Loving Lucifer [COMPLETE]

Chapter 35

I was woken up by a flash of bright light. In the darkness of my room, my eyes could see white bubbles everywhere until my sight adjusted. A light switch flicked on, jolting me out of my senses. Before me stood the last person I had expected to see.

"Gabriel?"

"Catherine," he said, "I come to you with a message." He was breathless.

"Tell me."

"The Creator...she has summoned you."

I frowned at the suggestion, wondering what the Creator of angels wanted with me. I shook my head at him, asking for more information.

"It's the only information she has given me," he replied, "I'm sorry."

"Well, when does she want to see me?" I asked.

"Now, if possible."

"Um...what should I wear?"

"Whatever you want, Catherine. I will wait for you outside. Summon me when you are ready."

I nodded. He hopped onto the window sill and allowed a pair of white feathered wings to spread out wide before he flew down to the ground beside my apartment building. I got myself out of bed and limped to my closet. My head was reeling. What did this even mean? Why would the Creator have summoned me now that things between Luke and I had ended?

It didn't matter. I would find out soon enough. I found myself at a loss of what to wear to appear before this great Creator I had heard so many things about. In the end, I put on a knee-length black dress with cap sleeves and a V neckline, and put on a black cardigan on top. I popped my feet into a pair of low heels and picked up my crutches. I fixed my hair with my fingers, not wanting to frizz it out with a brush, and cleaned up my face. I wouldn't put on any makeup. I didn't feel like it. I looked out of the window and whispered his name. He flew up within seconds and entered my room.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Could you guess what any of this is about?" I asked.

He shook his head. I took his hands in mine and the next thing I saw was a flash of light. Everything around me was white and noiseless. It felt static and lasted only a few seconds. And then I was jolted back into sound and vision. We were in a large garden with a cobblestone path and beautifully groomed trees and bushes. Behind us was a golden gate which led away down the rest of the path. Uneven cottages stood on either side. They seemed to have been built entirely out of pebbles, with similarly designed roofs sporting rickety chimneys. I looked forward. Gabriel stood in front of me, in a pair of light coffee-coloured slacks. His feet were bare and his wings rested behind his back.

"Shall we?" he asked. He led the way down the winding path. A couple of young angels sat beneath a tree. Their conversation stopped abruptly as we walked past. I looked straight ahead and we walked on. Awe washed over me as the most beautiful building I had ever seen came into view. It was a castle of sorts, with high towers and tens of windows on its facade. The building was large and dominating, but there was something serene about it. It was entirely white, with the tips of its towers roofed in pure gold. The towers themselves each sported long stained glass windows which went up and down the entire length of each tower. The steps leading up to the large front door of the castle were also made of what seemed to be stained glass, and the railings on either side were made of gold. Surrounding the castle was a moat which went all the way around. Its waters were clear and bright and light seemed to shimmer off its surface. It was splendid. Joining the cobblestone path to the front steps of the castle was a bridge made of the same stained glass with railings of matching gold. We stepped over it and up the steps to the great front doors.

"Is everything okay with your relationship?" he asked, "Maybe this is why you have been summoned..."

"Our relationship?" I asked, "Don't you know? Why do you think I'm in crutches?"

His face paled, but there was no time for him to respond. The doors swung open to reveal the most dominating figure I had ever met.

He was taller than anyone I had ever seen, even Monty. Sporting the same clothes as Gabriel and the rest of the angels, his bare chest was entirely sculpted out of muscle. His face was pale and his features striking. His eyes were a piercing light blue and his hair was as black as coal. It was short and straight, and had the appearance of cleanliness and order.

"Michael," Gabriel said.

"Gabriel," Michael replied He shifted his eyes to look into mine and something about his gaze seemed to transform. "Catherine." His voice, previously hard and cold, was warm and light when he spoke my name. "Please follow me."

"Shall I accompany you?" Gabriel asked me.

"The Creator requests it," Michael said.

"Oh."

I used my crutches and walked into the most splendid hall I had ever seen. Its floor was entirely white marble lined with gold instead of black. White columns lined with the same gold were evenly placed around the chamber. Large clear windows lit up the room, with white sheer curtains drawn open at each of them. The hall seemed to go on forever, but two winding staircases stood in the middle. They were similarly made of the same marble, the banisters entirely gold, and in the middle was a column which held within it carved in gold several hundreds of names; maybe more. My heart sank when I realised how hard the fallen angels had worked to replicate this majestic residence and how, in all the splendour of their mansion, they had still fallen short. Michael led the way to the stairs. I gulped at the thought of having to climb them.

"Is it okay if I carry you? It will be rather taxing for you to walk up," Gabriel said softly. The thought of Luke's brother's hands around my body was not something I would have ever longed for, but I knew that Gabriel was different, even if his faith in his brother had been entirely misguided. After all, I had had the same faith too, and I wasn't a bad person. I nodded and allowed him to lift me into his arms and carry me up the stairs. Why couldn't Luke have been kind and gentle like his brother? Why couldn't he have been the man he had shown himself to be? Tears filled my eyes.

"Are you okay?" Gabriel asked softly.

"Of course not," I replied. His eyes were filled with confusion. We arrived at the landing and he set me back down and held me up until I regained balance on the crutches. The upstairs floor was decorated similarly to the one downstairs. We followed Michael down a long, wide hallway, lined with large clear windows and white double doors sporting golden knobs. He led the way to the very end of the hallway, to a set of white double doors which were different from the rest. Golden ivy leaves lined the impeccable white wood of the door, giving it a rich, earthy appearance.

I knew immediately that this was it; I was here. And I was about to meet the Creator.