Waiting

5.

Arie POV

I could not believe my eyes. There was no way I was looking at the one and only Orion. He was the unique soul that had called me here, but I never thought the soul that summoned me would be so wondrous. He was no ordinary soul—his soul was one of us, an Immortal—but why didn’t he look as he should?

His green eyes were faded, as if they had been washed out too many times. His hair was white as snow, and his skin had lost all elasticity. On the outside, he looked different, but his soul was the same. That much I could sense. However, that did not explain why he looked so old.

How could this be the great Orion?

The last time I saw him, he was the pure example of a Greek Olympian—raven-black hair against olive-colored skin and piercing green eyes the color of honeydew. In the early 1500s, Michelangelo had come close to his depiction. I chuckled at the thought of Orion, in his human form, standing in his so-called “birthday suit” to pose for the sculptor those five centuries ago.

How was it possible that Michelangelo’s David had allowed his perfect form to become that of an old man?

As if he could read my mind, he chuckled.

“Hello, Arie. It’s been a long time.”

“Hello, Orion. Yes, yes, it has.”

Last I heard, he had given up on all he knew and loved. He no longer wished to create beings into existence. After so long, I had become convinced he had gone on to live his immortality in the Nothing—or so those were the rumors we had been told. Immortals know no end, and the Nothing was as close to an eternal slumber as any of us would ever get—the space outside the known universe.

Looking at him, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Nothing had made him this way. Was being away from everything and abandoning creation the solution to an immortal’s demise? Did seeking eternal slumber in the Nothing slowly eat away at his immortality? Was he the first to do this?

“What are you doing here? When did you come back from the Nothing? And how is it you look like an old man?” I couldn’t help the rapid-fire of questions. I was worried. If I had been called to collect his soul and deliver him to his final resting place, I wasn’t sure where that would be for one of us.

He smiled, and in a flash of light, Orion was once again himself.

“I was never in the Nothing, but I can see where everyone would get that understanding. It sounds like I have a lot to explain. Come.” He pointed toward the door of the room where his human body now lay on the bed, vacant of life. “I remained here on Earth. I was always moving, changing my appearance, and fading from the lives of those who knew me in one form or another. Although I must admit, it is much harder to fade into the shadows now with social media. Come, let us sit, and I will happily answer your questions and explain. After all, the following news will affect you for the rest of your being.”

What?

Why would he live among humans and then decide on a human death? I wondered how that involved the rest of my being. Then it hit me.

Was I meant to deliver him to his final resting place?

I had never done that before. Did that even exist for immortals? Would it change me once I began to do this?

As I wondered what he was hinting at, he led us to the waiting room. There were a few people here and there. Conversations were quiet, and they seemed to huddle only with those they knew. We sat at the far end, where no one would bother us.

“What do you mean by saying your human existence affects my being?”

“Arie, I’m not going to sugarcoat it, so I’ll get right to it. After so many years on this Earth, I found a wonderful mate. I loved her with all my being, and she loved me more than I ever deserved. In our union, we had a child. A girl.”

Did he say he had a child? How was that possible?

“In turn, my daughter also had a child. We Creators have been working on this for a very long time. Every generation or so, we introduce another Celestial to the bloodline. I was the last to bear offspring. Our children have mixed, and now, with the birth of the perfect vessel, this work has made it possible for your perfect match—your equal, your mate—to be born.”

What did he say?

Did he say what I think he did?

All I could do was stare at him.

Mate?

Someone for me?

My other half?

Did he say mate?

As in… my mate?

“What?” I whispered.

My heart was racing, and I couldn’t focus. This can’t be true. There is no way today was the day. I have waited billions upon billions of years on this planet, longing for her to exist—wishing she was real, for me to love. I didn’t even know if I knew how to do that.

No. This cannot be true. I will not allow myself to get my hopes up.

“I don’t understand. You know I don’t have a mate. You Celestials haven’t given me one, and I’m not holding my breath for that blessing to come to pass in my existence. After so long, I’ve lost hope of ever seeing that day. So, if you please, stop f*****g around and explain why you were so old and why you’ve called me here.”

AAAHH. This was too much.

I never let my emotions get to me, but I couldn’t help it. I was getting pissed off. I wanted to ask who she was and when I’d meet her. However, I can’t let myself hope. I won’t let myself get my spirits up.

But I can’t help it.

Hope was sneaking up on me.

Shit, I don’t want this. I can’t handle this.

“Seriously, Orion, don’t f*****g play with me.” I felt as if I were choking. “I—I won’t be able to handle it.”

