Raziel's POV

Sugar, cinnamon and warmth engulf me as soon as I step through the door. The inside of the shop looks like a sunflower splattered itself across the room. The walls are bright yellow and the furniture is dark brown and light green. In big cursive, brown letters on the right wall are the words "Best Churros in the World" decorated with tiny painted green flowers. 

"What can I get for you today?" the tiny man with a straight, black ponytail says. 

"Six Churros, two plain, two with caramel and two with chocolate please." 

"Sorry, we only have enough for one caramel."

I frown and call for an extra plain one instead. 

The worker smiles and I pay for my delicious treats. My face lights up when my warm, fried dough is handed to me, and as I make my way to the seat closest to me, I sink my teeth into a plain churro, releasing a soft moan. 

A quiet whimper from the corner of the shop distracts me from taking my second bite and I frown when I see a little girl hugging her knees and crying. 

Food or crying little girl? 

I glance at the delicious churros calling my name then back to the little girl. Surely one of the humans in the shop will help her and I can enjoy my food when it's hot. I raise the churro to my mouth before sighing. 

Ugh fine!

I move the churro away from my mouth and walk towards the child, sliding into the seat opposite her. "Where are your big humans?" 

The child sniffles and glances at my face before her eyes drift down to my churros, but she remains silent. 

"Do you want one?" I use one of my tissues to pull out one of the plain ones. 

The child giggles and points to the caramel churro. "That one!" 

Why does she want my only caramel! I pout and try to offer her the plain one and she shakes her head and points to the caramel one again. "Okay, fine." 

I swap the plain one for the caramel one and watch the child as she takes a bite and the caramel leaks out the bottom onto the table. She grins and mumbles, "Thank you! It's yummy!"

I smile and wipe the caramel off the table. Such a waste. "Are you here alone?" 

She shakes his head but keeps eating. 

"Who are you here with?" 

The little girl just continues eating, and I suppress a sigh and decide to eat as well. 

"Can I have another?" she asks as soon as she's finished. 

"You shouldn't have too much sugar." She frowns and looks between me and the churros. "My body processes food a little differently. How about I give you half of one and I buy you some water or warm milk instead?" 

The child grins and nods. After she points to the one she wants, I tear the chocolate one in half and offer it to her. "Okay, stay here and don't move. I'll be right back." 

With that I get up and ask the guy that sold me the churros if he could give me a glass of warm milk and he agrees even though it's not on the menu. I gasp when I return to the table where the girl was sitting and find it empty. 

I check under the table and look around the tiny shop before rushing outside in hopes that she's still nearby. I told her not to go anywhere! What if she gets hurt? She wasn't even wearing a thick coat! 

"Lose something?" 

I spin around to face Gabriel and a wide smile lights up his face. "Congratulations, you passed your final test." 

Why is Gabriel talking about a test now when I have a little girl to find? "Have you seen a little girl walk-" 

"That one!" Gabriel says in the voice of the little girl I gave my only caramel churro to. 

I sigh and roll my eyes. "That was you? You owe me a caramel churro!" 

He giggles and shakes his head, and still in the voice of the little girl says, "But I'm only a little girl." 

"Stop that! It's so creepy!" 

That only prompts Gabriel to giggle harder. 

Just like my special talent is healing, Gabriel's special talent is potions. The potions he can make range anywhere from healing and camouflaging to temporarily advancing physical or mental attributes. These potions come in handy when he needs to test souls and evidently angels. 

"What exactly was the test?" I ask.

"You had to help or show kindness to a human who was not connected to Kai and without anyone prompting you." Gabriel grabs the other half of my chocolate churro and a plain one before biting into the chocolate one. "These are really good!" 

"Does this mean I can get my wings back!" 

Gabriel grins and nods. "Yes! I am now authorised to take you to Heaven. We can wait for Kai to be finished, then I can take you both." 

I smile and nod thinking about the bright smile Kai will wear when I tell him that we're going to visit Heaven. It would be good if Declan could come with us but he doesn't have special permission until Lance finishes orientation. 

Gabriel starts walking towards the library. "I'm still surprised you ended up with a human mate." 

I fall into step next to him, zipping up my winter coat. "Not more surprised than I am," Kai's face flashes before me and I smile, "but I couldn't be happier. What about you and Zorander?" 

A smile spreads across Gabriel's face. "He's cute and funny and surprisingly kind." 

"But?" 

Gabriel sighs. "But I don't know if I see a serious relationship with him. He's intriguing and fun to flirt with," he giggles, "and he's extra cute when he's flustered, but my job is important to me."

