Relic (The Brethren Series)

by Deena Remiel

  “Wh…wh…?”

  Raphael could imagine what the question was he tried to ask. “Mr. Sikes, I’m an angel, a Savior. I’m on this earth to heal. And I’m immortal. Your daughter is aware of this, too. I mean to heal you, sir, for your sake as well as Serena’s. She’s missed you so much. How could I go around healing others and not take care of my own? I’ll come back tomorrow and the next day to heal you further until you are completely well again. Now, do I have your blessing to marry your daughter?”

  “N…no y…yet.” He struggled through his reply and gave Raphael a disapproving father’s stare. “Yaw waaf?”

  “My wife? She passed away, sir. Centuries ago, actually. I loved her dearly, as I’m sure you loved your wife. But time marches on for everyone, and I can’t see spending any more of it without Serena by my side.”

  “Da same. Look same,” he grunted harshly. So that’s why he didn’t seem pleased with him. Serena must have spoken to her father after finding out about Sirona’s connection to Raphael. No wonder he looked pissed. Well, Raphael would have to change his mind.

  “Yes, they look similar to each other. But sir, you’ve got to believe me when I say that’s as far as the similarity goes. Your daughter is nothing like my late wife beyond her looks. In fact, it’s what’s beyond her exterior that I’m in love with. If my late wife were alive today, I would still choose Serena as the one to share eternity with. I must tell you, angels can’t lie. I must convince Serena of that.” Raphael stood patiently waiting for a response. Mr. Sikes just stared at him, at his feet and hands, and gave a slight smile.

  “It gon be hawd get Sewena say yes, but yes, got my bessing.”

  Raphael gave Mr. Sikes a winning smile. “Thank you, sir! Thank you!”

  “Fed!” Mr. Sikes grunted.

  “Okay, thank you Fred. I’ll see you here tomorrow, same time. I gotta run. I gotta propose to Serena!”

  He nearly crashed through the closed door, threw the badge at Judy while scribbling his signature, and raced out the front door. A ring! He needed a ring, and he had less than an hour to make it to Cathedral Rock on time. He’d be cutting it close.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  A bundle of nerves, that’s what she had turned into. Since leaving her father’s, Serena had been nothing but a bundle of nerves, rehearsing over and over again what she would say to Raphael up on the Rock. Looking all around her now, frightening memories kept popping into her mind, making her think that at any moment, Steve or Wheezer were going to jump out and nab her. Unfortunately, she had gotten to the summit way too early, and now paced like a caged bobcat. It had to stop. The bad guys are dead, Serena. Think positive, and let go the past. So, finding a suitable rock to sit on, Serena decided to do a little meditation to soothe her worried heart. “When I see him, I’ll know the right words to say,” she notified the birds. It may sting for a bit, but it’s for the best.

  ***

  Raphael showed up at the base of the mountain with time to spare, and noticed Serena’s Jeep already parked. Perfect, he thought. He checked his pocket for the millionth time, making sure the ring box hadn’t fallen out. Still there. He had rehearsed what to say to her all the way over, but now, as he stepped out of his car, he couldn’t remember a damn bit of it. I’ll know the right words when I see her. He took a few deep breaths and started hiking up to where he thought he might find her.

  It only took a few minutes before he came upon a nice-looking piece of rock that had a very nice-looking piece of woman resting on it. Serena took his breath away, sitting cross-legged atop the slab, sunlight kissing every strand of her silky, golden hair, making it appear as if she were glowing. He froze where he stood to watch her. It was his favorite thing to do, after all. And as he studied her, she raised her face and arms to the heavens beseechingly. What is she asking for?

  “Serena,” he called to her.

  She immediately brought her arms down to her lap and turned in surprise. “Oh, Raphael. Hi. I…uh, I’m just soaking in some much needed essence of nature. I feel like I’ve been away from it for so long, you know?”

  “No need to explain. You look amazing, like nothing’s happened, so nature must be agreeing with you.” He stumbled over his words nervously, like a teenage boy talking to the girl next door for the first time.

