Broken Halo

by Lynn Hagen

  Gavril manifested swords in each hand. The steel was made of carbon. But it wasn’t just made of regular carbon; these particular swords had been dipped in the single river that flowed from the Garden of Eden, making them indestructible and the sharpest weapons in existence.

  Hadad sneered. “I see you’ve got your balls back.”

  “Why don’t you come over here and we’ll find out.” Gavril charged Hadad, swinging his blades. Hadad vanished, but a second too late. The tip of the blade where Gavril had truck Hadad glowed with bright light. Hadad reappeared on the other side of Gavril, a long gash in his arm.

  A single drop of his blood hit the earth. A tree grew to ten feet tall in an instant where the blood had landed. Hadad ripped the tree from the ground and swung it at Gavril like a bat, then let it go.

  Gavril flew out of the way just in time as the tree raced past him and hit the ground twenty feet away, rolling to a stop. “When I get my hands on you, I’m going to flail your skin from your bones,” Hadad snarled.

  Hadad’s wound sewed itself back up as he manifested a ball and chain, only the ball had vicious spikes jutting out from all sides. Hadad wielded it, making the ball spin so fast that it whistled.

  Gavril froze. It was the same weapon Hadad had used on him hundreds of times. The sight made Gavril’s body burn in remembrance. Long-ago screams raced through his mind. Gavril swallowed and backed away.

  Hadad’s evil smiled widened. “Come get your punishment, traitor.”

  Gavril’s heart thrashed wildly. He almost lost his grip on his swords. He couldn’t stop staring at the weapon in Hadad’s hand as he continued to back away.

  Then he thought of Ari—his sweet smile, the way he’d touched Gavril like he mattered. Those soft kisses and those pretty pale blue eyes and the way his black-rimmed glasses sat perched on his nose.

  Ari hadn’t hesitated when Gavril asked if he trusted him. His mate did, and Gavril couldn’t let him down, couldn’t allow Hadad to imprison him again. That would leave Ari to face this world alone.

  Gavril snarled and swung his blades like an ancient warrior. Hadad swung his weapon, too. Metal clashed, snarls erupted, and Gavril fought like he’d never fought before.

  It was Hadad who vanished first. Gavril looked around, but the angel’s presence couldn’t be felt. Panicked, Gavril flashed to the cabin, fearing Hadad had gone there to kidnap Ari.

  His mate sat at the kitchen table, talking with Rudy as Rocky sniffed around the room. Aiden was leaning against the counter, his arms folded as he smiled at the men at the table.

  As soon as Gavril appeared, Aiden scowled. “Why the hell do you have those swords? Come to pay me back for cattle prodding you?”

  Relief flooded Gavril. He made the swords vanish as he pulled Ari from the chair and enveloped his mate in his arms, thankful no harm had come to him.

  “That’s so sweet,” Rudy said. “He actually does know how to play nice with others.”

  Gavril rested his forehead against Ari’s, inhaling his scent. “Ready to go to work?”

  Ari was studying him but didn’t ask what had happened to the stranger who had invaded his home. He simply nodded.

  Gavril looked over at Aiden. “I’d say thanks, but you’d have something smart to say. So fuck you and I’ll see you around.”

  Gavril flashed them to the clinic, right into Ari’s office. Rocky scampered over to his pallet and lay down. Gavril needed to talk to Panahasi about putting protection spells on the house and clinic. Gavril would do it, but since Panahasi was one of the few beings that had existed before angels, his spells would be much stronger, and right now, they needed as much protection as possible.

  Hadad wasn’t done with Gavril, and the next time the angel would bring backup.

  Chapter Six

  Three days later and Nurse Betty still hadn’t returned. The clinic was filling up with sick patients. Most had runny noses and coughs, but two people had to be taken to Falls Bend, the next town over, which had a nice-sized hospital, because they were suffering from pneumonia.

  Ari was swamped, running from one exam room to the next, feeling exhausted. That was when Gavril stepped in. The Burstein twins, about three years old, lay on the large exam table, running fevers and crying.

  Gavril had on a lab coat, Ari’s acting “assistant,” and stepped to the table next to him. He smiled at the small girls and gently tapped them on their noses. “Aren’t you two adorable,” he said then added in a low voice to Ari, out of their parents’ earshot, “Their sickness will go away in a few hours. I would’ve made it instant, but I don’t want to rouse suspicion.”

