Angel Shifters 2 Angel's Power Erin M Leaf

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Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

ISBN: 978-1-77130-678-2

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

Editor: JS Cook

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No
part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission,
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual
events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To my mother, who loves angels.

ANGEL’S POWER

Angel Shifters, 2

Erin M. Leaf

Chapter One

Ariel stared at her bare arms, then roughly dragged her shirt sleeves down to cover her legacy

marks, the symbol of the People. Every angel shifter was born with them. Hers used to be ordinary
brown and smoothly drawn. They were supposed to look like tattoos of abstract lines and feathers
drawn on her skin, stretching up her arms and over her shoulders, but now they were all wrong.
Broken, she thought to herself, a pang of fear lodged in her sternum. She swallowed it down. She
didn’t have time for this, no matter how much the mottled blue discoloring the brown remnants
bothered her. In some places a hint of silver edged the marks. Worst of all, when she changed,
releasing her angel form, her wings were mottled, too. She didn’t know what the hell was wrong, but
something was. Her wings were changing and she had no idea why. The tips of her feathers flashed
silver when she held them up to the light.

She shoved the heavy drapes away from the windows and stared down over the stone circle.

The full moon lit the glittering snow, making it almost as bright as day in the clearing behind Castle
Archangel. In another ten minutes, she had to go down there and support her brother, Gabriel. He was
their Alpha. The leader of their people. And their species was in the midst of a crisis, even more than
they’d been a few decades ago when they’d been outed to the humans. They’d all thought that would
be the end of everything. It hadn’t been, even though everyone found out the truth: that the angels of
myth were shape-shifters, another sentient species that co-evolved along with humans on Earth. And
sure, it was difficult as the world grappled with the revelation, but it was nothing compared to what
was happening now. Demons walked among them once more.

Ariel rubbed her face, then forced herself to stand up straight and confident. She was her

brother’s first advisor. One of the People’s most important councilors. She had no right to mope
around just because her wings were changing colors. Her brother’s had changed from brown to ebon
when he’d become Alpha. His mate’s wings had changed from brown to snow white when Raphael
became Omega, their People’s healer. Maybe whatever was happening to her wings was meant to be,
too. Perhaps she was drifting into some destiny she couldn’t predict and it was all part of God’s plan.

Yeah, right, and pigs will fly across the castle grounds tomorrow, she thought skeptically as

she strode through the large chamber. More likely she had some sort of illness and she’d drop dead
any day now with no warning. If Gabriel could hear you thinking that, he’d kick your ass, she told
herself. She stopped in front of the door leading onto the second floor landing of the huge stone
building, trying to press her worry down into nothing. She failed. Instead, she took a deep breath and
curled her fingers around the brass handle. It warmed in her hand, the metal suddenly glowing with
heat. She jerked her arm away and stared at it. The metal looked pitted. Deformed. Shit. She shook

her head. She’d have to deal with this later. She was out of time for self-pity.

“Time to be a grown-up and fake it,” she murmured as she shoved the door open with her foot.
****
“Are you sure it’s wise to go to Castle Archangel?” Suriel’s mother asked him, not for the first

time.

He shrugged, wishing he had a good answer for her. “I don’t think any time will ever be the

perfect moment to go, but the longer I delay, the more likely something terrible will happen to the
People. They need my protection.” He shoved a pair of jeans into his pack.

“There are angels here, too. The People don’t only live at the castle,” his mother replied.
Suriel grimaced. “I know, but the danger I sense isn’t here. It lies to the south. I can’t let the

first true Alpha in years wander around unprotected when my power may tip the balance between life
and death.”

His mother sighed and glanced around the cave where he’d been staying for the past year. “Are

you bringing your books?”

He paused, hand on the zipper of the thick canvas. “No. I don’t really have any way to carry

them.”

“I can ship them to you,” she said, running a hand along the top of his battered bookshelf.
He finished zipping his pack and straightened up. What could he say to her? That he wasn’t sure

of his welcome at the castle? “I’ll let you know when I get there,” he replied. He started unbuttoning
his shirt. It was cold out, but once he shifted into angel-form, he wouldn’t notice the cold. He took it
off and folded it, shoving it into the outside pocket of his pack. He shivered, though he wasn’t sure if
it was because of the temperature or fear of the unknown. Going to Castle Archangel was a risk. A
huge one. He hoped he’d be welcome. His brother Raphael was there, after all. And he had enough
control over his power now so that he wasn’t damaging furniture anymore just by walking past.

“I’m worried about you,” his mother said. She walked up to him and put her hand on his chest.

Her fingers were cold. “Your power isn’t stable.”

He shrugged. He knew that. “What can I do? There are demons among us. If I don’t go…” He

trailed off, not wanting to imagine what could happen if he didn’t lend his strength to the fight. “It’s
stable enough.”

“I know,” his mother said, quietly. “Even so, you’re my son. I want nothing more than for you to

be safe. Having a child and watching them go into danger is the worst thing for a parent. And Raphael
is already there.”

He pulled her into a hug. “Having me there will keep Raphael safer. Besides, nothing is certain

anymore. If I go, we have a chance.” It wasn’t arrogance that made him say that. He was a sorcerer.
He had power over the winds. He could manipulate energy. And sometimes, if he tried really hard,
glimpses of the future passed through his mind like a kaleidoscope of images, sometimes blurry,
sometimes horrifically sharp and urgent. One of those visions had been why he’d sent his younger
brother to Castle Archangel. He’d seen Raphael healing the Alpha. He squeezed his mother gently,
not wanting to tell her that he saw more violence in the future. He needed to go sooner rather than
later.

She hugged him back fiercely. “Maybe you’ll find a mate there, someone to keep you sane.

Someone to share your burden.” She leaned back thumping a fist on his shoulder. “Promise me you
won’t say no if some girl asks you out.”

Was she kidding? A look at the expression on her face told him she wasn’t. He forced a smile.

“Mom, I won’t have time for dating. And I would never risk it, even if I did.” He pulled away and

walked to the mouth of the cave. Flurries swirled across the valley under an overcast sky. He
shivered harder. “You know my power can kill. I could never expose a woman to the fury of the
winds. It would be tantamount to murder.”

His mother stepped up next to him, putting a hand on his arm. “Not if you find the right woman.”
He sighed as he looked down at her. She wasn’t looking at him and he knew she was thinking

about his father. He could always tell. His father had died when his younger brother had been born.
The People said he’d taken his own life, flying too high into the atmosphere until he ran out of air, but
Suriel knew that wasn’t true. His father would never do that. Even as a child of five, he’d known his
father had more honor than that. He suspected his father had run into a demon somewhere in the skies,
though no one believed him except for his mother and brother.

I wonder if they’ll believe me now, he mused, thinking about the fight at Castle Archangel. The

new Alpha, his brother Raphael’s mate, had defeated their old leader. As Samael lay dying, he’d
changed into the demon that had possessed him for years. It had been a shocking awakening for the
angels gathered to witness the fight.

His mother gave him a look. “Not all women are weak. There is someone out there for you.”

She was shivering now, too, in the cold air. She’d flown up here wearing only a halter, in the middle
of winter, because she’d somehow known he was leaving. A parent’s instinct, he supposed. He hadn’t
wanted her to come, but what could he do? Mothers were notoriously difficult to command. He
grabbed his leather jacket and tucked it around her shoulders. “You didn’t answer me,” she said,
wrapping the jacket he’d given her close to her neck.

“I don’t know what to say that won’t make you angry,” he replied after a moment.
“That’s because you know I’m right,” she retorted. “You may be the first angelic sorcerer born

to the people in a thousand years, but that doesn’t mean you have to be alone.”

He rubbed his face. “It’s exceedingly unlikely that I will find a mate to balance my energy. I’m

not even going to think about it.”

His mother frowned at him. “I want you to be happy.”
He smiled at her. “If I can help our People survive the coming war, I will be.” He tugged on his

jacket as she scowled at him. “I need to go.”

She sighed, loudly. “Fine. But remember, keep your mind and heart open.” She slipped the

jacket off and handed it to him, then shifted her wings into the air. The soft brown of her feathers was
as soothing to look at now as it had been when he was a child.

Suriel stroked a hand down her shoulder. “I’ll try, Mother.”
She nodded. “Good. Fly safely. At least your brother is there. You can depend on each other.”
“I will,” he replied. “Raphael and I have always been close.”
“I know,” she said, smiling sadly. “I’ll miss you.”
“You can come visit anytime,” Suriel reminded her.
She shook her head. “These old bones are too tired for gallivanting.”
He laughed. “Oh please. You didn’t think that six months ago when I gave you a boost so you

could go see Raphael.” He chuckled, remembering her surprise when he’d called the winds to ferry
her south. She’d been simultaneously proud and shocked. His power was not a small thing.

“Yes, well, one ride on that roller coaster is enough for me, at least for now.” She smiled at

him and hugged him tightly one last time. “Don’t forget to call!”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course.”
She nodded at him and took a small running leap off the ledge, dropping gracefully into the air.

Suriel watched her soar until her form became a speck, then disappeared into nothing. He turned back

to the cave, surveying the contents. The table and sleeping spaces would be fine, set back as they
were in the depths of the cave. A rock formation jutted out of the wall, protecting the area from the
elements. He knelt down and stuffed his jacket into his pack, then checked that he had his cell phone
and charger. When he stood back up, he traced a finger down the legacy marks on his arms: deep blue
lines and feathers etched into his skin like a tattoo. He’d once had brown marks, brown wings, like
his father, but when the winds had begun calling to him, his wings had gradually changed to deepest
blue with silver tips. Midnight wings were the mark of a sorcerer.

