Wings on Fire ~ Falling (Book 1)

Chapter 6

"Does this feel as good to you as it does to me?" I asked Daniel dreamily as I held up our entwined hands.

"It's pretty fantastic," he smiled down at me.

Despite the calmness that he was somehow infusing me with, I couldn't keep my niggling fears at bay. I turned my head against my stacked pillows to gaze up at him, unwilling to let go of his hand, but needing more questions answered. "Is this wrong?" I asked, assuming that he would know I meant our budding relationship.

"Does it feel wrong?" He answered my query with one of his own.

"No, it feels marvelous," I gushed.

His eyes were twinkling down at me. "Agreed," he said, nearly taking my breath away. I couldn't quite grasp the concept that he was really here and enjoying being with me as much as I was thrilled to be spending time with him.

"Has an angel ever had a relationship with a human before?" I asked, anxious to know if this was unprecedented.

"I think it's happened once or twice," was his cryptic response.

"So, it's okay, then?" I asked, unable to keep the hope from creeping into my voice.

Rather than a direct answer, Daniel asked, "You know how humans view primates?"

"You mean gorillas and apes?" I scrunched up my face, "That's how you view us?!?"

"No, not me," Daniel quickly assuaged my fears before adding, "But some angels and other deities view humans as being inferior."

"We do have our faults," I had to admit it, as I thought about all of the mass-murders, bomb threats, and general destructive tendencies that plague our species, "But chimpanzees?"

"Chimps are actually very intelligent," he defended the stereotype. "In fact, they have been known to make and use tools, cooperate in problem solving, and learn through example and experience. They even outperform humans on some memory tasks."

I leaned up to use my free hand to swat playfully at his firm abdomen. I was annoyed that he was insinuating that a primate might be smarter than me, but I wasn't so angry that I wanted to stop the glorious feelings that emanated from holding his hand.

"I've never held that view of humans, nor do many other angels, but there is a significant group of our kind who would look at the 'humans as primates' idea as being a valid analogy. They see you as being less worthy and generally beneath us in every way. It's a prejudice that many of us have been fighting for centuries."

I felt an absurd swelling of pride that Daniel was sticking up for humankind. The connection I had with him already felt so tangible––as if I had known him for years, even though our relationship had been strictly one-way until now.

"Unfortunately," Daniel went on, "Most of the heavenly bodies who view humans as being vastly inferior are elders, and all three members of the Tribunal hold this prejudice."

"The Tribunal?" I asked, already fearing his answer.

His voice was devoid of emotion when he responded. "The Tribunal is the jury that will determine my punishment for forging a relationship with you."

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