“I know.”
“He’s not right.”
“Of course not.”
I shook—every part of me shook. “What happened to him? How is he here?”
The Throne tipped his head to the side. “He committed an act of selflessness and sacrifice by coming to your aid. He did so out of the purest love. He was restored to his Former Glory.”
“Former Glory?” I had no idea what he was talking about.
The Throne nodded. “But he chose you. He chose to Fall.”
2
The room seemed to spin as what the Throne was saying began to sink in. It didn’t make sense, but I knew what the angel had meant by saying Zayne Fell. I knew what Zayne had meant when he said he was Fallen.
What I didn’t understand was how it was possible.
I had to take several deep, calming breaths before I spoke again. “Zayne was a Warden and my Protector. How did he Fall when he was never an angel?”
His wings rose and then settled. “What do you think the Wardens were before they were cast unto stone? Did you believe the Creator snapped them into existence out of boredom?”
I started to frown. Yeah, that was exactly what I believed.
“No. God was not simply bored. What you call Wardens were once the guardians of man, great ones, but they failed. They caved to the lure of sin and vice. They Fell.”
“I don’t understand. I was told—”
“That the Fallen were wiped clean from this Earth by the Wardens?” He smiled faintly. “They rewrote their histories. Can you blame them for wanting to hide their shame?” He stepped down from the altar, causing me to tense. “They buried their deeds so deep that many generations have been born and gone to the Heavens, never knowing their true past. Some who Fell were stripped of their wings and their grace by the archangels and Alphas. Others escaped into Hell. But those who did not run, and recognized their sin, took their punishment. They were entombed in stone.”
“Alive?” I whispered.
“They became the warning that evil was all around and no one, not even God’s angels, were immune to it.”
“They became the first stone gargoyles.” I sucked in a small breath, horrified to think that anyone had been trapped in stone. “How long?”
“Centuries,” the Throne answered with a shrug.
My mouth dropped open. Centuries trapped in stone? How did any of them come out of that with their minds intact?
“But with the demon populace increasing, God intervened, and the Alphas gave some of those entombed a choice—to be free to fight the demons and protect man or to remain entombed.”
That didn’t sound a whole lot like freedom or a choice to me, but what did I know?
“Those who accepted the choice became the first Wardens, their true stone form designed to serve as a reminder, and the human form given back so that they could blend in with humans. Their grace was still removed so that there was no risk of a rebellion and they were able to create a lineage who would continue to protect man and serve God’s will,” he explained. “That is who the Wardens truly are.”
I suddenly thought of what the demon prince had said to me the day I’d gone to the coven to get Bambi, his familiar, back. Good thing the Wardens wiped out the Fallen eons ago, eh? Then Roth had chuckled as if he’d known something I hadn’t. Roth knew! That was why he was constantly making snide comments about the Wardens.
“Wait. Those who didn’t accept the choice? Or weren’t given one?” I asked. “What happened to them?”
“You already know the answer to that.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. I did. I just didn’t want it to be true. “They’re still entombed.”
“They are.”
Dear God.
The Throne watched me. “Then, when a Warden dies, he or she comes unto judgment. They will either be ushered into eternal peace or granted Glory. To be reborn as they once were.”
Learning how the Wardens became who they were was mind-blowing, and I had questions. Like how in the world did the demons keep this a secret? If Roth knew the truth, which I was betting he did, then more had to. But at the moment only Zayne mattered. “So when you say he was restored, he was made an...an angel?”
He nodded.
“Zayne had wings—big, fluffy angel wings—and he had grace. A lot of it. I didn’t think the Fallen had wings or grace.” That was what I’d always been told, and even Roth had said so. Only Lucifer had retained his wings and grace, because he’d been kicked out before God realized that should be a thing to do.
“Not all are given redemption. Only those who are truly deserving or are found to be useful are restored to their Glory, given their grace and wings. He was chosen,” the Throne repeated. “He was restored.”
I opened my mouth, but there were no words as it finally, truly sunk in. Zayne had become an angel, an actual angel, and then he’d Fallen...
How could he have done that?
I wanted to go back out there, find him and smack him in the face. Not because I wasn’t appreciative. I wanted Zayne back. I’d been prepared to go to the Grim Reaper to see what I could do, but he’d become a freaking angel in Heaven. Angels were often pretty much useless in the big scheme of things, but they were angels. I had no idea what that would feel like, to be a full-blooded one, but it had to be amazing. It had to be like...coming home.
I would’ve never taken him from this. Emotion choked me as tears burned my eyes. I looked away, pressing my lips together. How could there still be tears left when I’d cried so much? How could he do this? Seeing him tonight had been like a dream come true, but at what cost? He...he Fell for me, and he didn’t seem to know who I was.
“You should want to weep,” the angel said softly.
I jerked my heard toward the angel. There was a sadness in the angel’s voice and in his smile that shocked me. I’d always believed angels were without emotion, but what I heard in his words was real.
“Zayne had accomplished what so very few have ever done on their own,” he said. “If I had been him, I would’ve remained in the Heavens. I would’ve helped ensure that Heaven could no longer be accessed, sealing the gates before any corrupt soul could enter.”
“Seal the gates?” I blinked the tears from my eyes.
The Throne nodded. “Many of us feel that this world,” he said, spreading his arms wide, “has become a lost cause. That there will be no stopping Gabriel, and all that we can do is prevent his taint from reaching us.”