He didn’t like to shift in front of anyone. He didn’t like to fly where anyone could see. His

wings looked… strange. Since he’d finally transformed fully, he hadn’t let anyone else see them. He
took a deep breath and relaxed his center, letting go of the control that kept him in human form. When
he felt the shift begin, he exhaled as his wings unfurled from nothing into the air. He grabbed his pack,
slipping it over his arms to wear it against his chest, then ran for the mouth of the cave. The moment
he leaped, his wings caught the currents of the winds and he soared into the darkening sky.

Chapter Two

“Look, Gabriel, we can’t let all of the old ones onto the Council. It would be a disaster. Some

of them are too frail to travel and some are too wrapped up in how things used to be to truly
appreciate our position in the world. Imagine if Jophiel was given a free reign? He’d be badmouthing
Raphael left and right because he still thinks homosexuality is the mark of Satan.” Ariel ran her hands
through her hair, completely exasperated. She was sitting with her brother Gabriel, the Alpha, and his
mate, Raphael at the huge council table in the ceremonial chamber of Castle Archangel. The three of
them were working through the requests of the older members of the People, the ones who hadn’t
faded into death, despite the tragic decline of their race as a whole.

“Beggars can’t be choosers. Have you ever heard of that saying, Ariel?” Gabriel flicked a

finger at the stack of papers. Each one was a letter from one of the oldsters. “We need their wisdom.”

“Why? Because they saw it coming? What part? The demon who’d taken over Samael or the

sudden revelation to the humans that angels were real beings?” She made a disgusted sound. “I’m
telling you, not one of them saw it coming. Not one of them prevented the decline of our People. We
need young voices who understand the world as it is, not as they wish it to be.”

“Who?” Raphael asked mildly. “We aren’t exactly overrunning with young angels who have the

experience and moral certitude we need. Our birth rate has always been slow, as a species. Frankly,
the three of us are the youngest adult angels at the castle right now. We have a few teens and that’s it.”

Ariel slumped in her chair. “I wish Mom hadn’t turned us down. She would’ve been a great

councilor.”

“She’s only one person. Even if she’d accepted, we’d still need at least two others.” Gabriel

leaned on the table. “There are three of us. If we find someone else our age, the young angels will
still be a majority on the Council. That way we get the wisdom we need and the practicality only
youth can bring.”

“And hot-headedness,” Ariel muttered.
Gabriel sighed. “You can’t have it both ways, sis.”
She thunked her head on the table. “I want it both ways. I want angels who are willing to put

our People first, not their own selfish desires. We can’t afford that kind of leadership anymore.” She
sat up and looked around the chamber. The lofty ceiling creeped her out. “Not with the possibility of
demons we now face. I’m afraid we won’t be able to see the evil through the mask of friendship. And
what if one manifested in its true form? What then?” A spark of energy running down her skin warned
her to calm down. She took a deep breath, trying to chill out. God forbid she wreck the council table
the way she’d damaged her doorknob. She frowned. What was wrong with her? She kept trying not to
think about it, but now this weird energy thing was happening—

“We can only do our best,” Gabriel said, interrupting her thoughts. “You know that. Just as you

know there are always going to be those who want power for power’s sake. We can only minimize
the risk, not eliminate it.”

Ariel made a face. He was right. She didn’t like it, but he was right and she knew it.
“What about Suriel?” Raphael said after the silence had stretched out just a little too long.
“Your brother?” Gabriel said, surprise coloring his tone. “I thought he refused to come down

from his cave?”

“If I ask him, hmm. Maybe if I explain the situation he’ll come. I know he wants what’s best for

the People. He’s the one who sent me to Castle Archangel in the first place,” Raphael said.

Ariel pursed her lips. “I thought he remained isolated because his power was too unstable. Isn’t

it dangerous?”

“My brother would never harm you,” Raphael said.
“I hadn’t imagined he would,” she replied mildly. “I’m concerned more for him. I would not

want him to lose himself because of the pressures of living among the rest of us. I would hate to see
your brother suffer because of us. Surely we can manage without asking him to sacrifice his
solitude?”

“You’ve never even met him, why would you be so concerned?” Gabriel asked.
She shrugged, not able to explain why she felt this way. She couldn’t understand it herself; she

just knew what she felt. “He’s Raphael’s brother. He sent your mate to you, for which I am so very
thankful, by the way. So I’m concerned, because I have grown to love Raphael as a brother, too. I
don’t want his family to be coerced into this by our desperation.”

Raphael reached out to grasp her hand. “Eloquently put, my dear sister.” He squeezed her

fingers and Ariel sensed the strength of his emotion. She squeezed back, grateful that she at least had
him and her brother, even as her own body betrayed her.

“Do we have a choice?” Gabriel asked finally. “He has the skills and intelligence to serve with

us. He would balance out the old ones. We need him. We do him a disservice if we decide for him
that he cannot be a member, rather than letting him decide for himself. Asking is not coercion.”

Ariel sat back. Her brother was right. “Well then, we must make certain he understands that we

are asking, not forcing.”

At this, Raphael laughed. “No one could force my brother to do a damn thing if he didn’t wish

it.”

“Even so,” Ariel said, unsmiling. This was important.
“She’s right,” Gabriel added, raising an eyebrow at his mate.
Raphael kept grinning, as if to a private joke. “I will be sure to tell Suriel of your concerns.”

Before he could speak further, the door at the end of the chamber opened.

Ariel twisted in her seat, about to reprimand the person who’d entered without knocking, but

she ended up staring instead of speaking. The man who walked in had dark, wind-touseled hair and
striking grey eyes. He moved with grace and authority despite the battered old pack he carried. He
smiled when he caught her eye. Inexplicably, she felt a fluttering in her chest. He was the most
handsome man she’d ever seen. For the first time in her life, Ariel was tongue-tied.

“I asked that we not be disturbed,” Gabriel said, clearly not having the same difficulty with

words as her. He surged to his feet to face the intruder.

Raphael quickly stood, smiling broadly. “Suriel.”
Gabriel blinked at his mate. “This is your brother?”
Raphael nodded and shoved his high-backed chair out of the way. He hurried to meet his

brother. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

Ariel rose more slowly, her heart suddenly pounding. This was Suriel? The sorcerer? She

willed her heart to stop pounding, but it didn’t listen.

Suriel grinned at Raphael and the expression transformed his face from handsome into

gorgeous. “Did someone say my name?” he asked, moving closer.

Across the table, her brother relaxed. “Welcome to Castle Archangel, Suriel,” he said, smiling.
“I had to come,” Suriel said, pulling Raphael into a hug. “It was time.”
Raphael hugged him back. “I had a feeling.”

Ariel stared at the two angels, skin prickling. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Raphael’s

brother. What was wrong with her? She suddenly felt as though everything in her life was about to
change, but she didn’t know why. On a whim, she surreptitiously pulled up her sleeve to check her
legacy marks. As she’d suspected, they were even more mottled now. If she shifted, her wings would
look even worse than the last time. She pulled down her sleeve and resolved to ignore it yet again.
Now was not the time.

“This is Gabriel, my mate,” Raphael was saying when she looked back up.
Gabriel shook hands with Suriel. “We were just talking about you.”
“You were?” Suriel asked. He dropped his heavy pack to the floor and leaned against one of

the chairs.

Gabriel nodded and swept his hand out over the table. “We want you to join the Council.”
Ariel was watching Suriel so closely she saw him flinch, almost imperceptibly. She wondered

if it was because of his power, or something worse.

Suriel ran his hands through his hair. “That’s why you were talking about me?” He glanced at

the piles of paper on the shiny wooden table. “You know that my power can be very unstable.”

Raphael shook his head. “I know that you are far more disciplined than you look.”
“Discipline had nothing to do with it. I came here because I know there is danger coming, not to

become a politician.” Suriel glanced at the table, then at Ariel. “It looks like you already have a
competent advisor to help you, anyway.”

Ariel flushed at Suriel’s penetrating gaze. What did he see when he looked at her? She was

small, only coming up to her brother’s shoulder. Raphael’s brother looked even taller than Gabriel.
She smoothed a hand down her hair nervously, but he just smiled and looked back at his brother.

“This is Ariel. Gabriel’s sister,” Raphael said, introducing them. “If it weren’t for her, we’d be

in a much bigger mess. She’s the one who has organized everything.”

“I’m very pleased to meet you, Ariel,” Suriel said.
“Likewise,” she said, heart in her throat. What was it about this angel? She felt like she was

thirteen years old again and meeting a cute boy in school. The energy she’d felt earlier at her door
zinged through her body. She didn’t like it and curled her fingers into fists, hoping to control it.

“Are you truly offering me a place on the Council?” Suriel asked, pulling out a chair and sitting

in it.

Watching the exhausted droop of his shoulders, Ariel realized he was very tired. He must have

flown all the way down here, straight through, she thought, amazed by his stamina.

“We are,” Gabriel said, sitting back down as well. “We need another person from our

generation who has the skill to think clearly.”

Suriel laughed. “Who told you I think clearly? Surely not my little brother?”
Raphael grinned. “I may have exaggerated slightly when I called you a dumb bird to your face

when we were kids.”

“You did that more than once, if I recall,” Suriel said, one eyebrow lifted.
“Yes, well, I was a child,” Raphael said crossly. “I also recall you smacking me in the head a

lot.”

Ariel smiled to herself as they bantered. Raphael’s eyes were twinkling.
“Your head just needed a little adjustment,” Suriel explained.
Ariel laughed under her breath. A glance at her brother showed her that he found Suriel and

Raphael just as entertaining, but he interrupted the sibling bickering anyway. “As amusing as this is,
we only have a half-hour before the other candidates come to the chamber.”

Suriel looked at Gabriel in surprise. “That is why you three are here?”
Raphael nodded and sat down. “Yes. We need to restore the People’s confidence in their

leader. To do that, we need to go back to the old ways. We need a Council.”

