by Jess Buffett
Struggling with his need, Hunter placed a chaste kiss to her lips before explaining the mark. “It’s an important mark, Gabby. One my kind takes very seriously.”
Hunter watched, his heart dropping when she pulled away, using the blanket to cover herself almost as if it were a shield.
“What kind of mark? And if it’s so damned important, then why wasn’t I asked first?” Her tone was icy, and her expression was one of stone.
This was not a Gabriella he was familiar with. He remembered the times she would become angry, the times she was furious, she had never withheld her emotions though.
“It’s not something that can be asked,” he said carefully. He felt as if one wrong word would cost him everything. “The mark appears after we join with our bonded.”
“Bonded?” Her eyes narrowed. “Did you know this would happen before we slept together? Have you known all along?”
“No, I didn’t. I—”
His words were cut off as she unexpectedly shoved him off the bed. Had he been expecting the move, Gabriella wouldn’t have been able to move him even an inch. Taken by surprise as he was, however, Hunter found his arms flailing before he landed ungracefully on his arse and back. He blinked up at the roof in shock.
He lifted his head when he heard the rustling of the bedsheets. Gaining his feet and tucking his wings away, Hunter frowned. Gabriella rose from the bed, not giving him a second look as she pulled some clothes on. Her back turned to him, Hunter had no way of knowing what reaction was coming.
Christ, he hadn’t felt this lost since he turned eighteen.
Unable to take the silence any longer, he broke. “Gabby. Would you please look at me? Can you talk to me?” When she still didn’t acknowledge him, Hunter sighed in frustration. “Since when do you ignore a problem? The Gabriella I knew would never run away from conflict.”
That finally got a response from her. Every muscle in her body went rigid, tension pouring off of her in waves. She turned her head slightly, but seemed to refuse facing him directly.
“I’m not running. I’m walking away. There is a big difference. And have you ever stopped to think that maybe you just don’t know me anymore?” The tension seemed to drain from her body, like she had lost all of her fight. “You were gone a long time. You can’t just turn up, claim to be an angel, my bonded, and expect me to swoon, jump into your arms, and say ‘yes’. It doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t take away the anger I feel, the hurt. Shit, Hunter. None of this even makes fucking sense.”
He flinched at her cursing. One thing he knew would never change was that Gabriella hated swearing, and only did it herself when she was reaching the breaking point. Her anger, her words, the pain laced in her voice all served as a proverbial slap in the face. One that he deserved.
Hunter had done exactly as she had accused. He had come back expecting things to be as they had been, expecting her to be the person she was when he left. Gabriella had always accepted who he was and everything about him. He realized now the unfairness of his actions, how wrong it had been for him to expect her to still be the same. He certainly didn’t resemble the boy who had to flee nearly a decade ago. Some days he barely recognized himself anymore. Hunter needed to remember that she had also grown, and changed.
Without him.
Reaching out, he gently wrapped a hand around her arm. If she had wanted to, Gabriella could have easily pulled out of his grip, but she didn’t. Tugging her toward him, Hunter used his other hand to cup her cheek, the smooth skin rubbing against his rough texture. Her long auburn hair fell slightly into her face as she shivered in response, and hope flared in his chest.
“I know I’ve asked a lot, and that’s not fair. I’m sorry.”
At his apology her head shot up, her eyes blinking at him in shock.
He smiled down at her. “Surprised I said ‘sorry’?”
Gabriella raised a single brow, her expression saying it all. “Since with you it’s usually like pulling out teeth, yes, you could say I’m surprised you offered up one so quickly.”
He shrugged, a grin tugging at his lips. “I’ve learnt a lot over the years.” His mood quickly sobered, and he sighed deeply, pressing his lips against her forehead. “And I’ve missed a lot too. Just please know it was never by choice.”
Gabriella nibbled on her bottom lip when he leant back, her gaze darting from him to the mark on her wrist, only to return to him again. Amazing how she could look so cold and angry one second and so unsure the next. Maybe he wasn’t the only one feeling like the rug had been pulled out from under him.
