Days of New: The Complete Collection (Serials 1-5) (66 page)

“I will go first.”

Raphael stepped forward and knelt at Michaela’s feet. “You will atone?” Michaela asked, drawing her sword.

“Yes. I will atone. I chose to honor Zarachiel’s memory and help this world and these people. I will do all that I can to undo the damage I’ve caused.”

“You will give up your wings?”

“Yes,” Raphael whispered. “I will. I will lose myself to this world. I will walk amongst the humans as a human, and soon, I will be forgotten as angel.”

“Good. Are you ready?”

Michaela’s sword glinted in the air. It was pure metal, no bone laced through its edges. Gabriel crouched beside Raphael and took his hand. Simiel, the redheaded Archangel, took position on the other side of Raphael and picked up his other hand. Raphael nodded.

Clark refused to let himself look away, even as his stomach curled and his heart broke. It was horrible. This atonement was truly overkill, but no one seemed to mind. Michaela made quick work of the cutting. She held Raphael’s pure white wing in one hand and sliced her sword in a clean arc through the air. Unlike Uriel’s attempt, the blade went straight through on the first try. She didn’t hesitate, even as Raphael sagged into Gabriel’s and Simiel’s arms. Seconds later, Michaela held both wings in her hands.

Not sure what she was doing, Clark watched as she crossed to the fragile ledge of the rock outcropping and lifted the wings into the air. She seemed to salute them to the sky before she sent them flying out over the gorge, where they sank and lost themselves in the trees. Raphael stumbled to his feet, and a holy angel helped him walk away.

Simiel was next. Another Archangel atoning.

Then Ophaniel. Her pretty, delicate wings sang through the air as Michaela tossed them into the gorge.

All the Archangels volunteered to atone. Countless other holy angels came forward, even many of Gabriel’s fallen angels, which Clark thought was oddly beautiful. When the fallen angels stood after having their black wings cut off, they stood with a smile on their face, like their slate was finally wiped clean. Gabriel shook each of their hands and personally helped carry them through the woods to the cabin, which was going to be filled to the brim with wounded, bleeding angels.

The ground was slick with blood, the gorge full with bloodied feathers, when Lucifer stepped forward.

“I’ll go next.”

“What?” Maya gasped, grabbing his hand. “Why?”

“These wings aren’t mine,” he said quietly. “I did nothing to deserve them. I will atone in my small way, though it won’t be enough. Not even close.”

Clark glanced at Gabriel to see how he was taking Lucifer’s gesture, but the angel was looking away, brows furrowed and eyes dark.

Michaela nodded, her sword dripping gold blood onto the rock. Maya walked with Lucifer to the spot before Michaela and knelt with him. She cradled his face in her hands and whispered, “I love you. You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to.”

“You’re sure?”

Lucifer nodded, smiling. “Maybe I won’t be so crazy without them.”

“I love your crazy,” Maya said, and Clark knew she meant every word.

Michaela lifted one of Lucifer’s massive black wings. It glinted in the air, making her blink a few times, like the light from the afternoon sun reflecting off the feathers hurt her eyes. She raised her sword.

“Stop.” Gabriel stepped forward. “Wait.”

“What is it?” Michaela asked. “This is his decision.”

Gabriel ignored her. “Lucifer?”

“Yes?” Lucifer stood up and turned to face Gabriel with Maya at his side.

“I don’t want the fallen army to be divided. There might be a time—and I know no one wants to think about this right now—but there might be a time when we need the full fallen legion to fight with the holy angels. A threat larger than all of us might come one day, and we will need to be prepared if that time comes.”

“Right,” Lucifer agreed. “They will unite beneath your leadership. I’ll talk to my troops. You have my word that they will all return to you.”

Gabriel shook his head. “But I don’t want them to come back on an order. If we are going to do these days of new the right way, then I want the fallen angels to have the same option. I want them to come back to Hell because they want to be there.”

“They won’t go without an order,” Lucifer said as delicately as he could.

