Gabriel laid his hand on Uriel's shoulder instead - not gripping but simply resting there as he drew comfort from his brother's presence, changed as it was.

He bowed his head, feeling ashamed for the lie, though he had always genuinely thought it truth before. "I will not, then. Because I have tasted His displeasure and for all that I am His Strength, I do not think I am strong enough to bear it again. I need His love; sometimes it was all that made some of my other tasks bearable. I do not know how you bore its loss."