James looked at where Gabriel was pointing at and arched his eyebrow. “Vampire,” he felt like he was being given a test that he hadn’t studied for. “So Lilith was a Vampire then?””Not exactly,” Gabriel grabbed another book and flipped it open right to where he needed to go. The pages seemed to flip on their own. “Remember that mankind as a whole was created before Adam and Lilith were created in the Garden of Eden. Lilith left the Garden on her own accord when she refused to be the submissive little woman to Adam. Eve was then created. Adam, you might remember, was given mastery over all of the animals. Whereas Lilith-“”Lilith was given mastery over children. I remember reading about that in my mom’s books.” James said. Smiling, Gabriel nodded to him. “But the Angels realized that God had screwed up, so to speak, and so tried to get Lilith back to the Garden. They couldn’t convince her or force her so they bargained with her instead not to use her mastery to harm children as she’d said she would do in retribution of Adam not recognizing her as an equal partner.””As interesting as all of this is,” James interrupted, “what does all of this have to do with me?””Don’t you see yet?” Gabriel leaned back in his chair, studying him, “Lilith was never cast out of paradise. She left and then she was followed and cursed by three angels who could not compel her or kill her. God had a bigger problem than Lilith at the same time with kicking Adam and Eve out, Cain smacking his younger brother with a rock, and humans living a really long time. But He, in His infinite wisdom, accidentally neglected one person.””Lilith, who was actually born in the Garden of Eden,” James’ eyes went wide as he made the connection, “which happened to be the only Holy Ground around at the time.”Gabriel grinned wolfishly as he leaned forward. “An immortal being has not been created on Holy Ground since with all three of the criteria met that led to your creation. All of the immortal races pretty much avoid them because of the original curse placed on Lilith by the Angels Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof in order to pick up the slack.” He started to tick them off on his fingers. “One: You were near death and someone attempted to turn you on Holy Ground. Two: You never once asked to become an immortal. And Three: The act was done out of love and not for personal gain.”James rocked back in his chair and whistled. “That’s some pretty stiff criteria.””Which is why we don’t see many of your kind walking around without permanent death happening first,” Gabriel said. His grin became a broad smile. “Besides, we can’t have just anyone coming into being in this matter. Usually it takes an act of the Father to do this.”Father Gabriel closed the books with a wave of his hand, a feat that caused James’ eyebrows to shoot up in surprise. Gabriel looked him over as he folded his hands in front of him. “Speaking of which, Father wishes for me to take you upstairs real quick to welcome you into a very select group in which people usually die all the way before they get recruited into it. You are the first since Lilith to enter it via the living mortal route. Welcome, James Parker, to the ranks of the Angelic.”James just sat there staring at him as he comprehended what he was. He blinked a few times as he started to comprehend what Gabriel told him. “Father?” What the hell did he mean by that? “As in, like, the Bishop?””Someone a little further up the chain of command.””The Pope?””Keep going…”*Ashley was tormented by the dreams that still raged around her. There would be a period of oblivion followed by raging dreams in which she pictured her soul being cast into the unholy fires of hell. She dreamed that her naked body was run through repeatedly by silver stakes by those that she’d fed on in the past while she screamed out her apologies, her sorrow, and her anguish. But then the dream turned from its usual route as a being made of light burst down into hell and pulled her up into the sky. When she summoned up enough courage to open her eyes she could see the being sitting next to her, watching her. “That place is not for you. Not anymore,” it told her. Ashley swallowed hard as she tried to blink her tears away. “W-Who are you?” she looked around and saw nothing but endless rolling clouds as far as the eye could see.”A friend of yours and a friend of James,” it said. “He is one of us now and we have you to thank for adding such a noble creature to our ranks.”Unable to hold back the emotion, Ashley burst into tears all over again. “Why can’t I die? Why can’t this all end?” she wailed. Instead of answering outright, the being instead gestured behind her. Ashley turned to see another being of light standing there. This one seemed familiar to