Broken Halo

by Lynn Hagen

  Gavril gave him a tight-lipped smile.

  “Is there a reason you came by, or is this a social call?” Ari needed something to do. Gavril’s presence intimidated him. The guy was a freaking angel, for crying out loud. He felt the need to bow but refrained from doing it. Instead, Ari went to his stove and put the teakettle on.

  When he turned back around, Gavril was sitting on the floor, his legs crossed, playing with Rocky. He looked innocent and boyish as he scratched under Rocky’s chin. And sweet mother of mercy, the guy was smiling. Did Gavril know just how handsome that smile was?

  Gavril picked Rocky up and looked him in the eyes. “He has worms.”

  Ari grimaced. “He does?”

  Thank goodness Ari had made that vet appointment.

  Gavril stroked the puppy’s fur then whispered something into his ear. “Not anymore,” he said out loud.

  Once again Ari’s brows shot upward. “You just cured him?”

  Gavril shrugged and set Rocky down. The angel looked around the kitchen, as if fascinated with Ari’s home. Ari was definitely fascinated with Gavril. “It wasn’t a hard thing to fix.”

  “I think I just found my new nurse,” Ari teased as the kettle began to whistle. He set it aside and placed loose tea leaves into his steeping pot then poured the hot water into it. Once he covered the pot, Ari turned to face Gavril.

  The guy was gone.

  “Gavril?” Ari looked around the kitchen before he walked into his living room. Gavril was standing in front of the bookcase, staring at the framed photos scattered on different shelves.

  “Who are these people?”

  Ari joined Gavril, his heart beating just a little faster from being so close to the guy. “Those are my parents.” He pointed to another framed photo. “That’s my baby brother, Kenzie. He’s a lawyer. Please forgive him for that.”

  Gavril furrowed his dark brows. “Why do I need to forgive him?”

  Ari tossed his hand up. “You know, lawyers…bloodsuckers?”

  The joke made Gavril seem even more confused.

  “Never mind.” Ari grew quiet. He wasn’t sure what to say after his failed joke. He wasn’t even sure how to make small talk with the angel. They wouldn’t have anything in common, and talking about the weather seemed like a stupid idea.

  “Your parents live far away.” Gavril ran his fingers over the frame. “They’re very proud of you.”

  “Okay, can you stop doing that?” Ari said. “It’s kind of freaking me out.”

  Gavril dropped his hand, and his perplexed expression evaporated. His features hardened as he took a step back and walked into the kitchen.

  When Ari followed, Gavril was gone.

  Chapter Three

  When Gavril entered Ari’s kitchen, he wanted to ask what is was like to have a loving family, to have people who truly cared about one another. But Gavril sensed Hadad’s presence. It was an uncomfortable electrical current making the hairs on his body stand on end.

  Terrified of the overzealous angel and what he might do to Ari, Gavril jumped through space and time at least a hundred times before he finally stopped running. He no longer felt Hadad chasing after him as he leaned against a tree and exhaled. He should’ve known he wouldn’t find peace even with Preston captured. His right-hand man would pick up where Preston had left off.

  Had Hadad felt Gavril’s presence at Ari’s house? The thought froze him. What if Hadad went after Ari, thinking the human had been hiding him? He wanted to go back and check but couldn’t risk Hadad catching up with him.

  If he thought Preston had been harsh with his punishments, the guy had nothing on Hadad. The angel lived and breathed pain. Most of Gavril’s scars were because of Hadad’s unwavering cruelty and the pleasure he derived from hearing Gavril scream.

  Gavril slid down to his ass and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. All he wanted was to be left alone. He was sick and tired of being hunted for caring about the human race. If he’d been at full power, Gavril would’ve put Hadad out of his misery. But Preston had been terrified of Gavril, even if he would never admit to it. That was the reason he’d ripped Gavril’s powers from him.

  Trust. That was what had been Gavril’s downfall. He’d trusted Preston, had let his guard down, and had paid the highest price for his stupidity.

  Gavril lit a cigarette and leaned his head back against the tree, blowing out the smoke as he wondered what his next move would be. He needed to stay as far away from Maple Grove as possible, but every cell in his body yearned to go back to Ari.

