by Debra Dunbar
“By the creator, Nyalla, I want to kill them all for this.” Another drop hit her shoulder.
“It’s okay. I’ve made my peace with it. I have friends with babies that I see and cuddle anytime I wish. I can always adopt or foster a child. It’s okay.”
It wasn’t okay, but she didn’t want him to be upset. There was nothing anyone could do to change what had happened, and his grief was making it all worse, not better.
He pulled away from her and she shivered, suddenly cold. Had he believed her lie and figured the whole thing wasn’t a big deal? Was it all too much for him to handle? She’d never told anyone besides her brother Wyatt and Sam. She took the birth control pills, used condoms, and pretended to everyone else that she was a normal young woman, waiting for the right man to come along to marry and start a family with. She’d shared something with him that was so incredibly personal, that was still a gaping raw wound in her heart. She’d shared this and she hadn’t even known this angel twenty-four hours.
“Here.”
His arms came around her once more, and this time they held a bundle of plaid fabric. His boxer shorts. And the fact that he hadn’t neatly folded them spoke to how distressed he was at her tale.
And now she was the one crying. And it wasn’t just little teardrops, but big ugly blotchy-face sobs.
The angel hesitated a moment, as if he wasn’t sure what to do, then he spun her around and hugged her close, stroking her back, the boxer shorts, as well as her own underclothes, still in his hand.
“I’m sorry you had that happen to you, Nyalla. I wish I had the power to go back in time and save you from that whole experience — all the slaves in Hel. Well, all of them, but especially you.”
Then he let her cry, making soothing noises, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her back until she felt the grief ebb away like the tide…and felt something else.
She arched her back so she could look up at him. “Do you have a boner?”
“I’m assuming you don’t mean the skeletal remains of an animal and are instead referring to the fact that when you’re near like this, blood tends to leave the rest of my body and head straight to the appendage between my legs,” he commented dryly.
She choked out a laugh. “Yes, I’ve been told it has a life of its own, and that you have no control over your actions because of that particular organ.”
He made a huffing noise. “Don’t be ridiculous. This doesn’t happen when I’m around Snip or Terrelle, or that waitress who brought your dinner. And it went down pretty fast when those maids came into your room and found me tied to your bed. I absolutely do have control over my actions, regardless what my body parts are doing. And if this appendage springs to life around you, then I should probably pay attention to what my subconscious is trying to tell me.”
She lifted her head. “And what is your subconscious trying to tell you?”
“That right now I’m a human, and this is a very human way of my body agreeing with my mind and my heart that you are an amazing woman, Nyalla.”
“And if you weren’t human right now?”
He sighed. “I wouldn’t have this ‘boner’ trying to poke through your thigh, but I’d still feel the same way about you. Angels demonstrate their affection one way, humans another. And right now I’m human.”
“So am I. And I feel the same way about you,” she said. Then she reached up around his neck, and pulled his mouth down to meet hers.
Chapter 9
She brushed her lips over his in a soft kiss, then lingered soft and gentle. He held still, not tense, but motionless, as if he were afraid that any movement on his part would break the spell. She brought her hands up the hard planes of his chest, and leaned into him. Then she sucked his lower lip and released it with a quick swipe of her tongue before pulling away to see his expression.
The silver glint was back in his eyes. As she leaned back, his arms tightened around her and this time it was the angel that brought his lips to hers. His kiss was firm, more demanding, just this side of hungry. When he pulled away, Nyalla noticed that they both were breathless.
“You taste like the ocean,” he murmured, brushing his thumb across her lower lip.
“You do too.” She brought her hands up to his neck and pulled his head to hers, this time kissing him open-mouthed, not holding back.
He matched her passion, deepening the kiss and tasting her until she felt as if she would drown. Then just like the tide, his lips gentled, lingering as they left hers. He might not be experienced, but this angel certainly learned quick. And if she wasn’t careful, they were going to be doing a whole lot more than kissing while naked and waist-deep in the surf.
