An Archangel's Promise

by Jess Buffett

  Nolan shot her a skeptical look, nodding reluctantly. “All right.”

  As the party continued the lights dimmed and the music got louder. Gabriella decided to leave, heading for the lift that would take her down to her apartment on the eighty-third floor. Waiting for the lift, she impatiently tapped her foot, glancing around the room one last time.

  Happy that things were running smoothly, she turned to leave, hearing the ping of the arriving cart. Her movements halted when she caught something out of the peripheral of her eye. Drawing in a deep breath, her eyes widened and focused on someone who couldn’t be there.

  It was official. She had gone crazy.

  “Hey, you’re leaving already?” Nolan asked as he came to stand beside her.

  Blinking rapidly, Gabriella began to tremble when the vision didn’t disappear.

  “Gabriella? Hey, what’s wrong?”

  She could hear him calling her name, could tell she was scaring him, but was unable to do anything except raise her hand and point to the figure on the other side of the dance floor. Gabriella knew the moment Nolan caught sight of what she was seeing, knew then that it was real. That he was real.

  Hunter.

  “What the fuck!” Nolan cursed.

  Gabriella started moving forward. Nolan tried pulling her back, but nothing could keep her still. The need she felt coursing through her, urging her to the man on the other side of the room, was just too strong, powerful, and consuming. She barely acknowledged the throng of people surrounding her as she made her way across the floor, her eyes transfixed on her destination.

  Her destination being the tall, strong, and commanding form of her childhood best friend. His dark, almost black, hair still fell into his sapphire eyes, and his lips looked just as soft and supple as they had been the last time she had seen him. When she stopped mere inches from him, Gabriella held her breath, unable to believe Hunter really stood in front of her.

  The small quirk of his lips at her indecision answered her question. Oh, this was her Hunter all right.

  Hunter’s hand came up to cup the back of her neck, drawing her those few inches closer. Shocked at their sudden closeness, Gabriella only had enough time to suck in a breath before his other arm came around her, pulling her against his hard chest, his mouth taking hers in a kiss filled with possession and a hunger that had her opening up for more.

  The kiss was fearless, robbing her of thought. Gabriella’s body melted under his mastery, becoming pliant, molding into his as if they’d done this a million times before. She felt a thrill run through her as the familiarity of the man’s embrace drew her in deeper. This was her Hunter. Oh God. Hunter’s hand roaming up and down her back created such delicious sparks of electricity along her spine. She’d never felt so hungry, so needy.

  Pulling back, needing to breathe and to see his face, Gabriella felt tears pool in her eyes. “You’re real.”

  Hunter smiled down at her, his eyes softening as his large hands cupped her face. “Yeah, Gabby. It’s me.”

  How was it possible? Hunter was standing right in front of her, kissing her. It was all so surreal. She caressed her fingers over his tanned face, taking it all in. His features, once boyish, were different. They were replaced with a strong jawline and an essence of confidence and maturity. Gabriella noticed that his eyes, though still the same startling sapphire, now held flecks of azure and shards of cobalt that made them seem fiercer somehow.

  Still the same, but so different as well.

  “I missed you.” The deep rumble of his voice made her weak in the knees and dampen between her legs. It was such a strong reaction it startled her out of her haze.

  He had been gone so long.

  Too long.

  What the hell was she doing?

  Wrenching herself out of his arms, Gabriella gazed up at him, at the boy who had left her broken and alone. The longer she stared into his eyes, the more furious she became with both him and herself. Why on earth was she kissing him? And how dare he show up like this, acting like he had all the right in the world to be there.

  Raising her hand, she delivered a blow straight across his handsome face. Hunter had clearly not been expecting that reaction because he staggered back, his shock evident as his eyes widened and his hand covered the abused cheek.

  “What was that for?”

  “Really? You have no idea why I would want to slap you?” she seethed. “You disappeared, Hunter. You left when you swore you never would. I thought you were dead.”

