The Fire Within by Dana Marie Bell Read Free Book Online

gone. If he was in Shem hands, they would torture him, attempt to turn him. It was possible, if they hurt him enough, if they brainwashed him through enough pain, that Rafe would turn aside from everything he loved and feed from a mortal. He would turn into one of them, forever lost to the Nephilim and the family Gabriel had built. If that failed, they would kill him. If Rafe hadn’t turned but was still alive...
    Dante didn’t even want to think about what that meant.
    Pulling up in front of Gabriel Viator’s home, he wasn’t surprised to find Damien’s car was already there. He stomped into the house, irritated by Elizabeth, Rafe’s continued absence and god damn Shem.
    “And a cheery good morning to you too.” Seth grinned. It was obvious the Angelus hadn’t been there for long. His shirt, which he had to take off in order to fly, was on, and he was carrying a half-filled mug of coffee. The bright red cheeks he usually sported from flying in the winter chill were present, a sign he’d only just arrived.
    Damien grunted out a greeting, his attention focused on his laptop.
    Seth pointed toward the kitchen. “Donuts are that way, my brother.”
    Dante flipped him off.
    Then he headed for the kitchen. What could he say? Gabriel always made sure there were some filled with that apple cinnamon stuff Dante loved so much. He ignored Seth’s laughter as he came back into the room with a cup of coffee and his second donut. “Where’s Gabriel?” No one ever dreamed of shortening Gabriel’s name to Gabe. No one. There was something about the man that didn’t invite the intimacy of a shortened name.
    Though if anyone had the balls to do it, it would probably be Seth.
    “He’ll be here in a moment.” Seth’s expression turned serious, the same expression he had when on a hunt. “I think the Hidden Springs leader has finally contacted him. Eli might finally be available to help look for Rafael.”
    Damien grunted again. He had that look on his face that said he was chasing something important.
    “Good. With Gio and Sasha looking for Rafe physically, and Eli searching for him spiritually, we have a chance of getting him back alive.” Seth’s brother Eli was an Oracle, one of the angel-born who could see the future. He belonged to the Hidden Springs cell, Seth’s home-cell. If anyone could tell them whether or not Rafe was still alive it was Eli.
    Seth whistled. “Sasha’s going to mutilate whoever has been holding Rafe.”
    Both men shuddered. Sasha was almost as scary as Dante’s mother, and he was fiercely protective of his teammates. He considered Rafe and Gio family.
    Hell. Dante’s mother had been the one to train him. She’d insisted on it when she realized Giovanni was planning on pairing with Sasha and Rafe.
    “Good afternoon, Dante.” Gabriel Viator entered the room, his golden hair gleaming in the bright light streaming through his windows. His unusual violet eyes had darkened to a deep purple—a sure sign he was unhappy. The archangel settled in his usual spot in front of the fireplace, and stared at the three men before him until even Damien looked up from his computer, concerned. “Eli is coming.”
    Seth swore under his breath. “Then Rafe is in worse trouble than even we thought.”
    “At least we know he’s alive.” Damien nodded toward Gabriel.
    Gabriel’s smile was grim. “I know he is alive, as I know with all of my Nephilim. But I cannot tell you where he is, or what condition he is in.” And it was obviously just as frustrating for Gabriel as it was for the rest of them.
    “You’re doing everything you can, Gabriel. If you could have found him, he would be home by now.” Trust Seth to be the one to comfort an angel.
    From the expression on Gabriel’s face, the effort was appreciated. “He would be.”
    Damien grimaced. “Damn it. I was praying the son of a bitch was sitting on a beach somewhere, sipping mai tai’s and laughing his ass off at all of us while getting