An Archangel's Promise

by Jess Buffett

  Damn. “So the kid is out there somewhere, all alone?”

  His father nodded. “He has his mother, Rebecca, but they are currently unguarded. We need you to find him and keep him safe.”

  “That explains why Isaac wasn’t with Ash tonight.” Sebastian growled.

  Isaac was Ash’s second-in-command, and he could be even more ruthless than Ash. The man was pure demon. There was nothing left of his once angelic self. The thought of Isaac hunting down Landon made Hunter feel ill. The bastard liked to play with his prey, just as he had done when they had first come for Hunter, and he would do so again before he ended Landon’s life.

  Hunter glanced around the room, making eye contact with each of the men he called brother. They had another brother out there, and they needed to find him. His stomach clenched at the thought of putting Gabriella in that sort of danger though.

  The soft caress of a hand drew him out of his musings. Gabriella smiled at him so sweetly he felt his heart stutter in his chest.

  “You have to go,” she whispered. Leaning forward, Gabriella brought their lips closer until they were a hair’s breadth apart. “If this Isaac is as bad as he sounds, Landon will need you.”

  Gabriella brushed their lips together, and Hunter groaned. God, what this woman did to him.

  His breath a little ragged, Hunter leant back. “Gabby. I can’t leave your side. We’re bonded now, and the honeymoon phase will begin soon. Not to mention that Ash will return.”

  “Honeymoon phase? You need to tell me what all that means.”

  There was no anger as she asked, no judgement. Just an honest need for answers, yet Hunter sighed with resignation, knowing at some point Gabriella was going to be pushed too far. Chaos and danger were the very essence of the life he lived. He had been in such need of her that he hadn’t stopped to fully comprehend what he would be putting her through by coming back. She now had to deal with the consequences of a decision he hadn’t let her have a say in.

  Caught up in his inner turmoil, their pseudo second-in-command, Dominic answered her.

  “What it means is that if he were to be apart from you, he would grow careless. He could be seriously harmed while worrying if you were safe. And even if he were lucky enough to have one of us covering his back, after a period of separation it wouldn’t matter. Being away from you would literally be painful. For the both of you. The honeymoon phase acts like a mating heat. When it kicks in you’ll be insatiable, needing each other constantly,” Dominic explained. “Where one goes, so does the other. It’s the whole bonded part.”

  Gabriella blushed furiously at what she had just been told, but appeared to be mulling it all over. Hunter waited with bated breath to see what she would say. They had only just reconnected after ten years apart, and even though he’d never stopped loving her, a part of him feared that she had. That the love she once felt for him no longer burned as bright.

  Christ! And now he sounded like a sap.

  When Gabriella suddenly started nodding, Hunter knew he would never be able to keep up with this woman and the way her mind worked.

  “Then I guess we go.” Before he could get any words out, she held up her hand. “We need to talk, seriously talk. And I have to make sure my company is taken care of. I’ve worked too damn hard to have it all fall apart now. Can you give me that?”

  He’d give her anything, but instead of letting her know the power she had over him, he simply nodded. Directing his gaze to the others, he was met with looks of concern. Nobody liked the idea of one of them out there alone. They needed to get their act together.

  “Any idea where we start looking?” he asked his father.

  “We think they’ve settled somewhere here in the lower half of the country. Beyond that, I can’t say for sure.” Gabriel’s brows knitted together and he glanced up at the sky. A look of concentration played over his features, and he began to nod. ’Cause that’s not weird. His father suddenly snapped back to reality, his eyes blinking rapidly. “Zerachiel says to keep in and around the state of Victoria. It’s the best we can do, and even then, we may have tipped Renatus off while doing so. I have to go, there is so much that needs to be done.”

  “We understand and appreciate it,” Sebastian told Gabriel.

  “I’m so very happy you have found your bonded, son. Now you can help the others find their own bonded. The time for you to all become whole has finally arrived, and your destiny can begin,” Gabriel said cryptically.

