“Make your wings go away?”
Smiling, he reached down to brush the backs of his fingers along her cheek. “I think of them as simply ceasing to exist, but I suppose the scientific answer would be they are absorbed into my body.”
“Absorbed?” She blinked at him. “How do they come back the same exact way every time? I mean, they don’t look any different.”
He shrugged. “Why do they remain black now instead of returning to their original color? I’m afraid the answer escapes me. I only know it to be so.”
Weird. She worked up the nerve to ask the one question she’d wanted to ask since he first got here. “Can I see them? Up close, I mean.”
Michael took a breath. “An angel’s wings are a very sacred thing to him or her.”
Suddenly feeling awkward, she shifted in place. “Oh…sorry.”
When she made to move away, Michael stopped her, looking her straight in the eye. “No, beloved, you misunderstand me. Of course I’ll show them to you. I but want you to realize that for angels, allowing another to touch your wings is a sign of complete and utter trust.”
“Oh.” She straightened her back, feeling absurdly pleased by his words. “Thanks.”
With a grin, he stepped back a few feet, pulling her forward. “Let’s move away from the window.” Then, with no warning at all, his wings sprouted out of his back, spreading wide to fill a good-sized portion of the living room.
“Whoa,” she breathed. “They’re magnificent.”
His lips curved upward and he shot her a hungry gaze. “Touch them,” he whispered hoarsely.
She wanted to. More than anything.
His wings folded into his back when she started around him. He waited until she was directly behind and spread them out again. Amazing. They were so black they contained a tinge of blue. She lifted two fingers to stroke one of the wings. As she’d suspected, it felt soft as down, though the unmistakable strength of sinew rested beneath the soft feathers.
Eva slid her fingers up to the base of Michael’s wings where they connected to his back. So beautiful yet foreign. They looked like an extension of his body, like they belonged there.
“I’ve never seen anything like them,” she confessed.
He looked at her over his shoulder, one of those searing, intense looks he liked to give her. A look that said he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to protect her or fuck her brain out. She knew which one she voted for.
“Michael…I—”
She heard the front door hit the wall just a second too late to do anything about it.
“Eva, I found your key,” Travis’ voice shouted out a millisecond before he appeared at the entrance to the living room. “I stopped by your work and heard you called in sick so I brought some soup—”
Gasping, she whirled to face Travis at the very instant he looked up and noticed Michael. The brown paper bag in his hand fell to the ground, splattering liquid all over the floor. He didn’t notice. He was too busy gawking at the long, magnificent wings that Michael, so focused on her, hadn’t managed to hide in time. Letting out a sharp scream, he shot out of the apartment with a speed that would have made an Olympic runner green with envy.
“Damnation.” Michael reabsorbed his wings and tensed, stalking toward the doorway. He was gone from the living room before she even made it three steps across.
Eva raced toward the front door where Michael had frozen halfway outside. She peeked around him and saw what had made him stop. Travis still ran down the hall screaming, and several neighbors had opened their apartment doors. Crime and raucous behavior were so uncommon now that they were all eager to see what the heck was going on.
“Fallen!” Travis shrieked, turning long enough to point a shaky finger at Michael. One by one, the neighbors turned their incredulous gazes on him.
“Oh shit.” Stepping back, she yanked him inside before slamming and bolting the door. “Dammit, Michael, one of them is bound to call the Consortium now. What are we going to do?”
“Hell.” He ran a hand through his hair in what looked like an unconscious gesture of weariness. “Angels will descend here in minutes. Depending on how many there are, I might be able to fight back. But I don’t want to take that chance. Not with you.”
Which meant he was leaving.
Eva blinked back sudden tears. She knew he wouldn’t stay forever. He’d told her so himself. But it still sucked. She’d gotten used to having him around even though she’d only known him a few days.
“Go,” she choked out, throwing her arms around him for a teary-eyed hug. “Be safe.”
He grabbed her by the shoulders and set her back, shooting her an earnest look. “No, Eva, you don’t understand. I had hoped to give you a choice but it’s too late now. We must both flee this place.”
She blinked as his words penetrated her mind. “You mean you were serious when you said they would kill me just for being around a Fallen? That’s…that’s crazy.”
“No, beloved, it’s not that.”
She furrowed her brow at him. “What then?”
“They’ll kill you, but not because of your association with me. No, they’ll kill you because of who you are.”
His ominous words sparked a sharp twinge of foreboding in her gut. “What do you mean?”
“They’ll kill you because you’re an abomination in their eyes. Because you aren’t entirely human.”
“What?” What the hell was he talking about?
Michael took a deep breath. “They’ll kill you because, Eva…you’re nephilim.”
Chapter Nine
Michael flew the night sky for hours without them spotting a single angel. It seemed they’d fled right on time. The initial fear and shock of being cradled in his arms while soaring high in the sky had faded after Eva learned to hide her face in his chest. At least that eliminated the stifling sensation she got from the stiff wind slapping her in the face.
Nephilim. He claimed she was a nephilim. A byproduct of a union between human and angel. It was unconceivable. Outrageous. And her truth compass told her he wasn’t lying.
