Peace (3 page)

Aldo rested just the tips of his fingers on Lam’s shoulder and even that touch was almost overwhelming. He wanted to jerk away, but his body ignored him.

“Yes. At least we’re assuming that’s what caused the deepest wounds on your shoulder blades.”

The sympathy in his voice brought tears to Lam’s eyes. Without his wings, what was he? Did he have any of his powers or had they stripped him of everything, leaving him mortal?

“I should’ve listened to you, Gatian.” He raised his gaze to meet Gatian’s. “You warned me of what would happen if they found out.”

Gatian frowned. “True, but still, to take your wings and throw you away like yesterday’s trash is too harsh a punishment, Lam. No one deserves that.”

“How did they find out?” Aldo paced the length of the room.

Exhaustion swamped Lam. He didn’t want to talk about any of it. He wanted to slip back into the darkness and forget everything he’d lost.
I’ll have to think about it at some point. Just not today.

His emotions must have shown on his face because Gatian said, “We can discuss this later. Right now, you need to sleep and heal. I’m sending Pierre and the children to the country. I don’t want them around in case something happens.”

Lightning flashed outside the window and Lam became aware of the storm raging over Paris. Aldo and Gatian flinched as thunder rumbled before there was another crack of lightning.

“How long has this been going on?”

“It started shortly after I found you,” Gatian informed him. “It seems to be getting worse.”

Lam couldn’t shake the feeling the storm would reach epic proportions soon. “It would be best if you took me to a hotel and left me to deal with this fiasco. You shouldn’t be involved with my problems. As mortals, you are vulnerable to the powers of the heavenly realm. I don’t think they want anyone to help me.”

Gatian shook his head. Aldo snarled, which shocked Lam. Of all the Horsemen, Aldo had always seemed like the most gentle. He’d been a doctor in his first mortal life and Lam had seen his compassion even while he’d spread pestilence over the Earth. Yet it was violence he saw in Aldo’s eyes when he growled.

“Let them do their worst. You helped each of us when we were Horsemen. We won’t turn our backs on you. Our families will be as safe as we can make them.” Aldo motioned toward Gatian. “We’ve talked, and
all
of us have made the decision to offer you shelter until you are able to figure out what you want to do. Ekundayo and Baqir are helping Pierre pack. Bart will go with him to the country. Russ will return to Mongolia and Kibwe will go back to the Congo. Those places are vast and sparse. It will be hard for anyone to find them there.”

Rolling his eyes, Lam wanted to point out that they were dealing with angels whose powers meant they could find anyone in the earthly realm with merely a thought. Yet as much as he wanted to continue arguing, there was a small hint of joy at the idea they were willing to risk their new mortal lives to keep him safe.

“Thank you.” Both men stared at him, and he laughed. “You expected me to argue some more, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Aldo said.

“If I were stronger and didn’t feel as though I was about to pass out, I probably would have, but right now, I don’t have the energy to talk you out of this foolishness. We’ll revisit this conversation when I can breathe without pain.” Lam did his best to relax back against the pillows.

“Wait.” Aldo gestured for Gatian to help him. “We’ll get you lying on your stomach. It’ll be easier for you to sleep that way. There’s a bell on the nightstand next to the bed. When you wake up next, push it and someone will be up to give you your next dose of meds.”

Once they had him situated to their happiness, Lam exhaled, forcing out as much of the tension in his muscles as he could. As they were leaving, a thought hit him.

“Where is Daystar?” he asked out loud in the darkness.

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Gatian answered as he shut the door.

* * * *

Day stalked around the living room of his house, clenching and unclenching his hands as he did so. He’d tried to contain his anger, but he knew it was leaking through to the mortal realm. Storms were brewing all over the world, bringing a certain sect of humans to rush to claim Armageddon was happening.

“If I don’t find Lam soon, Armageddon will be tame compared to the hell I’ll unleash,” he mumbled.

“What did you say, Day?” Paisley glanced up from where she sat at her desk, typing up some letters he’d dictated to her earlier, before Lam had disappeared.