her. “J-James?” she asked cautiously.”Heya babe,” James said, the light seeming to melt away from his nude body as he stepped forward. “I’m glad to see your conscious mind working again.”Reaching out tentatively for him, Ashley touched his cheek and then pulled back as if she’d be shocked or set ablaze. When neither happened, she put her hand there and kept it there as she looked deeply into his eyes. “It is you. Are… are we dead? Is this heaven?””No to both questions. As Gabriel there has been explaining to me all day, this just outside of the pearly gates,” he said. “I think the appropriate term would be Limbo.” He nodded to the being of light that had brought Ashley’s consciousness up. “Thanks Gabriel.”Gabriel nodded back. “My pleasure. Take a little time for yourselves but not too much time. Your enemies are working quickly. I’ll see you both back at the cathedral once you’re done cleaning house at the Vanderheim Towers.” Gabriel stood up, gave a short bow to them both, and then spread his massive wings to fly off. Ashley watched him fly off before turning back to James. “Wait, Gabriel? As in…” her voice trailed off.”As in the Archangel Gabriel? Yes.” James nodded. “It’s all very confusing right now and I’m not even sure how to explain it all.” He pulled her close and stroked her fiery red hair that he loved so much. “Besides, we don’t have a lot of time.””If this is a dream, then I don’t want to wake up,” Ashley said. She moved in his arms, grabbed him with both hands on either side of his face and kissed him deeply. She shot her tongue deep into his mouth and pressed her naked body against his, feeling herself go wet in the process. How was that possible? This was only a dream, wasn’t it? Soon she stopped caring as she moaned deeply out of her desire and need. After thinking that she’d lost him she never wanted to let go of his feeling ever again. James reached down to grab her ass, squeezing it gently. He then picked her up as if she weighed nothing. Ashley wrapped her arms around his neck and used the leverage to lift herself up slightly. Her sex grazed his already hard cock on her way up. Before James had knelt down, Ashley had lowered herself onto his hardness. Dream or not, she reveled in the sensation of having him back inside of her. Smiling at her impatience, James kept hold of her as he laid her back onto the cloud. His hands came up to feel her full breasts and Ashley let out a sigh of contentment. Her nipples went hard and her breasts felt as if they were going taut as James rolled his thumbs around her areolae. James then thrust his hips forward, driving into her fully. Ashley let out a little cry as she was penetrated deeply. She reveled in the sensation. Closing her eyes and concentrating, Ashley squeezed her pussy around his cock every time he moved into her. James breathed out her name as he pushed into her one last time. Ashley bucked against him and hit her climax at the same moment. His cum started to flood into her and her orgasm washed over her like a warm blanket. James’ cock seemed to pump endlessly and his seed seemed to fill up every bit of her womb and pussy. It was a feeling that she had not had since she was mortal.”Oh, James,” Ashley sighed, pulling him down to her so that they were in full body contact. His cock was still twitching inside of her belly. She wrapped her long, slender legs around his waist to keep him right where he was. She didn’t want to let this feeling go for as long as possible.”Ashley,” James muttered, nuzzling his head against hers. “I love you.””I love you too, James.” Ashley held on to him even tighter. “I don’t want to leave you ever again.””We have to part ways only for a moment, my love.” James said. When Ashley whimpered, he shushed her. “It’s only for a moment. I’ll rejoin you below back at the towers.””But…””We’ll be together soon. I promise.”*Jezelle adjusted her breasts slightly to fit more comfortably in the black lace teddy. This was the part of the evening that she hated the most and she vowed that this would be the last. Centuries of being Conrad Vanderheim’s little plaything would come to an end. She took a couple of vials of blood and stuffed them into her cleavage and then took a knife to put into her thigh garter. Yes, tonight it would be over. Her only regret in this was that she couldn’t lord her victory over Ashley as well. She would’ve preferred to have had James as her own personal thrall just to rub it into Ashley’s face, but having her human dead and her comatose was a good consolation prize. Jezelle never did like Ashley from coming in and taking everything away from her; her business, her position, and her prestige. Jezelle had been lucky that Conrad kept her around at all after Ashley had ratted her out during her stint as Sheriff.