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

hand trembled.
    His face tightened. “Dead. Your
brother and I found a broken portal at the end of the cavern. The demon
destroyed it as she came through.”
    Ariel shivered. “God.” She could
hardly believe she’d lived. “Raphael saved me.”
    “He did.” Suriel set the mug back
down. “Let me help you sit up a little so you don’t spill soup all over.”
    She grimaced as he shoved more
pillows against her headboard, then helped her sit up. “I don’t like feeling
this way.”
    “You’ll feel better if you eat,” he
replied, picking up the mug again.
    She held out her hand for it. When
she got a glimpse of the marks on her arms, she sucked in a harsh breath and
pulled back. She ran a finger over her forearm, distorting the feathered lines.
They were completely blue, tipped with silver here and there. She stared at her
skin. “Oh my God.”
    “They’re beautiful,” Suriel said
quietly
    Her eyes shot to his face. He
wasn’t smiling. “You saw them?”
    “Your wings are midnight blue.
Tipped with silver. They’re beautiful.” His voice was husky, as though he was
holding things he’d rather not say behind the words.
    “How did I get back here?”
    He looked down at her hands. “I
carried you.”
    She stared at him, not knowing what
to say. He’d carried her? The whole way? Why?
    “Here. Drink some soup. You’ll feel
better.” He handed her the mug.
    She took it and tentatively sipped
the broth. “It’s good.” She drank some more, suddenly ravenous.
    “I brought up some biscuits, too.”
He held out a plate.
    She drained the mug and they
exchanged tableware. As she nibbled on the flaky roll, she wondered why he was
the one sitting by her bedside.
      “Gabriel and Raphael stayed part of the night.
Your mom came up to the castle and sat with you. She helped clean you up and
get you changed.” He smiled, then, a grin lighting his solemn face into
mischief. “I got morning shift.”
    She blinked. “How did you know what
I was thinking?”
    “You kept giving me the evil eye,”
he said, making an exaggerated suspicious expression at her. His light grey
eyes twinkled.
    She chuckled. He was acting so
unlike the man she’d met a few days ago. She’d thought he was so mysterious,
and here he was making her laugh like they’d known each other forever. “I hope
I don’t look that creepy.”
    He grinned. “You don’t.”
    She sighed and finished her
biscuit. “I feel better.”
    “You look better. Not so
corpse-like.” He took her empty plate and handed her a glass of water.
    She snorted. “I know I’m pale, but
I’m not that bad.” She sipped her drink, relishing the cool moisture as it slid
down her throat.
    Suriel’s smile fell away. “You
weren’t breathing.” He stood up and strode to her window. “I hate that I led
you in there.”
    She frowned. “I’m alive. It’s not
your fault. I go where I want, where I think I need to be.”
    He turned around and leaned back
against the sill. The sunlight highlighted his dark hair and threw his body
into silhouette. It didn’t lessen his masculine appeal one iota. Ariel’s eyes
trailed down his body: black sweater pushed to his elbows, blue jeans,
sock-clad feet. His legacy marks stood out on his skin like a map she
desperately wanted to follow.
    “Your brother said the same thing
to me,” he said, folding his arms.
    She shrugged and took another sip
of her water. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
    He sighed.
    She smiled to herself. She loved
irritating men who ought to know better than to assume they could tell her what
to do. And since this particular angel was both easy on the eyes and easy to
needle, it was a win-win situation, as far as she was concerned.
    “I just want you to stay safe.”
    She shrugged again. “I know.”
    His eyebrows lifted. She ignored
him and leaned back against the pillows.
    ****
    Over the next couple of weeks, they
had the same conversation over and over. Suriel would warn her to stay safe