  Ari smiled and whispered, “Thanks.”

  He didn’t think there was anything wrong with a little heavenly intervention. It made his job a lot easier and saved him time on trying to diagnose the harder cases. Gavril’s “magic” touch also made Ari feel better knowing the toddlers wouldn’t be in misery for too much longer.

  Ari reassured the parents that the girls would be fine and recommended plenty of fluids and rest.

  In the next room Ari examined an elderly man with a rough cough. Gavril patted Mr. Ralston’s hand then nodded for Ari to join him across the room. He shook his head, but Ari had no idea what that meant.

  As if reading his mind, Gavril said, “It’s his time. Even I won’t interfere with the fates. Nasty bitches you don’t want to cross.”

  Ari peered at Mr. Ralston from over his shoulder and then turned back to Gavril. “Do you mean he’s gonna die?”

  The gentleman was in his eighties, but the knowledge that he’d led a full life didn’t make it easier on Ari.

  “Not right away but he smoked a pack a day, Ari. His cough isn’t from a cold, and he drank like a fish.” Gavril held up his hands. “I know, I smoke and drink, too, but I’m not human, so I don’t suffer the effects.”

  Ari was filled with sympathy as he recommenced Mr. Ralston see a specialist. He had to tell the guy something. Too bad Gavril couldn’t cure him, but he understood that everyone had their time. Ari just wished Gavril hadn’t told him. It was eerie knowing, and he hoped his mate never told him when he was gonna die. Who honestly wanted to know? Not Ari.

  The next patient was a teenage boy who’d slid off the icy road. Gavril shook Ron’s hand and smiled. Ari took that as a good sign and was relieved to discover that all Ron had was a bruised rib. It would heal.

  It went on like that for the rest of the day. Gavril was…well, he was a godsend, which was flat-out irony since he was an angel. Ari wondered what his patients would say if they knew what had been in the room with them.

  But that was nothing compared to the way Tessa ogled and covertly flirted with Gavin, Ari’s new assistant. She kept batting her eyes at him, offering to make him some coffee, and even tried to split her deli sandwich with him at lunch.

  “Professionalism,” Ari said more than once to her. “There is such a thing called sexual harassment.”

  Tessa, with sparkling green eyes, apologized to Ari every time he caught her checking Gavril out. He really couldn’t blame her. Gavril was gorgeous, and his body practically begged to be looked at. Lord knew Ari kept checking his mate out all day. Gavril’s backside suggested that he crunched a thousand squats a day. And those muscles? Ari had a hard time concentrating as he watched them flex as Gavril moved around.

  The angel was perfection incarnate.

  Twice Ari and Gavril had snuck into Ari’s office for a make-out session, but they never lasted long. As soon as things got hot and heavy, another patient came into the clinic. Little Lucy, seven, had broken her arm ice skating. Todd Mason, middle-aged, had ulcers that were acting up again. Ruby Catch, mid-twenties, had sliced her finger open cutting vegetables.

  Ari’s day was busy.

  An hour before the clinic was due to close, the EMTs raced through the front door with a woman on their gurney. “Radio crapped out. Couldn’t call ahead,” Jake Crawford—a nice-looking guy with pretty blue eyes and dark hair—said.
“She’s in labor and already eight centimeters.”

  Ari rushed her into the second exam room. Her pants and underwear were already off, though she’d been covered with a blanket, and she was screaming loud enough to hurt Ari’s eardrums. They transferred her to a bed—all three exam room beds could be broken down into birthing beds. Ari loved that Dr. Cormack had invested in them, and when Ari examined her, she had shot to ten centimeters.

  He had plenty of births under his belt and didn’t have to encourage her to push. She’d started doing that on her own. But Ari had to shout at her to stop when he saw the cord was wrapped around the infant’s head.

  “You have to stop pushing, Zoe!”

  Gavril moved to the head of the bed and stroked her arm. Zoe quieted. Ari worked to unwrap the cord then told her to start pushing again.

  The baby was out, but she wasn’t breathing. Ari rushed the infant to the infant warming cart Tessa had wheeled into the room. He massaged her small chest then lifted her legs and tapped her back. Nothing.