  His face softened, which just served to irritate her more. “I know my leaving like that must have hurt, but surely you can give me a chance to explain.”

  Unbelievable. The bastard thought she actually had to give him a chance. She didn’t owe him a fucking thing.

  “No, Hunter. I don’t have to give you a damn thing.” Spinning on her heels, she headed for the doors leading to the stairway. Screw waiting for the lift. The sooner she got out of there the better.

  “So that’s it. You won’t give me anything?” Hunter called out behind her.

  Pausing at the doorway, she turned to see him still standing in the spot she had left him. She smiled sadly. “You know, if you had shown up a few years ago, I probably would have given you anything you asked for.” Her face hardened, and she narrowed a glare on him. “But I was weaker then. I had to become tougher because the pain of losing you was too much to bare. So congratulations, Hunter, you made me a stronger person. You should be proud.”

  Chapter 3

  Hunter stood there trying very hard not to gape at the woman who had just exited the door. And she was a woman. Oh fuck, was she a woman. Gabriella was no longer the sweet, yet bossy little thing that used to hang off his arm. Hell, she had just put him in his place in front of a room full of people, most of whom were still staring at him in confusion.

  Making his way toward the door Gabriella had just exited, Hunter was stopped by a furious looking man. It took him a moment to recognize Gabriella’s older brother, Nolan.

  “Nolan.” He dipped his head in acknowledgement, battling the desire to throw the man out of his way so he could chase after his target.

  “You need to leave,” Nolan bit out, his eyes narrowing on Hunter. “I don’t know where you’ve been, and I don’t fucking care. Gabriella doesn’t need you popping up after ten years. You’ve done enough to her.”

  Hunter had to give the guy credit, he had balls. Nolan couldn’t have been more than five-foot ten and one hundred and sixty pounds, whereas Hunter stood at six foot five and weighed just over two hundred pounds. Plus, Hunter knew he gave off a killer of a vibe given what he was. Most men cowered from him. But apparently Nolan’s love for his sister overrode any self-preservation he might have. It was good to know that Gabriella had been protected by someone so fierce. However, Hunter was there now, and the guy really needed to get that through his head, and get the hell out of his way.

  Leaning down to Nolan’s ear, Hunter let his voice drop to a deadly whisper. “I will be eternally grateful for the protection you have given her over the years when I couldn’t, but get one thing straight—Gabriella is mine. She always has been, and not you, nor anyone else, is going to get in the way of me claiming what is mine. Are we clear?”

  Purposefully pushing out a small amount of his power, Hunter watched the man in front of him shiver and take a step back, his eyes widening. Now he was getting it. Barely sparing Nolan a second glance, Hunter crossed the room, exiting the same door that Gabriella had.

  It wasn’t hard for him to track her down. He knew which floor she owned in the luxury building. The lavish apartment was one of seven on the top floors of the building that took up an entire level. Hunter had been more than a little surprised when he discovered she lived there. Finding out that her brother Nolan had made a lot of money and had chosen to help take care of her settled the rage inside of him that he felt at their years apart.

  When he’d heard about her parents’ death in a car accident six y
ears earlier, Hunter had been concerned how Gabriella would handle it. Not being by her side had damn near tortured him. Having no way to take care of her himself, he would be eternally grateful Nolan had been there to do it. Though the evidence he had found showed Gabriella had paid her brother back after her company had begun taking off. In fact, not only had she paid for her apartment, but she now also held stocks in Nolan’s company.

  She had always been a little spitfire, unwilling to allow anyone to take care of her. He remembered many occasions when he had told her just that. So stubborn. A fiery redhead…that was his girl. Not a day had gone by that he hadn’t missed Gabriella, craved her warm touch, her soft words. A smile tugged at the edges of his lips. Now she was his fiery woman wrapped up in a will of steel, and he was going to enjoy unwrapping every inch of her. Just as soon as he spanked her pert little arse for walking off on him like that. Hunter didn’t have time to play games. He had come there for Gabriella, and he planned on leaving with her before Ash, a fallen angel bent on making his life hell, turned up to crash the party—literally.

