An Archangel's Promise

by Jess Buffett

  An Archangel’s Promise

  by

  Jess Buffett

  An Archangel’s Promise

  Copyright © 2013, Jess Buffett

  ISBN: 9781937325992

  Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.

  Electronic Publication: December, 2013

  Editor: Pamela Tyner

  Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs

  eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Back Cover Copy

  Will the enemy be powerful enough to break an archangel’s promise?

  For the last ten years, Gabriella Richards has struggled with the pain of losing the only man she’s ever loved. From out of nowhere he returns to throw her life into chaos, and it isn’t without consequences.

  Hunter Bailey had always known he was different, but nothing could have prepared him for the truth. As the son of an archangel, he has been on the run for years from those who seek to wipe out his kind—the Nephilim. With a destiny unknown even to himself, nothing will stop him from returning to claim the woman he loves and the happily-ever-after he was promised.

  Gabriella finally has the love of her life back, but at what cost? And will the enemy be able to break an archangel’s promise?

  Content Warning: strong language, graphic sex

  Dedication

  This book is for Hazel Gower. My best friend. If it weren’t for you, I never would have finished An Archangel’s Promise.

  Prologue

  Twenty Years Ago…

  The archangel Gabriel stared down at the angel on trial and sighed heavily. He hadn’t wanted to believe one of his own, let alone Ash, would be capable of a crime so heinous. When the charges had been brought to him, Gabriel had been sure someone had made a serious mistake. Now listening to the words the angel in front of him spoke, he knew the only mistake to be made came from him. And for that he was sorry.

  “So you admit that you willingly had a hand in the victim’s death? That you assisted the group of Fallen known as Renatus?” his fellow archangel Raguel asked, his phoenix-like wings tensing as he frowned.

  Raguel, the archangel for justice, fairness, and harmony, was leading the proceedings. Whenever a trial needed to be held for the conduct of one of their own, the seven archangels would come together with Raguel at the center. Their concern at the moment was not just this angel’s role in the death of the Nephilim, but that he had been cooperating with members of the Renatus, whose sole purpose was to hunt down and kill all Nephilim. They erroneously believed that the creator saw Nephilim as abominations, and that if they rid the earth of them, the creator would reward them by allowing them back into heaven.

  If only they knew that it was all a game, played by a very old and dangerous Fallen.

  “The Nephilim cannot be seen as victims, my lord. Those things should not have been born in the first place,” Ash argued, the venom in his tone condemning him.

  “That is not your decision, nor ours, young one,” the archangel Michael said, arching one of his golden eyebrows. “It is a Fallen’s belief.”

  Ash, obviously not realizing the trouble he was in, or simply not caring, carried on as if Michael had not even spoken. “They have proven before that they have no control over their powers. Powers of superior beings should not be placed in the hands of temperamental children.”

  “So you believe that not only should all Nephilim be killed, but that angels are superior to humans?” the archangel Uriel asked. “That goes against everything the creator has taught us.”

  “If you truly believe what you are saying, then there is no hope for you.” The archangel Remiel’s words hung heavy in the air. He was the archangel for hope, and if he saw none, then there was no other option but to pass judgment.

  “Is there truly no hope for him, brother?” Gabriel spoke into Remiel’s mind.

  “I’m sorry,” was his only reply.

  “We have no choice, Gabriel,” Raphael said, placing his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder in comfort. “We knew there was a chance, given who his father is, that he would turn out like him.”

  Ash was the son of one of the worst Fallen there was, but Gabriel had seen the good in him as a child. It was why he had accepted the boy into his choir. “He doesn’t even know who his father is. Only a select few of us do. Can we really take that step?”

  “His actions would suggest otherwise.” Michael’s brows furrowed. “Either that, or in this case, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  “Gabriel has a point though. If we do this, then we will be delivering him into the hands of the Fallen we have tried so hard to keep him from,” Remiel said.

  “There are some things that cannot be forgiven,” Zerachiel added. As the archangel of mercy and forgiveness, his words struck deep.

  “The creator’s teachings cannot be ignored. To do so would be to give in to evil, brother,” Michael said strongly. As the right hand of the creator, Michael had taken Ash’s insolence personally.

  That was when it dawned on Gabriel. “Which is exactly what he wanted. Don’t you see, if we cast Ash out, Asmodeus has won.”

  They all inwardly tensed at the name. Asmodeus was one of the most evil of fallen angels, being an archdemon. Raguel and Raphael had both had personal dealings with him. If he had discovered that Ash was his son, then he would stop at nothing to get the boy back. Even if it meant condemning him.

  Taking a deep breath, Gabriel lent forward. “You leave us no other choice, Ash. Your clear disregard for the creator and his teachings have proven your guilt. Still, I had hoped that perhaps there would have been something we could have done to help you find your way again.”

  Gabriel sat back as Raguel delivered their judgment. “Unfortunately, taking the life of an innocent, and showing no remorse for such an action, has shown us we are too late. You are hereby cast out of the heavens, to be known from now on as Fallen.”