  “Come on, sweetie,” Ari encouraged, his heart in his throat. He looked over his shoulder at Gavril, but his mate shook his head, worry in his eyes.

  “I can’t interfere,” he said, though he looked pained, as though he was dying to come over there.

  Ari turned back around and doubled his efforts. A moment later tiny wails filled the room. He sagged in relief. The infant was breathing.

  He carried her over to Zoe’s outstretched arms. Ari was a firm believer in letting mother and child have skin contact right after birth. He smiled as tears leaked from Zoe’s eyes.

  “Your first?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  Ari looked at Gavril. He was staring at the newborn with wonderment in his eyes. Ari wanted to hug his mate, but he restrained the urge as Gavril brushed the pad of his thumb over the babe’s tiny forehead and murmured a word Ari didn’t understand.

  Zoe frowned at Gavril. “What did you just do?”

  Gavril gave her a gentle smile. “She’s gonna grow up to do great things.”

  Ari watched Gavril walk from the room. He made sure mother and child were comfortable before he went after his mate. “What was that all about?”

  Gavril was leaning against the wall outside the room. He looked toward the exam room door. “Every time I escaped my cell, I visited a maternity ward. Newborns…” He swallowed then gave Ari a melancholy smile. “They have the purest souls on this planet, untouched. They always soothed my battered soul, and in return, I give them a tiny sliver of what purity I have left.”

  “Is that what you just did in there?” Ari leaned next to his mate, hooking his fingers with Gavril’s. “You gave her some purity?”

  Gavril shook his head. “With that single touch, I knew her mom is poor, uneducated, and the father isn’t interested in raising his own child. I gave the babe a fighting chance.” He grimaced. “The fates are gonna be pissed at me because I altered her future. She really is destined for great things now.”

  Ari poked Gavril in his side. “I knew there was a squishy teddy bear inside of you.”

  At least for babies and puppies. But that just proved to Ari that he’d made the right decision when he asked Gavril to claim him. Behind the wall where Gavril hid was an angel who only wanted to be loved.

  He smiled up at his mate. “I love you.”

  Gavril’s eyes widened as he stared down at Ari. He didn’t expect his mate to say it back. Gavril had suffered too much, and it couldn’t be easy to trust, but Ari was determined to show his mate that there was more to life than evil angels out to hurt him.

  There was love, laughter, and those little moments that stole your very breath. Gavril was about to get a big dose of those things.

  * * * *

  Gavril stood in the backyard, waiting for Rocky to go potty, when something wet whacked into his back. He turned, looking for danger, but he spotted Ari on the deck, snickering. He raised his arm, a clump of snow in his hand. He threw it at Gavril, and it hit Gavril’s chest.

  Ari burst out laughing and reached down for more snow. Gavril had no idea why his mate was hurling the cold white stuff at him. Ari thought it was funny.

  The snowball hit Gavril on the side of his head. Ari hooted.

  What the hell was so funny? Gavril flicked his wrist and buried Ari in a pile of snow.

  Ari sputtered and waved his arms, fighting his way free. He glared at Gavril. “You clearly missed the point of a snowball fight. You’re supposed to make snowballs in your hand, not bury me in an avalanche.”

  Once Gavril understood that Ari was playing a game, they chased each other around the backyard, pelting each other. Rocky ran around barking, rolling around in the snow as Ari raced to escape Gavril’s onslaught.

  Gavril even whipped up a mini igloo, and Rocky was delighted as he ran in and out of it. He cocked his leg and peed on the side of the small, icy structure, claiming it as his own.

  They went inside the house, and Ari made hot chocolate as Gavril dropped to the floor and played with the puppy. He’d never had a more wonderful day. They curled up on the couch and watched TV, but Gavril kept thinking about his mate’s declaration of love.

  Something warm clenched Gavril’s chest. He looked at Ari as his mate yawned. Happy. Was that what Gavril was feeling? Was that the emotion filling him up and making him want to grin like a fool?

  “Ari?”

  His mate looked sleepy-eyed at him. “Hmm?”

  “I think I feel…” Gavril rubbed his chest. He’d experienced hate for thousands of years. Resentment, betrayal, sadness, and pain. This new emotion was foreign to him. “I think I feel happiness.”

