Not that Kyle planned on making a big deal about it - Ryka didn’t need anything else to inflate his gargantuan ego - but he’d been right. If they were asked back to Heaven, there was little the higher powers could do to refuse.
Honestly, he was surprised. As Lord Satan had explained before their first visit, the wishes of the saved were to be granted whenever possible. But then Ryka had immediately broken the rules and gone to fetch Jinx. Nevermind that they had desecrated Paradise. It was a wonder angels hadn’t immediately found them and sent them packing. Forever.
So when another invite from his mother came, he was amazed he was even made aware of it. But of course he’d be allowed to go, he’d been told, though Lord Satan had looked none too pleased to give him the news. Ryka, though, was being forced into another meeting and Jinx and his cohort were with Val. Which meant there would be no one to bogart Mary’s time and attention. Sometimes, a solo mission wasn’t such a bad thing.
As on his first visit, he was delivered to the end of the walkway. This time, his mother was waiting for him on the front step. Arms open, she welcomed back to the place that should have been forbidden to him.
“I’m so glad they let you come back!” she exclaimed, pulling him into a hug.
“Me, too.” With no jealous partner to distract him, he lingered in her embrace. Instinct made him encircle them in his wingspan, and although he felt her initial moment of surprise, he also quickly felt her squeeze him even more tightly.
“I’ll keep asking. As long as they’ll let me.” He wanted to warn her not to overdo it, that there had to be a limit, and not to waste all their opportunities to meet all in one go. But he hoped that maybe she’d be allowed to get away with asking forever. “Come inside; let’s sit.” With no shortage of reluctance, Kyle let her go and followed her into the living room. It was still incredible how every detail perfectly matched his memories of home.
Even the part where visitors showed up at random, something that had happened frequently throughout his childhood. Usually, it was his aunt or cousin, though they had never knocked. They were family after all. His friends from school had let themselves in, too, at least after their first visits.
So it was strange to hear a knock at the door now. And Mary seemed just as surprised, which at least reassured Kyle she hadn’t planned something. In a place where no one was a threat to him, Kyle hadn’t bothered to even try to sense who was on the other side of the door. He just knew it wasn’t Ryka - his welcome presence was always immediately noticeable.
“Come in!” Mary called, standing to greet their guests.
Kyle got to his feet as well, just as the door swung open. And not for the first time in their long acquaintance, he and Adam met unexpectedly. “Oh! You’re here!”
“So are you,” Kyle returned, baffled. “Um … why?”
Maybe his wings weren’t as pure-white as the other angels’, but his laugh was on par with any other Heavenly host. “We were sightseeing, and I remembered you saying your mom lived in this area. So we thought we’d pop in and introduce ourselves. Since we didn’t get to meet that other time.”
“‘We?’”
“Oh! I’m so sorry.” With a sheepish grin, Adam folded his wings tight to his back, revealing Kate standing behind him, arms crossed over her chest. Whether she was displeased by his behavior or by encountering Kyle in the last place he should have been, Kyle couldn’t be sure. Though he suspected it was mostly the latter.
As though he could somehow hide himself, he shrank into a corner. With the middle joint of his wings bumping the ceiling at the bottom edge trailing on the floor, there was little he could do to make his presence less obvious. His only real option was to stay out of the conversation as Adam introduced himself and his wife to Mary.
Keeping to himself was an impossibility given that there were only four of them in the room. It was only too soon that all attention was back on him. “Crazy timing running into you!” Adam seemed delighted to have bumped into his friend, halo and smile glowing in equal measure. Kate’s expression, however, was held - clearly with great effort - in a state of polite neutrality.
An astute hostess - one of her guests was clearly not happy - Mary drew Kate into conversation, leaving Adam and Kyle to chat.
“That’s great you got to come back again.”
“It is.”
Although he sometimes wasn’t the best at reading the room, this time Adam sensed Kyle’s discomfort, even if he only guessed at half the reason for it. “We won’t stay. This is your time with your mom.” He was kind enough not to remind Kyle that they could stop by any time.
“I appreciate that.”
And that truly had been Adam’s intention, Kyle was sure. But when they looked over toward the women, the two were engaged in a lively discussion. Maybe his mom was too good at this. He was hesitant to eavesdrop, but the need to do so was short-lived.
Because soon enough, he and Adam were fully involved in their conversation. It had been a very long time since he’d seen Kate anything like relaxed in presence. But her soul was safe, and so was Adam’s, so she had nothing left to fear from him. Not like when they’d been alive, mere mortals in the presence of a hungry demon and the host he possessively guarded.