Suriel glanced at Ariel. “You agree with this?”
She didn’t know why he was asking her. “I do.”
He pursed his lips. “If I agree, you must understand that there may be times when I cannot be

here. Sometimes the press of other angels makes my power difficult to control.”

Gabriel frowned. “Are you accepting?”
“I am, if you understand that I came here to stop demons. That is my first priority.” Suriel

slumped down in the chair. “It really should be my only priority.”

“As the leader of the People, I can tell you with full confidence that rooting out any more

demons is my highest priority, too,” Gabriel said, his voice low and sure.

“We can’t allow another one to draw our People into ruin,” Ariel added. She shuddered as she

thought about the battle her brother had fought against their late, demon-possessed leader, Samael.
Gabriel had almost died. She didn’t want to see that happen again.

“Then, yes. I accept,” Suriel said, rubbing his face tiredly. “As long as you know my

limitations.”

Raphael smiled. “Excellent. It’s your turn to look these over.” He pushed the pile of papers

towards his brother. “We need to choose three more.”

Ariel chuckled at the look on Suriel’s face. He eyed the papers as if they were going to bite

him. When he gathered them up and started reading through the stack, he looked even more dismayed.
“There must be at least twenty-names here!”

“There are twenty-one,” Ariel said, smiling innocently at him.
He gave her an unfriendly stare.
She wasn’t fazed. “Welcome to our world. It’s not hell, but it’s close enough to it to feel the

burn.”

****
Suriel dropped his pack on the bed and looked around the chamber. Ariel had shown him to the

room at the top of the tower built into the northern end of the castle. She’d said it was the most
isolated place in the building and apologized for the dust. He didn’t care. After living in a cave for
over a year, sleeping in an actual bed would be a luxury beyond imagining.

He walked over to the windows, drawing back the heavy drapes to look out over the winter

landscape. Night had come while they’d argued with the angels who’d come to be part of the new
Council. He sighed. He never wanted to confront that many hidebound oldsters in one room again as
long as he lived. Some of them even refused to believe in demons at all. He couldn’t understand their
willful ignorance, especially after Gabriel had nearly died from the fight to depose the demon
inhabiting their old leader, Samael, who had been at the heart of the People’s decline in recent years.

He shook his head and tried to let his anger go. God, he was tired. Unbidden, the sweet, heart-

shaped face of the Alpha’s sister came into his mind. She was beautiful. Her long brown hair slid like
water over her shoulders and her eyes were the blue of summer skies. Even more impressive was her
keen intelligence. When Raphael had said she’d been the one to organize the Council on Gabriel’s
behalf, he’d thought his younger brother had been exaggerating. When the oldsters had filed in, he’d
quickly realized that Raphael had, if anything, understated the matter. Ariel had managed to get all the
candidates seated and quiet, and then had run the meeting for the next several hours, giving her brother
time and space to make the final decisions. She was perfect as the Alpha’s second-in-command. Ariel

was strong, beautiful, and intelligent.

He wanted her for his own.
Suriel’s mother had been right. He’d finally found a mate, except he could never let her know

how he felt. The last person on Earth he would subject to his wild power was the one he most wanted
to protect. Ariel could never know of his desire for her.

He growled under his breath, pacing enough to send up little puffs of dust from the floor. The

frustration ate at him. He’d finally met an angel who matched him, mind, body, and soul, and he
couldn’t touch her. Couldn’t claim her. He started stripping his shirt off, suddenly desperate to get out
of the castle, into the skies where freedom was more than a word. He needed to fly. Needed the space
for his heart to accept what it could not have.

He shoved open the window, pushing on the casement until it opened with a harsh creak. It was

old, but still in good shape, not that he cared at the moment. He looked down. The circle below the
castle was covered with snow sparkling beneath the gibbous moon. The dreary skies he’d flown
through to arrive at Castle Archangel earlier had given way to crystal clear views. Further away, the
ridges and valleys of the Appalachian mountain range stretched across the landscape. He stepped up
onto the window ledge and jumped, shifting his wings into being as he fell.

As soon as they unfurled, the wind caught him and he swooped up into the heavens. He

stretched his arms out, fingers splayed as he soared over the frozen wilderness. He wasn’t heading
anywhere in particular. Instead, he let the winds talk to him. Energy slid down his skin, dancing along
his bones as he flew. He closed his eyes and let the currents take him where they wanted. When he
glanced down a moment later, he sucked in a sharp breath. There was nothing beneath him. Nothing
above him. As had happened only a scant handful of times in his life, he was in a vision of what might
happen. He swallowed, hard, and let the universe speak to him.

Images flashed across his eyes, too fast to understand. When they slowed, he gasped as Ariel’s

face floated up through the mist. She was crying, mottled wings closed around her body protectively.
Something was wrong with her. The vision pushed her down into the dark and he groaned as blood
filled his gaze. When the images cleared, he saw her on the ground, unconscious, a grievous wound in
her abdomen. Her wings lay like broken sticks around her as her blood seeped into the hard stone of a
cavern.

“No!” he yelled, wrenching his face to the side, refusing to accept the vision, but the image

followed him. She looked like death, so pale and still and beautiful. Suriel couldn’t control his
breathing. He couldn’t control anything at all. He hung in the fog of his power gone rogue, praying for
an end to the terrible possibilities. When the energy finally released him, he shuddered in relief,
barely catching himself before plummeting to the ground. The image faded and he saw that he was
gliding across a ridgeline near Seneca Lake. He pivoted in the air, letting the magic take him higher.
When he was so far above the Earth that he couldn’t breathe, he let himself fall.

Air rushed past him. His face felt like a mask, frozen and angry. He had to make sure that what

he saw didn’t happen. Somehow. He opened his wings at the last moment and caught the air just in
time to avoid splattering himself on the snow. Then, silently, he opened his mind and let the winds fill
him. Power trickled along his fingertips and wings, and he warmed it, forming a powerful line of
warm air that he cast out over the winter landscape. Fog rolled over him as the heated air met the
snowy ground, and Suriel let himself lightly float down. The mist wrapped him in its arms, and only
then, when he was certain he was alone, did he let himself cry.

Chapter Three

Ariel pried her eyes open, groaning as her body informed her that she hadn’t gotten enough

sleep. It didn’t matter. Her alarm blared at her from the nightstand and she had to get up. She needed
to fly long before anyone else woke up so no one saw her wings. She shoved the covers down,
shivering as the cold air of the chamber hit her skin. She almost wanted to skip it today, except she’d
learned her lesson with that a long time ago. If an angel spent too much time in human form, the urge
to change became an itch, then eventually a compulsion.

She smiled to herself as she thought about the lesson they all learned eventually, usually the

hard way. She’d put it off when she was a teenager once, not shifting for about a month. When her
wings had finally demanded her attention, it had happened in the middle of a family dinner. Her
mother, father, and brother had all ended up with a lot of chicken soup in their hair. Ariel had ended
up with her favorite sweater in shreds. Not a lesson I feel like repeating.

She used the bathroom and changed into a halter and a pair of leggings and tall boots. When she

opened the window facing the circle, a blast of pre-dawn cold air made her shiver. Outside, early
morning stars glittered like diamonds in the clear sky. Her fingers tingled, and she glanced down at
her legacy marks, frowning when she realized that more of them had changed to blue. Prickles like
static electricity ran up and down her skin and she rubbed her arms to dispel the sensation. She’d
started to wonder if maybe she had some kind of nerve damage happening, except she didn’t seem to
be losing any muscle tone. In fact, when she flew, she had more energy than ever, almost like the wind
spoke to her.

Which is crazy, she told herself, squaring her shoulders. Only a sorcerer can use the energy of

the winds to boost power. And the People already have a sorcerer. She shook her head, putting her
worries aside. From the look of the light just beginning to color the horizon, she didn’t have much
time for flying. She’d have to hurry if she wanted to get a good workout.

She shifted quickly, then stepped up onto the window ledge and leaped. From the corner of her

eye, the mottled blue and brown of her wings flashed darkly and she winced. She hoped no one saw
her fly off.

****
Suriel woke up just before dawn, feeling restless and tired. He’d flown back late last night after

his vision and collapsed into bed. After flying down to the castle from his home in Maine, spending
hours with the council, and then going for a flight that had turned into a life-altering vision, he’d been
exhausted. He thought he’d sleep until the sun was up at least.

“This is because you’re thinking about Ariel,” he murmured to himself. He closed his eyes and

tried to go back to sleep, but something deep inside kept him from resting. Finally, he gave up and
padded to the windows that faced east. Something called to him. He pushed back the drapes and
stared out into the darkness for a long time. When a bright flash sparked in the corner of his eye, he
turned to look, sucking in a sharp breath when he saw a delicate angel leap from the building.

That’s Ariel, his subconscious told him before his waking mind had a chance to recognize what

his eyes were seeing. She was gorgeous, but there was something odd about her wings…

“My God,” he breathed, hands going to the windowsill. Her wings were silver-tipped, like his,

and mottled. Most of the People’s wings were brown. He’d never seen anyone with wings that were
streaked the way hers were. “But she’s clearly not injured,” he said to himself, staring as she flew up

into the sky. When her form blurred into nothing, he forced himself to close the window and step
back.

Why were her wings half-brown, half-something else? He hoped she wasn’t ill. His gut told

him she wasn’t. His body told him it didn’t matter. He still wanted her.

****
“God, I don’t ever want to go through that again,” Raphael was saying when Ariel walked into

the kitchen. She’d changed into a pair of dark corduroys and a soft, pink sweater. After her flight this
morning, she couldn’t seem to get warm and so she bundled up in her favorite warm clothes. She’d
spent most of the day in her room, resting. It hadn’t helped. Her wings were even bluer now, the
brown fading away like mud settling to the bottom of a pond. It was strange and disturbing. She was
doing her best not to think about it.