  His mate. His beautiful human doctor. A man whose touch was so tender that Gavril’s heart ached to feel Ari’s fingers on him again.

  How the hell had that happened? Gavril had never heard of an angel being mated. They were celestial beings, born to be alone for all eternity. Yet he couldn’t deny the gut-wrenching need to be near Ari, to hold the human in his arms, to bury his cock deep in Ari’s body.

  “You’ve really lost your mind.” Gavril blew out more smoke. “You claim Ari, you might as well put a bull’s-eye on his back.”

  He looked down at his naked body and snarled. Why would Ari want someone who looked so jacked up? Why would he want someone so screwed in the head? All Gavril had known was pain and suffering, yet for a brief moment, when Ari had slid his fingers over Gavril’s chest, Gavril had felt something stir to life in him. He wanted to feel that again. He wanted to feel anything other than hate and betrayal and the ugliness that dwelled inside him.

  He closed his eyes and let out a long breath before he opened his mind and reached out to his mate. Ari was at the clinic, treating a patient. Fuck, he was gorgeous. Gavril liked the way Ari constantly pushed his glasses up his pert nose or the way he tilted his head to the side when he smiled.

  The guy was so gentle with everyone. Even to a monster like Gavril.

  Knowing he damn well needed to stay away, Gavril transported himself to the clinic, keeping himself invisible as he watched Ari interact with the small child.

  “And here’s your lollipop.” Ari handed the little girl a red one. “You did very well, Lisa.”

  The child who couldn’t be more than five smiled at him. “Thank you, Mr. Doctor.”

  Ari spoke with the mother, and then the woman and her daughter left the room. Ari wrote something in his chart then turned and closed the door. “Show yourself, Gavril.”

  Gavril was shocked his mate knew he was there. “How?” he asked when appeared. “How did you know I was here?”

  Ari shrugged. “I just felt you. And by the way, that was very rude of you to leave last night without saying good-bye.”

  Gavril couldn’t tell Ari that he’d felt Hadad’s presence close by. He didn’t want Ari to worry or be afraid. God, since when did he start caring how other people felt toward him? When had that become a factor?

  When you discovered Ari was your mate, moron.

  “Something important came up.” That wasn’t exactly a lie.

  Ari glanced at him then rolled his eyes. “Please put some clothes on.”

  The doctor meant what he said, but Gavril had seen the shot of lust flash through his pale blue eyes. He heard Ari’s heart pick up in pace. He smelled the man’s lust, which was thick in the air.

  Instead of putting some clothes on, he made Ari’s disappear. Gavril was used to the human body, but damn, his cock hardened when he gazed at Ari’s naked, sleek form.

  Ari gasped and used his file to cover his groin. “You better put my clothes back on right now!”

  Gavril grinned. He liked how badly Ari blushed. “Why? You look so much better this way.”

  He took a step forward. Ari took a step back. “I’m warning you, Gavril. Dress me this instant.”

  With a frustrated groan, Gavril dressed them both. “You take the F out of fun.”

  “I can think of another word that starts with F,” Ari snarled.

  Gavril smirked. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing, but you made us get dressed.”<
br />
  Ari furrowed his brows. “I was talking about furious.”

  “I was talking about fucking,” Gavril said. “Which we could’ve done if you hadn’t lost your temper.”

  He wasn’t even sure why he was toying with Ari. Again, if Gavril claimed his mate, Preston’s fanatics would instantly know and come after the doctor.

  That was a chance Gavril couldn’t take. Even though he wanted to in the worse way. He couldn’t stop thinking about Ari on his knees, or the other way around. Gavril could even bend the good doctor over the exam table, but Ari was being a spoilsport.

  “Do that again and I’ll…I’ll…” Ari frowned. “Well, I can’t think of a good threat because I’m not a violent man, but I won’t be happy about it.”

  Gavril went invisible right before the receptionist opened the door and stuck her head in. She looked around. “I thought I heard you talking to someone.”

  Ari scanned the room then grimaced. “Just talking to myself.”