And it was a pleasant experience, this casual socialization. Not that Hell was constant agony for the demons that lived there, but it was a nice change of pace to simply sit and chat in a place where everyone was happy.
Which was part of why his time here was limited. He was sure could have spent decades in this place with hardly a hunger pang, but eventually, he’d come as close to starvation as an immortal could, weakened from lack of misery to feed on. That, and Lord Satan was only so generous with his time. Kyle had work to do, after all. And he had foolishly hoped his next assignment would be farther off.
In Purgatory, the shadow accompanied him and would signal when it was time to go home. But the pseudo-demon wasn’t allowed in Paradise. Kyle had been told to expect a portal, and assumed it would be Lucifer himself making the summons, an empty doorway opening as the cue his visit was over.
A portal opened, but it wasn’t empty.
If Kate had barely managed to hide her displeasure earlier, she completely failed now, as Ryka strode through the rift. “Hey, stud. Mom.” Normally all cocky swagger, he gave his mother-in-law a genuine half-bow before kissing her on the forehead. Kyle got a chaste peck on the cheek and a wink promising a lot more later. Ryka hadn’t yet noticed Kate glaring in his direction, her lips a thin line.
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The anger Kyle felt rolling off of her felt out of place in Heaven, but it certainly got Ryka’s attention. And Kyle didn’t like the grin he was wearing when he finally turned to face Mary’s other guests. “Hiya, big boy.” Adam gave a small wave, by now resigned to his nickname.
To Kate, who was trying not to let on how intensely she was fuming, he said, “It’s been a while. Miss me?” His mocking tone made even Kyle want to wring his neck. And not in a fun way.
Ryka knew how to provoke, and how to do it well. Kyle could attest to that. But he could see Kate’s jaw working, and wondered what exactly it was that was infuriating her so badly. Besides his existence.
He tried to meet Adam’s gaze, looking for an answer and a way to possibly defuse the situation, but Adam was fixated on his wife. Ghost-white with eyes bulging, his gaze darted between Kate and Ryka. And immediately Kyle knew that at some point, Adam had finally confessed to certain incidents. Incidents Kate may have been better off not knowing about.
Incidents she - not incorrectly - blamed on Ryka. Worried no one else would do anything, Kyle sprang to his feet, gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek, then grabbed Ryka by the elbow and hauled him toward the slowly closing portal.
Their way was blocked by Kate, who had apparently decided now was the time to make her feelings known. Without a word, she pulled her hand back and slapped Ryka.
Kyle momentarily forgot how to blink. Seeing it happen was shocking enough. But the sound … it seemed like it would ring on through eternity.
It was one Hell of a slap.
Or it should have been, if Ryka hadn’t been the target. As it was, he simply stood there and took it, unflinching. A red handprint bloomed on his right cheek, and his lips curled up in a wicked smirk. He was enjoying this, feeding on all the things that she, as one of the saved, shouldn’t have been made to feel.
“Which time was that for?” he asked, keeping his face in easy reach.
“What?” she returned, incredulous.
Kyle suppressed a sigh. Adam had only been so forthcoming. Kyle couldn’t blame him for his secrecy. Especially if it was regarding their parting. Kyle had barely managed to control his jealousy after that. Eventually, there had been a stern talking-to, and Ryka had at least seemed regretful. Though Kyle suspected that was likely because he didn’t get what he wanted from Adam, not that he had managed to take what he had.
But Kyle’s feelings had been dealt with long ago - Kate was only now working through hers. And none of them were good.
“What other time?” she seethed through clenched teeth.
But Ryka just wagged a finger at her. “I won’t kiss and tell if he won’t,” he answered, tilting his head toward Adam, who appeared to be desperately wishing for a second death.
Kyle briefly considered intervening, but decided he wasn’t willing to take abuse on Ryka’s behalf. So he let him get slapped again, this time across his other cheek, so he had a matching set of crimson handprints.
He kept himself well out of harm’s way, side-stepping until he was next to his mother. Mary was in clear disbelief of what she was seeing. Kyle only wondered how long Kate had been waiting to do this.
“Is there another one I owe you for?” she asked, the question directed not just at Ryka, but her husband as well.
Adam quickly shook his head. “No.” Taking her hands - more to prevent her from further revenge than for comfort - he added, “I promise.”
His sincerity left no room for doubt. Frustration spent, Kate looked ashamed of her behavior. It must have been cathartic, but this was Heaven. There were expectations. “I’m so sorry for making a scene,” she said to Mary.