“What don’t you ever want to go through again?” she asked as she pushed her worry aside. She

grabbed a banana muffin from the plate in the middle of the table and smiled her thanks at their
housekeeper, a sweet older human lady who’d worked at the castle for years.

“A council meeting like the one we had last night.” Raphael shook his head. “I did not expect

Isda and Jophiel to start yelling at each other like that.”

Ariel laughed. “Sorry. But I have a feeling that a lot of our meetings are going to be like that.”
“Dear God, what have I got myself into?” he said, only half-joking. He slumped in his chair and

picked at his muffin despondently.

“At least we had your brother to tip the majority vote in our favor,” Gabriel said, smiling.
Raphael shot him a disgusted look. “If you think Suriel is always going to agree with us, you’re

crazy.”

Ariel tore a piece from her muffin and ate it slowly. Just thinking about Suriel made something

inside her chest tighten up. He was intelligent. Powerful. Incredibly handsome. She liked him, a lot,
but he was also very secretive. He didn’t volunteer a lot of information about himself, not during the
meeting, and not after. She wasn’t sure what to make of him.

“Are you saying that I’m argumentative, Raphael?” Suriel said, walking into the kitchen. He

was wearing black jeans and a soft grey sweater that hugged his chest. Ariel stared. Where had he
come from? Had he been listening to them the entire time?

“Of course I am,” Raphael said.
Suriel sighed, cuffing his brother on the head as he walked past. “I’m not difficult to get along

with.”

“Yeah, as long as everyone agrees with you,” Raphael shot back. Gabriel coughed into his

hand, eyes twinkling as he watched the brothers bicker.

Ariel picked at her muffin until it fell apart. Her spine felt like someone had shoved a fork in it.

Everyone was joking around. Couldn’t they feel Suriel’s power? The moment he walked in she could
sense it: wild and strong. He was like a dark wind barely contained. She shivered and gripped the
table. When a frisson of energy ran down her arm, she snatched it back. What was happening to her?
She folded her arms across her chest.

“Are you cold?” Gabriel asked, catching her movement.
She shrugged, not wanting to try and explain the jumble of emotions that tugged at her. “I’m

fine.”

Her brother’s eyes dropped to her plate. “You should eat, not just smash your food into

smithereens.”

She rolled her eyes and popped a crumb into her mouth. “I’m fine,” she reiterated after she

swallowed. Truth was, she was grateful he’d distracted her. This unnatural fascination with
Raphael’s brother was unhealthy. They barely knew each other. She shivered again and frowned,
confused. Her hands felt like ice and she could feel cold seeping into her bones. She stood up
abruptly, glancing around the kitchen. Nothing was wrong, except everyone was staring at her. Her
skin crawled with the need to get away.

“Ariel? Are you all right?” Suriel asked, his deep voice soft.
She looked at him. His grey eyes matched his sweater. “Something’s wrong,” she said.
He tilted his head, for some reason taking her seriously. “What do you feel?”
“Cold. Uneasy.” She shrugged. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
Gabriel stood up. “Maybe you need to get some rest. I know you haven’t been sleeping well.”
She shook her head, more certain than ever that what she was feeling came from outside of

herself. “No. I relaxed all day, today, Gabriel.” She began to walk around the room, running her
fingers along the cabinets. Suriel fell into step with her. She glanced at him, about to ask him for some
space, when a bolt of mind-choking cold shot through her. She staggered, nearly falling. Suriel caught
her, sucking in a breath as the miasma jumped from her and into him. She stared up at his face as the
cold seeped out of her and into his body. She knew the exact moment when he figured out what it was.

“Demons,” he said, anger running through the word.
Ariel bit her lip, hard, as another wave of evil came and went. “What the hell is that?”
“Demons,” Suriel said, more harshly. He looked up at her brother. “There’s a portal opening

somewhere.”

Gabriel looked at Suriel’s hands on her arms, then into Ariel’s face. “That’s impossible.” He

had his hands clenched into fists and she knew he didn’t want to believe that demons could be coming
back into the world so suddenly after he’d battled Samael into death.

“Why am I feeling it?” Ariel asked, teeth clenched so they wouldn’t chatter. She leaned away

from Suriel. His touch unsettled her, more than even the wave of darkness.

Suriel let her go slowly. “I think maybe the demon is female.”
She stared at him. He had his lips pressed together. “You must be joking,” she said, pushing her

hands against the counter as if that would somehow counteract the sensation of deep chill. Thankfully,
no more bolts shoved through her body. She didn’t like that, at all.

“Ariel, can you tell where?” Raphael asked her, moving closer. He reached out to touch her

hand, but she shied away.

“No. Don’t,” she murmured, not wanting him to feel this. The Omega of their People should not

feel this wickedness. He was a healer. A pure soul. She didn’t want him to know what this felt like.
She shivered again, more violently this time.

“It’s all right, Ariel,” Raphael said softly, deliberately reaching out. He hovered his hand right

above hers.

She snatched her arm away. “No.” She bumped into Suriel and he grabbed her upper arms.
“Let her be, Raphael,” he said, not letting go.
He didn’t seem to be feeling any ill effects from the miasma, even as it surged through them

again. His hands were warm. Ariel took a deep breath and didn’t shove him away. “We have to go
outside.” It was the last thing she wanted to do, but that’s where the cold was coming from. She
wasn’t sure how she knew, but she was certain.

God, please help me, she prayed, knowing that they’d all see her screwed-up wings now.

Demons are much more important than your personal crisis, she told herself, shuddering.

Suriel nodded like he’d expected her to say that and let go. Ariel rubbed where he’d held her.

The cold came again, making her tense up. She looked at the wall, northward, as if she could see
through the sleek wood cabinets. Everyone would see what she’d been hiding for the past few weeks.

“We should go, quickly,” Suriel said, walking to the French doors that led to the courtyard

behind the kitchen.

Raphael and Gabriel followed him. Ariel stood by the table, staring down at the broken muffin

she’d left on her plate.

“Are you coming?” Gabriel asked, pausing at the door.
She took a deep breath and nodded, joining him. He held the door for her and she walked out,

immediately colder as the winter wind swept over the stones. A few steps closer to the stone railing,
Raphael and Suriel had already removed their shirts in preparation for flying. She reluctantly shed her
sweater, grateful she’d worn a halter underneath. She’d intended on flying later that evening, when no
one could catch sight of her mottled wings, but now she’d have to let her brother and Raphael and
Suriel see her. She didn’t want to do this.

“You don’t have to show us where you’re sensing the demon, Ariel,” Gabriel said, moving

closer. “Just explain where it’s coming from. It’s not your responsibility to root this out. It’s mine.”

She squared her shoulders. “I can still feel it, but I couldn’t explain how or where. All I know

is that it feels northerly.”

His face tightened. “You’re my sister. I know something’s bothering you. Something more than

demons. You truly don’t have to come.”

She looked at him. He’d left his shirt in the house and had already shifted into the ebon wings

that marked the Alpha of the People, their true leader. “I’m your sister, yes, but it’s everyone’s
responsibility to keep demons from gaining a foothold on Earth. I’m needed.”

He drew her into a hug. She stiffened, not sure she wanted his sympathy. He kissed her head

and it was just like they were children again with him protecting her from the shadows that hid under
the bed. Except these shadows are real, she thought as his wings closed around her comfortingly.

“I’m Alpha. It’s my responsibility to keep you safe,” he murmured. “And you’re my little sister.

I love you.”

Her eyes pricked as she reluctantly pulled away. Suriel was watching them and she felt the

weight of his eyes even more acutely now that they were outside. He seemed more comfortable out
here, as if he were a piece of the dark made into flesh. His muscles rippled as he flexed his wings,
catching her eyes. She had to force herself not to stare. Instead, she hugged her brother tightly,
dismissing the mystery that was Suriel from her mind, at least for the moment.

“I love you too. Now let’s get on with this,” she said, stepping back and initiating the shift. She

let go of her control and let her wings push into the night air. She knew the exact moment when her
brother realized something wasn’t right with her wings.

“Ariel, what the hell?” he exclaimed, striding forward. When he touched a feather, she flinched.
“Don’t,” she said, pushing away. “Don’t touch them.” They were acutely sensitive these days.

She could feel not just the wind, but the potential energy of the atmosphere. She didn’t understand it.

“You should not touch her, not now,” Suriel said quietly, moving closer.
Ariel frowned at him. He was staring at her wings, an indecipherable look on his face.
“She looks like you did, years ago,” Raphael said, surprised. His snowy white wings fluttered

in the breeze.

Suriel glared at his brother. “Shut up.”
Raphael’s eyebrows went up and he glanced at Ariel. Suriel stepped between them, as if to

shield her from the Omega, which made no sense. For a heartbeat she thought Raphael would defy his

brother, but then he nodded, face closing down.

What the hell? Ariel thought, wanting to know what he’d been about to say.
“Don’t speak to him that way,” Gabriel growled, shifting his weight forward. Raphael held him

back.

“It’s fine, Gabriel. No big deal.”
Gabriel’s face went darker and Ariel’s gut tightened. Her brother was under a lot of stress and

none of this was helping.

Suriel spared him a quick glance. “Now isn’t the time, Alpha.”
Ariel felt like smacking him. Arrogant ass. He shouldn’t speak to her brother that way, so

dismissively. He shouldn’t speak to his brother that way. He should tell her what he knew about her
wings. And most of all, he should stop being so damn mysterious and gorgeous and perfect— She cut
off that train of thought just as another bolt of cold hit her bones. Enough of this, she thought
launching into the air. We don’t have time to figure out my affliction, no matter how much I want to.
She pulled out her silver knife from the sheath at her ankle and flew straight and true into the night,
naked blade gleaming in her hands.

