He exhaled a soft sigh as she would not let herself melt away into his embrace. He stroked his hand along the top of her head and gently drew back.
“Because that’s what he does. You know that.” His reply was simple as he stepped back, moving to slip into the kitchen to put on the kettle. The herald returned, slipping down to settle on the couch, his feet resting on the edge, forcing himself out of the habit of perching as he tended to do when he was agitated. He sat back and lowered his legs. “You have been absolved, Mary, that’s how it works. You hold onto your guilt unnecessarily and it will only make your soul sick and give the enemy more ammunition that they shouldn’t have.”
Blue eyes focused on her then, there was an intensity behind the soft kindness, and in those broad shoulders, tension. He would not discuss his own state in this; there were too many others who needed his guidance and caring hand, and Gabriel was nothing if not utterly selfless.