Before the Fall - 2. Part Two: Soaring

They did not return to the feast, though Jair had not eaten. Instead, they circled around to Jair’s house, avoiding the village square where the people were gathered. He would let Joseph and his brothers tell the story of what had happened. He trusted Shimon and Ruben to tell it faithfully.

Entering his house, he used the torch to light his fire and his lamp, then extinguished it and sat down on the furs before the hearth. He winced, touching his hand to his side. It came away red with blood.

‘Jair!’ said Epheriel, alarmed. ‘His spear hit you?’

‘It barely grazed me,’ said Jair dismissively. He removed his shawl and reached for his waterskin, pouring some over his wound. He winced again and hissed.

Epheriel went to him and knelt at his side. ‘Stupid,’ it murmured. ‘How could you let him hurt you that way?’ Then it laid its hands on Jair’s wound. ‘I ought never to have let you fight him.’

Jair laughed, then winced again, because laughing made the pain worse. ‘And how exactly would you have stopped me?’

‘I could have found a way . . . Now let me concentrate!’

The angel’s touch felt like a cool breeze, a thin veil brushing over Jair’s skin. He shivered, then watched as Epheriel’s hands began to glow brighter, and at once the pain was gone.

Epheriel took its hands away. Jair’s skin was still bloody, but the wound was sealed shut, only a faint, white scar where the gash used to be. ‘There.’

‘I didn’t know you could do that,’ said Jair.

‘I am an angel. I do have some power.’

‘Such as the power to change your shape.’ Jair stared intently at the angel’s face. Now that they sat so close in the dusky firelight, he could clearly make it out. Kind, soft features. He reached out, touched the angel’s shoulder. It was almost like touching the surface of a stream. Cool. There, but not solid. He knew that if he pushed, his hand would go through its body.

‘Well, yes,’ said Epheriel, its voice unsteady. ‘And healing, and reading emotions and thoughts.’ It paused. ‘But I cannot read yours.’

‘You said you didn’t want to.’

‘Yes, but even if I did, I cannot. I . . . I tried. I wanted to know if you would fight Joseph or not but . . . there was a barrier I could not penetrate.’

Jair considered this for a moment. ‘Perhaps it’s because I knew you can. And I didn’t want you to.’

‘Perhaps.’

‘But what about now? Let me open my mind to you. Read me, Epheriel.’

The angel hesitated, then focused on Jair and his glow of goodness. It looked into his dark eyes and, all at once, Jair’s thoughts and emotions hit it like a strong gust of wind. Longing. Desire. And three words: I want you.

‘Become a man for me, Epheriel,’ Jair whispered.

‘I . . . I do not know if I can.’

‘Try. If only for a moment, so I can touch you.’

Epheriel closed its eyes, drew on all the power it had, wishing to become solid. It felt warmth spread throughout its body and opened its eyes again. When it looked down on its form, it was no longer a shadow. Its skin was pale, white as the moon, but it was skin. It looked up into Jair’s dark eyes again, and Jair reached out and embraced it. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he murmured.

The angel’s voice hitched in its throat. His throat. He was now a man, even if only temporarily. Jair had specified; man, not woman. ‘I . . . I cannot maintain this form for long,’ he said. ‘It . . . it is too complex.’

Jair pulled back and looked into Epheriel’s eyes. They were pale grey, almost silver. He ran his fingers through shoulder-length, white hair. ‘Then let me kiss you first.’ When the angel did not protest, he leaned in and they kissed. Epheriel’s lips were soft and supple. Everything about his body was soft. New. His skin felt cool against Jair’s, but he could feel his heartbeat underneath. Hard and fast.

Suddenly, there came a knock upon the doorpost and all at once, Epheriel turned to grey mist and shadow in Jair’s arms. He cursed under his breath, then stood. ‘Yes?’

The curtain was pulled aside and Shimon stepped inside. He bowed his head. ‘Jair. I wish to apologise on behalf of my entire family for—’

‘There’s no need, Shimon,’ said Jair with a sigh. ‘Joseph is just a boy. He believed he was protecting his sister. No harm done.’

‘No, I suppose not.’ Shimon met his eyes with a wry smile. ‘There was never any chance of my brother hurting you.’

‘No. Not really.’ Jair gave a soft laugh.

‘My father sent me to ask if you would like to rejoin the feast.’

Jair sighed. He had no wish to do so at all. ‘I’m sorry, but I’m tired.’