Her apology was immediately accepted. “I imagine you had good reason.”
“I wish you had more,” Ryka interjected.
“That’s enough from you.” More than enough, Kyle thought. The portal had just closed, but Kyle dragged Ryka to the spot it had recently occupied. “Time to go home, I presume?”
It was abundantly clear where Jinx’s pout had its origins; the resemblance was uncanny. With an annoyed huff, Ryka gave up this fun new game and willed another passageway to Hell open. “Unfortunately. But he said he owes you more time.”
“Then I’ll see you soon, Kyle.” Mary looked as delighted as Kyle felt to hear that they would be guaranteed another meeting. Not that Kyle had planned on complaining to Lord Satan about the brevity of this visit, but it did seem unfairly short. And had once again not gone as planned. Though given that fact, he probably should have been grateful he was being granted an easy out.
“I’ll send him back soon,” Ryka assured her. He was taking his role as son-in-law rather seriously. But that was the only thing. “Let’s do something to get me another one, big boy.” Ryka rubbed his cheek and he spoke, and backed through the portal before he could earn immediate retribution.
“Sorry,” Kyle mouthed, following after him. His mother and Adam both shrugged off his apology. And to his surprise, even Kate managed a wave as he made his exit.
They returned to an empty home. Which wasn’t as much to Ryka’s benefit as he’d probably hoped.
“Did you know they were there?” Kyle kept his voice level. He wasn’t truly angry, just annoyed that Ryka seemed incapable of not being an asshole.
“No. I was told to go get you, so I did.”
“Was he trying to take the sting out, making you come? Or throwing you under the bus?”
With a wry smile, Ryka answered, “Probably that second one.”
“Well, it didn’t work.” A much happier smile greeted Kyle’s response. And it didn’t falter even when Kyle continued, “Although you were being kind of a dick.”
“I don’t think I needed to do much. She was going to be pissed whether I opened my mouth or not.”
“Still, you didn’t have to try to make it worse.”
Ryka raised his eyebrows. “I was just being honest. And I’m not the only one involved.”
“Don’t blame Adam. You made the first move. Every time.” There was a bitterness Kyle couldn’t keep from his voice, and Ryka quickly wrapped them in his wings, purring loudly.
“He’s just so easy to tease.” It had been a long time since the subject had come up, and Ryka had, in his own way, apologized. Kyle knew better than to expect further admission of wrongdoing.
“Still, you really know how to take advantage. Give you an inch ….”
“An inch? I want the whole damn thing.” There hadn’t been much space left between them, and Ryka closed that small gap now, pulling Kyle against him.
Kyle had walked right into that one, so could only laugh. Ryka did the same, and Kyle felt the deep rumble in his own chest. “Anyhow … I can’t believe you let Kate do that. Though I somehow feel two slaps isn’t quite enough to make up for what you did.”
“Really?”
“Yes ….” Though he sounded less sure now.
“I think she made out pretty well. She’s going to be the talk of Heaven. And Hell. Getting to hit me like that. With no repercussions.”
Kyle hadn’t thought of it that way. The rumors would spread like Hellfire: one of the saved was allowed to lay hands on Lucifer’s heir. And get away with it. Which meant she, like Kyle - though she probably wouldn’t have liked the comparison - was untouchable. She could have walked unmolested through Hell.
“I suppose you’re right.”
Ryka’s purr leapt an octave. “What was that? Say it again.”
Maybe there hadn’t been any stakes - this wasn’t the resolution of some disagreement - but the words had been spoken all the same. There would be no getting around this. Just as Ryka’d paid a price for his actions, Kyle would be expected to pay for his.
Resting his chin on Ryka’s shoulder so his smile wouldn’t be seen, he repeated, “You’re right.” From Kyle’s lips especially, Ryka loved to hear it. A little too much.
But they were alone, and if Kyle had his own price to pay for his slip-up, so be it. He reached up to grab one of Ryka’s horns before taking a few steps backward. Always eager, Ryka followed along. “Stud?”
“I think maybe we’ve both got a lesson to learn about keeping our mouths shut.” Ryka only nodded; the lust burning in his eyes said plenty. Kyle knew how to set them ablaze. “Though I think you might need a bit more.” He paused, his gaze never leaving Ryka’s as he led them through their bedroom door. “I don’t think she slapped you nearly hard enough. Am I right?” Another nod, and his next question earned one even more enthusiastic. “How about I try, then?”