Angel's Power by Erin M. Leaf Read Free Book Online

torso
was whole once more. More startlingly, her wings were a midnight blue with
silver tips, the match to his own. Suriel didn’t know what to make of that.
    “Is she breathing?” Gabriel asked,
voice hushed.
    Raphael glanced at him, then put
his hand over her heart. Ariel’s spine bowed as if she’d been zapped with a
current, and she gasped, then coughed as she tried to breathe again. Raphael
lifted his hand away and she settled down, chest rising and falling steadily.
    Suriel held her head, so grateful
he didn’t know what to do with himself. When he got himself under control, he
looked up. Gabriel was holding Raphael. The younger angel was clearly
exhausted. A spark of fear shot through Suriel. “Are you okay?” he asked his
brother.
    Raphael nodded. “Just tired. And
Ariel will be okay, but she lost a lot of blood. She’ll need plenty of rest
while her body strengthens.”
    Gabriel sighed, holding Raphael
tighter. “I’m so grateful we’re alive.”
    Suriel knew how he felt. “I’ll
carry Ariel home.”
    Gabriel nodded and stood up,
half-carrying Raphael.
    Suriel smiled at the sheepish look
on his brother’s face.
    “I think you’re going to have to
help me,” Raphael said, swaying.
    Gabriel smiled. “Always.”
    “Before we leave, I need to check
the cave,” Suriel said. He gently laid Ariel’s head on the floor. “Can you stay
with her?”
    Raphael nodded. “Sure.”
    Gabriel helped him sit next to her.
“I’ll go with Suriel.”
    Suriel stood up and walked slowly
down into the dark. Halfway to the point where they’d met the demon, Gabriel
stopped him with a hand on his arm.
    “What are your intentions toward my
sister?” he asked.
    Suriel went still. He wished he
could tell Gabriel that he wanted her for his mate, to be by his side for
always, but the power he held was still dangerous. He’d rather be alone than
see her hurt. “I have no intentions toward her,” he finally said.
    Gabriel laughed. “Sure.” He started
walking again, but Suriel stopped him.
    “You don’t understand.” He took a
deep breath and decided to tell Gabriel what he hadn’t told another living
soul. “My power, it’s unstable. Everyone knows that. But what I haven’t told my
brother is that it’s going to kill me, very soon.” One vision of Ariel dying
had already come true. God only knew what else could happen to her. “I don’t
want to take anyone down with me, especially not your sister.”
    Gabriel looked at him, eyes
glittering in the dark. “Ariel is her own person. And she deserves a mate with
the power to meet her on equal terms. Her life is hers to do with as she
chooses. Did it ever occur to you that she might choose you?” With those
extraordinary words, he shoved past Suriel and strode into the deep.
    Suriel followed more slowly,
stunned and confused. Was Gabriel right? Why ever did he think he could control
another living being’s free will? No, that didn’t make sense. He had never
stopped Ariel from doing anything. He shook his head and put any further
questions aside for later. Now was not the time to question his inner self. Not
when there was more work to do.

 
    Chapter Five
     
    Ariel woke up to silence. She was
in her room. Morning sunlight streamed across her covers, lighting the deep
blue coverlet with gold. She wasn’t alone.
    “How are you feeling?” Suriel said
from the chair next to her bed.
    She looked over. Everything felt
strangely heavy. “Tired. Really tired.”
    He leaned close and put a warm hand
on her forehead. “You lost a lot of blood.”
    She remembered. The demon and the
dark cave and the horrible feeling of warm blood slipping between her fingers.
She lifted the blanket. There were no bandages beneath her tank top. “What
happened?”
    “Raphael healed you.” Suriel lifted
a mug from a tray set on her nightstand. “Do you think you could drink some
broth?”
    She shook her head. “What about the
demon?” She smoothed the covers over her. Her