If there's one thing that has always been clear, it was how important Gabriel's job as the head of the Soul Division was to him. I can't imagine Gabriel without his job. It's like imagining water without the hydrogen. 

His dedication to his job means that he would never be able to live anywhere but Heaven since working with souls is a very hands-on job. And while demons bonded to angels can live in Heaven, I have yet to meet a demon who actually stayed in Heaven for more than a year. They always ended up hating it and the angel moved with them to Hell or Earth.

I open the door so Gabriel and I can enter the library. "I think if there was ever a demon who would like living in Heaven, it'd be Zorander. He likes seeing people miserable sometimes, but, and you can never tell him I said this," Gabriel giggles and nods, "he has a good heart. Just look at how much he cares about Melkopnius." 

Gabriel looks thoughtful for a moment before smiling. "Maybe you're right." 

We sit next to each other at one of the large tables in a clearing which is surrounded by rows upon rows of books of various sizes and colours. Not many people are in this section of the library, but those that are here are speaking in hushed voices. 

"Tell me what I missed in Heaven," I whisper. 

"Why are you whispering?" Gabriel murmurs. 

I shrug. "The humans are whispering." 

Gabriel nods and he proceeds to catch me up on what I missed while speaking quietly the entire time. 

Raz! Kai's voice sounds in my head a few hours later. Are you ready to leave? 

Yes. I'm with Gabriel. He's taking us to Heaven! 

Nothing could prepare me for the high pitched squeal that rings through my head, and even though I flinch at the noise, his excitement brings a smile to my face. 

I'm at the back entrance on the first floor! 

He squeals again and my smile widens. I get up and start heading towards Kai, beckoning for Gabriel to follow me. 

Even though Kai saw Gabriel a few hours prior, he still hugs the archangel before introducing him to Milan. 

Milan soon bids us farewell and Kai's excitement bursts out of him in the form of questions. "Am I really going to Heaven? Will I get to see your room? Will I get to try the food in Heaven?" He gasps and his eyes widen. "Will I get to meet God!" 

I smile and peck his lips. "Yes we're really going to Heaven and you'll see my quarters. Although some angels do eat, we don't need to eat. But there is a golden fruit which looks like an earth apple. It is delicious on its own but it can also taste like whatever you want it to. Angels sometimes eat those. And maybe not, He might be too busy scolding me." 

"Are you ready?" Gabriel asks. 

I nod and we exit the library. After making sure that the coast is clear, the three of us duck under some stairs and Gabriel holds out his hand. I hold onto Gabriel with one arm and wrap my other arm around Kai's waist, pressing him right up against my body. 

Gabriel takes a deep breath and the dusty street fades before we're surrounded by the vast darkness of the night sky that stretches out in all directions. Stars twinkle all around us and I see Kai's face light up as he watches the stars pass by. 

A slight glow from the left captures his attention and he turns towards it. The light dips and flows over the many craters of the moon as his pink hair blows in the wind. His flushed cheeks and awestruck eyes capture my full attention and a smile spreads across my face. 

His gaze drifts to me and his already wide smile widens. I bend my head, moving slowly so I can savour the barely audible hitch of his breath and darkening of his sky-blue eyes. 

When my lips finally connect with his, he smiles into the kiss. I gently nibble on his bottom lip and his soft moan is swallowed by the gush of the wind as we soar through the sky. He pulls away from the kiss after a few seconds to stare in wonderment at the night sky.

A blanket of lights are now wrapped around us as we fly up into the tunnel of lights, showcasing all the colours of the rainbow. The lights are emitting warm, comforting glows and they seem to dance around us, lightly kissing our bodies as we pass through them.  

The familiar sound of soft laughter mixed with the wind and the sound of flowing water caress my ears, intensifying as we fly upwards. My gaze drifts up to where the colourful lights converge into one large white light before I return my attention to Kai's wonderstruck face. 

We fly into the white light and everything around us suddenly becomes still. The thumping of Kai's heart and the radiant smile on his face is all that I can hear and see. We weightlessly continue to drift upwards. Kai gasps and releases the tiniest giggle just as we burst through the white light. 

The soft sound of laughter and flowing water returns and Gabriel lands in the crystal clear water below us. "We're here!"

Thank you for reading! ❤

What did you think of the chapter? Do you think Raziel will get his wings back?

The chapter that follows this chapter is the chapter previously called "Bonus Chapter - Welcome to Heaven" which has been renamed "Chapter 48 - Welcome to Heaven".

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