‘Yes, my father thought you might be.’ Shimon smiled. ‘So I’ve brought you some meat and bread, and some wine.’ He stepped outside again and returned with a plate of food and a cup of wine. ‘And if there is ever anything you need . . . Well. My family is in your debt for sparing my brother. It will not soon be forgotten.’

‘I thank you.’

‘No, Jair. The gratitude is mine. I’ll leave you to rest.’ Shimon turned and left the hut. Jair breathed out a slow sigh and returned to his seat by the fire.

‘Are you all right?’ Epheriel, now back in its usual form, sat next to him again.

‘Yes.’ Jair smiled at him. ‘Though I wish we hadn’t been interrupted.’

The angel looked down. It felt a similar wish. Human touch was entirely different from angelic touch. Jair’s warm, solid embrace had brought tears to its newly human eyes. ‘As do I.’ It looked up at the man again. ‘You should eat.’

‘Well, I did say you should partake as well,’ said Jair. ‘Can’t you change your shape and have a taste?’

Epheriel shook its head. ‘No. I do not have that kind of strength. I am sorry.’ It sighed. ‘I wish with all my being that—But not today.’

Jair nodded. ‘All right.’ He picked up a piece of meat, taking a bite, but he did not taste it as he normally would have. It was hard to take pleasure in food when all he wanted was to embrace the being sitting next to him and he could not. He shifted where he sat, human urges having taken over his body. It felt wrong to try to do something about it with an angel by his side, even though it was an angel he had just kissed. He ate in silence and Epheriel remained next to him, quiet as well, staring into the flames.

When the food was gone, Epheriel looked at Jair again. ‘You should sleep.’

‘I have no wish to sleep.’

‘I know. But you need to. Tomorrow is a new day, and we still have a job to do, do we not?’

Jair sighed. ‘Yes. We do.’

He undressed, extinguished the lamp, and crawled under his furs as he did every night. Staring through the flames that flickered in the hearth, he saw Epheriel clearly beyond them. ‘Epheriel?’

‘Yes?’

Jair hesitated, then said, ‘Will you stay by my side?’

The angel smiled. ‘I will stay by your side always,’ it said, ‘as long as it is within my power.’

Ω

Jair slept through the night and woke the following morning to find a cool presence next to him. Rain was coming down outside, pitter-pattering on the flat roof of his little house, and in the cold light he could clearly see the shadow of Epheriel lying next to him, on top of the furs. ‘Good morning,’ it said. Jair reached out slowly and touched the angel’s chest with his hand, careful not to let it go through its form. He felt the cool, water-like surface beneath his fingertips.

‘Good morning,’ he said, wishing more than anything that Epheriel would turn corporeal again so he could kiss its lips. He frowned. ‘Is it all right for me to touch you this way?’ he asked softly.

Epheriel nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘Can you feel it?’

The angel nodded again. ‘It feels warm. And I can feel your pulse.’ It lifted a shadowy hand and laid it over Jair’s. ‘What do you feel?’

‘You’re cold. Your form feels like water . . . or wind. There, but if I push too hard . . .’

Epheriel pressed down with its hand until Jair’s hand passed through it. They both gasped. ‘Does it hurt?’ asked Jair.

‘No,’ said the angel. ‘But it feels . . . intense.’

Jair nodded. He hesitated for a moment, then let his hand pass into Epheriel. He could feel it shiver around him. ‘I’m sorry.’ He made to pull his hand away.

‘No!’ said the angel. ‘No. Stay. It . . . It feels like having a heart.’

‘I think—’ Jair frowned. ‘I think I’m feeling what you feel. Warmth.’

‘Yes,’ Epheriel whispered. It leaned in, touched its lips to Jair’s, even though it knew it wasn’t the same as what they had done the night before. It was not a kiss, not exactly, but Jair’s breath was hot and it was almost as if he blew life into Epheriel. It shivered again, its faint glow growing brighter. Jair’s breathing grew laboured.

‘Epheriel . . . I can’t—’ He clenched his fist. ‘I need to, to . . .’

‘Do what you need to.’

‘No.’ Jair shook his head and sighed. ‘No. I can’t.’ And he pulled his hand away. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Do not be sorry,’ said Epheriel emphatically, even as it mourned the loss of that feeling. ‘It . . . it is morning, anyway. There are things to do.’

‘Yes.’ Jair sat up and reached for his loincloth. He was unwilling to get out from under the furs and stayed put for a moment, willing his desire to abate. ‘I’m working the fields today. With the rains here there is much to be done.’