  “Yeah, I guess it does.” Serena fussed with her hair.

  I’ll be damned if she isn’t looking me up and down right now. He had come wearing hiking boots, long shorts that rode low on the hips, and a loose fitting shirt that he hoped would appeal to her imagination. He’d slicked back his jet black hair into a pony-tail that accentuated the chiseled features of his face.

  “May I?” he asked, pointing to a spot next to her.

  “Oh, yeah. Sure.” She scooted over to the very edge of the rock, allowing more room for his massive body. As he sat, the sun’s warmth mixed with her flowery scent wafted through the air. The combination nearly intoxicated him.

  “There’s so much I need to say to you. I hardly know where to begin. But I gotta start somewhere. So, I’ll start with when you ran off. Serena, my life came to a standstill at that moment and—”

  “Raphael, wait. Wait,” she interrupted, putting her hands in the air as if to wave off any advance. “Let me go first. I’m so sorry I ran out like I did. I don’t usually run from problems when they find me. That was completely immature of me not to stick around and talk things out. But since then I’ve had time to think and analyze things. It’s important that you listen to what I have to say first.” He yielded, albeit uncomfortably.

  Serena took a deep breath and continued. “Raphael, if it hadn’t been for you, I’d be dead right now. No question about it. What we’ve experienced together, well let’s just say it’s been an adventure. But the adventure’s over, and as much as we may want to continue whatever it is we’ve got between us, I know in my heart I can’t let it go on this way.” Raphael started to object, but Serena quickly went on.

  “I’m in love with you Raphael,” Serena gushed, and her cheeks instantly stained red. “There, I said it. I’m in love with you. But what good does it do me when I can never trust in what you feel for me? I’m cursed with Sirona’s face. How can you possibly look at me and not want or desire her instead? I can’t compete, I won’t compete with her. So I think it’s for the best that you should go on and return to the life you had before me.” She nodded as if to convince herself. “Yes, it’s for the best.” She couldn’t even look him in the eye when she finished her speech.

  She had stunned him. He was floored. He was pissed. “So that’s it. You love me, but you’re too insecure to believe that I could possibly separate what I felt for Sirona from what I feel for you. What a load of crap.” He jumped off the slab as though it were on fire, and started walking back and forth in front of Serena. He pinched the bridge of his nose and fought desperately to contain his anger.

  He stopped right in front of her and pointed an accusing finger at her. He began his passionate diatribe. “I’ve got you all figured out, lady. You’ve been abandoned, rejected, and ignored by your family, and it’s scarred you for any other potential relationship. That’s why you duck and run all the time; it’s easier to be the one to leave first rather than face the same abuse over and over again. But you can’t run from what’s between us, Serena.I’m in love with you, too, and that’s the truth.”

  Serena turned away from Raphael’s onslaught, but he moved as well so she would still have to face him.

  “But you don’t want the truth, do you? Truth has never been anything but a big letdown to you, and now it scares you. You believe it’s going to bite you in the ass again, and leave you cold and alone, like when your mother died, and your father fell ill, and your brother was killed. You’d rather stay alone than risk the reality of us. Isn’t that the truth of it, Serena?” he yelled. “Well, isn’t it?”

  How dare he? How dare he be so damn right about everything!Serena stood up to face him like a fierce Amazon
warrior. “Yes, damn you! Yes! But you fail to understand my position here. I look at you, and I see the man of my dreams. My impossible dreams. The man I’ve made love with in those dreams, and in reality. When you look at me, what do you see? What do you see? I’ll tell you. Your wife, Raphael! You see your wife! Not me. That’s truth.”

  He shook his head vigorously in response. “No.”

  “I know you can’t help it. But when we make love, I need to know you’re making love to me, not her. When we see each other first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, when we are apart, it’s my face that I want etched in your mind, but it will always be hers. And as for children, Raphael, I want lots of them. And you’ll always be thinking how much they look like her and how you missed the chance to have children with her. And I can’t bear to live the rest of my life that way!”

  She escaped to a nearby tree, needing to put some distance between them. “I can’t,” she wept, shaking her head and pounding her fist against its trunk.

