Embracing Eternity Read Online Free PDF Page A

one he loved so fiercely could be guilty of trying to wrest control of the universe from the Most High. He’d even begged for mercy on her behalf.
    But Meela had refused to repent, had stood defiant, and in the end, left Heaven laughing.
    An entire existence spent waiting, hoping she would take note of him, and in an instant, Judgment passed and she was gone, cast out with the rest of those who stood by Lucifer.
    Evan dismissed the painful memory with a shake of his wings. The male groans from the other room had quieted and Evan sent out a gentle call to Ren. An answering crash came from the bedroom, along with a human curse and a stream of hushed words.
    A few moments later, Ren appeared on the couch. His jeans appeared to be hastily donned, still unbuttoned at the waist, and his chest was bare. Evan could not ever recall seeing Ren so disheveled.
    Ren stretched his snowy wings out on either side of him and settled back into the cushions, relaxed and all but glowing with contentment.
    “I apologize for my ill-timed visit, Renatus.” Evan shifted awkwardly in the chair and dropped his gaze to Ren’s feet. The sight of the seraph’s bare toes only increased his embarrassment, a reminder of what he’d interrupted.
    “Greetings, Evangelos. You are always welcome in our home.” Ren smiled, genuinely happy to see him. Was it just a few months ago such a visit would have earned Evan a disapproving frown?
    “Adam might not feel the same at the moment.” Evan shifted and glanced toward the bedroom, where the human no doubt lounged in his warm bed, waiting for Ren to return.
    “Adam welcomes you as wholeheartedly as I. He thinks of you with affection.”
    Evan nodded, humbled by their open acceptance of his intrusion. “I wish this could have waited until morning at least.”
    “Nonsense. If something is important enough to send you to me now then we will deal with it now.” Ren leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. It struck Evan that he’d never seen his friend so at ease before, not even in Heaven. Adam had been good for Ren.
    “Now, tell me what has you so concerned,” Ren said.
    “Meela.”
    Ren’s jaw hardened and his hands curled into fists. The agitated flutter of his wings echoed in the otherwise silent room. “What has the demoness done this time?”
    “Nothing. She is blameless.”
    Ren choked on a laugh. “There are many ways to describe Meela. Blameless is not among them.”
    “She has been since you returned to Adam.”
    Ren’s face darkened and the pain in his eyes chilled Evan. Ren’s relationship with the human had not been completely Lawful, and Meela had taken advantage. When consequences were tallied, the penalty required of Ren had been steep. It was clear that taste of Hell haunted him still.
    Evan also bore the burden of failing to protect Ren. Failing as a Guardian was unacceptable and any soul lost, even one later reclaimed, was inexcusable.
    However, he could not allow the blame for that time to be laid at the wrong feet.
    “That was not her fault,” he reminded Ren. “In the end you only bore the burden of your own mistake.”
    “She hurt Adam.”
    “The injury he suffered was nothing compared to the pain of losing you.”
    Ren was silent for a long moment. Evan could make out the faint rustle of fabric from down the hallway. Adam was getting impatient.
    “What do you need to know?” Ren finally asked.
    “What must she do to return to Heaven?”
    “You want to take a demon to Heaven? For what purpose?” Ren’s brow wrinkled with confusion.
    “No. I want her to be redeemed.”
    Ren blew out a shocked breath and slumped back onto the couch, his wings drooping on either side of him. “You ask too much.”
    “Do I?”
    “Evan, she has Fallen . There is no redemption for her. It isn’t possible.”
    A twinge of pain hit Evan in the center of his chest, as if something inside him had been damaged, chipped away.
    “I will not believe that. I cannot.” There had