Sins of the Innocent - Jamie McGuire Page 0,18

ahead of me. He had the advantage of knowledge. Lucifer probably hadn’t babied him.

I gripped the steering wheel and rested my forehead between my hands.

“It’s okay if you like him. I know we’re just friends,” Morgan said, placing a tender hand on my shoulder.

I looked over at him, my temple still against the wheel. “It’s not that, Morg.” I sat up, let out my ponytail, and smoothed my hair back, tucking it behind my ears.

“You’re not alone.” Morgan squeezed my shoulder and offered a smile even though he was obviously lost. “I’m with you, no matter what.”

I leaned against his side, letting my head fit perfectly in the crook of his neck. As much as I wanted that to be true, I was alone in my fight with Levi. Six thousand years of prophecy said that one of us would kill the other. I couldn’t tell Morgan the truth. I couldn’t admit to my family that I wasn’t sure what to do. What kind of savior admitted to ignorance?

I need more information, things only immortals would know. If my parents wouldn’t tell me, the only person I could talk to about it was … ugh, Levi.

I cringed. There had to be another option.

The knocking of my knuckles against metal echoed throughout the warehouse. Arriving at the abandoned building was like making a phone call. As the soles of my shoes crunched against the crumbling concrete floor, I looked up at the angled ceiling and the enormous window allowing the morning sun to pour inside. Thousands of dust motes reflected the light, dancing to the music of the draft blowing in from the broken windows.

“Eli?” I yelled, my voice traveling down the hallways and vast rooms like thunder carried on the clouds.

A faint trace of him made the hairs on my neck stand on end, but he didn’t push through.

“You know why I’m here!” After several moments, I called out again, but this time, my voice sounded much smaller. “Please?”

Time was very different in Heaven, and growing up, I’d noticed that celestial beings never got in much of a hurry to do anything. I found a spot on the floor and sat crisscross, waiting for Eli to decide to visit me, if he did at all.

Requesting council with Eli was a big deal. I wouldn’t go to him if I was angry with my parents or even if I wanted to protest my treatment during training. Dad said it was harder to do and more important than getting a meeting with the President of the United States, but Eli had a particular fondness for our family.

Like all Archangels, Eli had true compassion for humans. He wasn’t fond of crossing over planes. Some called it dimensions, and others referred to it as realms. I simply saw it as crossing over from consciousness, like the difference between being awake and asleep. In Heaven’s plane, Eli could be standing next to me, but he would be worlds away. Crossing over to Earth’s plane from Hell was like waking up from the most wonderful dream imaginable. On the contrary, traveling from Heaven had the opposite effect, which explained why humans experienced evil more often than good.

I pulled my knees up to my chest, tapping my feet as I waited. He was closer than before, but he was waiting for something. The sun rose high in the sky, and my stomach growled.

I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast to get here before Mom and Dad knew what I was up to.

“Maybe you shouldn’t do anything your parents weren’t aware of,” Eli said, appearing ten feet away.

He wore loose-fitting jeans rolled up mid-calf, khaki Birkenstocks, and a white V-neck T-shirt. He reminded me of my dad, intimidatingly tall and built, glowing, tanned skin, and bright sky-blue eyes. His hair was lighter blond than Dad’s, spiked up in the front, and he was definitely a lot happier, his wide smile showing off all his perfect white teeth.

I scrambled to my feet, stopping just a few feet shy of where Eli stood.

“You came!”

“I did. How’s the savioring going?”

I breathed out a laugh and looked down. “That’s why I’m here. I have questions.”

“Of course,” he said. His voice was smooth and comforting, almost maternal, and at the same time, it was strong. I had often wished that Eli could be around us all the time. The effect he had was intoxicating.

“Mom and Dad are keeping things from me.”

Eli’s eyes widened. “Shocking.”

I tucked my hair behind my ear, trying to think straight while