“Swim out to that catamaran and back?” His voice was deep and husky, his eyes ice-blue and silver.
“Can you swim as a human?” She hoped so because she’d never gotten around to taking those lifesaving classes.
“I feel certain I can.”
Nyalla stepped back, half turning toward the boat. “Race you.”
He grinned. “On three then? Wait…cheater! You cheater!”
She held back a laugh, swimming as fast as she could, diving under the rope that separated the swimming from the boating area. He quickly passed her, his head popping above the water next to the boat while she was still a good ten yards away. Evidently his affinity for water went beyond being an angel.
“Cheaters never win.” He grinned at her, shaking the water from his short black hair and waving a fist full of underwear. Yeah, he’d beaten her even while holding a bunch of clothing balled up in his hand.
“This cheater would have won if I’d gotten more of a head start.”
He pulled her in once she was close, then looked up at the catamaran. “This thing looks like fun. We should pay to take one out. Do you know how to sail it, or do we need lessons?”
Oh, how she’d longed for a friend to do these sorts of things with! A beach weekend with the girls was fun, but Nyalla had never had a boyfriend who enjoyed the water enough to want to learn to sail, to scuba dive, to surf, to spend every free moment in the water.
But Gabe wasn’t a boyfriend. She wasn’t quite sure he’d even be a friend for more than the duration of the spell. When it wore off, he’d be a stuffy archangel again with duties and responsibilities. He’d want to spend his free time meditating or improving his vibration pattern, not taking sailing lessons or hauling surfboards to the shore for the weekend.
For now, though, he was human and he seemed honestly enthusiastic about the idea of sailing a catamaran. “Absolutely. I don’t know if we’ll have time this trip for lessons, but we can rent one and have someone take us out for a sail.”
“I’d like that.” He edged around the side of the boat, “And I’d like to do all those other activities as well. Now that I know I can still swim, I’m excited to try them all. With you.”
Her heart skipped at the thought. “Back home we’re only three hours from the Atlantic coast. And the Bay is closer. The diving isn’t as great as it is down here, but we can sail and kayak and surf as often as we want.”
“I want. Now that I’ve found a kindred spirit, I plan on dragging you to every pond, lake, and river.” He looked out to the horizon. “But the sea is always my favorite.”
Nyalla smiled. “Mine too. Up until a few years ago I’d only seen lakes and ponds, streams and rivers. I’ve never seen something so vast and powerful. The ocean is where life and death come together, where they’re not even separate states of being.”
She turned to him. “I know you said you don’t want to talk about death, but this is where I want to be buried, my body given to the sea to fuel her eternal cycle. My body would live on in other life, my soul would be in every drop of water, I’d live forever, a part of everything from the tiniest of krill to the giant whales. In the ocean, life and death no longer exist, there is just being.”
Gabe scowled. “I understand what you mean, but I hate the thought of you dying. Human lives are so
short, like brief flashes of light that die in what seems like seconds. It isn’t fair.”
“It’s not. And it’s especially not fair when young children die before they’ve even had a chance to experience life, but it happens. Worrying about it, railing against the unfairness of it all doesn’t change anything.”
“What if you could live forever?”
She laughed, not feeling any bitterness at the impossibility of that suggestion. “Some beings live a fraction of a day. Some live for billions of years. My lifespan is what it is, and I won’t waste one precious moment of it wondering ‘what if?’.”
He nodded, but didn’t seem satisfied at her words. They splashed for a bit then swam in, pulling their clothing on over wet and sandy skin. Gabe had stuffed Nyalla’s bra and panties in his waistband while she wore his boxers under her dress, rolling the waistband in an attempt to keep them from falling down.