  “I am sorry, son,” Gabriel whispered.

  “I am not your son!” Ash bellowed as guards came over to restrain him. “You will pay for this, Gabriel.”

  “I wish there was another way.” He truly did.

  Abruptly, Ash stopped fighting. “You all have weaknesses. I’ll find them, and I will make sure you suffer,” the Fallen said in an eerily calm voice.

  Dread filled Gabriel. Was it possible that Ash had discovered their secret?

  He turned to his brothers, all of whom wore grim expressions. Regardless of what many thought, it weighed heavily on them when they had to pass a judgment such as this.

  “Do you think he knows?” Gabriel asked them.

  “I honestly do not know, but perhaps you and Raphael should keep your distance. Do not draw attention to them until they can defend themselves,” Uriel suggested, ever the voice of reason.

  “Our sons are not of age yet, brother. Let the others watch over them,” Raphael said.

  Gabriel’s pain at the thought of having to leave his son was echoed in Raphael’s eye, but Gabriel knew the others would keep them safe until the day they would reunite with them. At least he had had this small time to see and know his son. Raphael was yet to find a woman to conceive his child, and with this threat, there could be no chance of his brother even attending the birth of his own son. He would never know the boy.

  “We will all keep watch, brothers. We will keep your sons safe,” Michael vowed.

  Nodding his head in thanks, Gabriel stood
and left the room. He had somewhere he had to be.

  * * * *

  An hour later, Gabriel stood in a bedroom of a small child. The girl lay fast asleep in her bed, and he smiled at the innocence that shone from her. Yes, she had been a good choice. He had been drawn to the child, to Gabriella, when she had been named after him. Her parents, true believers, prayed to him and asked him to watch over her. One look into the girl’s deep emerald gaze and he knew he had found the other half to his son’s soul.

  Bending down, he whispered softly, “One day you will meet a boy. While others will keep their distance you will break down his barriers and become the most important person to him. When the day comes that he leaves you, you will hurt, and I am sorry for that. But he will return for you when it is safe and you will forgive him, because your love was meant to be.” Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he smiled. “You will save my son and be the gift he deserves, and in return he will be yours. Love him true, Gabriella.”

  Gabriel stood up and left, appearing in another room, this time belonging to a young boy.

  As he walked over to the bed, his smile was a little sad this time. “Hunter. My beautiful son. This will be the last time I will be able to see you for a long time.” Sweeping his hand through the boy’s raven locks, so much like his own, he whispered, “I have said sorry so many times of late, but I have never meant it as much as I do now. One day we’ll meet again, when you are strong enough to stand by my side, and the heavens will sing with their happiness. Until then I have given you a gift, the other half of your soul. She will come to you and help you through these years when you feel most alone. When you have to leave her it will hurt the both of you, but there will come a time when you can return to her and that is when we will see each other again.”

  Unable to withstand the pain he felt at saying goodbye, Gabriel left the room as quickly as he came. Ash could not find his son. The Fallen would not hesitate to use Hunter to exact a revenge he believed he was owed. The fact that Hunter was Nephilim would paint an even bigger target on him. Still, Gabriel had done all he could for his son. He hoped one day the boy would be able to forgive him.

  Chapter 1

  Ten Years Ago…

  Tomorrow was their high school formal and Gabriella Richards couldn’t have been more excited. She had spent the last two hours trying to pick the perfect shoes to go with her dress, much to the amusement of her best friend, Hunter Bailey.

  “I don’t know why you’re bothering, they’re just going to be hidden under the dress anyway,” Hunter said, lying back on her bed as he flipped through a magazine.

  Poking her tongue out at him, she continued to rifle through her closet. “You would say that, Mister Jeans and Sneakers. Do you even own a pair of slacks or dress shoes?”

  “Ha! I wouldn’t be caught dead in slacks.” He threw his head back, laughing. The move tossed his dark brown locks out of his face, to reveal his sparkling sapphire eyes.

  “And it’s not just our formal, it’s your birthday,” she reminded him.

  Hunter groaned, sitting up quickly as he glared over at her. “Please tell me you haven’t planned anything.”

  Gabriella smiled, batting her eyelashes at him. “It’s not every day that you turn eighteen. I’ve been dying for you to catch up for the last two months so I can finally go and experience the nightlife.”

  Hunter groaned. “The nightlife? Really?”

  “What?” she said indignantly, her hands on her hips. “That’s what everyone calls it.”

  “Yeah, well, you could have gone with everyone else then.”

  “No, I couldn’t. Now deal with it, and help me pick some shoes out,” she ordered.

  “Nope. You’re on your own.” Hunter smirked, settling back against her headboard. “Apparently you don’t listen to what I say anyway.”

  Grumbling under her breath at his lack of helpfulness, she finally remembered a pair of heels she had bought and thrown up on the top shelf of her wardrobe months ago that would work well. Now she just had to reach the things. Stepping on top of a few boxes to check her shelves, suddenly they began to shake. Before she had a chance to grab onto something or yell for help, she crashed to the ground. Jarring pain shot through her ankle as she landed, making her cry out.