  “I’m supposed to help them find their bonded? How?” Hunter asked incredulously.

  “Yes, you are.” Gabriel smiled fondly. “You’ll see.”

  With one last shared look with his father, Hunter watched Gabriel disappear in the blink of an eye.

  “I’ll see…what? Cryptic much?” Hunter grumbled.

  He took a deep breath, trying to come to terms with the fact that he had finally met his father, but he couldn’t. Confusion and so many other emotions swirled through him until he thought he would lose himself. His eyes met gaze after gaze until they finally landed on Gabriella’s. Like a siren’s call, her emerald orbs drew him in, centering him and calming the wild seas that threatened to pull him under.

  Her delicate hand cupped his jaw and he felt he could finally take a breath. This was what she did to him. His bonded. His Gabby.

  “I need to pack a few things. Will you help me?” she asked quietly.

  “Yeah.” His voice came out croaked.

  Not acknowledging the others in the room, Gabriella took Hunter’s hand and guided him to the exit door. In silence they made their way down the stairs, and she led them into her place. Hunter glanced around, not really knowing what to do or say. It had to be a first for him.

  “Why don’t we go take a shower, hmm?”

  Hunter spun around in shock, certain he had heard her wrong.

  Gabriella smiled at his stunned expression. “Come on. We’ve both had a hell of a night and it will do us some good. Sebastian and the others are working up a plan as we speak, and we can find them later to see what the plan of attack is.”

  Hunter frowned. “How do you know what they’re doing?”

  Gabriella’s face grew more concerned. “Hunter, they were discussing that right before we left.”

  “They were?” Hunter racked his brain, trying to remember the conversation.

  “Yes,” she said softly. “I think, maybe you’re in a little shock after meeting your father. Please just come and have a shower with me. I really shouldn’t have to beg.” She smirked.

  Now that penetrated the fog.

  “I think I like the idea of you begging.” He leered at her.

  Gabriella laughed. “Come on, Romeo.”

  Hunter obeyed and was right on her heel as she walked to the bathroom, the honeymoon phase well and truly kicking in. His eyes tracked her movements as she lowered the zipper of her dress, and it fell to the floor. The only thing left was her panties, and they were quick to go as well.

  Hunter froze at the doorway to the bathroom, his eyes widening at the room. This wasn’t a bathroom, it was a small apartment. White marble encompassed the room with a matching vanity that was so long it almost ran the entire length of the wall. A bathtub, big enough to fit four people in it, sat free standing in front of a large window, with a breathtaking view of the city. What caught his eye though was the enormous shower to his left. Hell, it looked more like multiple showers in a row, all encased in frosted glass.

  Gabriella made her way over to the shower door, pulling it open and stepping inside. He heard the running of water before she poked her head out and smiled at him, crooking her finger for him to follow.

  Damn, she was beautiful.

  “Well, are you going to come in here or not?” Gabriella purred, stepping back under the water. “You don’t want me to get lonely, do you?”

  Hunter watched, transfixed, when she grabbed the soap and began rubbing it over her body. His heart skipped a beat when she grinned at him.

&
nbsp; “I could do with some help, you know, reaching all those hard to get places.”

  “When you put it that way…” He chuckled, removing his clothing quickly and stepping up behind her under the stream of the showerheads. Sliding his hands around, he pulled her back against him and nipped at her neck. “My Gabby,” Hunter breathed out against her skin.

  Leaning into the embrace, Gabriella closed her eyes and shivered. “My Hunter. I have missed you,” she admitted before turning in his arms and looking up at him. “Every day, I have missed you.”

  “I love you,” he murmured against her lips, kissing them softly. “I’m so sorry, Gabby. I never wanted to leave you.”

  “Hunter, we need to discuss what we did before,” she said, worry in her eyes. “We didn’t use protection when…you…we…”

  “When we made love?”

  She huffed. “Yeah. You think I’d be able to say it without reverting to a fifteen-year-old teenager.”