  Raphael followed her. “I’m sorry, Serena. I never wanted to or dreamed I’d ever hurt you this way.” He turned her to face him. “But I can’t let you go. I won’t. You’re like the air that I breathe. My life’s blood. I know I’m immortal, but I also know I will die without you by my side for eternity.”

  “We don’t have an eternity to share, Raphael. I’m human, just a girl. So, although those are lovely words and make my heart sing, that’s all they are. Words.” Tears flowed freely now, and she could nothing to stop them.

  “But that’s not true, sweetheart. I told you, Sirona gave you her gift.” Raphael reached out and gently wiped her tears away with the back of his hand. Her eyes fluttered at his gentleness. She would never forget his tender touches, ever.

  “I know, she healed me, and most probably brought me back from death.”

  “Serena, her gift is not only that, but the gift of eternal life.”

  “What? What did you say?” Serena stood frozen, shocked by the growing implications.

  “You are now immortal, Serena, like me. We can spend eternity together, loving each other, having children together, anything you want, but together! Serena, I love you with every fiber of my being. Please believe me. I don’t know what else I can say or do to make you trust…. Wait a minute….”

  He mumbled to himself and then smacked his hands together. “I’ve got it! You’re immortal. Our threaded connection flows both ways now, and we can read each other’s thoughts.” Serena, still so stunned by the shocking news of her immortality, heard some of his mutterings, but lagged a couple of steps behind him in the conversation.

  “So I’m going to live forever now. Wow.” She spoke out loud to no one in particular. “But I don’t feel any different. How am I supposed to feel? Am I going to stay this age forever…?”

  “Serena, listen to me!” Raphael shook her out of her reverie. “You can read my thoughts and I can read yours. Put your hands on my head and see. You’ll know exactly how I feel about Sirona, and how I feel about you. You’ll be able to trust in my words. Please, Serena, do this. I beg of you,” he pleaded.

  “That’s nonsense, Raphael. I can’t do that.”

  Raphael grabbed her hands. “Do it!” he demanded. He placed them on his temples and helped her connect with his mind. She felt every thought he had had of Sirona over the years straight to the present down their threaded connection. She heard every thought he’d had of her, including every word he had spoken while holding her in his arms at Dr. Chappo’s estate. He sent her everything that filled his heart and soul about her, and finally, at last, she knew.

  She knew. And knowing was everything to her. He gently brought her hands away from his face, kissing her fingertips as he eased them down, and she took a few steps backward, looking at him as if for the first time. No one before had ever felt about her the way he felt about her, let alone express so strongly all he had expressed when she’d lain dying in his arms.

  “You’re in love with me.” She gasped, astonished. Tears welled again in her eyes, but this time, for a very different reason.

  “Yes.” He took a bold step toward her.

  “I’m your forever love.”

  “Yes.” He took another step.

  “And you want to marry me.”

  “Yes.” He snatched her into his arms. “But you weren’t supposed to know that part yet.”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes? What do you mean, yes?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you.” A slow grin brightened Raphael’s face, and she, buoyed by his love, literally transformed from a lost soul with no hope to one ready to conquer the world.

  “I guess you know about the ring, too, huh?”

  “Uh huh,” she nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissed him with all the passion she had repressed for so long. So fierce and fervent, the kiss sent them both stumbling on the uneven ground until they fell to the ground with Serena on top. And still the kiss went on, as Raphael answered her call of passion with a soul-searing response of his own.

  “Raphael, my sweet, sweet angel,” Serena muttered against his mouth. “I love you so.” Waves upon waves of desire threatened to drown her right there. Raphael sat them up abruptly and pulled her away from him in a sudden jerk. “Whatever’s gotten into you?” she asked, her lips impatiently craving his return.

  “I haven’t given you the ring yet. I haven’t even really asked you to marry me yet. I have to make it official, Serena. We can’t go on without making it official.” He settled her squarely on her feet as he, too, stood up to retrieve something from his shorts pocket. “Stay right there. Don’t move,” he commanded her. She stood still and nodded in acquiescence.