  Hunter was immediately by her side. “Christ, Gabby, are you okay?”

  “Ankle,” she said through gritted teeth. She was afraid she had broken it.

  “Just stay still and let me have a look at it,” Hunter ordered, placing his hands around the injury. His eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated.

  Gabriella gasped as the pain began to recede, like a cooling balm was placed on her fiery skin. As Hunter removed his hands, she stared down, noticing that everything appeared to be okay. Tentatively moving her ankle, she smiled when it no longer hurt. “I would love to know how you do that.”

  “You and me both,” Hunter grunted, shoving a hand through his hair in frustration.

  Hunter and Gabriella had been best friends for a long time. When she had met him in year six, Gabriella could tell immediately that he would be important to her. A transfer from another school, word had gotten around quickly about the new boy—a foster kid who had been moved around so many times people started to ask why no family wanted to keep him. Hunter had exuded an air of hostility that seemed to repel most people, but she hadn’t been fooled. It had taken some time but eventually he’d opened up to her and they had grown close. Over the years they’d become inseparable, and Gabriella didn’t want to think of what her life would be like without him.

  They shared everything, including Hunter’s biggest secret.

  A few years ago, they had been tracking through the bush at the back of her house. Her parents had told them repeatedly not to go in there because if anything happened to them no one would hear, but they hadn’t listened. Gabriella hadn’t been watching where she stepped and had fallen down a rock ledge. Rushing to her side, Hunter had screamed for help, but it was useless. Gabriella hadn’t been able to move and there had been a bone protruding from her leg. They had both feared the worst until her body started tingling in the places Hunter held her. She had gasped when the sensation spread throughout her body and they had both watched in amazement as her bone and tissue began to mend itself right in front of their eyes.

  Once she was healed, Gabriella had stood up, gaping at Hunter. “How?”

  Jumping up, Hunter had begun to backpedal, shaking his head. “I-I don’t know. Please, d-don’t tell anyone. I’m not a freak, I swear.”

  Taking a slow step forward, she had reached for his hand, soothing him. “I never said you were a freak, Hunter. Never. I promise I won’t tell anyone. It will be our secret.”

  And it had been. Through the years there had been other unexplainable incidents, things Hunter did that should have been impossible, but she had kept her word. Hunter was the most important thing to her, and she would always protect him.

  Pulling herself out of the past, she watched as Hunter once again began to pace. He did it every time something like this happened.

  “Hunter.” She sighed.

  “It’s just so frustrating. I don’t know why I can do what I can. And my real parents aren’t here to tell me why,” he growled, raising a hand and tugging at his hair. She was amazed he hadn’t gone bald from the amount of times he did that. “As usual, I’m clueless. Mum’s gone, and if she explained anything to me before she died, I was too young to remember. Dammit, I was only eight.”

  Knowing she had to put a stop to it, Gabriella did the one thing that never failed to work. She kissed him. It always had the ability to stop him dead in his tracks, and originally that had been her only motivation behind it. She would be lying though if she said things hadn’t changed. Somewhere along the way Gabriella had fallen for her best friend, and each time their lips met she fell just a little harder.

  Stepping back, she looked up at him, shocked by what she saw. Hunter looked almost feral, his eyes blazing with heat.
Before she could ask what he was thinking, Hunter wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back to him as he slanted his lips over hers. Gabriella gasped in shock, and Hunter took the opportunity to delve into her mouth, tangling their tongues. Over her initial shock, she moaned as she threw her arms around his neck, surrendering to the onslaught of emotions that sped through her. They stayed like that for what felt like hours before they finally had to come up for air.

  “Hunter,” she panted, struggling to draw air into her lungs. “Why?”

  “Why do you always kiss me?” he countered, raising an eyebrow. His breath came quickly too, and his eyes were intent as he gazed at her. So much power, so much raw need. Gabriella had never seen anything like it. “And don’t say it’s to stop my pacing. We both know it’s past that now.”

  Blushing, she ducked her head, not able to look him in the eye. “I’m sorry. I can’t help how I feel.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry for. In case you hadn’t noticed, I kissed you back,” Hunter said, his fingers gripping her chin and forcing her to look up at him. “Question is, where do we go from here?”

  Where indeed. Gabriella was still trying to work out how things had changed so much in the last few minutes. This was her best friend, whom she had been in love with for a while now, but too afraid to admit it. Hearing that he felt something too both thrilled and terrified her.

  “If we plan on crossing that line, Hunter, then you need to know that I’m in love with you. I don’t think my heart could take it if we went back to being simply friends.”

  She had always known it was all or nothing, which was why she’d never said anything. She’d never wanted to risk losing him.

  “It would never be simple with you, Gabby,” he whispered. “I love you too.”

  How long had she waited to hear those words?