Heart of an Angel

by Rosalie Lario

  Because he’s meant to be mine.

  “You know Nate had a mate,” Jason said matter of factly.

  Abby blinked at his unexpected words. “He mentioned it.”

  Jason’s bright gaze met hers. “Do you know what happened to her?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  Ruby placed her elbows on the table. “She was killed. By the Tribunal.”

  A gasp caught in Abby’s throat. “So she was Fallen.”

  “Yes,” Jason said. “Like the rest of us, she was a supporter of mankind. She opposed the extinction of your species, and so she was condemned to death.”

  So Nate’s mate had been killed by his own people. Maybe even in front of him. Oh God, no wonder he’d spurned her. His wife had been murdered by his kind. He was probably still in love with the woman.

  “I’m so sorry to hear that,” she murmured.

  “Abby, it was twelve years ago.” Jason leaned forward and stared at her intently. “He needs to move on, and I believe he’s ready to do that.”

  “I wish he believed it,” Abby muttered without thinking. She took another bite of the apple.

  “Perhaps you should make him believe it.”

  When Abby’s gaze shot back up to him, Jason asked, “Do you have any family here? Anything tying you to the city?”

  She shook her head. “No. My mother lives in Florida.”

  And she was no doubt safer without Abby around.

  “Then join us,” he said simply.

  Join them?

  Ruby nodded. “I agree. Join the rebels. We’re on the precipice of war. Many humans may try to deny it, but you know better.”

  “Once the battle starts, once the angels begin to put in an appearance, you’ll be in more danger than ever,” Jason added.

  “But the man at the monitors, Rick, he told me the rebels moved to the Adirondacks,” Abby said.

  “Yes,” Ruby said. “It would mean a move. Is that something you think you’d be willing to do?”

  She’d never considered such a thing before. New York City was the only home she’d ever known. But, as she’d admitted to Jason and Ruby, it wasn’t as if she had anything to stay for. No real friends, just acquaintances. A job assigned by the Consortium. No love interest. Not to mention their point about being on the verge of war.

  Once things shook down—and she didn’t doubt they would soon enough—she’d be a sitting duck here in the city, so close to the Tribunal headquarters.

  Why not go? Even if things didn’t work out with Nate, she’d still be accomplishing something. She’d be fighting on the side of good.

  Taking a deep breath, she said, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  And if she could somehow sway Nate into giving her a chance…

  Even better.

  Chapter Five

  Abby was nowhere in sight. Where could she have gone?

  Nate strode from room to room, the tightness in his chest growing even more constricted when he failed to find her. The whole damn place seemed deserted.

  Why did he have to stalk off like that, leaving her alone?

  Because if you hadn’t, you would have taken her.

  He wouldn’t have been able to help it. And then he would have regretted it afterward.

  No, he didn’t want that for Abby. Despite the fact that he knew next to nothing about her, he recognized that she didn’t deserve to be taken in that way.

  She deserved to be with someone who knew he loved her. Who recognized how lucky he was to be in her arms.

  And could you be that man?

  His body cried out yes, but his heart—his battered, broken heart—was far more unsure. He couldn’t survive another heartbreak.

  When he entered the kitchen, he found Jason and Ruby seated at the table. “Have you seen her?”

  They both looked up. Ruby didn’t bother to ask who he referred to. She simply shook her head in disgust and rose to her feet. “I’m going to the control room.”

  Nate ignored her displeased tone as he focused on Jason. “Do you know where she went?”

  Jason met his gaze straight-on. “Why did you leave her?”

  Heat rushed to Nate’s cheeks. “What business is it of yours?”

  “I stumble upon a rare nephilim, one who actually claims she’s your mate, and somehow you manage to let her out of your sight?” Jason let out a harsh laugh and lifted to his feet. “Tell me how that’s possible.”

  “I…” Nate trailed off. What could he possibly say?

  “You chickened out, didn’t you?”

  Nate bristled automatically. “I did not. You don’t understand.”

  Jason’s eyes softened. “Remember when we first came here? When we met Ruby?”

  How could he forget? The wonder of finding a whole group of people hidden in an abandoned subway tunnel, much less a male and female nephilim…it certainly wasn’t something that happened every day. More like once in a lifetime, if that.

  “You thought Ruby might be your mate,” Jason continued softly. “You were ready to fight me for her affections. Why is it, then, that you meet another nephilim who claims to be yours and the first thing you do is run away?”

  Nate squirmed under his friend’s steady gaze.

  “Could it be because you never truly sensed the same feelings for Ruby that you do for Abby? Because you just might see yourself falling in love with her, as you did with Talitha?”

  Damn. Nate fought back the uncomfortable feelings Jason’s words sparked. His friend knew him too well, he feared.

  As if punctuating that thought, Jason reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. “Your potential mate left.”

  Nate stiffened with alarm. “She what?”

  “She went home.” Jason cocked one of his eyebrows. “She told me she still lives where she did when you rescued her. Perhaps you should consider going after her.”

  But Nate had already turned and strode from the room.

  *****

  The city was so quiet at night.

