Discovered: The Dark Angel Chronicles

by Serenity Rayne

  “Well, if you don’t wear it, the male that left it for you will pluck me like a Thanksgiving turkey.” Jocelyn unfurls and flexes her wings to accentuate her point.

  “Hold on, I want to see something.” She steps outside to speak with someone then returns with a matching blindfold for me. “Give me your phone and put this on. It's only us, so I want to see your wings with the dress.” She smiles warmly at me with unshed tears in her eyes, she’s so excited for me, I can tell.

  Reluctantly, I hand my phone over and tie the blindfold on. Drawing in a deep breath, I unfurl my wings and hold them half open. I hear the shutter click several times before Joscelyn touches my arm. “Take off the blindfold—you need to see yourself. You’re absolutely beautiful,” she says, smiling as she hands me my phone back.

  Fat tears threaten to roll down my cheeks as I stare at myself in the picture. I retract my wings carefully, and stare at the picture, barely able to recognize myself. Jocelyn blots my eyes and opens the tent flap, gesturing to my escorts. Michael and Gabriel enter the tent and stop dead in their tracks.

  The way that they are looking at me is making me very self-conscious. “You look stunning, Thana,” Gabriel says, his voice baritone and booming. He offers me his arm, and I gently place my hand upon it. We walk towards the pedestal, and the whispers begin. Words like half-breed, hybrid, and some idiot went all wizard on me and called me a mud blood.

  My eyes dart between Gabriel and Michael, and they silence the crowd. The mean nephilim are immediately removed from the Mate Trials, never to return. “You’re safe Thana, I’ll escort you to the top myself,” Michael says as he takes me from Gabriel, and we climb the short staircase to the top of the pedestal. Each click of my heels sounds ten times louder than they actually are.

  For every step it seems like three more pop up. We finally reach the top and I feel like I’ve climbed Mount Everest, but realistically it’s just my anxiety kicking in. Michael smiles softly and caresses my cheek before pulling me in for a brief hug. “Everything is going to be okay Thana, trust me,” he says softly as he slowly releases me. Michael’s eyes dart from mine to the sash in my hand. His large hands extract the golden blindfold from the death grip I have on it. The silken fabric slips free from my grasp and my nerves kick in again.

  Gently he turns me to face the crowd, letting me see who is present. My eyes scan the waiting males, slowly making eye contact with anyone one I know. I feel better seeing quite a few guys I know. Mark gives me a double thumbs up then makes a heart with his hands, and it makes me laugh. Michael kisses my cheek just before he puts the blindfold on me. “I’m going to stay with you just in case. All you have to do is reach behind you, and I’ll take your hand, okay?” he says. I nod my head slowly, and he ties the blindfold over my eyes, whispering into my ear... “Whenever you’re ready, unfurl your wings.”

  It feels like a thousand eyes are raking over my body at once. My heart thunders in my chest as my fear of showing my wings rises. The three most powerful archangels are here; I’m safe. I say to myself as I tilt my head back to the sky. Drawing a slow steady cleansing breath into my lungs I try to dispel my fears. Historically, every single female that has ever attended the Mate Trials has found at least one mate. Taking comfort in these statistics I make up my mind that I will venture forth into the unknown and face my destiny with open arms.

  My wings unfurl and open wide, each feather spreads as I flex my wings. For once I’m comfortable in my own skin. Over the years, I have studied the wings of other angels and from what I have learned, mine are built for speed. My feathers fade slowly from a dark, almost charcoal gray, all the way down to a medium steel gray. I can hear someone crying as I raise my arms up reaching towards the heavens. I am safe. I am home. I say to myself before flapping my wings several times, achieving lift, testing them without removing my blindfold. I stretch them wide several times before letting them hang half open. From what I have seen with the other nephilim and the angels I know, my wings are larger than average.

  “Thana, you have four mates. And two of them are quite impatient to meet you.” Michael’s voice is joyful as he speaks to me. There are so many questions I want to ask, like do I know any of them? Are they nice?

  “You choose who I see first your holiness. I trust your judgment and wisdom,” I say to Michael as he turns me in the direction of the shuffling feet. Here we go, the moment I’ve waited the last three hundred years for.