Could it be right, what he believed about her? Something inside her acknowledged the possibility.
How could this have happened?
Strike that, she knew how. The dark stranger her mother couldn’t resist might not have been human, and she would never have guessed it. But why? Would he have imagined that a child might result from their union?
There was so much she didn’t know. So many questions.
Life as she knew it was over. She could never go back for fear she’d be branded a traitor, or at the very least a Fallen sympathizer. Her life was now one of a fugitive. “Oh God.”
Michael tightened his arms around her but didn’t say anything. She snuggled in to him, borrowing his heat. The breeze buffeting her body felt close to frigid over her summery dress, but even though he wore no shirt his body was still warm.
She shifted her head so she could shout into his ear. “How much longer?”
His gaze met hers. “A few hours. Do you need a break?”
A few hours? “Yes.”
Wordlessly he slowed and began to descend.
For the first time since they’d left behind the bright lights of the city, Eva chanced a look around. Though the area they were coming down upon was dark and forest-like, the lights in the distance showcased a city with mostly mid-level buildings. “Where are we?”
He landed and set her down on a patch of grass in a small clearing surrounded by trees on all four sides. “Just outside of Albany.”
“Albany?” She hadn’t asked where they were going when they’d fled her apartment with nothing more than the clothes on her back. She’d been too far in shock, and the siren wailing down below had indicated the Consortium Guards had arrived, if not the angels with them. Michael hadn’t wanted to stick around to find out, so they’d shot off fast without her having any clue where they were headed.
“Where are we going, exactly?
”
Smoothing down some of her wind-tousled curls, he murmured, “Adirondack Mountains. Our compound is there.”
Eva didn’t miss his use of the word “our”. “Do you live with the other Fallen?”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“Where?” Somehow she couldn’t image twelve of them sharing a tiny log cabin in the woods.
His lips curved into a half-smile. “It’s impossible to describe. You’ll have to see it.”
“See it. Right.” Everything that had happened the last few hours exploded within her mind. “This is insane!”
Turning, she began pacing the small clearing. “I can’t believe I’m even here right now. I left with nothing. Nothing.”
“I’m sorry, beloved, but time was of the essence. We couldn’t pack anything.”
He moved to close the distance between them but she held him off with an outstretched hand. “No, wait.” When he froze in place she swiveled, pacing the field a few more times before coming out and saying what she felt. “I can’t be nephilim. There’s no way. I’m utterly normal. Look, no wings. Not even a hint.”
Michael watched her as she turned her back toward him and gestured with her hands to illustrate her point. “That means nothing, love. You know how genetics works. A half-breed might not have wings.”
“But”—her heart let out a dull thump and she turned to face him full-on—”I’m just me. Plain old Eva Smyth, daughter of crazy-as-a-bat Marlene Smyth. I can’t be nephilim. I just can’t.”
“Oh, Eva.” He stalked over to her and placed his hands on her cheeks, drawing her eyes up toward him. “I’m sorry to see you suffer, but I’m afraid there’s no way I’m mistaken. Your essence tells me you have angel blood in you.”
“My essence?” she whispered. The memory of that first night in her living room washed over her. “That’s how you found me?”
He nodded. “And so you see why you had to flee. Any angel who gets within a football field’s distance of you will recognize you for what you are. If you think their hatred for us Fallen is bad, it’s nothing compared to what they feel for half-breeds. You wouldn’t survive more than a few seconds in their grasp.”
Her knees went weak. If that was true, then he was right. She could never return to the city. “But I don’t understand. If I’m half angel, then why am I so human?”
“Tell me.” He cocked a brow. “Have you noticed unusual strength or healing ability?”
“I…” She rubbed a weary hand over her face. “I don’t think so. I haven’t really been sick that much in my life, maybe a couple of times. But I think it took the normal amount of time for me to get over the colds.”
“How about an ability to sense others’ emotions?”
Her mouth dropped open. “A…what?”
“We can sense others’ emotions. Happiness, fear, desperation.”
Holy… “Yes! But I always thought I was being weird and imagining it. I can tell when someone’s lying, though. My mom named it my truth compass.”
“It’s not your imagination, beloved.”
She blinked up at him. “I can sense other peoples’ emotions? Really?”
Michael’s lips curved into a sexy grin. “Try it with me. Go ahead.”
“Okay.” Biting her lip, she concentrated on looking at him. No good, he was too sexy. Now all she could think about was how she wanted to jump him right here in the woods. Closing her eyes, she focused on the feel of him in front of her, on the hands that now enclosed her arms, lending her strength.
There. A glimmer of an emotion revealed itself to her. Sympathy. Then came more and more. Compassion, worry, desire. And under all of it, that same spark of determination she’d picked up on when she first met him. It colors everything he thinks about, she realized. It was his desire to save this world, to save humankind.
“I feel it,” she murmured.
“Good.” Relief tinged his voice. He pulled her in and crushed his lips to hers, and suddenly all the other emotions washed out, leaving only the sharp ache of desire. He wanted her more than anything. She could sense that now.