“I know. But they will go if you lead them.”

“Gabriel!” Michaela said, eyes wide.

“We need to do this,” he said to her before turning his attention back to Lucifer. “We can share the leadership. You can come to Hell during fall and winter to rule. And I will come back to Earth. When it’s spring and summer, I’ll be in Hell ruling. If we split our time down there, I think it will appease all the fallen angels enough to remain in the army.”

Lucifer had to force his mouth closed, his shocked expression almost comical to Clark. “You would do that? Why?”

Gabriel looked at Maya. “Because I believe you’ve changed. And I was wrong to come after you.” Gabriel held his hands wide. “I was wrong. And this is my atonement. We can’t give up our wings because they will make traveling back and forth to Hell easier, but we can share the duties. And this will also be your atonement, because you will only have the spring and summer to spend with Maya.”

No one spoke. Michaela stepped back, her sword loose at her side. Lucifer turned to Maya and bent his head to look into her eyes. “What do you think?” he asked her, his voice carrying across the silent cliff.

“I think you’re Persephone,” Maya answered, grinning.

Lucifer paused, stunned for a moment as he considered her response. Clark had no idea what they were talking about, but Lucifer threw back his head and laughed. The sound echoed across the gorge. When he finally looked back at Maya, he kissed her cheek. “Okay then,” he said. He turned to Gabriel. “I’ll take that offer. Thank you.”

Gabriel shook Lucifer’s hand, sealing the agreement with honor. Michaela took a long breath, looking completely flummoxed. “Well, who’s next then?” she asked the crowd.

“Me.”

Clark cringed. Before Camille could step forward and accept her fate, he grabbed her hand and wrenched her back. Lucifer and Maya might be comfortable bearing their intimacy in front of the crowd, but Clark was not. He towed Camille back to the tree line, holding up a finger to indicate for Michaela to give them a minute. When they were out of the angels’ earshot, Clark whirled around and grabbed Camille’s shoulders.

“No,” Clark said.

“It’s my decision.”

“No,” he repeated. “I want you to go. It’s what you want. I know it is. Don’t deny yourself that for me.”

“You would let me go?”

“I would.”

“Even after you saved me against my will.”

Clark took a deep breath. “I couldn’t let you die then. It was wrong. But I’ll let you go now. This is the right way. I can lose you this way. You belong in Heaven, fighting and doing whatever it is that you do up there. I only cause you pain, Cami.” Clark cringed at the endearment, but, for once, Camille didn’t yell at him for it. “I don’t want you to stay here with me when you can be happy in Heaven.”

“You’re sure about this?” Camille asked, like she didn’t believe him.

Clark nodded.

“I’m not good at goodbyes, Clark. But you’re right. I don’t want to be here.”

“I know,” he whispered. He couldn’t look at her any more. He couldn’t see her face. If he did, his heart would break, and he would lose his resolve. “Just go.”

He heard Camille’s mouth open, like she was going to say something else, but she didn’t. They stood like that for a while, with Camille’s gaze hot on his skin, and Clark’s eyes on the dirt at their feet. This wasn’t the proper way to say goodbye, but it was all he could manage. He didn’t want her to go, of course, but he wanted what was best for her. And after all that she’d been through on this world, Heaven was exactly where she needed to be. He was man enough to admit that her place wasn’t with him anymore.

Maybe it never had been.

And deep down, he’d known that too.

There was a reason angels shouldn’t love humans. And this was it. Camille had never belonged with him, because she already belonged to the sky.

Her wings sent a breeze across his skin, but he didn’t look up until he was certain she was gone. He didn’t want his last view of her to be as she was leaving him. With a sigh, he headed back to the rock ledge.

“She’s leaving,” he said to Michaela.

“What?” Maya gasped. “She wouldn’t do that!”

