22
It turnedout that Rinnie and Ally did both quit the Order in the end. But not for the reason Maggie expected. It had nothing to do with Cardinal Moretti’s disregard for the wellbeing of his soldiers in his dealing with Gideon.
Oh, sure, that had something to do with it, she was sure.
But the real reason was she was sitting on a stone bench on an outdoor patio, outside of an expensive hotel in Hawaii, drinking a mai tai.
At the afterparty to the wedding reception of Rinaldo Lenci and Ally Whatever-Her-Fake-Last-Name-Was.
Neither of them dressed like holy soldiers anymore, but Rinnie still carried a gun. And he still, apparently, worked with the Order on a daily basis. Just as a “contractor” and not an official member.
“Better to be hired by God than living in sin,” he’d said. Ally had rolled her eyes and muttered to her afterward that Rinnie was secretly just a giant romantic and couldn’t stand the idea of not being married.
Over the past few months, Maggie had found herself growing closer with Ally and Rinnie—Ally in particular. There was something comforting in having a friend who she knew she wouldn’t eventually outlive.
Getting up from the stone bench, she made her way over to the bride and sat down next to her. Ally smiled at her, beaming, looking resplendent in her white gown. She turned the wheels of her chair to face her by a few degrees. “Are you having fun?”
“I’m having a blast.” Maggie laughed as she raised her drink. “My own wedding was shit, so it’s nice to see what it should’ve been like.”
The corners of the demoness’ eyes creased as she smiled, reaching out to take Maggie’s other hand. “You miss him.”
When she went to protest and claim she didn’t, Ally cut her off.
“It’s fine that you do. You’re literally carrying a part of him around with you, wherever you go. No wonder you miss him. You’d be lying to us both if you said you didn’t.”
After a moment, Maggie nodded and gave up trying to save her pride. No point. “I guess—I see you and Rinnie, and part of me can’t help but be lonely.”
“Of course. At least you have Harry.” Ally looked around the patio with a slight frown. “Where’d he go, anyway?”
“Not sure. I’ll find him in a minute. He’s probably asleep in a shrub somewhere.” She chuckled. “Bastard is like an old cat. Just moves from one place to sleep to another. I used to think he slept too much before, but now that things are pretty boring, it’s just getting worse.”
Ally looked thoughtful for a moment then let out a breath. “It’s odd, being immortal, sometimes.” She turned her attention to her husband, who was standing thirty feet away, glass of hard alcohol in his hand, chatting with Gabe.
They might have their differences, but it didn’t stop Rinnie from asking Gabe to perform the ceremony.
“He has…forty years? Tops?” Ally sighed. “I love him with all my heart. And I will for a long time. But he will age, he will die. I will continue, as I am, until I surrender to the void and burn to cinders. Even then, I can only pray to God that he and I will be together. And I…have to be okay with that.”
Maggie picked up Ally’s hand and kissed her fingers. “I’m sorry.”
“No. Don’t be.” Her expression returned to the forever-bubbly one she usually wore. “I have found love. So what if it’s fleeting? It’s worth it.”
“Yeah. It is.”
“Sometimes we have to say goodbye to those we love. That is part of what it means to care for them at all. It is a rare thing that we immortals find companions. Our lives can be…so very lonely.” Ally leaned back in her chair and watched the group around them.
Some were demons, some were angels—Maggie had legit met an angel, who was dressed like a hardcore goth from the nineties, which she had tried not to laugh too hard about at the time—but most were mortals.
“You’ll find it hard to keep up sometimes,” the demoness continued. “The world just changes so fast. Their lives are short, and they live it running at full speed. Sometimes I blink and everything has changed, and everyone I knew is gone.” She shrugged. “And…either you find a way to live, or you don’t.”
“I’m not even sure I’d know how to perma-kill myself if I wanted to.” Maggie snickered and sipped her drink. “God only knows I’ve died enough times to knock off most of the options.”
“There’s a way. There’s always away. Well. Unless you’re Vlad, but he seems to have his business sorted out now.” Ally snickered. “He’s finally got someone to keep him in check.”
“Huh?”
Ally smiled knowingly and gestured her hand to Maggie. “Give me your phone.”
With a shrug, she fished it out of her pocket, entered in the pin, and handed it to the ex-sister.