Gabriel started down the cobblestone path and she fell in beside him. The sound of the hotel’s garden waterfall grew louder as they left the beach behind. Palms and ferns surrounded them. A tiny red lizard darted across the path, and orange bromeliad blossoms swayed in the constant breeze that hit this side of the island. They paused next to the beach-side bar, looking out at the pier and small boats docked just past the swimming area. Soft music piped through the speakers. A couple sat at the end of the bar, their heads together as they whispered and held hands. The bartender cleaned glasses, trying to ignore the pair.
“Let’s get a drink before we head up,” she suggested, hoping that this time she could at least get him to drink water. He’d danced with her. He’d flirted with her. He’d kissed her. Well, she’d kissed him and he’d been a willing and active participant. Surely one glass of water wouldn’t be that difficult after he’d done so many other human things this evening.
“Of course.” Gabriel put a hand to her back and gently steered her to one of the chairs, waiting until she was seated before he sat down beside her. “What would you like?”
“Whatever you’re drinking.”
“I’m an angel. I don’t consume food or drink beverages.”
She sighed. “Gabe, you’re not an angel right now, and if you don’t drink, you’ll die. And if you don’t eat, you’ll be weak and unable to defend me from the Gormand. I need you to help protect me, and you can’t do that dehydrated and starved.”
It was the right thing to say. The angel blinked, a look of shock flitting across his face. “Truly? I mean, I guess you’re right. I just…I’ve never done such things. I never wanted to sully my purity by indulging in sensory pleasures. Even though I’m human right now, food and drink have always been a hard line for me to cross as an angel. It always seemed the easiest of sensory pleasures to fall into. So minor. So seemingly innocent, but coffee and pizza can quickly lead an angel down the path to Hel.”
Kissing her was fine, but coffee and pizza were the equivalent of gateway drugs. She’d never understand this angel. But if this was what she had to work with, she’d find a way around his objections.
“Then we just have to find food and drink that you hate, but that is healthy and will allow your body to thrive. You can eat lots of kale and beets and possibly other disgusting things. There’s no chance of kale and beets leading you down a path to sin. And that way you won’t be indulging, you’ll be suffering in order to stay alive. Beets and kale surely won’t damage your purity or vibration pattern, will they?”
His eyes narrowed. “But aren’t all food and drink, even kale and beets, pleasurable? Isn’t that the idea?”
“Trust me, kale and beets are about as far from pleasurable as you can get. The idea is to fuel your body so you don’t die. We humans find lots of food and drink pleasurable, but it’s an individual thing. I hate broccoli. Some humans love it, but I don’t. For me to eat broccoli would be very unpleasant. There would be no joy in that at all. It’s very healthy and good for me, but I would have to force myself to choke it down.”
“Then I should eat broccoli and kale and beets?”
Nyalla sighed. “Knowing you, you’ll probably love the stuff. Let’s start with drinks since we’re here at the bar, and we’ll tackle food back in the room. Okay?”
Gabriel straightened his shoulders, like a man about to face an army. “All right. I’ll do it. But I’ll only agree to drink more than a sip of something if I hate it.”
Success! Well, almost success. “Except water. You have to drink water. It’s kind of tasteless, and there’s no real enjoyment in drinking it unless you’re super thirsty, or really hot. And then, the enjoyment is more because your body needs it than because it provides any sort of sensual pleasure.”
He listened to her intently. “Understood. Water. And any other beverage I find repulsive.”
The bartender approached and Nyalla ordered them both a glass of water. Then she asked for a soda, an orange juice, a glass of red wine, and a margarita. When the bartender sat them down, she instructed the angel to drink the water first, relieved that he downed the whole glass.
“I think I needed that,” he confessed.
“Good. Now try this one.” She pushed the soda over to him. Gabriel eyed it nervously.
“It’s fizzy.”
“Yes, that’s carbonation. It’s supposed to be that way. If it’s not fizzy, then it’s flat and you send it back.”
He took a drink and Nyalla choked back a laugh at the expression on his face.
“I don’t like that. I don’t like that at all. Does it have any nutritional value? Is it important for my continued existence as a human being? Because I don’t think I can manage to drink that on a regular basis.”