Which meant he would know just how badly she wanted him.
Embarrassed, Eva pulled away. “Will the other Fallen, your friends, will they be surprised to see me?” What if they were reluctant for her to stay with them?
He let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Of all things, you pick that to worry about?” Dragging her back into his arms, he murmured, “We should go. We’ve a few hours yet before we arrive.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go.”
As he pulled her into his arms and shot up into the sky once again, she couldn’t help but wonder what her mom would have thought of this turn of events. No doubt she would’ve been surprised as hell to find out the gorgeous man she’d slept with had been an angel. Eva could practically imagine her saying, “Angel, huh? I knew there had to be some reason I couldn’t resist him. The man was like sex on a stick.”
Now more than ever, she could understand. After all, with Michael at her side, she felt much the same way. H was completely irresistible.
Still, she couldn’t help but worry. What would the other Fallen be like? And what would they think about her?
***
It was the dead of night by the time the area hiding the compound came into sight. Light from the three-quarter moon illuminated the craggy mountain tops, casting an eerie glow over the valleys down below. Miraculously, Eva had fallen asleep snuggled into his chest. She would want to see this, however, so he spoke into her ear. “Eva, we’re here.”
She stirred and lifted her head to take in the sight. Awe and puzzlement oozed off her in waves. “It’s…it’s amazing.”
He couldn’t agree more. They’d picked this spot nestled in the Adirondacks because of its solitude and because of the amazing view from up in the sky. Tall, green mountains loomed straight up on either side of the narrow valley through which he now flew. Though she couldn’t see it from this vantage point, down below a stream cut through the valley, making this site utterly breathtaking but uninhabitable for humans. Adjusting the thrust of his wings, he started a slow descent toward the water.
“Where are we going?” she asked, alarm radiating off her. She tensed in his arms and swiveled her head to look in every direction. “Is there even anything here?”
“Not that you can see from above.”
Eva remained stiff but she didn’t question him further as he continued down. Slivers of moonlight illuminated portions of the steep, green mountain. She examined each and every little pocket of light, studying their surroundings.
Finally, when he was twenty or so feet from the water, the narrow ledge holding the entrance to their compound appeared. Touching down lightly, he set Eva on her feet but kept hold of her until she became re-accustomed to standing on her own.
She swayed, but didn’t even seem to notice as she stared at the large black hole directly in front of her. “What is it?”
“A cave,” he said simply. Grabbing hold of her hand, he pulled her forward into the dark space. She followed reluctantly, though he couldn’t blame her. When they’d built inside the cave, they’d decided to leave the front of the entrance unlit to give the appearance of desolation. Not that any human would likely ever venture onto this isolated spot, but it never hurt to be careful. As a result, they’d learned to find navigate through the pitch-black entrance. “You’ll learn the path through the entrance in time. The key is to stay in the very center of the space. The ground is cleared here, so you’ll avoid any mishaps.”
“Yeah, but how do I know where the center is?” she replied in a small voice. “I can’t see a thing.”
He let out a soft laugh at that astute comment. “The center path is well-traveled and worn. You’ll soon be able to tell where the ground depresses slightly.”
Another thirty feet and the dim, orange cast of artificial light started to filter through.
“I see something,” she stated with a sh
iver of anticipation in her voice.
“We’ve added lighting throughout the cave.” Excitement colored his voice as well. He hadn’t realized how anxious he was for her to see his home. He could only pray she’d like it. Already he lamented the fact that she’d been forced to abandon her old life. He would have liked for her to have come here of her own free will, not because she had no alternative. At the very least he hoped she would enjoy living here.
He rounded the corner, leading her down a narrow corridor made from the natural rock of the mountainside.
“How long have you lived here?” she asked.
“Since shortly after our escape. When the twelve of us decided to remain together, we knew we would have to find a secret location where we’d be difficult to track from the air. We came upon this spot by pure luck. It was perfect.”
The path spit them out in the makeshift living room, the spot where he and his brethren gathered for any household discussions.
“Oh my God.” Eva ground to a halt beside him, taking in the view with wide-eyed amazement.
He looked around, trying to see it through her eyes. It was a small chamber, no more than twenty by twenty feet, and the natural rough-hewn rock decorated the walls and ceilings, though the floor had been smoothed to level. In the dim, orange lighting, the unevenness of the rock contrasted that much more with the large leather sectional and two leather recliners jammed into one corner of the chamber.
“You actually have a plasma TV?” she asked in an incredulous tone.
“Yes.” He shrugged.
“How do you get electricity out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“That’s Seth’s project. He’s the one with the details.” Truth be told, he’d never even bothered to ask.
She gave a disbelieving shake of her head. “This is insane. How big is this place?’
“We have this area, a kitchen, and a dining room off this level.” He pointed to a space leading out to another corridor on the far side of the room. “Out there we’ve built a staircase. There’s another level down below that contains our bathing facilities, and the six levels above this one house sleeping facilities. There are two of us to a floor, which gives each of us a considerable amount of space for sitting quarters and a bedchamber.”
For Love of an Angel Page 7