  “Thana, I’m going to place your hands in his, then I’ll remove the blindfold,” Michael says reverently. “Open your eyes when you are ready. Remember, the first mate you see is the head mate, and you must bond with him first.”

  I nod my head and hold my hands out, waiting. I wiggle my fingers as Michael grips my wrists. The warmth radiating from my mate’s hands is the first thing I feel. Anticipation is killing me. Large, strong hands encompass mine. Happy tears start rolling down my cheeks, having finally made contact with him.

  I curl my wings close to my body, trying to comfort myself. Suddenly, my mate pulls his hands free of mine only to wrap his arms and wings around me. Then it dawns on me; I know this hug and his scent is familiar as well. My eyes fly open, and I look up; Raphael is my mate. His smile is soft and kind as he looks down at me in wonder. I reach up and caress his soft cheek. He closes the distance between us and presses his velvet lips to mine. My arms shoot up and wrap around his neck, holding him tightly to me. My heart is pounding erratically. All my prayers have been answered in a single moment. I cry uncontrollably as I hug him even tighter. Every one of my fears have been wiped away just knowing he will always be with me.

  Someone clears their throat and breaks the spell we're under. Reluctantly, we break apart, and slowly I look in the direction the noise had come from. Christian is standing there with his white wings on full display. Happy tears roll freely down his cheeks as he looks at me. His arms open wide, and I look at Raphael, and he releases me at once. Christian’s Hakama is perfectly pressed and makes him look like an honest to goodness Samurai. I leap into his arms, and he spins us around in a circle. Both of us laughing and crying tears of joy. I lean in quickly and kiss him, still smiling. We slowly let go of each other, and I look back over towards Michael as Raphael takes my free hand.

  Two more men stand behind him. One I’ve never seen before is a light nephilim and heavily muscled, the other is Cyrus, a dark nephilim. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, Azrael appears and wraps his arm around Cyrus. “I see you’ve been blessed with my son, Cyrus.”

  A shudder wracks my body as the realization of who he is hits me. My day just went to hell in a hand-basket. I pass out from shock.

  Raphael’s loft

  The horrors from earlier replay over and over in my head, causing me to scream as I wake up in a bed that’s not mine. My gaze jumps around the room, and I clench the covers in my fists. My hands are clammy. Where have I ended up? The door flies open, and Raphael closes the distance in an instance. Behind him, Christian is hot on his heels as they barrel into the room. They both jump onto the bed with me, wedging me between the two of them. Sighing softly, I finally relax, knowing I’m safe.

  “Are you okay, Thana?” Raphael asks as his hands take on their white healing glow. He ghosts his hands over my skin, checking every inch of me. The warmth of his healing light caresses my body, warming me in ways I had only ever read about. His scent reminds me of the ocean—fresh and peaceful.

  Nodding slowly, I gently kiss his cheek. “I’m better now that the two of you are here. I have to admit, I’m scared.” My eyes dart between my two mates before I lower my gaze.

  “What are you scared of watashi no ai,” Christian says as he presses his lips to my cheek. His warm cinnamon scent washes over me almost calming me instantly.

  Blushing, I raise my gaze to look between them. “I’m afraid of having Azrael’s son in our family group. And the other guy, I have no clue who he is.” I raise my eyebrows looking between them.

&n
bsp; Raphael pats Christian’s knee before speaking. “He,” Raphael points up. “Chose your mates for a reason. We have to trust in the process and have a little bit of faith.”

  Christian hugs me to him as Raphael takes both of my hands in his. “Michael sent the other two home after you passed out. He wants us to bond before we bring in two males you clearly aren’t comfortable with.” A rose color rises up in Raphael’s cheeks as he speaks of bonding.

  I giggle slightly and look back to Christian, then back over to Raphael. “Why is the big bad archangel blushing?” I say lightheartedly as I grip his hands tighter.

  “Well, you see …” Raphael trails off and looks at Christian as if seeking help.

  “What our bond-mate is trying to say is that—” he pauses dramatically, trying to find the right words. Christian briefly looks at Raphael then back to me “—archangels are not permitted to fornicate outside their mated bond.” Christian states the facts as if they were common knowledge. “Angels have a little more leeway than archangels do, but not a lot.” He shrugs his shoulders, allowing the gravity of the situation to sink in.