  Ari’s pale blue eyes misted as he snuggled next to Gavril. “We need to be careful that you don’t overdose on it. Then again I’m a doctor, so I think you’re safe to indulge.”

  Gavril had opened his mouth to reply when Ari’s cell phone rang. Ari reached to the end table and grabbed it then said, “Dr. Bjord.”

  His mate paled as he sat up. Ari didn’t know Gavril could hear the person on the other end talking.

  “Open your damn door and let me in.”

  Ari’s gaze flashed to the door. Gavril felt his mate trembling, so he got up, crossed the room, and swung the front door open. The cold air rushed in, making Rocky get up and hurry over to Ari for warmth.

  On the front porch stood a human with golden-blond hair, which had flecks of snow melting on the strands, dark, contemptuous green eyes, and lips that were flattened from a deep scowl. He raked his gaze over Gavril’s entire body then pushed past him, stomping inside, leaving a trail of snow on the carpet behind him.

  “Who the hell is that?” the stranger demanded of Ari as he pointed a gloved finger at Gavril as Gavril closed the front door. “You move here and shack up with the first sorry sap you meet?” The stranger snorted. “Your need to take in strays astounds me.”

  Rocky, who was curled in Ari’s lap, whimpered.

  Ari pulled the puppy to his chest and shrank deep into the cushions, terror in his pale blue eyes. “What’re you doing here, Olin? How did you find me?”

  This was the ex Panahasi had hinted about? This was the guy who had hurt Ari? Gavril closed his eyes for a brief second, blowing out a calming breath. Olin, who, at the moment, hadn’t done anything wrong. Gavril didn’t want to get dragged to the underworld if he ripped the prick’s head from his shoulders.

  Even so, Gavril crossed the room and inserted himself between Olin and the couch. “You need to leave, now.”

  Olin’s nostrils flared as his eyes narrowed. “You’re the one who needs to leave.” He jabbed his finger against Gavril’s chest three times. “You’re shacked up with another man’s boyfriend, buddy.”

  “Olin,” Ari said in a low, pleading voice as he got up from the couch and set Rocky on the cushion. “You really need to go.”

  Olin sidestepped Gavril and glared at Ari with a rigid jaw, his green eyes filled with sparks of anger. “Shut up and sit
down. I’ll deal with you in a minute.”

  Rocky barked as Gavril clenched his fists, telling himself not to obliterate the asshole. “If you’re not gone by the time I count to five, I can’t be held responsible for what I do to you.”

  Ari’s eyes widened. Gavril really didn’t want to make things bloody. His mate was sweet and nonviolent, and Gavril loved those qualities about him. Ari was everything Gavril wasn’t, the light to his darkness, but he was quickly losing his patience.

  “Touch me and I’ll have you arrested,” Olin threatened as he turned red from his anger.

  “Five,” Gavril gritted out.

  “Olin, please leave,” Ari begged. “You really don’t want to tangle with Gavril.”

  “Four.”

  “I’m not afraid of him,” Olin snapped. He puffed out his chest, as though trying to make himself seem bigger than Gavril, which he wasn’t. Gavril had a good six inches over Olin, and a lot more muscle.

  “Three.”

  Ari ran to the door and opened it, a blast of cold air gusting into the room, along with some blowing snow that drifted and settled on the carpet, joining the mess Olin had already made. “Just get out.”

  “Two.”

  Olin stormed across the room and towered over Ari. “Get rid of that trash before I make you pay for being with another man.”

  “One.”

  Olin raised his arm to strike Ari.

  Without moving from his stand by the couch, Gavril slammed the door closed, drew the blinds shut, darkened the room, and flashed Ari and Rocky to the bedroom. He heard Ari pounding on the door, shouting for Gavril to let him out as Rocky barked his little head off.

  Gavril turned his attention to Olin. “I know you weren’t about to strike my mate. Tell me I was seeing things. Tell me I was imagining it.”

  Olin squared his shoulders, but there was a glint of fear in his eyes. “Ari belongs to me. I’ll do what I want to him.”

  There was a slight tremble in his voice. Gavril let his wings expand and revealed his fangs as anger rolled through his veins. He’d dealt with too many bullies in his past, men who thought they were superior to others. This piece-of-shit human had no idea who he was messing with.