by Ruff, K. S.
The boy called out to me in French. My brows furrowed as I tried to translate the words.
“My friend, Gabriel, would like you to join us. He’d like to borrow your broken wing,” Rafael explained.
“My broken wing?” I asked uncertainly.
Rafael nodded toward my hand.
I looked down at the large gray feather that I had been absently twirling in my fingers. The feather had blown against my feet earlier. The quill had been broken, so the feather was a little crooked at the top. “Oh. He wants my feather?”
Rafael nodded. He smiled as he patted a spot next to him in the sand.
The little boy jumped up and down excitedly as I walked toward them. I held the feather up, and he grinned. “Oui!”
I kissed Rafael on the cheek as I dropped down next to him in the sand. I leaned over the fortress and carved windows into the tower with the quill of the feather before handing it to the little boy.
Rafael nuzzled my neck as he wrapped his arm around me.
The little boy drew in a deep gulping breath and locked it inside his chest. He rolled to his toes and carefully stuck the quill into the top of the tower, instantly transforming the feather into a flag. He stood back to admire his work, then squealed in delight as he ran toward his parents.
Rafael laughed as the little boy dragged his parents over to take a picture of him with the castle. I brushed sand from my legs as we stood to move out of the way, but the little boy grasped my hand. He reached for Rafael’s hand and tugged us both toward the sand. We fell to our knees at the edge of the fortress as the boy pulled us into the picture. He threw his arms wide as he perched half on Rafael’s lap and half on mine.
His parents laughed as they snapped pictures with their cell phones. The boy ran off to fill his bucket with water while the parents spoke with Rafael. I watched over the fortress while he filled the moat with water.
Rafael handed me his cell phone as he collapsed next to me in the sand.
I stared at the photograph the parents had texted Rafael. “It’s beautiful,” I noted softly. “He looks so much like you, it’s like seeing…” My voice trailed off as I hesitated to breathe life into the words.
Rafael gazed down at the picture. “It’s a glimpse into our future.”
My eyes slid closed as his words washed over me. “Gabriel is one of God’s angels.”
“Michael is too,” Rafael mused.
I shook my head in disbelief. “I was sitting over there feeling lost and confused. I was questioning my future when Gabriel called me to you.”
Rafael gently turned my face toward his. “Maybe God is trying to tell us something.”
My heart stalled when I saw the look in his eyes. “Maybe,” I breathed.
His lips hovered over mine. He paused as he gazed deep into my eyes. “I think the world just stopped.”
Everything grew quiet as the chaos, confusion, and pain that had marred my life slipped silently away. I felt it then… an overwhelming sense of peace. The world came to a complete stop as Rafael’s lips met mine. I felt a faint vibration in my chest as his soul tugged gently at mine. For a second, I panicked. Then, I simply let go. As our souls entwined, I knew… I was finally home.
# # #
About the Author
I live in Northern Virginia with my football-crazed husband, two beautiful daughters, two psychotic Shih Tzus, and two freakishly large goldfish. I teach courses in international relations, foreign policy, peacekeeping, and human security at the American Military University. I also work as a reading tutor at my daughters’ elementary school. What can I say? I still love school. Reading has long been my passion, so I belong to not one but two book clubs, which I fondly refer to as my “good girl bookclub” and my “bad girl bookclub.” Suffice it to say the “bad girl bookclub” is the one that decided to read Fifty Shades of Gray.
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. In my childhood, I loved writing poetry, song lyrics, and short stories. Somehow, this morphed into supreme court briefs, government reports, congressional bills, journal articles, and op ed pieces as I grew older. And now? I’m writing romantic suspense novels. God only knows why.
Thanks for reading this third book in the broken series. Keep reading for more information on book four in the series. I love hearing from my readers, so please stop by ksruff.com, drop me a note, and let me know what you thought about the book!
Additional books by K.S. Ruff
in a broken dream
book four in the broken series
One long string of broken dreams… that’s how Kristine Stone views her life. After a deadly altercation between the SVR and the Russian Mafia claims the life of someone she loves, Kri returns to Virginia feeling hopeless and lost. She discovers her best friend, Cenia, has become engaged. Cenia asks Kri to be her maid of honor. Kadyn is asked to serve as the best man, and the two former lovers are thrown together once more. Maxim makes an unexpected appearance, and Rafael is on a mission to win Kri’s heart once and for all. A brief trip into Mexico threatens to derail everyone’s plans when Cenia and Kri find themselves stuck in the middle of a gunfight between opposing drug cartels. Kri faces yet another abduction and is left questioning whether her life will ever be anything more than a broken dream.
and just in case you missed them…
the broken road
book one in the broken series
Montana girl Kristine Stone was strong enough to break out of an abusive marriage, but is she strong enough for the road that lies ahead? For the first time in her life, Kristine finds she is able to control the direction her life takes. Haunted by her ex-husband and a newly acquired stalker, she decides to leave Montana to work in the US Senate. Kristine issues a moratorium on dating the moment she decides to move to DC. This does little to deter Kadyn Rand, the Air Force Captain, who threatens to tear down every wall she’s ever built. Still, someone from her dark past refuses to be ignored, and Kristine finds herself in yet another fight for her life.
Air Force Captain Kadyn Rand is too stoic to be swept away by much of anything, but a vulnerable woman from Montana manages to do just that when she finds herself alone and in danger in DC. Kadyn tries to earn Kristine’s love and her trust, but he soon learns it will take much more than that to save her from her past.
beautifully broken
book two in the broken series
How many times can one woman be abducted? That’s the question burning Kristine Stone when she finds herself staring down a dark and dangerous man from her past. When she refuses to leave with him, he forces her hand by threatening to kill the man she loves, along with thousands of others. Kristine fears his terrorist connections will enable him to make good on this threat, so she complies. She thinks she has it all figured out. If she takes the path of least resistance and does everything this man asks, he will eventually tire of her and let her go. Despite this well intentioned plan, Kristine discovers just how seductive this man can be. She is forced to choose between the love of two men and stands to lose everything in the end.