Chapter 32

I let out a booming laugh and Daeva’s eyes turned gold as she turned towards me. “It looks like your other half is rubbing off on you. I’m glad for it though, if Daeva gives you the stamp of approval, who am I to judge?” Volkan shrugged and ordered some food from the bartender that stopped by to drop ours off. I smiled a bit and Daeva gave me a wink. “How did you know, V? We hadn’t told anyone before you left” Daeva asked eying him curiously above her burger before digging in. “One,” Volkan said “no one beats you in a fight, I knew something was up. Two, you two seem like you could level this bar with a snap of your fingers. It’s actually incredibly intimidating. And C, I met an angel named Adan. I thought that he was trying to start something with some angels that were there. Maybe he had some intel. I followed him for a few days before I grabbed him and he told me everything. I knew he was telling the truth so I let him go and followed some of the angels that he was talking to instead.”

“I didn’t find much, honestly, except for some talk about some angel named Koby, from the war. I know that you took care of all of them, but is there any way that you didn’t?” He looked at me. “Honestly, this isn’t the first time that we’ve wondered that. There was an angel in Adan’s memory that looks familiar. I know I destroyed the vessel but I’m starting to wonder if it was the right angel. This Koby being might be trouble. What else made it so bad?” I asked him, looking at how disheveled he was. “Well, I might have gotten jumped. I went down with my own damn crater. Rookie mistake.” He shrugged and chugged a bit more of Ziggy’s tequila.

“Was Sirona there to help?” Daeva asked after a few seconds of silence. “She came later to help, confused the hell out of the humans, it was hilarious. She will be here soon, she always needs rest after fixing my messes.” He let out another chuckle with that but he looked a little guilty. I finally understood why he had calmed down lately. Volkan had gotten his food so we ate for a while in silence before Volkan started in on questions again. “So… What is going on with the power thing? Are you guys becoming gods or something? O.m.g. Are you my new daddy?!” He said, grabbing my arm and giving me fake puppy dog eyes. Daeva burst out laughing and I couldn’t help myself. Volkan was the youngest, and I could certainly see he kept his childishness even without a childhood. “Not gods, V. We don’t really know what is happening or why. Just that it is. Hopefully it will come in handy for what we’re trying to do.” Daeva answered for me. “So, I can’t call him Daddy then”

We all laughed again, but I shook my head. “I think we all have too many daddy issues for that, Volkan” I said. Daeva nearly snorted whiskey out of her nose and Ziggy was gasping for air. “I like you a lot more than I thought I would, Dad. Thanks for coming back with the milk.” Volkan said through laughter, giving me a pat on the back. I could see why Daeva liked him so much, he never let a thought go unsaid and he definitely was more demon than angel. He seemed unafraid of everything except for his angelic wife. “So, now it’s just Than that doesn’t have his lover? Ouch. Well, it's a good thing that Aella isn’t bringing Jaakob this time.” He shrugged. “Can you spare Daeva for a night, Dad?” I turned on him and grabbed his shirt, my anger making the lights flicker in the bar. Volkan just grinned. “That’s impressive. Sorry man, I wanted to see it. I couldn’t think of another way.” He shrugged again as I let him go. “Sorry.” I mumbled, but Daeva chuckled beside me.

“Maybe, don’t piss off the beings that are still learning their newfound strength, V?” Ziggy said, trying to hold back her laughter. “We should wait until Aella and Than get her to discuss the rest. That way we’re not repeating or leaving anything out” we all nodded our heads in agreement with Daeva and went back to drinking and chatting. Volkan told us all about his run in with some demonic ‘thugs’ and how he created and fixed the hole as Sirona joined us. He had already ordered her a few things on the menu and pulled her into a passionate kiss right there in the booth. She smiled at everyone and then gasped slightly as she looked at Daeva. All angels and demons could see each other's auras, but healers like Sirona could see more in depth. She reached across the table to grab Daeva's hands. “Your aura is healed, and bigger. Did your wings change color? Oh my, it’s a little suffocating. Your mind is different, the walls are stronger but… sorry.” She said, sitting down beside Volkan and blushing a little. Then she turned to me. “Holy shit, it’s the same with you. Sorry. Um.. Would it be against the rules to catch me up?”

Daeva laughed a little and Volkan kissed her temple as she dug into a sandwich in front of her. Daeva said that Sirona was usually reserved but one of the only true angels that she has ever liked. “I didn’t know if anyone else could sense it. I’m kind of glad to know you can. What did you mean, ‘my aura is healed’?” Daeva asked after a few minutes of letting Sirona eat. She was down to fries on one plate and dessert on another. “Ok… Don’t be mad.. Since I’ve know you, there have been little tears in your aura. I knew that you wouldn’t accept help.. So everytime that I saw you, I would try to heal them a bit at a time. It never stuck, but you always seemed to be a little lighter the next day. I’m really sorry, I know that I can’t help like Volkan but.. I wanted to do what I could. Now, it seems practically whole again.” She was staring at her hands under the table and not daring to make eye contact with Daeva.

She got out of the booth from the split in the middle and walked around the table. Volkan looked a little nervous and kept a protective hand on her back while he watched her. She stood in front of Sirona and everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Her eyes finally landed on red and motioned for Sirona to stand. She patted Volkan on the leg and stood. Daeva reached out and I truly didn’t know if Sirona was about to get smacked or hugged. Daeva chose to pull her into a hug. Sirona was stiff in surprise for a moment and then returned the hug tenfold. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I really did just want to help.” Daeva pulled back from her hug to look Sirona in the eyes. “I didn’t even realize. You were always so tired the next day and I would feel so much better. Never sacrifice your health for me like that again, but that might be the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me.” Daeva kissed Sirona on the forehead and then left to get more bottles from the bar.

“I’m guessing that means that it’s true then? You two are fated?” Sirona said, looking to me. I nodded. “Is she still having night terrors?” I nodded again and added, “She comes out of them easier now. The other night she didn’t even fight me.” Sirona nodded. “You really care about her, don’t you?” I asked her. It was her turn to nod. “She has been through so much at the hands of my kind, of her kind. She has always been the strongest being that I’ve known. That’s why Volkan would follow her anywhere, and I would do the same with or without him. No offense, baby.” She said, giving Volkan a kiss on the cheek. He just grinned and added “None taken, I would hope so.” I laughed a bit but I was still surprised at how much loyalty Daeva has inspired in nearly everyone that she is around. I was never the leader that God and Lucifer asked me to be, but I always knew that it was taken care of because of Daeva. She was they’re most trusted. Everyone thought it was me, but it was, without a doubt, her.