Page 30 of Heaven on Earth

“Do you think that’s possible? For a match to be incorrect, rather?”

He and Teddy exchanged glances while I shifted nervously in my seat. We all knew the answer, and if it was as we thought, both Ryan and I had made a terrible mistake.

“You might want to talk to the Librarian about that,” Teddy said.

“They have more knowledge on the subject than either Teddy or I,” Draven agreed.

“That’s all right. It doesn’t matter now.” I stood up, taking some time to smooth my wings out after crumpling them against the sofa back. “Well, if I don’t leave soon, I’ll have outstayed mywelcome here. Thank you for the tea, Teddy, and thank you both for the bolstering conversation.”

“No problem,” Teddy said, that sad, sympathetic smile returning. “Don’t hesitate to stop by again if you’re ever lonely. Draven and I are more than happy to have you here.”

I laughed. “It’s not a question ofifI get lonely, but thank you, my dearest Teddy. I must simply get used to being alone again. Sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off fighting for my place in Heaven, and it’s days like these that I truly believe I would have.”

Draven jumped up from his chair and crossed his arms fiercely over his chest. The black chain around his neck swayed after his wrist hit it and his tail twitched angrily. “That’s utter shit,” he snapped.

“What?” I raised my eyebrows and took a step back.

“You were not better off in Heaven. You’re happier here on Earth where you can finally be yourself and live the life thatyouwant, not that one-size-fits-all drivel that angels are meant to be pleased with.”

“Draven, please–“ Teddy held up a hand to silence his partner, but Draven continued his tirade unbothered.

“You need to grow up, Ciel. Ryan is merely a human — a weak, worthless human — and you are an angel of the most high. You are fallen, yes, but an angel nonetheless. Men for creatures like you and me are a dime a dozen. If Ryan doesn’t want to fight for you, then he’s not worthy of you.”

I disagreed with Draven — Ryan was well worth my time and attention, if a little misguided — but I was not about to argue with him when his scorn had just turned to praise.

“Draven is right, if a little intense,” Teddy said. “While I think your Ryan is a good man, he may not be ready for someone like you. And there are plenty more fish in the sea, as they say. The right one — the second right one, if that’s the way it goes — willfind you one day, and when that day arrives, you can rejoice and be thankful.”

I nodded, shaking my wings to loosen the ruffled feathers in them. I was rattled after Draven’s speech, but I wasn’t about to show it. “I shall remember that. Now, I must go and plan for a rather different future than I was expecting.”

Draven stepped forward to plant a kiss on each cheek. “Forget about him,” he said, his breath hot and heady.

“But maybe say a prayer for him too,” Teddy said, pulling me into a gentle half-hug. “Best of luck, Ciel.”

“Yes,” Draven nodded enthusiastically. “You’re going to need it.”

23

RYAN

The walk through the dogwoods and cherry trees was every bit as beautiful as Ciel promised it would be, and much better in the daylight than on the one fateful night when I nearly got lost in the woods.

I didn’t tell my parents where I found out about the trail, and I certainly didn’t mention the other person I’d walked it with before. I planned on talking about Ciel as little as possible and hoping that they just forgot that I ever said I was seeing someone.

We had to walk behind the library to access the trail, and as we passed by the old, stately building, my mom peeked in the windows to get a better idea of the amenities here.

“We should stop in on our way back,” she said.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” I said dismissively, waving her along with the hand that wasn’t holding a basket full of food.

“Why, is it dirty inside or something?” Dad asked.

“No, not at all. It’s just, well, this town is chock-full of monsters and they like to congregate in there. I know you don’t mind seeing some different creatures, but it might be a bit of a shock to see all the species all at once.”

“That won’t shock us,” Dad replied. “Don’t worry about it. I think it would be a great idea to stop by and learn more about this place. Do you have a library card, Ryan?”

I wanted to tell him no, but that would be yet another lie. I was already skirting the truth about why I didn’t want to go inside the library. I had faith in the Librarian that they would be tactful when meeting my parents, but they didn’t know Ciel and I had broken up yet, and I feared that they would start talking about him before I could shut them up.

“All right,” I said reluctantly. “Let’s do it on the way back. I’m starving, and we need to find a place to eat.”