  Raphael shoots up and paces the room. His wings unfurl and flex randomly, I’m guessing with his stress. “Nephilim, like yourself, have free will just like humans because you are half-human. Or, in your case, a third human. Either way, you have the gift of free will.” He moves his hands around as if it helps with the explanation. The way his hands wave around in the air accentuating his level of distress I can tell he’s really on edge.

  I move from what I guess is his bed to stand in his path. “Okay, so I have free will; what difference does that make?” I ask. His gold eyes churn and the most innocent look crosses his face, and then it hits me. The crux of the problem has been laid out bare before me, and in my density, I missed it. “Oh boy,” escapes my lips as I look between the two men I've had crushes on for like, ever. “Okay, not a big deal. We’re a team, right? We’ve got this.” I nod, punctuating my affirmation.

  Christian sighs and walks over to me then wraps his arms around me. “Unlike your other two mates, we are not as worldly as they are in that sense.” He shrugs his shoulders.

  My cheeks heat as I look between the two of them. “I have an admission to make.” Shrugging my shoulders, I move towards the bay window to look out over the city as the sun rises.

  “I’ve had a crush on the two of you for at least the last hundred or so years. Being what I am—” I shake my head from side to side “—I never thought I’d be allowed to take a mate, let alone four.” I furrow my brows, unsure if I am willing to accept Azrael's son into the bond.

  “We take this at our pace. If it means it takes months or years, I’m in it for the long run. Till death do we part.” I’m practically baring my soul to them, wearing my heart on my sleeve out in the wide open. My eyes dance between the two of them as I unfurl my wings and flex them.

  “I’ve always been ashamed of my wings.” I reach out and touch the smoke-gray feathers. “They’re proof of what my parents did, went against the most high, against angelic law.” I stroke my feathers as I continue. “Very few accept me because I walk the line between life and death. I almost hoped no one would be cursed with me as a mate.” Tears well up in my eyes and roll down my cheeks. Biting my bottom lip, I try to stifle the groan that wants to escape my lips.

  The next thing I know, I’m sandwiched between Raphael and Christian, both of them deciding to comfort me at the same time. Raphael takes control and carefully grips my chin and lifts my head up so that I’m looking into his churning golden orbs. “Never speak of yourself like that again, my beloved. It’s true; you’re an anomaly. You are our mate because you are perfect for us. Made for us.” Raphael kisses me just as passionately as his words had conveyed his feelings for me. My nether region comes to life as his hands cup my face, holding me lovingly while he kisses me silly. Eventually, he releases me, and I pant for air. My heart thunders as I try to recover from the single most passionate kiss I’ve ever had.

  Christian caresses my wings reverently as he traces the soft feathers along the bone. “Feather color doesn’t denote one’s worth, watashi no ai. Because if it did, your worth would be beyond measure.” He slides his hands down my flight feathers and palms my wings, silently asking me to open them wide. Be it the start of the mate bond, or my desire to please the two of them, I comply. At full stretch, I realize my wingspan is much larger than the average female nephilim.

  “These wings will allow you to reach new heights and one day carry our children during evening flights. I have waited just as long as Raphael for our mate to be born. Little did we know you were under our noses the entire time,” Christian says as he steps around my wings to stand in front of me.

  Carefully, I lower my wings, letting them hang half open as I look at him. His eyes drift to my lips. Reflexively, I bite my lower lip. I was never good at being stared at. That does him in almost immediately. Christian attacks my lips like a man starving finally being able to eat after a long time. He devours my lips as if his life depends on my kisses sustaining him. Raphael rests his hands on my hips, pressing his chest against my back.

  I’m almost writhing between them as both sets of hands roam all over my body, discovering every curve and cut of muscle. Christian’s lips move across my cheek to the left side of my neck while Raphael kisses the right side. I’m a moaning, panting mess; my body feels as if it's on fire and only they can quench it. I try to pull at both of them, my hands tracing the solid muscled bodies that envelope me. My senses are on overload between their kisses and caresses. Raphael's hands caress my wing feathers, and to be honest, I didn’t know my wings would be an erogenous zone.