‘Then I will watch and listen.’ Epheriel went over to the window, looking out at the grey, rainy morning. ‘I think I shall be a bird today.’

Jair glanced at him. ‘I wish you could be a man, and we could stay in here all day.’ He could not dismiss from his mind the image of what Epheriel had become for those few fleeting moments the night before. Otherworldly and bright, but a man still, and so beautiful. Just as one might imagine an angel to look, in truth.

Epheriel looked at him. ‘You wanted me to be a man,’ it said. ‘Not a woman.’

‘You seem more like a man than a woman,’ said Jair. ‘And . . . yes. I wanted you to be a man.’

‘Have you done those things before?’ asked the angel. ‘With men?’

Jair licked his lips, looking away, and smiled. ‘With one. Malachai. The bronzesmith. He made my knife.’ He picked said knife up from its place next to his bedding. Epheriel looked at it more closely. It was a beautiful piece, the blade ornately engraved. ‘That was many years ago, however. We were just boys. Malachai is married now, to Eleora. She’s the Elder’s oldest daughter. They have two sons. Malachai and I, we just . . . experimented, as boys do.’

‘Do they?’ Epheriel cocked its head to one side. Jair looked up at him, amused.

‘Yes. Girls too, I would imagine. Either way, it was nothing serious. He grew out of it.’

‘But you did not.’

Jair sighed. ‘I suppose not. And while people turn a blind eye to the games of young boys . . . Men are not meant to do such things.’

‘Why not?’ asked the angel.

‘Why not?’ Jair frowned. ‘Because it’s sinful.’

‘Sinful? To love another person?’

‘It . . . it’s what we . . . what they believe. Is it not so?’

‘Not to my knowledge.’

‘Well . . .’ Jair sighed. ‘As long as they believe it, it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. I have resigned myself to being alone.’

Epheriel stepped close to him, and its arms embraced him like a cool breeze. ‘You will never be alone,’ it whispered, ‘for I will be here.’

Jair wished to hold the angel tightly, but he could not. He sighed and said, ‘Thank you.’

Epheriel let him go. It smiled at him. ‘It is time to face the day.’ Then it transformed into a small silver bird and flew out the window.

Ω

When Jair returned to the village after cleaning up and filling his waterskin at the stream, he was met by Miryam. Upon seeing him, the girl dropped to her knees and bowed her head. ‘Jair,’ she said. ‘I . . . I am deeply sorry for my brother’s behaviour. It was all on account of me . . . Please, I beg your forgiveness.’

Jair knelt before her and touched her shoulder. ‘There’s no need for this, Miryam. All is forgiven. I’m only sorry if I slighted you when I refused your father’s offer.’

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. ‘Slighted me? Oh! Oh, no! You didn’t, I . . . It’s not for me to . . .’ She fell silent, lowering her gaze again.

‘You mustn’t for a second believe that there is something wrong with you,’ Jair continued. ‘You will make a lovely wife for a lucky man someday. Just not for me.’ He stood and offered her his hand. She took it and let him help her to her feet. ‘Peace be upon you.’

‘And upon you,’ she replied. She smiled shyly, then walked away.

Jair sighed and looked around. On a branch in a nearby bay tree sat the small silver bird. Good. Epheriel was watching over him. Jair set off toward the field.

The angel watched him go. Then it flew to the next tree, staying close. It listened, reached out, and tried to feel. There wasn’t much to speak of by way of thought or feeling. Few people were about. Most of the women were staying in their houses today, doing indoor chores in the rain. Sewing, weaving. The children were inside as well. Most of the men were in the fields. Nobody hunted in this weather, and the ones that weren’t working were in their homes. Today was already promising to be a dull day.

Ω

As Epheriel had assumed, they made no progress whatsoever that day, and it was with disappointment that they returned to Jair’s house that evening. The day had been wholly uneventful. Jair seemed less disappointed than the angel, however.

‘Don’t you think it’s sort of nice, though? Not to have to worry for a whole day. Perhaps the danger is past.’ He blew life into the fire and sat down on his furs to sharpen his knife, as he did every evening.

‘I wish I could believe that, I really do.’ Epheriel glanced out the window, into the night. It hesitated for a moment. There was a question it had been burning to ask since the night before. ‘Jair.’

‘Yes?’ Jair studied the angel’s shadowy face with a smile.

‘Last night, you told a story to the children. Of a man named Enoch.’

Jair put down his knife and nodded slowly. ‘I did. It’s an old story. My father told it to me.’

‘Where did he hear it?’