Suriel cursed below her.
“It’s this way,” she called, still rising. She taunted him to hide her fear. Gabriel glared at her

even as he leaped, Raphael following. They had to scramble to catch up. Suriel was last. She didn’t
particularly care. She was going to face demons and if she lived through it, she’d yell at all of them
afterward for being so stupid.

****
Suriel followed the three of them, muttering under his breath. Why had he thought he could

avoid Ariel? Every look, every movement she made, every word spoken, only served to draw him
closer. He couldn’t avoid her, not now that he was on the Council. He wasn’t sure he wanted to avoid
her, even though he should. He watched her fly, amazed by her speed and grace. The color of her
wings teased him, made him think that she might be his one true mate, but then he remembered how
badly his power could harm those he loved. When he realized that she hadn’t told her brother or
Raphael about her wings, he knew that none of them truly understood what it meant, including her.
Only he knew how the power of the winds could do harm just as easily as it could help. The power of
sorcery was dangerous.

She flew ahead, bright and beautiful, even in the darkness. He drew in a breath, trying to

control his attraction. He could feel the wind’s energy flowing around her, sifting back to him and
curling inside his wings in a way that had nothing to do with power and everything to do with how
badly he wanted to taste her lips beneath his. God, give me strength, he prayed. Now was not the
time. Never would be too soon. He was not stable and the last thing he wanted to do was drag her
down with him when he fell, as he inevitably would.

“It’s somewhere in the caves near the east ridge,” Ariel said, hovering skillfully. She stared at

a dark blot on the side of the mountain, face intent. Her small fist gripped her knife like a talisman. He
could almost see her tasting the cold that emanated from the portal.

“If there is a portal there, we must be cautious,” he said.
Gabriel gave him a hard look, then nodded. “Agreed.” His ebon wings beat slowly, keeping

him aloft. Raphael hovered near his mate, the white of his wings a beacon in the night.

Suriel frowned. “Raphael, you should not come in with us.” He did not want his brother

injured.

Raphael glared at him. “Are you crazy?”

Suriel shook his head. “You’re too bright.” Raphael glared harder and he tried to explain.

“Literally. You’re too visible. If there is a demon in there, she will go first after you. You’re like a
shining star.”

Raphael opened his mouth to protest, but then Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder. He closed his

mouth with a snap. Suriel flew closer to Ariel so his brother wouldn’t see his relief. Ariel looked at
him consideringly.

“You won’t get me to stay behind,” she said, tapping a finger on her lips.
Suriel’s eyes went straight to her mouth. Mother of God… At least she’d put her blade away.

Her ferocity only made him want her more. He gathered the tattered remnants of his control even as
his cock strained against his jeans. “I wish you would.”

She snorted. “My wings are not white.”
His eyes trailed down her primaries. She was so beautiful and she had no idea. “No, they are

not,” he said, wanting to grab her and lock her away so she would be safe. Impossible.

She looked away, down into the evil hole. “We need to hurry.”
Suriel sensed her discomfort with herself. “Your wings are not damaged,” he offered.
She whipped her head around. “No?” She flicked a finger at one. “What are they then? I am

diseased.”

“Can’t you feel the energy?” he murmured. He touched a fingertip to her hair. It was soft, like

silk.

She jerked away. “Don’t touch me.”
He hovered closer, syncing his wing beats to hers. “You didn’t mind me grabbing you earlier.”
“I did. I just didn’t want to make a stink out of it,” she retorted. “I didn’t want you to feel the

cold from the portal.” She shrugged, suddenly vulnerable. “I have no idea why I could feel it and no
one else can.”

He reached out and grasped her chin lightly. “I can feel it.”
She stared at him, blue eyes black in the dark. “You said it was female. How can you feel it?”

She didn’t move away.

Cold flowed from her into him. Suriel took power from his bones and used it to ground the

miasma that connected Ariel to the portal. “When you touched me, my power recognized it. I could
sense it because you translated it for me.”

She frowned and pulled away. “That makes no sense.”
He shrugged, letting his hand fall. “It is what it is.”
“I don’t even know why I’m sensing these things,” she muttered, turning once again to the hole

below them.

Suriel didn’t have the heart to explain. “We can’t stay here much longer.” He glanced at the

horizon. “The darker it gets, the more power the demon gains. We must go down.”

“This is insane,” she said quietly, staring at the mountain.
Before Suriel could respond, she shook her head and flew over to her brother, interrupting the

furious argument he was having with his mate. “Gabriel, we can’t wait any longer,” she said, loud
enough for Suriel to hear.

He glanced down involuntarily, hoping no one saw them up here, hanging in the sky like perfect

targets.

Gabriel looked at her, then cupped his mate’s face in his hands. “Raphael, please.”
Suriel bit back the words clawing at his throat. His brother would obey his Alpha. He had no

right to interfere in their relationship. His brother was an adult and he had to remember to treat him

like one. When Raphael finally nodded, Suriel sighed. This was going to be enough of a disaster
without their only healer getting caught in the crossfire. Thank you God, he said into the silence of his
mind.

“Raphael, you should hide,” Ariel said, pointing to a cluster of trees down the ridgeline.
Raphael nodded. “Good luck. I’ll be waiting.” He kissed Gabriel and shot Suriel a look. “Do

not let them die.”

Suriel put his fist over his heart. “My life before theirs,” he said quietly, knowing his brother

would read the words on his lips. Raphael nodded and shot down, disappearing behind the trees.

Ariel drew her hands together for a moment, lips moving silently. When she finished her prayer,

she looked at her brother. “You ready?”

Gabriel nodded, his face closed down tightly. Only his eyes gave away his agitation. “Let’s do

this.”

Chapter Four

Ariel folded her wings and dove for the hole in the mountain. She prayed that she was

imagining things. She prayed that no one would get hurt. Most of all, she prayed that her brother
would forgive her for what she was about to do.

He’s the Alpha. He must survive, she told herself again. He was more important than her. Their

People needed him. She was expendable. She landed lightly on the thin ledge just outside the
darkened hole. The cold was stronger now, enough to make her shudder. She didn’t want to go in
there, but she had no choice. Suriel landed next to her.

“Let me go first,” he murmured, easing past.
She had no time to argue. He shifted back to human and began sliding down the dark passage.

She sighed and shifted too, then followed him. Gabriel brought up the rear, a short blade in his hands.
She nodded and took hers from the sheath at her ankle, careful to keep the edge away from Suriel.

“Are you certain this is the right place?” Gabriel whispered to her.
She nodded. “Yes. I can feel it.” She shivered as she trailed fingers along the cold cave wall.

Wickedness seeped up through the stones like water from a spring. “It’s just ahead. I think.”

Suriel stopped, hands outstretched. Ariel strained to see past him, but the dark was absolute.

“Where is it?” she asked harshly, heart pounding in the silence. “Do you see the portal?”

“God help us,” Suriel murmured, and then a flash of crimson bathed the three of them.
Ariel cried out as a searing pain hit her between her breasts, but she had her blade up. She

would meet this evil fighting. Scales moved past her, too fast to see properly and she slashed
outward, sinking the sharp metal into hide. The creature squealed, a sound so desperate that Ariel
clapped her hands over her ears, losing her grip on her knife. Suriel pushed her back against the cool
stone of the cave and raised his arms. Light danced along his skin, silver-white, like stars on the tips
of his fingers. He threw pieces of energy at the demon, but it didn’t seem to do any good.

“Ariel!” Gabriel yelled, slashing at the demon with his blade.
“I’m okay,” she said, weakly, staring at Suriel. The energy in her body rose and she tried to do

what he did, but she couldn’t. She was too weak. He’d shifted again and his wings brushed along her
body like static electricity. It felt good. Almost too good. The energy welled up within her again, even
stronger now. Instinctively, she slipped her hands around Suriel’s waist. He gasped, hissing when
Ariel’s power slammed into him. She didn’t let go. The energy had glued her hands to his waist.

“God, Ariel,” he muttered, but he didn’t lower his hands. He took the energy and shoved it at

the demon. Sparks danced along the black scales, like fireworks over darkened water. Gabriel
slashed again and again, seemingly inexhaustible.

“We need water,” Suriel said, oddly.
Ariel had no idea what he was talking about.
“There’s a spring, just behind us,” Gabriel said, backing up.
The demon hissed and for the first time, Ariel could see its face. A serpent’s tongue, glowing

with heat and ash slipped out from a face so wrong, she couldn’t believe the creature was even alive,
let alone functional. Just as suddenly as she saw it, the demon twisted and disappeared. Ariel looked
around frantically. Where did it go?

“Come on,” Suriel said, grabbing her arm. She stumbled, but he caught her. Her wings dragged

against the cave walls. It hurt.

When did my wings come out? she wondered, half-dazed. Everything was blurry.
“Come on,” Suriel urged, dragging her faster.
Ariel curled her fingers into the waistband of his jeans and hung on. When he stopped abruptly,

she lurched into him. He caught her, cradling her against his bare chest. His heart thundered against
her cheek.

“What’s wrong with her?” Gabriel asked.
Ariel couldn’t even focus on her brother’s face.
“Blood loss,” Suriel said in a clipped voice.
Blood loss? Ariel looked down. Just along her ribs was a cut, oozing blood and other things.

She swayed. When had that happened?

“Dear God,” Gabriel said, shoving closer.
Suriel blocked him. “The demon’s coming. If we live, we’ll take care of her.”
Ariel curled her fingers into fists, still hanging onto him. The strange energy roiled through her,

strong even through her daze. “Put me behind you,” she said thickly. Why didn’t the cut hurt?

“Here,” Suriel said, propping her against the wall. She almost fell, but then Suriel put her hands

on his ass. She fought the urge to giggle hysterically and hunted for the waistband of his pants. Now is
definitely not the time to grope his gorgeous backside, she told herself fuzzily. When she found his
pants, she grabbed on again, dimly hoping she didn’t pull them off. The last thing he needed was for
his junk to be swinging in the air in front of a demon. This time the urge to laugh was too much and a
gurgle slipped through her lips.