“Nothing, dear.”

Paisley didn’t know who he really was and he wasn’t about to reveal the truth. At least not yet. She thought he was a wealthy businessman who had his fingers in a hundred different companies and ventures. He’d hired her as his personal assistant when she was fresh out of college and she never questioned that he never seemed to age, or that he would disappear for days on end without notice.

Maybe it was the very fact that she never asked that made him like her. He’d gone through what seemed like a thousand different assistants before he’d found her. Lam had teased him about being too picky, but Day saw it more as him being a private person, and no one needed to know his personal life.

A sharp twinge of pain tore through his chest at the thought of Lam.
Where are you, my love? I’d fear the worst, but my heart still beats, which means you’re alive somewhere in the world. Why can’t I find you? Why haven’t you come to me?

Thunder boomed over the house and the rain fell in sheets of blinding water.

Paisley shuddered. “The weather certainly changed fast, didn’t it?”

“That’s Michigan for you. If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes, it’ll change,” he managed to quip.

“True.” She tapped a few more keys on her computer then sighed. “All right. The letters are done and are being printed as we speak. I’ll need you to sign them then I’ll mail them when I leave.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Paisley. I hope you realize how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me over the years.”

She laughed as she stood then brought him the papers to sign. “Mr. Star, you’ve always treated me fairly. Heck, more than fairly. Letting me go on this vacation with my husband during our busy time of the year just proves what a good employer you are.”

Day didn’t consider himself a good boss—or person, for that matter. If she knew all of the things he’d done over the millenniums, she’d resign then run screaming from his presence.

“What will you be doing while I’m gone?”

He studied her. Why would she ask a personal question now, when she’d never enquired about his private movements in all the years they’d worked together? Suspicion rose in him.

“I’ll be trying to keep my empire from crumbling while you’re away. You know it’s your brilliance that keeps this house of cards upright,” he joked while clasping his hands tight together behind his back.

Her dark green eyes peered at him through the gathering gloom as though she were trying to see into his wretched soul. “I know it’s not my place to ask, but are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Why?” Another personal question. Something had changed in the last hour or so and he couldn’t guess what it was.

Paisley snapped her briefcase shut, picking it up before facing him. “You’re far more angry than you usually are. Also, there’s fear mixed in with the anger. Usually when you come back after being gone, you’re calm and there’s an aura of peace around you. That didn’t happen this time.”

Tension stiffened his back. He hadn’t realized she noticed those differences. She’d never said a word. “Why are you saying anything now? Who are you, and what have you done with Paisley?”

She laughed and shook her head. “I’m still me, sir. I’m only asking in case there was something I could do for you.”

Day wasn’t sure he believed her, but he had more pressing concerns than whether or not Paisley was lying to him. “Go on vacation, Paisley. There’s nothing you can do. This is something I’m going to have to deal with on my own.”

Again surprise rocketed through him when she walked over then pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You’ve never been alone, Mr. Star.”

Before he reply, she strolled from the room and was out of the house by the time he got his feet to move. After stomping into his study, he grabbed one of the crystal highball glasses from the sidebar. His hold was so tight, he was surprised it didn’t shatter under the pressure.

“Whiskey won’t solve the problem, Day.”
He could hear Lam’s voice admonishing him.

The damn angel was right. It wasn’t like alcohol did anything to him anyway. He kept it around for the mortals he did business with. Setting the glass back down gently took all of his focus. After pouring himself some water, he moved to the large bay windows overlooking Lake Superior.

The waves pounded the shore, white-capped and vicious. A hurricane was blowing up on the lake. Day hoped no freighters or small boats had been caught unaware by the storm. It was his fault, but he couldn’t help it. When his emotions got stirred up, the weather on the mortal realm reflected it.

“Why didn’t you just strip me of everything? Why take my wings, but leave me powerful enough to destroy Earth if I wanted?” His questions drifted upward on the charged air, though he knew the Judge wasn’t listening.