  Raphael wraps his arms around me from behind and uses the force of his wings to pry me away from Christian. “Brother, patience. Thana and I must settle our bond first; remember what Michael said.”

  Christian reluctantly nods his head, but a burning hunger lights his eyes. “I understand, I don’t like it, but I understand.” Christian places a chaste kiss on my cheek and caresses my jaw lightly.

  “Tomorrow, Thana.”

  I nod, agreeing with him. Tomorrow … I utter softly, and he gives me a weak smile before leaving out the balcony doors and taking flight into the evening sky.

  Raphael reluctantly releases me to lock the doors leading to his balcony. “I still can’t believe you’re here with me.” His tone pulls at my heartstrings as I look up into his hazel-green eyes.

  Flexing my wings, I finally ask the question that’s been plaguing me. “You saw my wings when I had to take the soul of the murderer. Did you know then that I was yours?” I close the distance between us, pull my wings forward, and rest them on his shoulders, sliding my wings between his body and his wings.

  Gently, he kisses my lips and wraps his wings around me as well. “I did, but because my wings were already out, they only tensed and attempted to flex.” Raphael laughs. “It was so difficult not allowing my wings to fully open to display themselves for you. Azrael would have called for our union to be nullified on the spot.” My eyebrows shoot up at his statement.

  “He could do that?” I ask, resting my head on his chest.

  “Definitely, he’s just enough of a bastard to do it. To top it off, his son is one of your mates, so if you reject him, we would be immediately exposed.” Raphael’s tone sounds defeated; the gravity of the situation feels like a crushing weight on my heart.

  My fingers nimbly start to open Raphael’s dress shirt, fixated on each pearl button. His breath hitches as I get mid-chest, and slowly, I lift my eyes to his. Raphael’s eyes swirl liquid gold as my hands continue on their mission to unfasten each of his buttons. As the last button falls and his shirt opens, he lifts his wings from around me. He gets a mischievous look in his eyes as I pull my wings back. Suddenly he grips both sides of his shirt and rips it off his own body. Double blinking, my eyes freely roam over his sun-kissed flesh—scars from wars past litter his physique. My fingertips gently
trace the lines and indentations, and his breathing accelerates.

  “Thana baby, you're killing me, my love …” His husky lust-filled voice turns my insides to liquid magma while my greedy core clenches in anticipation.

  “Am I?” I ask as innocently as I can. Pouting my lips, I turn away from him. The fear of rejection that had been in the pit of my stomach is long gone. I know Raphael, he would never allow anything bad to happen to me. Drawing in a deep breath I decide to be brave and go after what I want for once in my life. I’ve been infatuated with this man for years, and now that he’s mine, I can’t wait for forever to begin. Slipping my hands around to the back of the dress and painstakingly slow, I lower the zipper. The liquid gold fabric hits the floor in a crumpled mess at my feet. “Let me guess, the dress was from you?” I watch Raphael's reaction over my shoulder, and it does not disappoint. His eyes are wide, his wings flex, and his dress slacks don’t hide his prominent erection.

  He clears his throat as he unbuckles his dress slacks and lets them fall. “Yes.” The corner of his mouth curls up in a sexy smile, looking at it pooled on the floor. “I do have to admit it looks much better down there.”

  I turn slowly to face Raphael, my hands hold my ample breasts, supporting their weight. His silk boxers strain to contain his length, the evidence of his arousal staining the front flap. My eyes drift to the dress on the floor. “I bet it does.” Tilting my head to the side, I turn my back to him and lower my hands. Sure, catlike steps silently carry me across his bedroom and crawl up onto his bed on all fours. Arching my back, I spread my wings wide, and within seconds he's at my side, his hands roaming over my bare flesh.

  Raphael makes short work of my barely-there thong and nudges me until I sit up on my knees to face him. It’s now that I notice that his boxers have gone missing in the last few minutes. He pulls me to him, and we crash together like waves during a storm. Our fevered kisses deepening second by second as our hands roam freely. Raphael rolls us without warning, his wings spread out under him, and I end up sitting on his lower stomach. His engorged member throbs teasingly as the edge of my soaked lips. Tentatively I rock my hips, coating his length with each stroke. I’m beyond wet, and anticipation is killing me. My core pulses softly with desire.