  “It’s adorable.” He chuckled as she slapped him on the chest. “And you’re right, we didn’t. As an angel I don’t get sick, so I have nothing to pass on, Gabby.”

  “Yeah, okay, as bad as it sounds I hadn’t even been thinking about that, I just assumed. You’d never hurt me like that.” The certainty in her words went a long way in soothing his frazzled nerves. “What I meant was…well…oh, jeez, I meant I could be pregnant.”

  Hunter suddenly understood what had her all worked up, and was quick to ease her worries. “While I would love nothing more than to start a family with you, I think we need time. Luckily, as an angel it takes more than the act itself to create life.”

  “It does?” Curiosity lightened her face as she began washing herself. “Like what?”

  He followed the movement of her hands, greedily wanting to trade places with the soap as it ran its way over her body. Trying to focus, he answered her question. “Like the sharing of blood, and the melding of minds as we did befo—”

  “The sharing of what?” she squeaked, dropping the soap.

  He gave her a lopsided grin. “Blood. It’s not as gross as it sounds. Just a little drop of each other’s blood as we join our minds and our bodies.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Like I said, it’s something to consider one day, but I don’t think we’re there yet.” He grimaced. “There is still so much you need to know. Things that might just push you too far.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t really know how else to say this, so I’m just going to go for it, okay?” At her nod, he continued. “You’re my bonded. It means that you have the same lifespan that I do.”

  “I need a little more explanation, Hunter.”

  “I’m an angel, Gabby. We stop aging once we reach maturity, which I have. There is no such thing as a natural death. And it takes a hell of a lot to kill me. In fact, it’s next to impossible.”

  Gabriella went quiet for a moment. “So, basically you’re immortal, which makes me immortal?”

  “Basically,” he answered cautiously. “Are you okay? I’ve got to say, you’re dealing with this better than I thought you would.”

  “Oh, I’m not dealing with this it all,” she said absently. “I know what you’re saying, but I’m not thinking too deeply at the moment.”

  Hunter smiled at her. Some things never changed. Gabriella was handling it the way she always did. She gathered all the information, not focusing too long on any one thing, and then went through it piece by piece until she came to a conclusion.

  * * * *

  “I know I still have a lot to make up for…”

  “Hush. No more of that right now. Now is for good, happy feelings,” she said with a smile, turning in his arms. “And I have a few ideas.” She reached down between them and wrapped her fingers around him boldly. “I know you didn’t want to leave me. We’re together now, and that’s all I want to focus on.”

  “You never cease to amaze, or surprise, me,” he murmured on a moan of pleasure. Leaning in, he kissed her as he pressed her back into the wall.

  The cold tiled wall made her shudder. “Amaze? Surprise? No, I just know you.” She cocked an eyebrow and squeezed him tighter in her hands. His hips thrust forward as he groaned. “And you’re so easy.”

  A fierce, deep growl tore from his chest as he caught her hands and pressed them over her head to the wall. “Only for you.” Nipping at her lips, Hunter breathed her in slowly as he pressed in closer to her. “I want you so badly.”

  God, his look was so primal, so savage as he stared down at her. How had she managed to survive this long without him? Her body ached to submit to him, her mind longed to understand everything that had happened to him, and her heart yearned to claim his.

  “I need you, Hunter,” she begged.

  He nibbled down her neck lightly. “You have me.”

  Gabriella gasped when he abruptly dropped to his knees. Spreading her legs, Hunter cupped her arse and pulled her to his mouth, his tongue flicking out to find the tight, swollen bud between her folds.

  She reached down and wrapped her fingers tight in his dark hair, moaning as he devoured her. “Please,” she begged. “Oh God, Hunter. Yessss.”

  Spreading her so he could thrust his tongue into her wet heat, he groaned. “You taste so damn good,” he told her.

  “Please, Hunter. More. Please, I need to come. I want you inside of me,” she begged.

