since they’re soul mates.”
The wind was knocked out of me at that simple yet sweet declaration. Are. He’d said they “are” soul mates, not “were.” Like my dad wasn’t really dead.
“Of course,” I muttered, trying to hold my shit together. I’d cried way too much for one visit.
I grabbed my bag as Raphael scribbled a note for me. When he handed it to me, he beamed. “Brielle, may you sleep soundly tonight.”
And I did. I slept without any dreams at all, just a deep, restful sleep, and a knowing that the darkness within me was no longer being fed.
It had actually retreated.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It was Friday morning, the day before Lincoln’s big shindig, and I awoke to a grinning Shea hanging over my bed with a note.
“Geez! You scared me.” I shrank back into my pillow as her psycho grin ramped up a notch.
“This was slid under our door in the early hours,” she squealed.
I sat up, yawning, and plucked the envelope from Shea’s grasp. It was some thick fancy cardstock, and when I pulled it out, I grinned, recognizing the handwriting immediately.
What: The most epic, random date night of your life.
When: Tonight. 7.
Why: Because I love you.
“Am I stupid smiling?” I asked Shea, who was peeking over my shoulder.
She nodded. “Totally.”
I sighed. “Why is he so perfect?”
Shea shrugged. “I don’t know, but Noah could take some notes in the romance department. His idea of a date night is watching old Predator movies, and winking at me while we eat stale popcorn.”
I chuckled. “But you’ve finally had sex.”
She swooned and fell on her bed. “Finally. And it’s amazing, and I think we’re going to win the sex Olympics.”
I laughed so hard my stomach started to hurt. “How am I supposed to get through classes today knowing Lincoln is taking me on some special date!” I stood and started to rifle through my closet, looking for the perfect outfit to wear tonight.
“I’d say we should ditch, but today we learn to shoot guns in weapons class, and no way in hell am I missing that,” Shea declared.
“Totally,” I agreed.
“And if I accidentally shoot Tiffany in the foot, oopsie,” Shea added.
The Tiffany war was in full effect once again. She was constantly calling us nasty names, and trying to get in the way of our successes. Recently, she’d been part to helping Shea fail an important magical exam. That girl was downright evil.
“All right, I’m gonna shower. I’ll see you at breakfast,” I told my bestie.
She nodded and picked up the note Lincoln had sent. “You guys are lucky to have found each other.”
We were. I focused on that thought all day.
Lincoln had rented a limo! He’d also hired private security to shadow us to the fanciest restaurant in Angel City.
As we waited for the check, he peered at me with his crystalline blue eyes. “One more stop before we head home, okay?”
We could make ten more stops before home. I didn’t care. This was the best night of my life. After he paid the bill and we climbed back into the limo, I watched as it headed away from the city I knew and into unfamiliar territory. Our SUV of security guards was right behind us.
“Where are we going?” I asked.