  Emotion overwhelmed her, for there, in front of her petite self, kneeled a ruthless giant, a bulldozer, an immortal behemoth of a man who could nearly look her in the eye when bent down on one knee. But when he gazed into her eyes, she saw nothing more than a nervous lad, a fumbling fool, and most importantly, the only man she ever wanted to be with for the rest of her days.

  “Serena Sikes,” Raphael started and coughed a couple of times. “Serena Sikes, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife, my life, forever until the end of time?” He held a ring box in his hand, opened it, and offered it to her. She stole a glance at it and saw a ring larger than life, just like him.

  “Raphael,” Serena began, “Raphael, I don’t even know your last name, for heaven’s sake! I’m about to say yes to a man whose last name I don’t even know!” She’d become flustered and confused, unable to go on for being lost in doubting thoughts and misgivings. Raphael rushed to her aid, standing up and grasping her shoulders.

  “It’s okay, Serena. I have no last name. Not all of us Brethren do. It’s just Raphael. You know all there is to know about me, sweetheart. And from this moment on, we’ll spend the rest of eternity getting to know us. So, you were about to say yes again. Would you do me a favor and do it? Put me out of my misery.”

  She considered letting him stew for a couple more minutes, but she couldn’t wait to tell him either, so with all sincerity, she did. “Raphael, I have dreamt of you for so long, and dreamed you into life, so it would seem. You have and always will be the only man for me. So yes, Raphael, my answer is still yes.”

  “Wahoo!” he shouted and placed the ring on her finger. He lifted her in the air and swung her around. She squealed with glee, and as he slowly stopped spinning, he slid her down against his body, cradling the back of her head to ease her into a heart-stopping, breath-stealing kiss. A kiss that all too soon became frantic with hunger and need.

  “Raphael.” Serena sought release in his smoldering eyes. “Take me….” Her lips, like magnets, sought his yet again. Her hands renewed their acquaintance with his powerful shoulders.

  “Take you…!” He smothered her with renewed fervor, his hands journeying through her long, curling tresses.

  “Take me! Now, Raphael!” She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his wai
st.

  But too many clothes separated them, and there was too much open space around them. He nuzzled her neck, and she moaned. For a brief moment, she could think and remembered a cave not far from where they stood, but very much off the beaten path. She disengaged him long enough to tell him so, and he took them there.

  ***

  The cave wasn’t huge, but tall enough for Raphael to stand and deep enough for them to make love in the shadows. And make love they did. He wasted no time at all pulling off his clothes and hers amidst giggles, casting them aside carelessly. And so began their sojourn into love’s rapture.

  He trapped her with his hard body just a whisper away against the cave wall. His face, so close to hers, exposed a desire in his eyes she’d never seen before, a look that others would call dangerous, but she would call sexually devastating. That’s all it took for her, and she shivered with heated anticipation. His touch along the sides of her breasts and down her ribcage sent a different message to her brain altogether, a tenderness and devotion unparalleled. And as his fingers forayed seductively downward, he tossed her body into sensory overload. She could barely respond before Raphael’s lips descended upon hers, stealing from her any cries of pleasure.

  “Oh God, Serena!” he moaned against her lips. “You’re on fire, love.” And he teased her some more while feasting on her neck and shoulders.

  “For you, Raphael, it’s all for you.” She groaned as the pleasure and ecstasy intensified. Her hands kneaded frenetically about his waist and trailed up to his shoulder blades. “Show yourself to me, angel. Show all of yourself to me. Let me touch you, know you, take you.”

  Raphael took a step back and closed his eyes. He breathed in deeply and his wings grew out from their hiding places. As glorious as ever, they glowed with a brilliant golden aura and fluttered hypnotically. Serena stepped forward, remembering quite vividly what touching his wings would do to him, and wicked thoughts crept across her mind. She reached out her arms and lightly stroked the edges of his wings from top to bottom. His eyes opened and rolled back while his whole body shuddered. He reached out and grabbed her to him, holding her so close they were as one.