| HAVEN CAGE | in his well-defined gut and shoved the Twinkie box behind his leather belt as he chewed. “Mm, you guys really know how to indulge in good food down here.” He held up one last bite of creamfilled cake in a toasting motion, then crammed it in his mouth. “Thanks, Gav.” Gavyn rolled his eyes and drank his last sip of beer. “You’re gonna make me fill her in by myself, then,” he dead-panned. “I have every bit of faith in you. Have fun.” He patted Gavyn’s back then strolled toward George’s body. Malach bent down and gently picked up the corpse that lay on the floor. The being cradled the body in one arm like it was weightless and lovingly caressed its cheek with his other hand. The angel’s eyes searched the hollow face for a moment and mumbled some words in a low foreign language. Then, as quickly as his tender demeanor came, it left—reverting to the somewhat comical version of a heavenly soldier. “What do you think you’re doing with George’s body?” I demanded, stomping across the room to stop the angel. He winked arrogantly, unfazed by the clear anger in my eyes. “I’m taking it with me.” “You can’t do that!” I protested, stopping just a short distance from the angel. I became very aware that the fewer steps between me and the winged man, the more my body wanted to bow down and praise him. George deserved a proper burial. That was for me to do. I needed to take care of him—or, at least, his body. “Relax, Nevaeh. I will take it to the Heavens with me for safekeeping,” he responded, I think a little intrigued by my brashness toward him. In spite of my protective reaction, I was sure he sensed that I desperately wanted him. I could feel my body involuntarily leaning in to get closer to the angel. My breath was deep and heady, and there was a lack of conviction behind my words. It was incredibly hard to deny the fact that I wanted
nothing more than his arms to embrace me and to feel his massive hands sweep across my cheek. “Why does it matter now? I thought the demon took his soul.” Gavyn approached me from behind, softly grabbed my forearm, and slid his hand down to mine. “Let him go. I will explain. George’s body is safer with them.” The sincerity in his tone begged me to trust him. Staring into his kind eyes, I remembered my developing feelings for him. My real emotions bubbled to the surface and erased the lust and need pulling my soul toward Malach. It wasn’t the pining for the angel I felt anymore, but a growing infatuation for the man in front of me. I made a quick mental note not to trust myself, or what I felt, around the heavenly being. I smiled sadly at Gavyn and nodded with assurance that I would let whatever happened happen and trust his judgment. Just then, a warm breeze floated through the room, twirling my hair around my neck as tiny raindrops began to fall around us. I looked to the ceiling and found a growing puddle softening the surface above me once again. The sides stretched farther and farther with each swirl of circulating water. It was tamer this time. “Guess I’ll see you guys later.” Malach widened his stance and stiffened his back, pulling George’s shell closer against his body. His massive shimmering wings unfolded behind him and took my breath away. He was beautiful. It almost hurt to see him leave. I wanted to kneel and weep at his pureness. As if by cue, tears flooded my eyes when he flexed the masses of white feathers up. The angel was leaving me here with my misery. “Wait,” I demanded. I ran to George and gently took his left hand in mine. The thin, gold band slipped off his finger with ease. I pushed the dulled circle of metal onto my thumb, spinning it around a few times as I thought about the hope that George had to see Issue 8 | March 2017 |
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