  Exiting the stairwell on her level, Hunter came out onto a marble floor way that he followed around the corner until he saw the lifts to one side and the entrance door to the other. The door was locked, not a surprise. Using his mind, he turned all the locks, allowing himself access to her apartment. Damn, he loved that trick. He knew breaking and entering into her home would likely piss her off more, but he was sure he could distract her.

  Slipping into the penthouse apartment, Hunter didn’t waste any time in tracking his feisty best friend down. He spared a glance at the living space, at least what he could see of it. His Gabby certainly was living the high life. Hunter had never imagined finding her living in a place this classy or expensive. It brought a smile to his face that his girl was doing so well.

  “She always was an overachiever,” he mumbled, tracing a finger along an expensively framed piece of artwork.

  Light filtered from a room at the end of the hall. Nearing the room, he peeked through the slit in the doorway. Gabriella stood at the end of her bed, lowering the zipper of her dress, all the while muttering under her breath. Thanks to his superior hearing, he had no trouble distinguishing all the colorful terms she was using to describe him. Hunter smiled. Some of them were quite creative, if not crude.

  His erection pressed against the zipper of his slacks, making itself known. In all the years he’d been gone, none of which were by choice, his lust and desire for her had never waned. During the day he would fantasize about her, and at night when he went to sleep, he dreamed of nothing but Gabriella.

  Hunter had lived and breathed her since he was a child, and after all he had gone through, he’d be damned if he let her push him away. Without a second thought, Hunter shoved open her door, ignoring the rattle of the wood’s hinges.

  Gabriella gasped, spinning around, her eyes wide with shock and something much more. The expression quickly faded, to be replaced by a deep, stark anger that would have shaken a weaker man to his core.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get out,” she seethed.

  Her words registered to his ears, but Hunter was too far gone. Ducking when she swung at him, he clamped his fingers around her wrists and used her shock to push her back onto the bed behind her. Gabriella went down, Hunter falling on top of her, careful to let go of her and land most of his weight on his hands. He couldn’t stop the groan that slipped past his lips as his body molded to hers.

  Oh, shit. That feels good.

  She struggled against him, though he noted it was half-hearted at best. He heard more than felt some of the buttons to his shirt pop off as Gabriella tugged at the material. “Get off me, you arse,” she shouted, and he would have believed she meant it had he not seen the way her pupils dilated. The sexual heat in that emerald gaze seared him to his very soul.

  “Gabriella,” he breathed.

  Although her arms were still tensed, her hands balled into fists, Gabriella’s body relaxed underneath his as though all the fight had left it. Hunter lowered his lips to hers, the softest of touches, barely a caress.

  “I’ve missed you, Gabby.”

  His heart broke at the hurt he saw in her eyes. “Missed me? If you missed me, then you never would have left me. Where have you been, Hunter? All this time… You can’t just show back up and expect things to be the same. Jesus Christ, I thought you were dead.”

  “Did you really? I don’t think you did.”

  Her mouth pressed into a hard line, and he knew he was right. His Gabby would never have given up on him, no matter how pissed she currently was.

  “You have to believe that I didn’t want to leave you. I had no choice. Everything I have ever done was to keep you safe,” he whispered, pleading with her to understand. Gabriella started shaking her head at him, but he was determined to make her listen. “You’ve always known I was different. We just never knew why.”

  Gabriella lay beneath him, a frown marring her beautiful face. “But you do now, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” He sighed. “I found out in the worst way that night I left.”

  “What happened? Your foster parents… My father told me they found evidence of their remains in the ashes. And later they discovered evidence which led them to a group of men who were found guilty of the crime. Are they really dead? Were those men actually guilty?” she asked, searching his face. He didn’t know what she was looking for. Perhaps some sign that he was telling the truth.

