Wanted Angel - Sadie Moss Page 0,82

he isn’t being greedy—and so on. But those moments don’t mean that they’ve given it all up completely. And through all of this, everything we’ve gone through, the sins have still been, well, sinful.

They’ve been themselves.

Ryland’s been proud. Knight’s been envious. Sawyer’s been lustful. I don’t think Ford’s been truly calm for a single minute during this entire process. They’re still the sins, and that’s reassuring.

And you know what? It doesn’t matter if the committee doesn’t think that’s good enough for them to be redeemed. The committee can think whatever they please. So long as I still get to keep my men with me, then I’m happy. I want them by my side; I don’t want to lose them. If the cost of that is that one committee full of stodgy angels doesn’t think they’re redeemed, then it’s just my lucky day, isn’t it?

“Now that that’s out of the way, the sins are free to leave,” the first angel says in his wheezing voice. “But there is the matter of you, Trinity.”

“Oh?” I ask. I’d thought it was kind of settled. I didn’t succeed in redeeming the sins. Not really anything else to do after that, is there?

All of the committee members nod.

“You didn’t redeem the sins,” the second angel croaks, “but you did prevent great evil from happening. You nearly died defending the humans. You put your life on the line for them. And you recruited others to help you in your cause and do good deeds. You did not let following orders get in the way of doing what you knew was truly the right thing.”

“For that, and after much discussion,” the grandmotherly woman says, “we have decided that it is only fair we allow you the chance to return to Heaven and be reinstated as a full angel. All of the usual conditions and privileges apply, of course. And we will give you a new pair of wings. I know you lost yours in the fight against Anderson.”

The committee members all peer at me, a quiet expectation in their eyes, and I realize that they’re all waiting for me to say yes.

The thing is… not that long ago, I would’ve said yes without thinking. All I wanted was to go home. To be back where I belonged. I can still remember how I felt in Remi’s restaurant when I tasted his food for the first time. I can feel that indulgent, warm sensation inside of me, that feeling of home.

But the idea of “home” isn’t Heaven for me anymore. It’s being with my men. That’s where I’m truly home.

And I can’t ask them to stay up here with me. The committee wouldn’t allow it, first of all. And they’d all be bored to death, second of all. My men would never want to just sit around all day being good. Even Nix wouldn’t like it up here, I don’t think.

So really, I don’t have to think long about my choice. It’s obvious to me. It would be amazing to get my wings back, but there are other things I want more.

I smile. “Thank you,” I tell the angels gathered before me. “I know this is a great honor, and I appreciate all of your generosity. I’m glad you appreciate my hard work and that you recognize what I’ve done to try to help people.”

Around me, I can feel the sins tensing. I think they think I’m going to say yes. Silly of them to worry about that. As if I could ever leave them. As if I’d ever want to.

“But I’m afraid I’m going to have to say no,” I finish. “Thank you, again, truly. It’s an honor. Respectfully and gratefully, but firmly, I must decline.”

The sins relax around me, and I have to work hard to stiffen my mouth so my grin doesn’t grow any wider. I don’t want the committee to think that I’m being flippant or disrespectful. It really is nice to see that I’m being appreciated by my people. That even the highest angels are recognizing the work I did. And even though they’re not outright saying it, I can sense between the lines of what they’re not saying.

They would’ve had no idea about Anderson until it was too late.

No angels came to our backup and rescue—they were caught completely flat-footed by his betrayal.

They’re thanking me profusely, and they’re not even giving me a second assignment to make up for the one that I didn’t complete. If they had been at all prepared