Suriel shot her a worried look.
She shook her head at him. “I’m fine. Fine.” Just beyond him, something moved in the dark.

“Behind you!”

He whirled around. Gabriel was already battling the thing, with just his small knife.
“We need a sword,” she muttered, feeding Suriel more energy. He slashed at the demon with

the energy, but it didn’t seem to help. “A sword,” she said louder.

Suriel didn’t pause, so Ariel began to form the shape of it in her mind. When she was sure she

had all the details done properly, she dragged Suriel back and pulled energy from him, using it and
hers to form a blade out of nothing. White light coalesced in front of them. Suriel sucked in a harsh
breath, face shocked. The silver energy flashed so bright she couldn’t look at it. Suriel grunted, then
shoved his hand into the energy, closing his fist around it.

“Whatever you’re doing, hurry up!” Gabriel yelled.
Ariel slid down the cave wall, energy dancing around her body. Suriel had the sword in his

hands. It was silver. The metal gleamed so pure it looked like water. He stared at her, face shocked,
then whirled around and tossed the sword at Gabriel. Her brother caught it one-handed, then
deliberately stepped into the small pool of water just behind him. The sword flared like a tongue of
silver fire.

The demon, lit now with the light of Ariel and Suriel’s power, surged forward. Gabriel yelled

and slashed with the sword. It sliced through the demon’s thick neck, scales shearing to pieces like
glass. Blood fountained up, lava-hot. Gabriel leaped back even as he slashed again. A black horn fell
to the cave floor. The demon pushed forward and Gabriel shoved the sword deep into its heart. Suriel
raised his arms, touching the water on the walls. The sword flared as electricity danced from his
hands to Gabriel’s. The demon shrieked. Gabriel grunted, twisting the blade as energy poured through
him into the creature. He let go, staggering back, and the sword flared again, sizzling.

Ariel clasped her hands over her injury as she struggled to see what was happening. She tried

to send more energy to her brother, but it sputtered and she realized the sword had vanished. Her
body was too weak to sustain it and Suriel couldn’t do it alone. She sighed, fingers sticky as they slid
across her waist. Her blood didn’t feel hot anymore. This is not how I imagined I’d die, she thought
sluggishly. As the demon gave a last, low moan, her head fell to the side and darkness closed over her
like a blanket.

****
Suriel dropped down beside Ariel. “God, please let her be alive. Please,” he begged, sliding a

hand under her neck. A slow, thin pulse steadied him. She lay broken and bleeding, just like in his
vision. Just as he’d foreseen. Guilt stabbed him in the gut. Even as he tried to keep away from her, his
power drew her into danger. He began to try and feed her energy, but every time he pushed a spark
into her body it fizzled out. He tried again and again, bowing over her small frame. “God, no.”
Behind him, light flared as the demon finally died. Anger rose in him. Ariel should not have to die for
one useless demon. Her life was worth so much more.

Gabriel rushed to his sister’s side, falling to his knees on the stone floor. “Is she alive?”
“Barely,” Suriel replied, still trying to feed her energy. “I’m trying to give her energy, but it’s

not working.” His voice was bleeding toward panic. “I thought we could share since we made the
sword together—” He tried yet again, only to watch in despair as his energy sparks fizzled out on the
cold floor of the cavern.

“Jesus.” Gabriel reached out a shaking hand. He smoothed a stray hair from Ariel’s face.

“Raphael. We need Raphael.” He raised his head and looked toward the cave’s entrance. “Raphael!”
he yelled.

Suriel stared at his brother’s mate. “You think he can heal her?”
“I don’t know,” Gabriel bit out, trying to put pressure on Ariel’s wound. They didn’t have

anything to press against the bleeding. “God, I hope so. Hang on, sis.”

“Gabriel?” Raphael appeared in the entrance. Behind him, the moon highlighted his white

wings. He looked like a guardian angel from the old tales.

Suriel never thought he’d want to pray to his little brother, but right now, if it helped save

Ariel, he would do it. “Help her,” he said, voice cracking. How could one small female mean so
much to him, so suddenly? You know how, a voice in his mind told him.

Raphael hurried forward, dropping to his knees. “Oh no. No.” His face twisted as he put his

hands over her ribs. “Not Ariel.”

“The demon sliced her deeply. I don’t know how,” Suriel explained uselessly. He cradled her

head, not wanting her to have to lie on the chilly floor. “I tried sharing my energy.”

Raphael didn’t even spare him a look. “That wouldn’t work unless you were mated,” he said,

closing his eyes. His skin began to glow.

Suriel bit his lip, hard, wanting to yell at his brother to hurry up. “Please just help her.”
Raphael ignored him. Suriel looked down at Ariel. Her wings were spread out beneath her,

more blue than brown now. She was very pale, but still breathtaking, even this close to death. “God,
please don’t let her die,” he murmured. When he looked up, he realized that Gabriel was watching
him.

“Raphael will do everything he can.”
Suriel nodded jerkily. “I know.”
Gabriel put a hand on Suriel’s forearm, squeezing. “She’ll live.”
“You don’t know that.” Suriel bowed lower, fingers gentle against Ariel’s forehead. She felt so

cold.

“I do know,” Gabriel replied.
Suriel looked up. Gabriel’s eyes shone with an inner light, pure and confident. He had a streak

of black gore on his chest, but his face was calm. Suriel let himself relax minutely. Surely Ariel’s
brother wouldn’t be so calm if he wasn’t certain. And no angel looked like that unless God was close.
“I’m trusting you.”

Gabriel nodded and looked down. Raphael’s hands glowed with light. When he sighed and sat

back, Ariel’s torso was whole once more. More startlingly, her wings were a midnight blue with
silver tips, the match to his own. Suriel didn’t know what to make of that.

“Is she breathing?” Gabriel asked, voice hushed.
Raphael glanced at him, then put his hand over her heart. Ariel’s spine bowed as if she’d been

zapped with a current, and she gasped, then coughed as she tried to breathe again. Raphael lifted his
hand away and she settled down, chest rising and falling steadily.

Suriel held her head, so grateful he didn’t know what to do with himself. When he got himself

under control, he looked up. Gabriel was holding Raphael. The younger angel was clearly exhausted.
A spark of fear shot through Suriel. “Are you okay?” he asked his brother.

Raphael nodded. “Just tired. And Ariel will be okay, but she lost a lot of blood. She’ll need

plenty of rest while her body strengthens.”

Gabriel sighed, holding Raphael tighter. “I’m so grateful we’re alive.”
Suriel knew how he felt. “I’ll carry Ariel home.”
Gabriel nodded and stood up, half-carrying Raphael.
Suriel smiled at the sheepish look on his brother’s face.
“I think you’re going to have to help me,” Raphael said, swaying.
Gabriel smiled. “Always.”
“Before we leave, I need to check the cave,” Suriel said. He gently laid Ariel’s head on the

floor. “Can you stay with her?”

Raphael nodded. “Sure.”
Gabriel helped him sit next to her. “I’ll go with Suriel.”
Suriel stood up and walked slowly down into the dark. Halfway to the point where they’d met

the demon, Gabriel stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“What are your intentions toward my sister?” he asked.
Suriel went still. He wished he could tell Gabriel that he wanted her for his mate, to be by his

side for always, but the power he held was still dangerous. He’d rather be alone than see her hurt. “I
have no intentions toward her,” he finally said.

Gabriel laughed. “Sure.” He started walking again, but Suriel stopped him.
“You don’t understand.” He took a deep breath and decided to tell Gabriel what he hadn’t told

another living soul. “My power, it’s unstable. Everyone knows that. But what I haven’t told my
brother is that it’s going to kill me, very soon.” One vision of Ariel dying had already come true. God
only knew what else could happen to her. “I don’t want to take anyone down with me, especially not
your sister.”

Gabriel looked at him, eyes glittering in the dark. “Ariel is her own person. And she deserves a

mate with the power to meet her on equal terms. Her life is hers to do with as she chooses. Did it
ever occur to you that she might choose you?” With those extraordinary words, he shoved past Suriel
and strode into the deep.

Suriel followed more slowly, stunned and confused. Was Gabriel right? Why ever did he think

he could control another living being’s free will? No, that didn’t make sense. He had never stopped

Ariel from doing anything. He shook his head and put any further questions aside for later. Now was
not the time to question his inner self. Not when there was more work to do.

Chapter Five

Ariel woke up to silence. She was in her room. Morning sunlight streamed across her covers,

lighting the deep blue coverlet with gold. She wasn’t alone.

“How are you feeling?” Suriel said from the chair next to her bed.
She looked over. Everything felt strangely heavy. “Tired. Really tired.”
He leaned close and put a warm hand on her forehead. “You lost a lot of blood.”
She remembered. The demon and the dark cave and the horrible feeling of warm blood slipping

between her fingers. She lifted the blanket. There were no bandages beneath her tank top. “What
happened?”

“Raphael healed you.” Suriel lifted a mug from a tray set on her nightstand. “Do you think you

could drink some broth?”

She shook her head. “What about the demon?” She smoothed the covers over her. Her hand

trembled.

His face tightened. “Dead. Your brother and I found a broken portal at the end of the cavern.

The demon destroyed it as she came through.”

Ariel shivered. “God.” She could hardly believe she’d lived. “Raphael saved me.”
“He did.” Suriel set the mug back down. “Let me help you sit up a little so you don’t spill soup

all over.”

She grimaced as he shoved more pillows against her headboard, then helped her sit up. “I don’t

like feeling this way.”

“You’ll feel better if you eat,” he replied, picking up the mug again.
She held out her hand for it. When she got a glimpse of the marks on her arms, she sucked in a

harsh breath and pulled back. She ran a finger over her forearm, distorting the feathered lines. They
were completely blue, tipped with silver here and there. She stared at her skin. “Oh my God.”