  Thrusting a finger into her body, Hunter sucked at her clitoris and groaned softly against her flesh. Pressing a second finger into her pussy, he pumped his fingers in and out of her hard and fast. “Come for me,” he demanded against her damp folds.

  Gabriella had no choice but to obey. She screamed, arching her back as pleasure raced through her. Her vision dimmed and she sobbed his name, which echoed on the glass enclosure and through the marble room like a chorus of need.

  Getting to his feet fast, he lifted her up and thrust into her. Gabriella felt him shudder as she squeezed him tight. Grabbing her hands, he held them up as he forced his cock deeper into her inner heat. Rocking hard and fast, he took her, pushing and pulling in and out of her. She saw Hunter’s gaze flick to her wrist where he held it, and if possible, he began thrusting deeper, harder.

  Gabriella cried out, her legs tightening around him. She might not be able to have her arms around him, but she could hold him with her legs. She planned to hold on and never let go. Arching against him, she moved harder against him with the help of the shower wall. “I love you, Hunter.” Gabriella mewled and whimpered, she was again ready to come.

  Hunter leant forward, nuzzling into her neck, and the feel of his teeth on her skin took her over the edge she had been balancing on.

  “Hunter!” The sound of her own heart beating drowned out anything else. She felt the splash of heat deep inside her as Hunter found his peak, the piercing of his teeth into her flesh as he bit down hard. She shuddered uncontrollably in his arms until the darkness engulfed her.

  Chapter 8

  The soft whisper of Hunter’s voice dragged Gabriella out of her haze, and she blinked up in surprise when the ceiling of her bedroom came into focus.

  Huh?

  “Hey. There you are,” Hunter murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead. “You had me worried for a second.”

  Gabriella could hear the concern in his voice and wondered how long she had been out of it. Certainly long enough for him to get them out of the shower and dry her off. “What…what the hell happened?”

  Hunter smirked. “What can I say? I’m just that good.”

  She slapped him on the chest but laughed. He really had been that good. Gabriella opened her mouth to make a snide comment when the light shining through her blinds caught her attention. Was that sunlight? “How long was I out, Hunter?”

  Hunter grimaced. “Since last night. You passed out while we were in the shower. I didn’t think much of it, until you wouldn’t wake up.”

  “Am I all right?” she asked, stunned.

&n
bsp; “You’re fine. Just extremely worn out mentally and physically. My father returned when he sensed my distress. He was the one who told me you would be fine. I just needed to let you rest.” Hunter sighed. “I’m sorry my returning has put you under so much stress. I didn’t mean for that to happen. Hell, I don’t know what I thought would happen. All I could think of was that I was finally free to be with you again.” He chuckled mirthlessly.

  “Wel—” Pounding on her door interrupted her, and she rolled her eyes. “I swear, the next person to interrupt me is going to get a foot up the arse.”

  Hunter collapsed onto the bed in a fit of laughter, his mood shifting dramatically. “Oh, I’d pay to see that.”

  Glaring at the laughing baboon, yet glad his somber disposition had vanished, Gabriella climbed off the bed and began searching for something to wear. “Go make yourself useful, and find out who that is while I get dressed and pack a few things. I highly doubt they thought we would take this long.”

  Guilt hit her when she remembered why they needed to worry. Damn, the kid.

  As if reading her thoughts, Hunter wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her on the top of her head. “He’ll be fine. While we were here, the others were planning. Isn’t that what you told me?” Gabriella nodded. “And until we have a plan there is nothing we can do, right?” Another nod. “So stop. That’s probably one of them now, coming to tell us that they’ve finally come up with a plan. Sebastian, Dominic, and Julian are the planners. The rest of us wait to be told what to do.”

  The banging grew louder, and she shoved him away with a smile. “Go answer my door before they break it down.”

  Grinning, he dropped a quick kiss on her lips. Haphazardly pulling on his pants and throwing on his shirt, he left her in her room. She took a long, deep breath, trying to absorb everything that had happened. Could it have only been a few hours ago that her entire world had been thrown upside down? Crazy.