Gabriella let out a heavy sigh. “Hunter, I—”
Whatever she was going to say was cut off by a violent banging on her front door. Gabriella tugged herself free of his embrace, growling in frustration. Slipping back into her dress from that evening, she left the room. Hunter rose from the bed as well. Tugging on his pants, he reached for his shirt and followed her.
He noticed her covertly checking to make sure everything was straight on her. Disgruntled that she attempted to hide the fact that they had been together just moments ago, he watched her open the door to reveal her brother. Hunter barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes when the other man stormed in, pointing a finger at him.
“You need to leave. You are completely unwelcomed.” Directing his next words to his sister, he said, “And as for you—what are you doing letting him in here? After everything he put you through.” With disappointment clear in his tone, Nolan gave her a reproachful look.
Fury poured through Hunter at the man speaking to his bonded that way. Energy crackled around him, his hairs standing on end. He knew the exact moment Nolan felt his power because the man shuddered, his eyes widening as he stared at Hunter.
A growl ripped his attention away from Nolan to Gabriella whose eyes had taken on a fierce glint. When she opened up her mouth, he wasn’t surprised when she began yelling at both of them.
“Hunter, cut that out or you can take the caveman act elsewhere.” She whirled around onto her brother, and Hunter hid his grin as Nolan winced at the force of his sister’s temper. “And as for you, brother…don’t ever speak to me like I’m a child again. I will remind you that not only am I a grown woman, I run my own damned business, helped you pick yours back up off the ground when you and your partners made some bad business decisions, and we both know that on more than one occasion that I have handed you your arse. Don’t make me prove it in front of someone.”
Nolan had the decency to blush.
Damn, she was something else.
Hunter grinned. “I’d like to see that.”
Nolan glared at him, as Gabriella rolled her eyes. “You’re not being very helpf—”
A loud crashing sounded above them, the room itself shaking. Hunter’s eyes shot to the windows lining the furthest wall. Glass sprinkled down to the streets below, and screams could be heard coming from the roof.
Fuck!
Grabbing Gabriella, he spun her around. “You and your brother need to get out of here. Use Nolan’s car and leave, don’t look back.”
“What?” she asked in bewilderment, looking at him like he had lost his mind. “What’s going on? And what about you?”
“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “But I need you to be safe. I’ll find you, I promise.”
Hunter didn’t wait for her response. He fled the apartment, taking the stairs back up to the tower’s restaurant. He ignored her calls until they faded, praying like hell that she listened to him. The thought of Gabriella getting caught up in any kind of danger caused rage to boil in his blood. The knowledge that he would be placing her at risk hadn’t fully sunk in until now.
Tension grew in his body as he neared the door. Screams filtered down the stairway, and as Hunter drew closer he sensed an energy that belonged to no human.
“Dammit,” he growled.
Slamming through the door, Hunter immediately found himself in the middle of a frantic crowd. The restaurant was in ruins,
tables and chairs strewn everywhere. Fallen were spread all over the room, just as glass and debris were. Humans ran, cowering in fear. The Fallen had their swords drawn, flames licking up the metal as they searched the place, tearing it apart as they went. When Hunter’s gaze fell on one of the intruders, he suddenly knew exactly who he was dealing with.
Ash.
And where Ash was, Renatus could be found. The legion of Fallen hell-bent on the destruction of Nephilim and those who used to be. Like Hunter had been.
It was as if a full-fledged storm brewed inside the tower itself. Powerful winds swept through the room, creating more chaos. Ash prowled his way toward Hunter, a malevolent grin on his face. Hawk-like wings stretched out, knocking people as he passed them, the brown and white tops of the wings shimmering off the flickering lights as the deep chocolate of the primaries shadowed across the floor.
“Nephilim!” Ash shouted. There was cruelty in his eyes, a cruelty that came from the wanton taking of life. Nephilim life. Human life. Ash had long ago stopped defining the two, just as he had done the night he had taken the lives of Hunter’s foster parents and attempted to take Hunter’s.
“Look a little closer, Ash. Am I still Nephilim?” Hunter taunted.
