"Baby, everything okay?" Hades asked with concern, glancing at Evadne when he noticed the frown on her face.
She was seated on the front passenger seat... on Casadin's lap. The two of them were squeezed into the seat because Casadin refused to sit in the back. He was already snoring softly, his face buried in her neck, his arms wrapped tightly around her like a living seatbelt.
Hades was behind the wheel, driving them back to the Monteverde mansion.
"Yes. Everything's fine… I was just thinking about that man," Evadne said.
"That man?" Hades frowned, eyes fixed on the road.
"Michael," she answered.
Hades raised a brow, glancing briefly at her.
"And may I know why?" There was a hint of irritation... and unmistakable jealousy... in his voice.
He had made peace with sharing Evadne with Casadin. As much as it defied logic, it felt right between the three of them. But sharing her with another man... especially not Casadin... was something he could never accept.
And certainly not with that man... Michael Heavensblade, the young patriarch of one of California's oldest and most powerful families, barely a year older than them.
Hades would admit... though reluctantly... that Michael carried an aura about him that made even him want to look away. The same commanding energy Jupiter has. The kind that didn't need to demand respect because it was already innate. The kind that wordlessly said... I am in charge.
"Hubby, don't be jealous," Evadne said, rolling her eyes when she caught the subtle shift in Hades's face.
She could no longer read his mind the way she once could, but she didn't need to. Every microexpression gave him away. A small raise of his brow, a faint twitch of his lips... she could always read his emotions no matter how stoic he pretended to be.
"I'm not interested in him," she said simply.
"Then why are you thinking about him?" Hades asked, his voice low and tight.
"He felt different from Uriel," Evadne said as she shifted slightly on Casadin's lap, careful not to wake him.
That only deepened Hades's frown. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, even when Uriel disguised herself as that older psychiatrist, she still had an aura about her," Evadne explained, her tone thoughtful. "The more time I spent in her sessions, the more I could feel it... her angelic presence. But Michael… he's different."
"And why are you comparing Dr. Uriel to Heavensblade? Uriel's an angel, right?" Hades asked.
Evadne shot him a look that said, you're really not following, are you?
Hades blinked... then his eyes widened as the realization hit him.
"Wait… Are you saying...?"
"Yes," Evadne interrupted, exasperated. "I'm saying exactly what you think I'm saying."
"You think he's Archangel Michael?" Hades asked, his tone full of disbelief.
"Hubby, duh!" Evadne's eyes flashed in irritation. "Michael Heavensblade? Archangel Michael is literally the Blade of Heaven! My God... did no one ever tell you the story of Creation back in preschool?"
"Of course they did! We read the Bible every Friday in first grade," Hades retorted, voice rising in disbelief... enough to wake Casadin. "Are you sure, baby?" Hades asked again, still stunned.
"Sure about what?" Casadin mumbled sleepily, adjusting himself and helping Evadne settle more comfortably on his lap.
"According to Vee," Hades said, "Michael Heavensblade is the Archangel Michael."
"What the fuck, Princess?! Are you serious?" Casadin blurted, his drowsiness vanishing instantly.
Evadne groaned in annoyance.
"Can you not yell in my ear, Prince Charming?!" she snapped, glaring at him.
"Sorry, sorry, Princess," Casadin mumbled quickly, lowering his voice.
"But yeah," she said, crossing her arms with a pout. "I'm about eighty-five percent sure he's Archangel Michael. The only reason I'm not a hundred percent certain is because he feels different from Uriel. Like I told Hades, my Prince."
"How is that even possible?" Casadin asked, still baffled. "He's the head of Flynn's clan. And as far as I know, Flynn grew up with him. Didn't you once say some angels disguise themselves as humans... like Uriel... but… do they start as babies, too?"
"No," Evadne said, shaking her head. "They just assume a persona... as far as I know."
"What kind of 'different' do you feel from him?" Casadin asked curiously.
"First of all, I couldn't read his mind," Evadne said. "It's the same feeling I had the first time I met Uriel."
"But you can't read my mind anymore either," Hades pointed out.
"It's different, hubby," Evadne said, grinning. "Because the first time we met, I could hear your thoughts loud and clear... very loud, if I may add." She chuckled, then turned slightly to glance over her shoulder at Casadin. "Do you want to know what he was screaming in his head the first time we met, my prince?"
"Baby, no," Hades warned sharply, shooting her and Casadin a glare.
"What was it?" Casadin asked, smirking with interest.
"He was screaming, 'Spoiled brat. Princess. Brat who's never worked for anything.'" Evadne said with a laugh, which made Hades groan in embarrassment.
"Well, you are a spoiled brat," Casadin teased. "And you are a princess."
"I know, right?" Evadne said, laughing. "So I wasn't offended by those words. I was offended by the 'brat who's never worked for anything'." Her tone became mock-serious. "The audacity of someone calling me that when he himself once burned cheese just trying to act like a chef!"
Both Evadne and Casadin burst out laughing.
"Baby, that was before I knew the real you," Hades said, his tone laced with genuine regret. "Now I know how hard you work for everything."
"I know, hubby." Evadne leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. "I was just teasing you." She then leaned back again against Casadin's chest, relaxing in his arms.
"Let's go back to the Heavensblade topic," Casadin said, clearing his throat with amusement.
"Right." Evadne straightened slightly, her tone turning thoughtful. "As I was saying, he felt different from Uriel. I know he's not human... he doesn't feel human... but his angelic essence is different from hers. And if you think about it, it shouldn't be. They're both Archangels. If anything, Michael's rank is higher than Uriel's, so his aura should be stronger… but it's not. It's weaker. I can't explain it."