  Sometimes, when Abby stared out the window, she remembered what it had been like before the angels had taken over Earth. Even at this ungodly hour, more morning than night, people had teemed through the streets. But now, other than the occasional Consortium guard roving the streets in search of curfew-breakers—like the one she and Jason had avoided when he’d escorted her home—there was no one to be seen.

  She missed the unstructured chaos of it all. The inherent freedom it had represented. Freedom they’d all taken for granted…and had thoughtlessly given away.

  Yes, crime had gone down since the angels had begun their rule, making the past dozen years relatively safe for the inhabitants of this planet. But what difference did that make, when ultimately the angels planned to wipe out all of mankind?

  No doubt, the destruction of the veil separating Earth from the angel dimension had been a bad thing for humans. Bad for them but, in a way, good for her…

  Because it had brought Nate into her life.

  Yet what good was that if he failed to acknowledge her as his own?

  The memory of their kiss seared her mind, electrifying her nerve endings and leaving her in a perpetual state of arousal. The mesmerizing angel had occupied her biggest fantasies for well over a decade. He’d been the star of practically every naughty dream she’d ever had, and yet, kissing him had been far more amazing than she could have ever guessed.

  She wanted more, so much more.

  Things hadn’t gone the way Abby had hoped back at the base, but she wasn’t about to give up. Not after what Jason had told her. She would join the rebels, would let Nate know she wasn’t going anywhere. And with luck, he would eventually come to accept her.

  Before she went mad with desire for him.

  Backpack in hand, she headed into her bathroom to collect only those toiletries she deemed absolutely necessary. Jason had advised her to pack nothing more than the essentials, assuring her he’d be able to procure whatever else she needed once t
hey arrived at the rebel base camp in the Adirondacks. While part of her screamed at the thought of simply walking away from her home and most of her possessions, she didn’t kid herself. None of these material things mattered, and if she chose to stay here, none of them would protect her once the war came.

  A wooden creak sounded out from the other room.

  Abby paused, her heart leaping to her throat at the unexpected noise.

  She waited with bated breath for it to repeat itself. Perhaps it had been her imagination.

  But just as she was about to relax, the noise sounded again.

  It’s coming from the bedroom.

  Fear wound through her, tightening her stomach and constricting her throat. Swallowing hard, she reached for the antique brass candlestick she kept by her claw-footed tub. It was far less menacing a weapon than she’d like, but it was heavy and it would have to do, since she didn’t see anything else around.

  Her heart raced at a frightening speed as she tiptoed her way down the narrow hall. If only she’d thought to turn the light on in her bedroom. She didn’t care for the disadvantage she had walking in from the lit hallway into the darkened room.

  Summoning her courage and hoisting her candlestick high, she slid through the threshold into her room.

  The shadow of a man stood by the open window, his massive wings curling into his body.

  Momentary fear stole her breath.

  They’ve found me.

  But then she saw the unmistakably broad shoulders, the outline of his facial features in the dark.

  “Nate,” she gasped.

  Thank God it was him.

  She lowered her arms at the unexpected sight of the man who’d so recently given her a mind-blowing kiss, and then just walked away. “What are you doing here?”

  He stepped forward, into the sliver of light cast from the hallway. Heated intensity shone in his eyes. “Jason told me you left.”

  Abby instinctively recoiled at the quiet accusation in his voice. She held up the backpack that had, until this moment, remained forgotten on her arm. “To…to pack.”

  Nate went stock-still. “Pack?”

  “Y-yes. Didn’t he tell you?” She fought back the heat that rose to her cheeks, suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation. “I’m joining the rebels at their new base camp.”

  God, now that she said it aloud, it sounded crazy. Would he think her desperate, to be willing to leave everything at the drop of a hat just to be near him? Perhaps he would reject her for it. He didn’t need any more reason to run away from her.

  As if confirming her fears, Nate gave her a long, disbelieving look. “You’re going to the Adirondacks.”

  “I…well, yes.”

  After a long moment of silence, he said, “Jason didn’t tell me that part.”

  Was that why he was here? And why did he care?

  “So why are you here?” she chanced asking.

  “I…” He fell silent.

  Something in his expression set her pulse to racing. He seemed almost, well…glad. Could it be possible?

  Hope blossomed in her chest. Perhaps things weren’t as hopeless as they seemed.

  “What do you think?” She set her backpack down before meeting his gaze. “About me joining the rebels?”

  His shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. “It seems like a rational decision, given what you know about angelkind. You are in danger here, so close to Tribunal headquarters.”

  Way to sidestep the question.

  Normally she might have let it pass, but not now. She needed some reassurance, needed to know she wasn’t being a fool by running off to join the rebels just for the hope of being closer to him.

  “That’s not really what I meant.” Abby took a step closer, and was rewarded with a flash of heat in Nate’s gaze. That, more than anything, gave her the strength to continue on. She kept moving until she stood directly in front of Nate, close enough to reach out and run her fingertips along the sculpted muscles of his pectorals if she so desired.

  “What do you think about me going there?”

