A Fallen Angel

Chapter 8 - The fine line between Heaven and Hell

---Nathan’s POV---

I couldn’t get Gabriel’s words out of my mind. Sure, I knew that there was no way that a Fallen could return to our realm without redeeming itself and honestly, I believed that it wouldn’t be any problem for Caitlin to do so…but the truth was that she could never redeem herself, because He never cast her out in the first place.

“How is it that Marcus was able to cast her out without His consent?” I wondered out loud as we were slowly progressing through the thick fogs that were looming over the swamps we were trudging through. Gabriel sighed, growling in annoyance when he nearly tumbled in the muddy substance below as he turned around.

“I don’t know Nathaniel! Honestly, how many times are you going to ask the same questions?” He snarled before his wings ripped through his back and he flew up in the fog. “Uhm, I thought we were hiding our wings Gabe.” Zadkiël remarked dryly before he silenced when Gabriel shot him a glare.

“We’ll use the fog to hide our forms but we need to find a trace of Caitlin before that idiot over there drives me insane.” He grumbled and with that he flew off. Zadkiël and I shared a look before both of us were airborn.

“What’s up with you?” I hesitantly asked Gabriel after a tense silence. He barely looked over his shoulder as we left the swamps behind us and came on wide-open plains, rays of heat shimmering of the ground.

“I just hate it when you talk like that Nathaniel. You know as well as I do that you’re walking a fine line here.” I frowned at his explanation while we all retracted our wings when Gabriel held his open hand out towards us. “This is Demon territory, so no wings out and keep the Devine abilities to a minimum.”

He pushed his blond hair behind his ears before we walked ahead, ignoring the slightly heated soil beneath our feet. Thanks to Michael, we all wore casual clothing to blend in. Zeke noticed that I was still mulling over Gabe’s last words, causing him to sigh before he clarified, “You’re constantly trying to find a way around the rules Nathan. Ever since you realized you banished your own mate,” He stopped for a second, seeing my expression before he pushed through.

“You’re ignoring the Devine laws, which means you are walking the fine line between Heaven and Hell. If you drop of the wrong side, you might end up being a Fallen.” Although my mind was still a swirling mess, I managed to shrug slightly. “That would mean that I could stay with Caitlin, so I’m not worried about that.”

My exclamation had an instant reaction in Gabriel, as he swiftly spun around and shoved me backwards, the muscles in his arms and chest coiling as he glared down at me. “You’d be a true Fallen Nathan. The only thing you’ll ever see then is the outer circles of Hell and demons everywhere. You’d think you could drag her down there with you?” He demanded, stepping up closer to me and shoving me back a few steps.

“Do you need to ask Ezekiel again what happened to his mate huh? She was still an Angel when the Demon’s got a hold on her. Do I need to remind you how Ezekiel looked like when he held her in his arms and there was nothing he could do?” Gabriel underlined each question with a shove while I remained silent, humbled by his words.

I lost her. I lost her forever and there’s nothing I can do about it.