Ash and his men clearly had no idea Hunter had gone through his transition. It had been a few months earlier than expected, which explained why Renatus was unaware. Hunter allowed his wings to unfurl and willed his sword into existence. Damn, he loved doing that.
Ash’s eyes blazed with an anger like nothing Hunter had ever seen. Pure hatred filled the Fallen in front of him. “You’ve transitioned.” Ash growled.
“That’s right.” Hunter chuckled, more confident than he had ever been when facing off against Ash. “Let’s see how we go with an even playing field, hmm?”
Taking a step forward, Hunter’s heart slammed into his chest when out of the corner of his eye he saw Gabriella and her brother race into the room. Hadn’t he told her to fucking leave? Was the woman so bloody stubborn that all her self-preservation instincts went out the fucking window?
“Gabriella, tell me what the hell is going on!” he heard her brother, Nolan demanded. The shouting drew Ash’s attention as well. “Those guys have fucking wings, and are those swords on fire?”
Hunter desperately wanted the man to just shut up and get his sister to safety, but his next words condemned Gabriella, and Hunter was helpless to stop it.
“And since when do you have a tattoo? You hate needles, and you sure as hell didn’t have it an hour ago.”
Hunter watched as a glimmer of satisfaction crossed Ash’s features. The Fallen gazed at Gabriella’s wrist and then Hunter’s, a vindictive smile appearing. “Now, who do we have here?”
Hunter growled as Ash made a move toward Gabriella. Ash would lose his head if he harmed her. “Don’t even think about it.”
Ash paused, sending a vicious grin in Hunter’s direction. “Gabriella, is it? How lovely to meet you,” Ash said, voice honeyed as he smiled seductively at her.
Hunter hid his grin when his Gabriella cocked an eyebrow at him, before lifting her top lip up in a sneer. His bonded was not a woman that was so easily charmed. Ash appeared taken aback by her hostile response, which he covered quickly with a cocky grin, but not before Hunter saw it. Apparently the Fallen wasn’t used to being turned down.
Too bad, so sad, arsewipe.
“Sorry, but pretty boys holding swords at innocent people don’t really do much for me.” Gabriella shrugged. “The city is a big place though, I’m sure you’ll find someone. If not, might I suggest internet dating?”
Hunter gaped at her. What the fuck was she doing?
Ash growled. “You think you’re a clever little thing, don’t you? Doesn’t seem real smart to piss off the guy holding the sword though, does it?”
For once Hunter agreed with the bastard. He scowled at her, thinking she had lost her mind, when Hunter suddenly realized she had a plan. Her eyes kept flicking to the floor on her left, to an abandoned handbag that was lying there. Hunter could see a can of something barely sticking out of the top. When her gaze moved back to Hunter, then trailed down his arm to his sword, Hunter finally understood what she was doing and his eyes widened slightly.
He shook his head minutely, there was no way in hell he would risk exploding the can with her so close. The glint in Gabriella’s eyes did nothing to reassure him.
Oh, shit. He knew that look.
“It’s hard to find you intimidating when you look like an overgrown owl,” she snickered.
Ah, fuck!
Having no other choice, Hunter shot a flame from his weapon, hitting the can directly when Ash lunged for his bonded. As expected, the blast ricocheted, sending an unsuspecting Ash flying.
The Fallen landed with a thud on the other side of the ruined restaurant, but it didn’t take Ash long to recover, picking himself up off the ground and turning his attention to Hunter.
“You may have transitioned, but you’ve also bonded. You’re weaker now than you ever were before.”
“You forget he’s not alone, Ash,” a deep resonating voice sounded from above, the pounding of wings in the air.
Hunter’s head shot up, relief coursing through him as he spotted not just Sebastian, but the four other members of his team. Sebastian’s shimmering gold wings drew in slightly, allowing the son of Michael to land. The others followed suit, their swords drawn, battle stances taken. Hunter willed his own sword to life in his outstretched hand, the flame licking up the blade as he waited for Ash to strike or retreat. With the Fallen, you never knew which way he would go.