“She—”

“No,” Maya snapped, stepping away from Lucifer and putting her hands on her hips. She looked up at the sky, searching for Camille, like she might pull Camille out of the sky with her bare hands. “She can’t leave you. That’s just…too…too…
bitchy
! She wouldn’t do that. She should stay here with you. Ugh!”

“Maya, it’s okay. I told her to go.”

“Well, I don’t care!” Maya yelled. “That’s stupid. And you shouldn’t have said that. Camille!” Maya yelled up at the sky. “Camille! Get your skinny ass back down here!”

“She’s gone,” Clark said.

“What a bitch!”

Clark shrugged. He wouldn’t disagree. Camille kind of was a bitch, but that’s why he loved her. He turned his attention toward Michaela and said, “This is good, Michaela. This atonement. You’re right. This will work. What do you need from me?”

Michaela watched him quietly for a moment, her dark blue eyes searching his insides like Zarachiel used to do. She picked him apart piece by piece and examined his core before putting him back together again. Finally, she set her sword aside and walked to him. When she pulled him into a tight hug, Clark breathed in the scent of her hair.

She smelled like home. Like his best friend. He only wished that Zarachiel were here with them.

When she pulled back, she cupped his face in her hands and planted a light kiss on his cheek. “I need no more from you, Clark. Not now. Not ever again. I want you to get your break from this end-of-the-world business.” Michaela smiled as she used his words against him. “I want you to go for a drive and clear your head and don’t look back for a long time. Go find some peace. And maybe even some happiness.”

“Will I see you again?”

“Yes,” Michaela vowed, her face turning serious. “Every day. Five o’ clock on the dot. We’ll share a drink.”

“Whiskey?”

Michaela scrunched up her nose. “Fine. We’ll drink every type of whiskey, and when we run out of ones to try, we will switch to vodka, the superior alcohol.”

Clark managed a smile. “Deal. Thank you, Michaela.”

She shook her head. “Thank you.” Before Clark could step away, Michaela pulled him back in for another hug. Against his ear, she whispered, “I would say that I’m sorry for all you’ve lost, but I know that would be wrong. I just want to say that you’re the strongest man I know. You’re my best friend. And I love you. I’ll never leave you again. I swear it. From now on, we will share the weight of the world.”

* * *

When darkness had fallen, and Clark had driven for hours, he found himself back to where it all started.

He sat beside the small stream in the underground cave and stuck his tired, bare feet in the icy water. Here, he’d found Michaela so long ago. Here, he dreamed of Camille’s death. Here, Lucifer had returned. Here, everything had happened.

In a weird way, it felt like home. Maybe Clark would turn it into his bachelor pad when he returned after his cross-country road trip. Maybe he would become the crazy old man who lived in a cave. That could be cool, he figured, if not a little weird. But then, he was ready for a little cool and a little weird. He was ready to feel like himself again.

He didn’t know what these days of new would bring, but he was glad Michaela had set them on a new path. However brutal her ways, she was right. Everyone needed to atone and start new. Even if it hurt like hell.

Rocks scuffled back toward the entrance, and Clark jumped to his feet, heart hammering in his chest. His first concern was that the twins had come to take his magic, which he’d vowed to protect and keep safe the rest of his days. Days that might now be cut short if Emim and Irin had found him so soon.

But it wasn’t the twins who stepped from the cave’s elongated shadows.

“Camille,” Clark said, breathing out the word like it was the last thing he’d ever say. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to say something to you.”

Clark frowned. “But—”

“Wait,” she commanded, and Clark snapped his mouth shut. “Let me say this first and then we can talk.”

She took a deep breath, like she needed to prepare. Clark’s heart felt like it might burst from his chest. He had so many questions, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Whatever reason that Camille had returned, he didn’t want to ruin it.

“Your love,” she began, her voice shaking slightly, “is the worst thing that ever happened to me.”

Her words were like a physical blow to Clark’s chest. He nearly crumpled to the floor. If she’d come back just to rip him apart, he might never find peace again. Had he really damaged her this much? He wanted to ask, but Camille continued.