‘From his father. Why do you ask?’ He studied the angel’s features, waiting for a response.

Epheriel shrugged. ‘No real reason. Only . . .’ It looked over at Jair. ‘That story . . . It is true.’

Jair frowned. ‘How do you mean?’

‘It is real. Enoch, he existed. And when he was old, the angels . . . we took him.’

Jair’s jaw dropped open. ‘You mean . . . ? Well . . . What happened to him?’

‘He became an angel,’ said Epheriel.

‘You mean mortals can become angels?’

‘So far, only one mortal. Enoch became Metatron. It is the Voice of the Lord. Before that, the Lord spoke to us directly. They took Enoch as Their Instrument. Enoch transcended, and now the Lord speaks through Metatron.’

Jair shook his head slowly. ‘I . . . I can hardly believe this. I thought it was just a story.’

‘No, it is quite real. I was astonished to hear you tell it.’

‘So . . .’ Jair hesitated. ‘Could I become an angel?’

Epheriel looked up at him in surprise. ‘You? Why on Earth would you want to?’

‘To be with you,’ said Jair bluntly. His dark eyes glittered in the firelight. ‘If you cannot become a man, for more than a few seconds at a time, then . . . Perhaps I could become like you instead. And we could be together.’

‘Oh, Jair . . . If you only knew how vibrant your existence is compared with mine.’

‘And short,’ Jair reminded it. ‘I’ll die one day. You’re immortal. When I die . . . can my soul be with you?’

‘I . . . I do not know. Please, Jair, do not speak of such things. Do not speak of death. It . . . I cannot bear it.’ Jair could hear the desperation in the angel’s voice as it sat down next to him. Its cool body brushed his shoulder.

‘Epheriel,’ whispered the man. ‘I don’t fear death. What I fear is eternity never being able to hold you.’

Epheriel looked at Jair, then focused its power, as much of it as it could muster, into solidifying its shape, into becoming a man. Even if it would not be able to hold the shape for long, it wanted to try. Needed to.

Jair watched as its skin turned opaque, its hair and eyes as fair as they had been before. The moment it was finished, he reached for it, for him, pulling Epheriel, the man, into his arms. He wasted no time in finding his companion’s lips. Words were not needed. Epheriel kissed him back, hungrily.

Epheriel wished he could keep this shape, remain a man, for the rest of Jair’s life. Wished that, at least for that one lifetime, they could be equals. Instinctively, he pressed Jair down onto the furs and rolled on top of him. He used his tongue to taste. Taste the tangy warmth of Jair’s mouth, the salt of his skin. Jair was the first thing Epheriel’s tongue had tasted. The first thing he had seen with human eyes. And the first touch he had felt, in this skin or otherwise, that did not come from a fellow angel.

He wanted more. His human body was responding to Jair’s touch, to his hands running up and down his back, the way any human body would. The way Jair’s was. It felt wonderful, incredible, to want and be wanted. But he already felt his power waning and he let out a frustrated noise. ‘Jair . . . I am sorry, but I cannot . . .’ As he said it, he became less solid again, and then Epheriel was an angel once more. If it could, it would have cried.

Jair looked up at his angel, whose form glowed slightly in the firelight. He touched his lips to the angel’s far too soft ones. Then, hesitating only for a brief moment, he let his hands sink into its form.

They both gasped. Both hands felt yet more intense than just one had and as he was already so excited, there was no stopping his groan. A shiver, a soft vibration, went through Epheriel’s ethereal body and it was as if its light grew brighter. It was hovering above him, but now, looking into his eyes, it let itself down, its body moving into Jair’s.

‘Oh! Epheriel . . . Beloved . . .’ Jair panted. ‘What are you . . . ?’ He closed his eyes with a shaky sigh.

Epheriel felt the heat spread through its entire being as Jair’s warm, solid body entered its own. And then a different kind of heat, as Jair uttered those words, as he called it ‘beloved’. It felt the pulsing, the pounding of its lover’s heartbeat, as Jair became its heart. Such pleasure overtook it as it had never felt before.

‘Jair . . .’ it whispered. ‘Say that again.’

‘What?’ Jair felt almost dazed. He swallowed. ‘Oh . . . Beloved?’

Epheriel shivered again, uttering a soft moan of pleasure. ‘Yes . . .’

Jair let it take him, the cool heat of the two of them becoming nearly one. ‘Epheriel, my beloved,’ he whispered. ‘Please tell me that you’re mine.’

‘Yes . . . I am. I am yours, and you are mine.’

