now. It’s hidden in the wall, obscured even more by the hazy light. Heaven likes to operate like that.
Anderson walks in, dressed impeccably as usual and beaming broadly. His already wide smile stretches even further when his gaze lands on me and he finds me awake.
He looks… proud of me. It’s weird, to be honest. I’ve never seen him look at me like that.
“Trinity.” He steps closer to my bed. “I’m so glad that you’re awake.”
“Um, thank you, sir.”
I don’t quite trust my legs, so I don’t stand up just yet, choosing instead to stay sitting. I hope he doesn’t take it as a sign of rudeness or insubordination. Anderson is definitely one of those angels who’s big on rules and tradition and decorum.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice a little scratchy.
“What’s going on?” Anderson’s eyebrows shoot up. He looks amused, then his expression turns serious. He shakes his head, smiling to himself as if he’s forgotten something obvious. “Of course. You were out for quite a bit. You wouldn’t know. Well, congratulations are in order.”
I blink. “They are?”
“Yes. You did quite an astonishing thing. You defeated a demon who was plotting to take over Earth. That is far more than any of us expected of you.”
“Oh. Uh…” I bite my bottom lip, not quite sure how to put my next thought into words. “I wasn’t sure you would care.”
Anderson waves a hand. His features have always reminded me of Morgan Freeman, and it lends a certain gravitas to everything he says and does. I’m pretty sure that’s why he picked that form.
“It’s true that we didn’t consider the portals to be of immediate concern, but Salinas’s plan would have completely tipped the balance in Hell’s favor. You’ve done a great thing, Trinity. And going up against him like that? Well, we are impressed, to say the least.”
A little rush of pride goes through me. As frustrating as it was that none of my angel superiors seemed to take the portals seriously, it’s nice to know they aren’t mad at me for taking on Salinas. That they’re actually impressed.
“And you managed to accomplish your original assignment too,” Anderson continues. He shakes his head, giving a low whistle. “Redeeming the seven sins. To be honest, I wasn’t sure it was even possible. But you did it. Going into Hell to help humanity and save them from a demonic threat, putting their lives on the line to protect and care for another person—an angel, no less—and keep her from being hurt? Those are all very selfless, compassionate acts. You proved that the sins were in fact redeemable.” He puts his hands together in an almost-clap and smiles at me. “Well done.”
My chest feels warm, my heart beating harder in my chest. Is he serious?
Holy crap! The sins are redeemed. I did it.
And that means they’re probably here in Heaven somewhere. I can’t see any of them letting me be separated from them for long while I was knocked out—even Ryland, if only because he and his brothers promised to keep me safe, and his pride will demand he fulfill that promise.
I can’t really take credit for their redemption though. Or at least, I don’t feel like I can. I didn’t really do much. It wasn’t like I lectured them on good behavior or something like that. I’m not sure I was even the best example of being a good person.
This was all on their own. They’re the ones who changed and found other parts of themselves. I knew all along that they weren’t purely evil, that there was more to each one of them.
I feel so happy for them, so proud.
“That’s really great,” I blurt out, grinning at Anderson. “Thank you.”
“We should be thanking you, Trinity,” he tells me.
I blush, pressing my lips together to keep my smile from getting too big. But I can barely contain my glee.
“So…” I scoot toward the edge of the bed. “Um, can I go see them? Is that okay?”
“See them?” Anderson’s brows pull together, and he sounds confused.
“Yes. Are they around? Or are they back on Earth?”
Understanding lights up in the older angel’s eyes, and he sighs. “Oh, my dear girl. I see you don’t understand. They are sin. Sin personified. The moment they were redeemed, they allowed virtue into their hearts, not sin, and so they betrayed their very nature. They stopped existing. In being redeemed, the sins were destroyed.”
It feels like someone’s just dropped a rock into the pit of my stomach.