“No, it has no nutritional value. In fact, it’s probably bad for you.”
Gabriel glared at her. “You gave me something that’s bad for me? Why would you do that? It’s probably damaged my internal organs. Plus, I think it was dissolving my teeth.”
Oh Lady above, he was so funny. “Some humans enjoy it. Here. Try the juice. That’s healthy.”
Gabriel took a sip. “I could drink this if I had to. I’m not feeling particularly sinful about it, but it’s not repulsive.”
“Good. Water and juice, then. I’m not sure about the wine. It’s grape juice, but fermented so there’s alcohol. I guess it’s nutritious? I read a study a few months ago that said it was good for your heart.”
Gabriel stared at the wine. “Elves drink wine. Although after what I’ve discovered about elves recently, that isn’t exactly a recommendation. Do you like it?”
“Yes, although I’m more of a beer and mixed-drink girl myself. Try it. It can’t be as bad as the soda.”
“Nothing can be as bad as the soda.” Gabriel took a sip and swished it around like it was mouthwash before swallowing. “You said it’s good for my heart?”
“That’s what I read. The article sounded very scholarly. I think some doctor wrote it.” She blinked as Gabriel downed the remainder in the glass.
“I need to make sure my heart is healthy,” he commented. Then he slid the margarita over.
“Oh, that’s mine.”
He gave her one of the most pathetic sad looks she’d ever seen.
She sighed and pushed it the rest of the way over. “Go ahead. I don’t think you’ll like it, though.”
He took a sip and wrinkled his nose. “It tastes like your orange juice has turned rancid.”
Nyalla pulled it back and took a sip. “Yes, I know. I like it that way.”
“Is it good for me? Does is have greater nutritional value than the non-rancid juice?”
She bit her lip, tempted to lie and get him drunk. An archangel drunk. This archangel drunk. The prospect was so very enticing.
“No, it has less nutritional value than the juice.”
He sighed. “Then I will stick to wine and water, and an occasional non-rancid juice.”
“Tomorrow I’ll introduce you to coffee. And maybe milk.”
The angel’s eyebrows shot up. “Mi
lk? As in the milk that young mammals drink?”
“Yes. Adults drink it too.”
His eyes drifted downward from her face. “Do I drink it from your breasts?”
“No! Oh, my….no!” She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. “First of all, I’m not lactating. Secondly, only human infants drink human milk. Human adults drink cow’s milk.”
There was no need to go into details of how incredible it felt during sex to have someone play with and even suck at her breasts. She’d save that conversation if their odd friendship ever went that far.
And how she hoped things did go that far. Sooner rather than later.
“I need to drink from a cow’s udder?” Gabe asked.
“No. Farmers milk the cows with machines then it goes to a processing facility and gets put in a carton or plastic jug. You drink it out of a glass, or if you’re like my brother, Wyatt, you drink it out of the carton.”
“I’m not sure I agree with this process. Is the cow harmed? And how nutritional is it for a human to be drinking cow’s milk? Shouldn’t humans pump from their own breasts and drink the milk that’s specific to their species?”
Nyalla took several gulps of the margarita to hide her giggle at the vision of lines of women hooked up to machines, their breast milk going into plastic cartons.
“Women actually do use machines to express milk, but it’s for their own infants or sometimes for other infants whose mothers are unable to provide milk for them and can’t drink the manufactured formula. At least try the cow’s milk. It has calcium and vitamin D and other good-for-you stuff. If you hate it, well then there’s another beverage you can force down once per day.”
He nodded. “I’ll try it. And maybe I’ll try this coffee that everyone is so eager for me to drink. You must promise me that you won’t tell anyone, though. Both Micha and the Iblis have been trying to get me to drink coffee for months now. I would prefer if they didn’t know. Actually I would prefer if they didn’t know about any of this.” He waved a hand down the front of him.