  Gavril poked Ari in his side. His mate jumped and squeaked.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “I’m-I’m fine.” Ari ushered her from the room but threw a scowl over his shoulder before he disappeared, closing the door behind him.

  * * * *

  A week passed, and Ari still hadn’t seen Gavril since the exam room. He didn’t think it was because he’d gotten so angry. Gavril was stronger than that. Ari’s lividness would’ve rolled off the angel’s back.

  It had to be something else. He tried to keep himself busy, to not think of the angel, but every free moment Ari had, his thoughts dwelled on Gavril.

  It was becoming increasingly obvious to him that he might have a slight crush on the angel. There was no other explanation for Ari’s loss of appetite, his insomnia, and downright irritability. All the signs pointed to him being a love-struck fool.

  Whoa. Wait. Lust, not love. Definitely not love because Ari refused to believe he’d fallen for another troubled man. His luck just couldn’t be that bad. He did not have an incessant need to fix what was broken. He simply cared about Gavril’s well-being.

  It didn’t matter that he’d become a doctor because he liked to try to fix what was wrong. No, that wasn’t it at all. Ari just liked to solve puzzles. No, that wasn’t it either.

  He sighed and sat down on a chair in one of the exam rooms. He was letting Gavril’s absence get to him. He needed to clear his thoughts and get on with his day. Why would he miss someone who drank too much, smoked, and had a very bad temperament?

  Then he thought of that lost look in Gavril’s eyes when he’d stood outside Ari’s patio door. How perplexed he’d appeared when talking about Ari’s parents.

  On the one hand, Gavril was self-destruction on an epic scale. On the other, he was like some innocent child who didn’t fully comprehend the human world.

  And Ari wanted to teach Gavril everything he didn’t understand.

  “I’m doing it again.” He pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead. “I’m trying to fix someone. I need to forget about him and move on with my life.”

  There were plenty of good-looking bachelors in Maple Grove. Just that morning Ari had met a really nice guy at the diner.

  But Ari wasn’t interested in anyone but Gavril.

  “There’s something cosmically wrong with you,” he muttered to himself.

  He’d met Olin at an AA meeting. Not that Ari had been in attendance for himself. He’d been there with a friend for support. That should’ve been a huge red flag, one that he’d clearly ignored.

  Olin had been broken, and Ari had spent years trying to fix him. Ari hadn’t even left their relationship when Olin started putting his hands on him. “Yep, cosmically wrong.”

  But his ex had been a mere human. What if Gavril took things that far? How would Ari defend himself against a celestial being if Gavril became violent?

  “He’s not Olin.” Ari stood and walked out of the exam room. He wasn’t going to lump all men into Olin’s category. That wasn’t fair. Although Gavril was gruff, Ari didn’t think the angel would actually hurt him.

  He walked up front and saw Tessa had left for lunch. With a sigh, Ari walked to his office and took a seat behind his desk. He turned his computer on just as his cell phone rang.

  The number was private. That wasn’t anything new. Ari got all kinds of calls for medical help, sometimes even just someone looking for advice.

  “Dr. Bjord,” he said when he answered.

  “You rotten son of a bitch.”

  Ari’s heart leapt into his throat at the sound of Olin’s slurred voice. His ex had fallen off the wagon after years of sobriety. “How did you get this number?”

  “Does it… Does it matter?” Olin hiccupped. “Y-You left me. But I got plans for you, Mr. Perfect. You’re gonna…gonna pay for walking out on me. For dump…dump…dumping me.”

  Did Olin know where Ari lived now? Had he somehow found out? Ari had been very careful when he’d fled Atlanta. He’d left a very small paper trail, one Olin would’ve never found.

  Ari hung up and quickly blocked the number Olin had called him from. There was no way his ex could find him. They were just empty threats. There was no need to panic.

  He moved from behind his desk and sat on the carpeted floor where Rocky was asleep. The puppy was curled up on his tiny bed, whimpering as his legs jerked outward, as though he were running.

  Ari scooped him up and held Rocky close, pressing his face into the puppy’s soft fur.