Ash showed no fear as they surrounded him. Hunter was grateful when Dominic, the son of Raguel, moved to place himself between the Fallen and Gabriella. Dominic spread his phoenix-like wings wide, blocking Ash’s view of Hunter’s bonded.
“What’s wrong, Hunter? Afraid you can’t take me without your friends?” Ash sneered, spreading his arms out wide.
Hunter growled. “You’re the one who came here with your men. I’m not the coward.”
“Watch it, little boy. We wouldn’t want to harm all these nice, innocent people, now would we? I really would like to see how you’re going to contain this. All these people, all those cameras. Good luck with that.” Ash turned to the men he had brought with him. “Let’s leave them to this mess.”
Hunter peered around to see Ash had a point. Even with their lives in danger, people in the crowd had still managed to pull out their phones and start taking pictures and recordings. Unfucking believable!
“Leaving so soon?” Sebastian smirked, stepping in front of Ash. “I just got here. I think my feelings are hurt.”
Not to be outdone, Ash simply grinned before flicking out a flame toward some bystanders nearby. Hunter’s breath caught in his throat as he watched the flame fly through the air. Letting out a curse, Sebastian barely managed to block the shot that would have surely killed those people, giving Ash enough time to lift off and hover above them.
Hunter saw Sebastian tense, as if he meant to take flight and follow, but thankfully Dominic moved forward, calming their friend who was always so quick to anger. As the son of the archangel Michael, Sebastian’s first instinct was always to fight.
Witnessing the scene below, Ash threw back his head, laughter spilling from his lips. Hunter fought the urge to roll his eyes at the blatant “bad guy” impersonation Ash attempted to pull off. The Fallen always did have a dramatic flair about everything. And that made him dangerous and unpredictable.
“We’ll leave you all to it.” Ash winked at Hunter. “After all…time is but a window. I’ll be back.”
With a burst of strength through his wings that shook the walls, Ash took off into the night sky, his men following.
The room was silent, until Brock, son of Remiel, spoke. “Dude. Did he just misquote Ghostbusters?”
Hunter blinked at the man. Only he would think of something like that at a time like this.
; “Nah, man. I think it was Terminator,” Elijah, son of Zerachiel, responded.
Okay, maybe he wasn’t the only one.
Brock shook his head in disgust. “Mixing the classics? Now I know the man is evil.”
Hunter groaned. He loved these men like brothers, but sometimes they were just fucking nuts.
“If we’re done with the commentary, perhaps we should start fixing this mess, hmm?” suggested Julian, son of Uriel. He always was the logical one.
Hunter knew that he should focus on the crowd around them, should be helping his friends, but all his thoughts were on Gabriella.
Shoving past people and ignoring Sebastian’s call, Hunter went to Gabriella’s side. Her eyes were wide, and she trembled, but there was a look of determination in her hypnotizing emerald eyes that he knew well. Only, this time he had no idea whether it meant something positive for him, or something that was going to tear apart his world. Drawing in a deep breath, Hunter couldn’t wait any longer to find out.
“Gabby?”
Chapter 6
“Gabby?” Hunter whispered.
Gabriella took in the mess before her, the sight of men with extraordinary wings like Hunter, and knew things were about to get seriously complicated. Good thing she was used to complicated.
Meeting Hunter’s quizzical gaze, she raised an eyebrow. “Looks like you have some more explaining to do.”
She watched relief, fear, and uncertainty play on his handsome features.
“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, I swear. We just need to fix this first,” he said, waving his hand to encompass the room. “Please, just give me a chance to explain.”
Gabriella nodded. “Okay, Hunter.”
She gasped in surprise when he swooped forward, claiming her lips as his own, branding them. His tongue pushed through, forcing her lips apart, and she couldn’t help the moan that slipped free. This man was like a drug, so addictive and dangerous, yet she couldn’t seem to make herself stop. Their lips continued to dance, tease, and taste, and Gabriella found her arms slipping up and around his neck. Hunter’s large hands clamped down on her hips, their bodies melding together. It was pure ecstasy.