“They’re beautiful,” Suriel said quietly
Her eyes shot to his face. He wasn’t smiling. “You saw them?”
“Your wings are midnight blue. Tipped with silver. They’re beautiful.” His voice was husky,

as though he was holding things he’d rather not say behind the words.

“How did I get back here?”
He looked down at her hands. “I carried you.”
She stared at him, not knowing what to say. He’d carried her? The whole way? Why?
“Here. Drink some soup. You’ll feel better.” He handed her the mug.
She took it and tentatively sipped the broth. “It’s good.” She drank some more, suddenly

ravenous.

“I brought up some biscuits, too.” He held out a plate.
She drained the mug and they exchanged tableware. As she nibbled on the flaky roll, she

wondered why he was the one sitting by her bedside.

“Gabriel and Raphael stayed part of the night. Your mom came up to the castle and sat with

you. She helped clean you up and get you changed.” He smiled, then, a grin lighting his solemn face
into mischief. “I got morning shift.”

She blinked. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
“You kept giving me the evil eye,” he said, making an exaggerated suspicious expression at her.

His light grey eyes twinkled.

She chuckled. He was acting so unlike the man she’d met a few days ago. She’d thought he was

so mysterious, and here he was making her laugh like they’d known each other forever. “I hope I don’t
look that creepy.”

He grinned. “You don’t.”
She sighed and finished her biscuit. “I feel better.”
“You look better. Not so corpse-like.” He took her empty plate and handed her a glass of water.
She snorted. “I know I’m pale, but I’m not that bad.” She sipped her drink, relishing the cool

moisture as it slid down her throat.

Suriel’s smile fell away. “You weren’t breathing.” He stood up and strode to her window. “I

hate that I led you in there.”

She frowned. “I’m alive. It’s not your fault. I go where I want, where I think I need to be.”
He turned around and leaned back against the sill. The sunlight highlighted his dark hair and

threw his body into silhouette. It didn’t lessen his masculine appeal one iota. Ariel’s eyes trailed
down his body: black sweater pushed to his elbows, blue jeans, sock-clad feet. His legacy marks
stood out on his skin like a map she desperately wanted to follow.

“Your brother said the same thing to me,” he said, folding his arms.
She shrugged and took another sip of her water. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
He sighed.
She smiled to herself. She loved irritating men who ought to know better than to assume they

could tell her what to do. And since this particular angel was both easy on the eyes and easy to
needle, it was a win-win situation, as far as she was concerned.

“I just want you to stay safe.”
She shrugged again. “I know.”
His eyebrows lifted. She ignored him and leaned back against the pillows.
****
Over the next couple of weeks, they had the same conversation over and over. Suriel would

warn her to stay safe and she would roll her eyes at him. She wasn’t sure why he felt it necessary to
tell her that the world wasn’t safe—it wasn’t like she hadn’t figured that out a long time ago. Her
father had died. Her brother had to fight to become leader of the People. Nothing happened the way
she expected.

A dozen times, she almost told him to leave her alone, but the truth was, she liked the attention.

She liked having him hovering over her after Council sessions. She liked looking at him across the
table while they ate dinner. She liked watching him change into angel form, muscles rippling as his
wings spread to catch the wind.

He never said or did anything inappropriate. It drove her crazy. He was so handsome and so

aloof sometimes, she wanted to mess him up. Run her hands all over him. She wanted to see if his
hair was as soft as it looked. She wanted to run her fingers through his wings and watch him shudder.
Every time she got close, he’d back away, make up some excuse to get away from her. He infuriated
her. The teasing man she’d briefly glimpsed right after her injury had disappeared like smoke in the
wind.

She wanted him, but the more she tried to get close, the faster he ran.
It all came to a head one night, three weeks after the battle with the demon.
“Have you flown yet?” he asked, just as she was about to eat a chocolate cookie.
She stopped, hand halfway to her mouth. “What?” She licked her lips, automatically teasing

him. She’d gotten into the habit of trying to break his perfect control. She’d move closer, try to touch
him. He’d move back. She’d begun using straws to drink her chocolate milk. She wore the tightest
tops she owned, just to torment him. She’d have given up days ago, if she hadn’t seen a flash of heat
in his eyes every once in a while when he looked at her.

“You haven’t, have you?”
She frowned at him and put the cookie back down, her appetite for sweets suddenly gone. Her

appetite for flirting had disappeared, too, damn him. “So?”

He leaned back in his chair. They were sitting in the library, near the fireplace. Heat from the

burning logs warmed her toes and she’d taken off her socks. The fluffy rug that ran the length of the
hearth felt good on her bare skin. The rest of the room held floor to ceiling books, like something out
of an old gothic castle.

She dug her toes into the rug and curled her fingers into the old leather of her chair. This is an

old gothic castle, you ninny, she told herself.

“You need to rebuild your strength,” he said, in that faintly superior tone that drove her insane.
“I’m fine,” she said, not wanting to talk about this. She’d shifted once since the battle, in front

of her dresser mirror. The midnight blue wings had shocked her and she’d changed back to human,
almost in tears. Everything felt different. Her wings felt strange, like they were larger or more
sensitive. Energy flowed around her in patterns she could almost touch. When she tried to lock it all
down, wanting desperately to feel like her old self, it had hurt.

“Gabriel said you used to fly every day, in the morning. And sometimes more than that.” Suriel

spoke as if he was talking about nothing more important than the weather.

She pushed her fingernails into the hand rests. “It’s none of your business when I fly. In fact, I

don’t even know why you’re here, in this room with me right now. Every time I try to get close, you
run away. Why are you here?”

His face tightened. “I told you, I feel responsible for what happened.”
She shook her head. “I make my own destiny.” One of the logs shifted in the fireplace, sending a

shower of sparks up the chimney as if to emphasize her statement.

Suriel stood up. “Prove it.”
“What?” She stared at him. He was stripping off his shirt. Not that she minded looking at his

bare chest, but since every time she tried to flirt with him he ran away, his undressing confused her.

“Fly with me. Right now.” He held out a hand.
She scrunched up her face. She’d rather just sit here and look at him take off his clothes. “No.”
He stepped closer. She stared at the dusting of hair that disappeared into his jeans. Shit. His

pants didn’t hide a damn thing. She licked her lips and forced her eyes away. He leaned down,
looming over her. “Come fly with me.”

“You’ve been running away from me for weeks. Now you want me to fly with you?” she tipped

her head up.

His face was flushed. “Maybe I’m tired of running.” He was looking at her arms, eyes bright.
“Are you feverish?” she asked, completely baffled.
He stood up. The lines on his skin flashed silver and blue at her. “No. I’m just—” He broke off

and ran a hand through his hair, turning away.

She watched the muscles in his back work as he clenched his fists.
“I’m tired. I’m tired of being the good angel,” he ground out.
She blinked. “What are you talking about?”
He whirled around, eyes hot. “Did you think your little touches didn’t affect me? Your games

with the straws. Your fingers, trailing along my back?” His eyes dropped to her lips. “Your mouth,
saying one absurd thing after the other.”

Her temper flared. “Don’t condescend to me. I won’t have it.”
“Prove it,” he repeated. “Come out into the winds with me.”
She took a deep breath and stood up. Anger gave her courage. “Turn around.”
He stared at her. “Why?”
“Just do it,” she said, hands going to her sweater.
His eyes tracked her movement, hot and suddenly mysterious again. After weeks of teasing and

acting impervious to her flirting, he picked tonight to get all hot and heavy? What the hell? She
straightened her spine. He might be a sorcerer, but he wasn’t God. As far as she was concerned, she
was his equal in every way. “Turn around.”

He pressed his lips together and obeyed. Ariel wasn’t reassured he’d stay that way. She quickly

shed her sweater and adjusted the halter that she wore under her clothes. The marks on her arms
looked strangely luminous in the firelight. “Okay,” she said, voice low.

He turned back. Her eyes fell onto his groin. Good God, he has an erection, she thought,

shocked. Her face went hot.

“Let’s go,” he said, ignoring her look. He strode over to the window and shoved the drapes

aside. He glanced at her and cranked open the casement. Cold air wafted indoors.

Ariel followed slowly, not sure she wanted to do this. She wanted Suriel, sure, but this seemed

like the precursor to something way more complicated than she’d intended. She wanted to flirt, and
enjoy herself. Maybe have some fun in bed. Flying with someone, with intent, was a whole other
thing. Especially now, when her wings were different from what they used to be. Whenever she
shifted, they fluttered like strange birds on her back. The beginnings of a tension ache tightened her
spine.

“Shift,” she told him. If she was going to do this, she wanted to watch him change. Slowly.
He bowed his head slightly in acquiescence, holding her gaze as his body changed. His eyes

flared molten silver. Ariel couldn’t look away. When his wings unfolded behind him, she gasped. The
midnight blue color was even more impressive up close. Do mine look like that? she mused. She
reached out a hand, but true to form, he danced away before she could touch him. She glared at him.

“Your turn,” he said, stepping up to the windowsill.
She swallowed, pushing a knot of fear down. She hadn’t flown in weeks. She wasn’t sure she

could. She glanced past Suriel. Outside, the snow on the ground glittered under the full moon,
unforgiving and brittle.

“Afraid?” he taunted.
Anger slid through her, strong and comforting. “No,” she said shortly, lying through her teeth.

She let out a breath and the change happened, easily, smoothly, like water flowing downstream. The
peculiar energy that had freaked her out so badly the first time she felt it moved through her wings.
She locked her spine, willing herself to hold still.

“Beautiful,” Suriel breathed.
She looked up at his face. He was smiling. And then, without warning, he turned and leaped

from the window.