“Arie, I’m shocked. You know I am not a trickster. As a matter of fact, do you see that young girl over there with the long, dark cocoa-colored hair, honeydew-colored eyes, and tanned skin? She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

Here we were, talking about my mate, and now he was pointing out how physically beautiful some random human girl was.

Wait.

Was he serious?

“Sure, okay. Yes, she is beautiful.” We were in a sitting room of sorts, and yes, I had seen her. Her soul had an illumination to it that drew my attention. As I watched her and the other woman I could see their similarities, who was undoubtedly her mother.

What did she have to do with our discussion about my mate?

Looking at her, I could tell she was beautiful. He was right about that. I knew she had just turned seventeen because her soul was only that old. She would soon be of age, but for the time being, her soul had not yet ascended.

I also knew she was human—and humans were not paired with Immortals. It was considered taboo. Humans had been on this planet for hundreds of thousands of years, and never once had an immortal hybrid been born from them and survived. Whenever Immortals and humans had offspring together, the Nephilim race never flourished. They were always born and died shortly after. Not even the Celestials could figure out why.

“Well, Arie, she is my granddaughter. You don’t see it right now because her soul is young and has not come of age. However, once her soul ascends, she will be given the same choice you were. Embrace her destiny or live the life she has been given. If she chooses her purpose, she will receive her eternal light and will need to decide whether she is to love you or not.”

I froze.

Was he saying what I thought he was saying? Was this possible?

“What do you mean, decide if she will love me or not? Wasn’t she made for me?” Fear gripped my throat. What if she didn’t love me? What if I didn’t know how to love her?

“Arie, she wasn’t made—she was born. It has taken more than a dozen centuries for us Celestials to hand down our powers by knitting them into her bloodline in order for her to be born. Should she choose, her purpose will allow her to stand by your side as your equal. And the two of you together, along with your children, will be what is needed to allow the universe to become what it needs to become. However, you must know it will be her choice to love you or not. After all, she has free will. It will be your job to woo her and get her to fall in love with you. The Real You.”

I stood and walked over to the wall to lean against it. I felt the coolness on my back and stayed there to keep my footing.

“Oh heavens, I think I’m going to be sick.”

Shit. This is too much.

How do I get her to fall in love with me? Show her my adoration and let her know every day that she is my equal. Cherish her for the rest of our being. Would she want to have my children?

CHILDREN?

As in generations born of my power?

More blessings to love?

“Ha, ha, ha. My goodness. I never—I think I’ve scared Death. Now I think I’ve seen everything there is to be seen.”

The fucker was smirking.

I looked over and stared at the most precious being to ever exist. “Orion, how do I do that? I know nothing about the greatest source of energy in the cosmos. What if I mess up and cause her to reject her destiny? What if she declines to be with me? What will happen to her then?”

She would die. That’s what would happen. She wouldn’t receive her light, and I would live as I watched her live her life—have someone else’s children, grow old, and die. Even worse, when the time eventually came, I would have to collect her.

“Well, Arie, that is something you will have to figure out yourself. I suggest you start by getting to know her.”

And with that, he was gone in a brilliant flash of light.

“f**k, Orion! WAIT!”

Great. The asshole left me worse off than when our conversation had started. I looked down at my hands. I could feel all the doubt in my heart. I had never been in this situation before. I had no idea where to begin.

So I did the only thing I knew how to do.

I looked up at her.

To my surprise, she was staring at me.

She was beautiful.

Her cocoa-colored hair fell in long, luscious waves down her entire back, and her honeydew-colored eyes twinkled brightly with her spark of life. For some reason, she wasn’t looking away. She just kept staring at me—checking me out. I wondered what it was she thought, because with each passing second she became more and more flustered. Her nose was rosy, but nonetheless, she was beautiful.

I could tell she had been crying. It broke me to know she was hurting, and it annoyed me that I couldn’t go over and comfort her. I wanted to kiss her tears away. I wanted to tell her how much I wanted to love her, and I wished I could take her heartbreak away—but she didn’t know me yet. Doing all those things would be creepy.

Suddenly, she bit her lower lip, and at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to bite that lip myself—This was utterly frustrating.

I needed somewhere to think. I needed to come up with a plan so I could get to know her. I had to get away. I needed to break eye contact with her, but it annoyed me to have to do so.

Crap. I didn’t mean to glare at her.

Out of embarrassment, I walked out of the room. I could see the confusion and hurt in her eyes when I did, and I knew I would have to make it up to her for causing her stress.

Damn it—at that moment, I took one step forward and three steps back.

Good Creation, I definitely had my work cut out for me.