  Hunter leaned to one side, careful of his weight above her. He brought up his free hand to cup her cheek, using his thumb to tug at her bottom lip that was currently being abused. “They did die that night. And I would have to, if not for some well-timed intervention.”

  He heard her breath catch, saw the fear in her eyes. She still cared.

  “Who killed them? Was it really those men that were found guilty?”

  Such simple questions, yet such a complex answer.

  “It wasn’t those men. Someone else far more dangerous came after me that night because I’m an angel. At least I am now. Until a few months ago I was what they refer to as Nephilim. Half-angel, half-human. We’re children of angels whom the Fallen consider abominations. We are hunted down while we go through our transitions, but if we make it, we become full-blooded angels. My group and I are charged with protecting other Nephilim. I was a big target, and if it weren’t for the men whom I now see as brothers, I would have died along with my foster parents.”

  “So you’re an angel, and you protect others. Why is your group responsible for protecting other Nephilim?” she asked, doubt clear in her eyes.

  “Because we are the sons of archangels,” he stated, waiting for her disbelief. He didn’t have to wait long.

  “Oh, come on, Hunter. Surely you can do better than that,” she scoffed, shoving at his shoulders again. “You know, you nearly had me there, but come on…sons of archangels?”

  “If you don’t believe me, then I’ll show you.”

  Gabriella paused in her struggle and looked at him warily. “What does that mean?”

  Her voice trembled and he could tell she was scared, but the best way to do this was to…well…just do it.

  Dipping his head, he took her lips. Lowering the shield of his mind, Hunter allowed her to enter. She would be able to see everything. His memories, his pain, and his hope.

  Gabriella slipped inside without even meaning to. It was a natural instinct everybody had when they were intimate with someone they cared about. Most called it intuition, they didn’t know they actually had the power to slip into someone else’s mind, to see their inner most thoughts and desires. When you were joined, there were no boundaries unless that person shielded their thoughts. It was unexplainable, a gift from the creator. The knowledge of which had been lost over time.

  He could tell when she got to the night of the attack, felt her flinch below him, and cry out at the pain he felt at leaving her behind. She saw him through t
he years when he would sneak away from the others, putting himself in danger just so he could catch a glimpse of her from afar. The need he had each time to reach out and touch her, the pain that slashed through him like an unforgiving tidal wave as Sebastian, their unofficial team leader, would show up and force him to leave again.

  One particular memory stood out against the rest—the day of her twenty-first birthday.

  Hunter felt like a creepy stalker, standing under the hedge of a neighbor’s tree as he peered into the Richards’s yard. He guessed he was in a way, but Gabriella had just turned twenty-one, and he couldn’t miss it, even if he had to keep his distance.

  He observed her moving through the crowd of well-wishers and party goers. Her smile was bright, her laughter loud, yet none of it seemed to reach her eyes. Those beautiful emerald gems that used to sparkle with happiness and mischief had dulled.

  Was it because of him? Did she miss him as much as he craved being with her?

  A guy around their age bumped into her, trying to make it look like an accident, but Hunter wasn’t fooled. He caught the lust in the other man’s eyes as he apologized and began chatting to Gabriella. His Gabriella.

  Anger burned inside of Hunter like acid eating its way to his very soul. At this stranger beside Gabriella, at his father for being whom he was. Anger oozed out of every pore toward anyone who held any responsibility in keeping him from the one person he loved.

  “I don’t know why you do this to yourself,” whispered a deep voice behind him.

  Hunter didn’t need to turn to know it was Sebastian. “I love her.”

  He knew the raw agony and frustration could be heard in his voice. He loved this girl…no, this woman, more than life itself. The torch he carried for her was like a flame that burned brighter with every day they were apart.

  Sebastian sighed. “You have a schoolboy crush, Hunter. You will get over her if you allow yourself.”

  He spun around to face Sebastian, vehemently shaking his head. “No. No, I won’t. It’s more than that. I feel it,” he insisted.