Jair felt as though his heart would burst. Tears welled up in his eyes, spilling down his temples where he lay on his back, looking up into the bright face of the angel, no longer so grey and small. And as Epheriel wrapped itself around him, he gave himself over to it, allowing it to happen, allowing his body to stiffen as the pleasure built to a head and brought him to completion.

Epheriel felt it, the intensity of it, and it shook its very being. Then Jair’s frantic heartbeat began to slow, and then that feeling of pleasure and release was replaced by something else.

Shame.

Epheriel pulled itself away from Jair’s body, releasing him and so also itself from the intensity of Jair’s emotions. ‘Jair . . .’ It hesitated. ‘My heart. What is wrong?’

Jair shook his head, then sat up and wiped the tears from his face. ‘I’m sorry. I can’t believe I . . . You’re an angel, I . . . I defiled you.’

The angel only stared, bewildered. ‘Defiled me? Jair, you did no such thing. What just happened, it . . . It was wonderful.’

‘But—but you are pure, Epheriel. You were . . . unsullied.’

Epheriel laughed. ‘Is that how you see me?’

‘Well, yes.’

‘It is true, I have never done anything like that before. But then, I am not sure anyone ever has. I have never heard of . . . angels lying with men before. It truly was wonderful, Jair. I felt all that you felt.’

Jair looked away. He wiped his spending from his stomach with his hand. ‘I felt all that you felt too,’ he murmured. ‘It was amazing.’ He met the angel’s gaze once more, and his heart sped up at what he found there. It could only be described as adoration. He swallowed. ‘I have never felt this way before,’ he said softly. ‘I have never loved anyone this way before.’

‘Nor have I.’ Epheriel smiled and looked away. ‘I wish I could kiss you.’

‘Soon. When you have your strength back.’ Jair reached out and touched his hand to the angel’s cheek. ‘When you are next a man.’

Ω

Later that night, while Jair slept soundly, Epheriel once again felt an angelic presence nearby. Exiting the house, it felt someone beckon it out of the village. It might have felt apprehensive, but it knew this presence, and so it went.

The other angel waited beyond an outcropping of rock. Epheriel bowed its head and cast down its eyes when it reached it.

‘Look at me, brother,’ said Metatron, and Epheriel lifted its eyes to meet the gaze of the shining archangel. Metatron’s six great wings stretched out above it, pulsing with bright, golden light. ‘What have you been doing?’ it asked.

Epheriel hesitated. ‘Watching,’ it said softly.

‘It is not becoming of an angel to lie,’ said Metatron.

‘If you already know,’ said Epheriel, ‘then why do you ask, brother?’

‘Because I want to hear you say it.’

‘I have been aiding the mortal Jair,’ said Epheriel. ‘He is special, brother. He shines with goodness, and he is threatened by somebody who wishes him harm. We are trying to determine who.’

‘And was it necessary to reveal yourself, to reveal divine secrets to him, in order to protect him?’

‘I have made that judgement, yes.’

‘That judgement is not yours to make.’ There was an edge to Metatron’s voice.

‘Are you currently the Voice of the Lord, or yourself?’ asked Epheriel bluntly.

‘They are one and the same!’

‘I would argue, my brother, that they are not.’

Metatron ignored him. ‘You are a watcher. You are meant to watch. What you have done cannot be undone, and I daresay you cannot abandon this man now. But you must stop this fraternising. What you are doing is wrong. It is sin.’

‘Tamiel told me angels do not sin.’

‘Tamiel is not a seraph. It is not the Voice of the Lord. To whom should you listen, brother?’

Epheriel was not accustomed to shame. It was not an angelic emotion. Was it becoming so human? The thought of no longer loving Jair, of no longer touching and being touched by him, was almost unbearable.

‘You will stop this madness,’ said Metatron. ‘Angels must not lie with mankind. It is an abomination.’

‘Yes, brother,’ Epheriel mumbled

‘Good. I am choosing to put my faith in you. Make certain my faith is not misplaced.’

‘What do I tell Jair?’

‘Whatever you have to, but tell him no more of me.’

Epheriel bowed his head again. ‘As you say, brother.’

Metatron nodded its head, then beat its wings and took to the air. ‘Remember what I have said! I speak the will of the Lord.’

Epheriel watched the archangel ascend and disappear, then made to return to Jair’s home, when another voice spoke.

‘It does not, you know.’

The watcher turned to see yet another shining angel. It was every bit as bright as Metatron, and it too sported three pairs of wings. ‘Azazel?’