  Nate opened his mouth to speak, but in the end he said nothing. The heavy rise and fall of his chest was the only indication he’d heard her at all.

  “Am I wasting my time, Nate?” she pressed.

  His mouth tightened, and for one moment she feared he’d say yes. Then she’d be lost.

  Instead he let out a muttered oath and did the one thing she would have never expected.

  He crushed her to him, ravaging her lips with his own.

  *****

  Abby smelled of dew and strawberries. Her skin was softer than the most delicate of rose petals, hotter than the most intense ray of sunshine. Her body molded to Nate’s perfectly, reminding him of the pleasures of the flesh he’d missed out on over the past dozen years.

  Take her, his body screamed. Yours.

  He let out a muffled groan when her hands curled around him, molding tight against the curves of his ass and searing his flesh through his jeans. The pulses of electricity flowing from her fingers were palpable through the thick denim, making him all too aware of how much more intense the sensation would be skin-to-skin.

  Unable to help himself, he slid his fingers beneath her sweater for the second time that day. The pads of his fingertips made contact with the silky skin of her back, sending beads of electricity through his system. When she let out a heavy moan, the sound reverberated through his very core, making him even harder. He feared this would become a perpetual state around her, even if he gave in and sampled the goods she so freely offered.

  “Yes,” she whispered against his mouth. “Yes.”

  When she let out another moan, he couldn’t help but think about the bed, a mere few feet from where they stood. How easy it would be to maneuver her that way, to set her down on the comfortable mattress and take the delicious offerings, which she claimed belonged to him.

  No.

  He pulled himself away with no small amount of effort, giving in to the muttered curse that tore from his lips. Turning, he laid his hands upon the windowsill and willed his discipline to take hold.

  “I can’t,” he whispered. “Not yet.”

  To his surprise, her soft, small hand landed on his back, smoothing his achy flesh in a gesture of comfort. “I know. It’s okay.”

  Something in her words made him turn. He searched her gaze, reading the truth he sought in her eyes. “Jason told you. About my mate.”

  “Yes,” she said simply.

  Nate took a deep breath. Part of him rankled that Jason had confided his secrets, but he knew his best friend had acted from the heart.

  Taking her hands into his, he soothed his thumbs over hers. “Do you understand? I need more time.”

  Time to come to terms with what this all meant. To decide if he wanted to risk his heart again.

  If he was able to.

  Her beautiful gray eyes met his, strong and resolute. “I do, and I’ll give you what you need, Nate.”

  Yes, somehow he thought she would.

  He reached out a hand and smoothed it over her tousled waves of hair. “I’m glad you’re joining us.”

  Abby gave him a trembling smile. “Me too.”

  He snuck a glance out the window. Tendrils of orange snaked across the sky, heralding the incoming daybreak. “We should go. Get to the rebel base before the sun comes up. We can leave for the Adirondacks once the sun sets again.”

  “Okay.” Abby’s gaze wandered over the room, and he recognized the importance of the moment. She was about to leave her home. Possibly forever. It would be a lot for anyone to deal with.

  She took a shuddering breath and met his gaze once again. “I just need to pack a few more things. Then, I’m all yours.”

  Abby turned, which was for the best, as he feared his face would betray how he felt at her words.

  She claimed she was his. But did he dare to accept her?

  Chapter Six

  If anyone had told Abby a week
ago that she’d be in the arms of the angel she’d desired since adolescence, flying toward a secret compound in the Adirondacks, she would have thought them crazy.

  First off, it was the dead of winter. Such a feat should have been physically impossible without the threat of death. Or at least a major case of frostbite.

  But somehow, ensconced in Nate’s arms, she wasn’t nearly as cold as she’d thought she’d be. The steady beat of his wings blasted a continuous stream of warm air over her body. When combined with her heavy coat, she was surprisingly comfortable.

  And second, it was Nate—the very man she’d dreamt of for so long.

  I can’t believe I finally found him.

  After twelve years, she’d begun to think she never would.

  Nate’s warm lips touched her ear, sparking a full body shudder that had nothing to do with temperature and everything to do with the liquid sensation of his skin against hers.

  “It’s a long trip,” he murmured. “You should try to get some sleep.”

  She might have found the possibility of that laughable, considering that even though her fear of heights had diminished severely, she still had the occasional nightmare about falling toward the ground at a mind-numbing speed. But even though they were way, way high up, something about Nate’s arms wrapped around her brought her comfort. It might be stupid on her part, but she trusted him implicitly.

  He wouldn’t let her fall.

  Plus, she was really tired. Last night’s lack of sleep had started to catch up with her. So much so that, within minutes, she found her eyelids closing for longer and longer stretches…until, finally, she surrendered to the lure of sleep.

  She stood on a craggy mountaintop. While the view of the valley below might have once terrified her, now it only brought her a sense of peace. This was her home, more than her New York City apartment had ever been.

  A rush of warm wind kissed her back a moment before someone landed behind her. She stiffened for just a moment, but then Nate’s arms wound around her, and she relaxed back into him.