She frowned slightly, frustration flickering across her face. "That's why I can't stop thinking about him. There's something very different about him. And, well, let's be honest... it's not every day we encounter angels. I've only met one Archangel before, and that was Uriel. Michael is the second. So maybe their essences just feel different. I don't know."
She exhaled in frustration. "He just… bothers me. And I don't even know why he bothers me. The fact that he was in Ceres and Zeus's tomb... and wouldn't let anyone else enter while he was there... was very, very creepy to me."
"But Princess," Casadin said thoughtfully, "you said in your last session with Uriel that Ceres and Zeus were reincarnated in Solmara. And since that world belongs to Lucifer, maybe it has something to do with that. Lucifer and Michael are arch-enemies, after all. Or maybe… the story we know from the Bible isn't entirely true."
"You're right," Evadne admitted. "Maybe that's all it is. Maybe he found out that Lucifer trafficked a soul from Earth to Solmara and back again. Maybe God was furious about it. Maybe Michael was sent to Earth to correct Lucifer's mistake…"
She stopped mid-sentence, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "Aghhh…" She groaned. The thought made her chest tighten. If that's true, she thought, what happens to Ceres and Zeus? And more importantly... what happens to me?
Her soul technically didn't belong to Earth. She had been reincarnated here only because of her deal with Lucifer, allowing her soul to leave her body in Solmara.
"If only I could contact Uriel," she muttered. "I'd call her right now and make her answer all these questions spinning in my head."
"Doesn't she have a phone number?" Hades asked innocently.
Both Casadin and Evadne gave him identical looks of disbelief.
"What?" Hades said defensively. "I was just asking."
"I'm not sure what network they use in Heaven," Evadne replied dryly. "Or if they have a customer service hotline where we can reserve a room in case we all go kaboom."
Casadin burst out laughing.
"Baby, that's not what I meant," Hades said, now laughing in both frustration and disbelief. "I meant as Dr. Uriel. Didn't she ever give you a personal number? You were her patient, after all."
"No. I don't have her personal number," Evadne said, frowning slightly.
"Hey, her clinic is along the way," Casadin said when he noticed where they were. "We still have time. Why don't we drop by? Maybe she's there, and we can ask her directly."
"Should we?" Hades asked, glancing at Evadne. "It's just around the corner."
"Yeah. Let's do that," Evadne agreed after checking her watch.
Hades nodded and turned onto the side street that led to Dr. Uriel Sunray's clinic. When they arrived, they immediately stepped out of the car and went straight inside, wasting no time... only to be told by the secretary that Dr. Sunray was currently on indefinite leave. She had no idea when the doctor would return since there were no patients scheduled under her name anymore.
"Can we ask for her personal phone number?" Evadne asked hopefully.
"I'm sorry," the secretary said politely. "Dr. Sunray never gives out her personal number. She usually calls through landline. I only send her appointment requests and new patient inquiries through email, and she approves or declines them herself."
"Can we leave her a message, then?" Hades asked.
"Of course," the secretary said. "But I can't promise when she'll respond."
"That's fine," Evadne replied. "Please tell her that I wanted to talk to her about Michael Heavensblade. Tell her it's from Vee... she'll understand... and to call me if she can so we can meet."
The secretary nodded, typed the message, and sent it to the doctor's email.
"Done. Anything else?" she asked.
"That's all. Thank you," the three said almost in unison before leaving the clinic and returning to the car.
Once inside, they resumed their drive toward the Monteverde mansion.
"Princess," Casadin said gently, brushing a stray strand of hair from Evadne's face, "whatever it is that's bothering you about Michael right now, don't overthink it. You'll just end up giving yourself a headache. Let's stay vigilant around him, just in case this really has something to do with Aunt Ceres, Uncle Zeus, and Solmara. But for now, you need to relax. We also need to hurry back... you still have to fit your dress for your birthday celebration two days from now."
Evadne sighed and leaned all her weight against Casadin's chest, feeling the warmth of his steady heartbeat.
"I'll try," she murmured. "It's just that… when I think about the possibility that his coming to New York is connected to Ceres and Zeus, I can't calm down. Because of Lucifer's twisted sense of irony, he sent Zeus's soul a thousand years before my big sister's time. And even though she now knows that the Demon Lord Caelum is Zeus, they still haven't met. Can you imagine? Zeus has been waiting for her for a thousand years. And now Michael is here. What if his presence somehow stops them from meeting?" Her voice trembled slightly with worry.
"Baby," Hades said, squeezing her hand reassuringly with one of his own while keeping the other on the steering wheel, "have faith in Zeus and Ceres. Not even death could separate them... do you really think Michael could?" He gave her a faint smile. "But if you're that worried, why don't we just request for the mausoleum to be temporarily closed? We can tell our parents. That way, Michael won't be able to enter anymore."
"Hades is right," Casadin added. "You can ask the Grands to say that you want the property renovated. That way, no one except the caretakers will be allowed inside... not even visitors. People who come to pay respects to Aunt Ceres and Uncle Zeus will understand if the family wants to beautify the place as a tribute to them."
"For now, until we know exactly why Michael is here in New York, we act like we don't know anything. As far as we're concerned, he's just a human. Nothing more. And maybe we can talk to Flynn... he should be back in New York by tomorrow. We can ask him what his clan patriarch is doing here. He may not have all the answers, and obviously, we can't ask him if he knows his clan head is an angel, but at least we might get a lead."
Casadin leaned back, thoughtful. "From what I know, Michael Heavensblade rarely interacts with anyone, even in California. He's… reclusive. The few times he does appear in public, it's strictly for business. So maybe his being here is something entirely human. After all, like Uriel, maybe he's just living among mortals to escape the boredom of eternity."
Evadne didn't answer right away. She only looked out the window, as a silent thought pressed against her chest... if that were true, then why did he look at me like that?