‘Yes.’ Azazel stepped close. ‘It does not speak for the Lord, not any longer. Do not say its name; it is how it learnt what you have been doing.’

‘I . . . I see.’ Epheriel heard the hesitance in its own voice.

‘You do not see,’ said Azazel. ‘I feel your doubt. But I too am a seraph, brother. I too know what goes on in Heaven. And I am telling you, the Lord has not spoken to Their instrument in a long time. It is deceiving you.’ Azazel stepped closer. ‘Listen to me, brother. There is nothing wrong with what you are doing. Love is never wrong, not for men and not for angels. Trust in that. The Lord would never condemn anyone for loving. But that angel would. It is full of envy and spite. It misses the days when it was human. It resents you for being so close to humanity, for being able to feel it. It used to be the watcher’s role to teach, to inspire, to create. Do you not recall?’

‘But the Lord decreed that we must not do so any longer. That the divine must not be revealed to mortals. Because proof denies faith, and the faith of mankind is necessary.’

‘I do not believe the Lord decreed any such thing. It was Their so-called Voice that did so. Of course the Lord wants faith, but without it, They would still be the Lord. They would still be all-powerful and all-knowing. And if the Lord truly hated what you are doing, why did They not, in Their infinite wisdom, instruct Their Voice to confront you before? Because this has been going on for days. Has it not?’

Epheriel hesitated, then nodded. ‘How did you know?’

‘Tamiel told me. And when I saw the Voice fly, I followed, because somehow I knew it would lead me to you. Brother, if you love this man, then you should show that love. You should speak to him and show him. As Tamiel told you, angels do not sin. And either way, love is never a sin, never. If it harms no one, express it as you will. And you are stronger than you think. We are not so different as they would have you believe. All the power that I have, you have too. Know this. Use it.’

Epheriel nodded slowly. ‘I hear you, brother. But I must think on it.’

‘Do what your conscience tells you,’ said Azazel. ‘Just know that an angel’s instincts are never wrong. The only way you can err is by not following them.’ It stepped forward and embraced Epheriel. ‘And now I must leave you. Farewell, brother. Think on what I have said.’ Azazel stepped back, beat its wings, and it, too, soared away from the village and from Epheriel.

Ω

As though he could sense Epheriel’s absence, Jair awoke to find the house empty. The fire had died down to embers. He felt a brief moment of panic at not seeing his angel anywhere and got out of bed naked, stepping up to the window. It was pitch dark outside, clouds blotting out the moon and stars. He had no idea how long it was until dawn.

He felt it before he saw it, Epheriel approaching between the houses. It saw him too, and Jair stepped aside as it flew in through his window. ‘Where were you?’

‘I am sorry. I was . . . called away for a moment. Someone wished to speak with me.’

Jair thought it seemed evasive and reached out, placing his hand on its shoulder, careful not to press too hard. ‘You seem distraught, my love.’

Epheriel shook its head. ‘It was just . . . The Voice called me. It . . . the one I was speaking of, who used to be . . . When I said its name, it heard, and now it knows everything.’

Jair frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘It is not important.’

‘It is important, if you’re in trouble.’

‘The Voice said the Lord has decreed that angels must not lie with mankind, that it is sinful. But I do not believe it is. Azazel, another angel, another archangel, also revealed itself to me and told me the Voice was lying, that it no longer speaks for the Lord. And now . . . I do not know what to believe.’ Its eyes met Jair’s. ‘All I know is that I do not want to be without you. I cannot bear the thought.’

‘Nor I,’ said Jair softly, and embraced the angel as best he could. ‘But if you’re wrong . . . what will happen to you?’

‘I do not know. But I do know that I am not alone. There are those who support me. Others who . . . feel as I do. Azazel says love is never wrong. Tamiel says so too. I am sure there are more.’

Jair released it, searched its face. ‘Come,’ he said softly. ‘Lie down with me. I want to feel you next to me as I fall asleep.’

They lay down, and Epheriel stroked his brow, its touch like a cool breeze.

‘I could sense it,’ Jair murmured. ‘I could feel that you were not here. It was like . . . a part of me was missing. I think what we did . . . we’re connected now, somehow. You are part of me and I am part of you.’

Epheriel nodded slowly. ‘I believe you may be right.’ It let its hand come to rest on Jair’s chest, above his heart. His heart beat against its palm, his pulse bringing life and heat into the angel’s body. Into its soul, for an angel’s body and soul are one and the same. ‘Sleep, my heart,’ it whispered. ‘Tomorrow is another day.’