  Rocky licked his face. Ari got up and walked the dog out back to take care of his business. As Rocky sniffed around, Ari paced. He wanted to tell Moose about Olin, but Moose had already gotten involved back when Ari was still being foolish—when he’d still thought he could fix Olin.

  Ari was still embarrassed about that and didn’t want to run to his friend with his problems. No. Olin had no idea where Ari was. He couldn’t possibly know.

  Rocky peed then sniffed around some more, wandering off to a patch of grass on the side of the clinic that he found very interesting. Ari worried the puppy would run off, but Rocky stuck close by.

  Waiting for him to finish, Ari sat on a folding chair leaning against the brick wall. Clearly he wasn’t the only one who came out here. The chair squeaked as he opened it. It was all metal, which was smart for the weather but made his butt cold as soon as he sat down.

  Snowflakes fell but not enough to concern Ari about his drive home when the clinic closed. He didn’t like heavy snow and wasn’t used to it since he’d lived in Atlanta for the past several years. He’d been through a few ice storms but not blizzards.

  He hoped that didn’t happen this winter since he wasn’t used to driving in it.

  Rocky raced toward him, his tail wagging. He stumbled, rolled, then got back and attacked Ari’s pant leg.

  “Are you done?” Ari put the chair back and picked the puppy up, hurrying inside to the warmth. At the moment, the clinic was empty of patients. Nurse Betty had called off, telling him she had a cold and didn’t want to infect anyone.

  The clinic was quiet, so Ari set Rocky down and let him run around. That was when he felt it. The electrical current in the air that made the hairs on his arms stand on end.

  Ari looked around, but there was no sign of Gavril. “Show yourself.”

  Nothing. Gavril didn’t appear anywhere around him. He’d started to shout Gavril’s name when Tessa walked through the front door, talking on her cell phone and carrying a cup in her hand. She smiled at him as she walked to her desk and set the cup down, ending her call.

  “Anything exciting happen while I was gone?” She placed her purse in her desk drawer and took a seat.

  “I treated a few mountain trolls with nasty colds, stitched up a werewolf who’d gotten bitten by a ghoul, and saved a vampire from the sunlight.”

  Tessa laughed. Ari smiled. If she only knew those things were true. Not that they’d happened today, but they had in the past while Ari had been trav
eling. Okay, maybe not the mountain trolls. He’d made that up, but the rest had been true.

  “So nothing special happened.” She took a sip from her cup. “Do you have Thanksgiving plans, Dr. Bjord?”

  The electrical feeling faded. Ari was disappointed that Gavril hadn’t shown himself. Sadness crept into him because he really wanted to see the angel. He couldn’t stop thinking of Gavril over the past week, and it would’ve been nice to talk to him.

  Maybe, just maybe, Ari also wanted a glimpse at Gavril’s naked body, too. As much as he protested, Ari loved seeing the guy without a stitch of clothing on. Gavril had one of the finest bodies Ari had ever seen. Every time he stared at Gavril’s cock, Ari’s got hard. He wouldn’t mind a roll in the sheets with the guy.

  Rocky ran from behind a large potted plant that sat with dozens of other plants decorating the waiting area. They were all fake, which was good since Ari didn’t have a green thumb, but they spruced up the waiting room, nonetheless.

  The puppy stopped in the center of the room and started barking at nothing.

  Tessa laughed again. “They’re so cute when they’re that little. Slay that imaginary dragon, Rocky,” she teased.

  But Ari wasn’t laughing. He didn’t feel Gavril’s presence, but what else would make Rocky behave that way? He also caught a strange look on Tessa’s face, as though she were secretly looking around, but when she saw Ari staring at her, Tessa smiled and faced her computer monitor.

  “I’ll be in my office if you need me.” He scooped Rocky up and carried the little fella down the hallway. Rocky’s tongue hung from the side of his mouth. He loved being carried. But when Ari entered the room, he set Rocky on his soft bed.

  “Gavril?” Ari looked around. “Are you here?”

  He gasped and rubbed his arms when the electrical feeling intensified to an almost painful level. Then it faded.

  After a few moment of telling Gavril to reveal himself and nothing happening, Ari gave up and worked to finish unpacking the rest of his boxes.

  * * * *