Chapter Four

Lam held tight to the bedpost as he pushed to his feet. While his head whirled, he adjusted to standing for the first time in four days. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing he could do, but he was tired of lying around. He wasn’t used to so much inactivity.

Once he could tell his legs wouldn’t collapse, he let go of the bed then took a step. Every muscle in his body protested, yet Lam kept moving. He shuffled across the room to the bathroom where he braced one hand against the wall as he relieved himself. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he washed up then turned to contemplate the distance back to the bed.

“Maybe I’ll just rest here for a few minutes,” he muttered, sinking to the floor in the doorway. Pressing his heated face to the cool tiles, Lam took a deep breath. Being mortal was harder than it looked.

He’d never been one of those angels who thought mankind was fragile or weak. After having seen all the trials thrown at them through the millenniums, Lam had come to realize they were far more resilient than the angelic realm gave them credit for. Yet, for all the respect he had for them, Lam had never wanted to be mortal. He’d liked being a messenger angel.

“Lam? Where are you?” Baqir entered, looking around until he spotted Lam on the floor. “What the hell? Why didn’t you call one of us? Let me help you.”

There wasn’t any chance he could speak at the moment, so he stayed silent while Baqir lifted him up before carrying him back to the bed. He didn’t fight getting tucked under the blankets. At least Baqir leaned him back against the pile of pillows instead of making him actually lie down. Once that was done and he’d gotten some water to drink, he met Baqir’s rather annoyed gaze.

“Sorry. I wanted to prove I didn’t need anyone to help me. You do realize how emasculating it is to have someone hold your dick while you’re peeing, right?”

Baqir grunted. “I know that, but you’re not strong enough. Hell, your back has barely begun to heal. Us helping you means you’re less likely to rip open your wounds. Next time, call us and we’ll at least get you to the bathroom. You can take care of the rest once you’re there.”

He nodded, not promising he’d do it. “Where are the others?”

“They’re tending to their own businesses, but they’ll be back here in an hour or so. We need to figure out what to do with you, Lam. Once you’re healed, what do you want to do? Unfortunately, you can’t go back to your old job.” Baqir sat in the chair he’d pulled close to the bed. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

“I appreciate you doing this for me, but I’m still worried about you.” Lam motioned to the rings on their fingers.

“Our husbands are as safe as we can make them right now.” Baqir shrugged.

“I don’t think there will be any retaliation because you’ve sheltered me. I truly think they don’t care about me anymore.” Lam plucked at a loose thread in the blanket.

Baqir lifted one shoulder in a lopsided shrug. “Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, we’re not taking chances.”

Thunder boomed and rolled through the house. Looking out of the window, Lam saw the rain streaking down the glass. It had been storming since he’d regained consciousness and realized the extent of his punishment.

“I think we might want to start building an ark,” Baqir joked. “Russ told me it’s just as bad where he is. The news channels are calling it the second Flood. I mean, it’s even raining in the deserts, which doesn’t seem possible.”

Lam frowned. “There’s nothing natural about these storms.”

“Do you really think God is going to wipe humans off the face of the Earth again? He promised not to use water if he had to do it a second time.” Baqir didn’t look convinced about the whole covenant story.

“Do you not believe in God? Not even after being a Horseman?” Lam shifted his attention from the weather to the man keeping him company.

Baqir stared at the carpet as he seemed to be thinking. “Is that weird? After everything I’ve been through, I should totally believe in God, heaven, and all that religious bullshit.”

“Yet you don’t,” Lam said then reached out to pat Baqir’s knee. “Don’t worry. It’s fine that you don’t. I’ll let you in on a little secret. God doesn’t exist.”

Rearing up, Baqir gasped. “What the fuck? How can you say that?”

Lam chuckled. “God, as humans describe him, doesn’t exist. In the heavenly and hellish realms, he is called the Judge. He’s the one who—at the end of our days—sits in judgment over us. He weighs and measures our sins and good deeds, determining whether we deserve peace or whether we must be tortured for eternity.”

“There’s no great omnipotent spirit who created us and wants us to love him as much as he loves us?” Baqir sounded disappointed.