“Dammit,” she muttered, hopping up and following him into the night.
****
Suriel let go of all his self-control, at long last, as he soared into the wind. The moon was full,

the air was cold, and behind him, the woman who’d driven him crazy from the moment he’d met her,

flew out after him. He’d finally let go. One minute he was leaning back from her, watching her red
mouth open for that damn cookie, and the next moment desire raced through him, wild and impossible.
He couldn’t resist anymore. His power was still unstable, still dangerous, but Ariel seemed to enjoy
sticking her hand in the fire. He couldn’t resist her any longer.

“Suriel! Damn you!” she yelled from the castle.
He dove, rolling over the wind so that he could see her. The silver on her wings glowed in the

moonlight like a beacon to everything he’d ever wanted. She leaped from the window, letting the air
catch her wings. Her face showed fear and anger, but her eyes told him a different story. She desired
him, but he already knew that. What he found most interesting was that she wanted him badly enough
to ignore her misgivings about her new wings and follow him into the unknown. He raised his arms
and let his power carry him, beckoning to her with his upturned palms.

“Come get me, Ariel,” he said.
She sped closer, wings angled for a swift pursuit. He grinned, suddenly delighted. Why had he

let himself resist for so long? She was magnificent. And if her wing color was any indication, she
would soon have just as much power as he did. Sorceress to his sorcerer. He ignored the little voice
in the back of his head telling him that two unstable angels were not necessarily better. He didn’t care
anymore. He wanted her too much.

“You think you’re so great, don’t you?” she said, blazing past him, eyes sparkling. The fear

seemed to have left her.

He laughed and took off after her, rolling again and swooping across the breeze left in her

wake. She narrowed her eyes at him, a mere ten feet away, and stretched her arms out. Power
whispered along his wingtips and he caught his breath just as she increased her speed. The land
below them blurred into black and white: winter done at a hundred miles per hour. He opened his
senses and let the power fill him, too, catching up with her. He tapped her upper tail coverts and she
twisted away. He flew closer, energy sparkling along his skin. When he slid a hand over her
shoulder, the power flared, shoving them higher into the atmosphere.

She gasped, staring at him. Behind her, the stars stopped twinkling as the atmosphere thinned.

He reached out another hand, slipping it up her arm and hauling her next to him. His cock, erect since
before he’d shifted, throbbed as her body slotted up against his. No other angel could fly this high and
live, but the power running through them gave them air and loft and an awareness that heaven was
only a breath away.

“Suriel,” she whispered, twining her arms around his neck. All the anger his goading had

prodded through her seemed to have disappeared.

“Ariel,” he replied, lips at her cheek. She went perfectly still. His heart gave a hard thump, and

then he said the words he’d fought not to even think these past several weeks. “I choose you. I choose
you as my mate, my equal in power, sorceress to my sorcerer. I choose you until eternity scatters our
energy to the winds and we are reborn once again, our power to serve our People, as God wills.” His
hands tightened around her, trembling. He wasn’t sure where he found the words to claim her as his
mate, but they felt right. Ariel was his destiny. He prayed she would return his words to him, soul to
soul.

She took a deep breath, and slid her hands up to frame his face. This high up there was no

breeze, but her wingtips fluttered with the power that held them alive and warm in such thin skies.
Tiny puffs of warmth misted around their faces as they hovered above the planet, almost at the edge of
space. Her eyes were wide and shocked, but then she seemed to see something in his face and her
expression relaxed. “Suriel, I choose you in return. I choose you as my mate, my equal in power,

sorcerer to my sorceress. I choose you until our energy fades back into the winds and our souls are
reborn once again, our power ebbing and flowing, always in service to our People, as God wills.”
The moment she stopped speaking, power slammed into them, tossing them across the curve of the
Earth.

Ariel cried out, but Suriel caught her again, wrapping his arms around her as they plummeted

down, wings tight against their bodies. The power had them in its grip and it wasn’t letting go. He
tucked her face into his neck and began to pray. He didn’t understand what was happening, but if he
had to die, he at least wanted to go down protecting the woman he loved. Her heart beat against his,
skin to skin, and he felt her terror as they fell from crystal cold into winter chill. Just as they were
about to hit the snowy ground, the power pushed through them again and their wings unfolded in
unison. Air caught them and they swooped up into the skies together.

Ariel lifted her face as Suriel took control of their flight, angling into the cold breeze that flew

just below the ridge line. Her long hair streamed out behind her, sifting through the feathers at her
shoulders.

“My God,” she breathed, still trembling.
He swallowed, agreeing wholeheartedly with her. “Yes.”
“We’re alive.”
He nodded, letting her slip out from his grasp until only their fingers touched. The power

calmed down, settling into his bones. When he looked at her wings, the silver tips glowed, bright with
energy. “You are truly a sorceress now,” he told her.

She glanced at him and angled their flight back to the castle, gripping his hand firmly. “I can

feel the energy in my body. It’s like a wild wind, untamed and almost brutal, and I’m holding the
leash.” She frowned. “No, I am the leash and the power, simultaneously.”

He smiled. “You’ve managed to describe the indescribable.” His power felt different. Not

weaker, but more controlled. He sucked in a hard breath, trying to wrap his mind around what had
happened. He’d spent so much of his life trying to control this energy; he couldn’t truly accept its
sudden docility. No, it’s not docile, he thought, letting Ariel lead him home. It’s still ferocious, but
it’s also more a part of me than it ever was. It’s who I am, not what I can do.

She snorted. “Is this what it felt like for you, all these years?”
The smile dropped from his face. Above them, the bright moon hid behind a few dark clouds.

The castle loomed large and solid, just ahead. He didn’t answer until their feet touched the
windowsill. “No. The power wasn’t truly mine until you touched my soul, Ariel. Without you, the
power controlled me. Now that you are mine, we are the power and the will together.” He cupped her
cheeks, tilting her face up. Her nose was pink from the cold, but she didn’t look one whit less
stunning. “The power is who we are, now.”

She blinked up at him, soft and beautiful and then her smile bloomed over her face, light and

happy. In the next moment, the moon slid back out from behind the dark cloud and Suriel touched his
lips to hers for the first time as the light sparkled down over them like glitter.

Chapter Six

His lips felt like velvet. He kissed her and Ariel had to hold on with all her strength as the

energy they shared danced between them. His body was warm and solid against hers. She opened to
him, helpless and wanting. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth. She gasped. He
pushed closer, his cock shoving against her hip. He kissed her until she ran out of air and had to tear
herself away, panting.

“God, Ariel. I need you,” he said, voice low and hot.
She trembled and stepped back, floating down into the library. One look across the room

confirmed it was still empty. Another look and a tendril of power locked the door. She spread her
arms wide as her wings slid back into her body, leaving her in jeans and a halter. “Come and get me,”
she said, smiling through her arousal. Her skin pricked with energy and she felt more alive, more in
control of herself than she ever had before.

He growled, stepping into the room. He closed the window, but didn’t pull the drapes shut.

Moonlight vied with the firelight across the hardwood floor. Ariel moved back until her toes touched
the fluffy rug in front of the hearth. Every breath she took felt weighted with heat. Suriel stared at her,
muscled chest flexing as he shifted back to human. His legacy marks glowed blue and silver along his
arms as he popped the button on his pants. She licked her lips as she stared at his erection. He was so
much bigger than her, but his power and hers was the same. It made her want him so badly her fingers
shook as she tugged at her halter.

Suriel stepped forward, hands going to the knot around her neck. “Let me,” he breathed, kissing

along her jaw as he undid the tie. He held it in place until he slipped the lower knot around her back
free, too, then drew the silk away, baring her to his gaze for the first time.

She sucked in a gasp as his hands circled her ribs, then cupped her breasts, thumbs flicking

expertly over her nipples. She gripped his forearms, pressing his marks into his bones. “God, Suriel.”

“Not God,” he murmured, lowering his mouth to her. “Just an angel.” He suckled first one

breast, then the other, until her nipples were wet and pink and tight. Every lick and nip sent heat
through her, like a line of electricity right to her clit. She was already wet and throbbing, and he
hadn’t even really done anything yet. She drew away, hands fumbling with his pants.

“Ariel,” he gasped as her knuckles grazed his cock. She smiled at him and deliberately went to

her knees. He swallowed, hard enough that she could see his throat move. She undid the zipper and
peeled his jeans apart. His cock sprang out, thick and dusky. His foreskin had already drawn back
from the tip and she slid a hand around him, playing a little with the skin. She liked the way he felt.

Suriel locked his knees, groaning. “What are you doing to me?” he asked.
She bent closer and licked the tip. The tiny bead of pre-cum at the tip tasted sweet. As soon as

she licked it away, another one welled up. She licked him again, and again, until the entire crown was
red and wet. He shuddered in her hands, but she wouldn’t let him move. She liked having him under
her control.

“You taste good,” she said, in a voice so raspy she almost didn’t recognize herself.
His face was flushed. “Please, Ariel,” he begged. His hands floated above her head as if he

didn’t want to touch her, but couldn’t bear not to.

She fed his cock into her mouth, looking up at him through her eyelashes so she could see his

expression. He was so big it made her jaw ache. She didn’t care. His eyes fluttered and the penis in

her mouth swelled hotter. She swallowed, feeling him push at the back of her throat. She moved back,
sucking hard. He groaned and she grabbed his hands, threading his fingers into her hair. When she
took him back in again, he guided her, subtly arranging her mouth just as he wanted it.

“Jesus, Ariel. You feel so good,” he murmured.
Ariel’s body heated up even more. Her breasts were heavy and tingling. He moved his hips,

cock sliding over her tongue, almost against her will. She liked it. God help her, she loved it. She
sucked him hard, licking over the vein that ran down the underside, then sucked him again. She put her
hands on his hips, feeling the jut of his bones, then slid them to his ass, cupping him hard as he jerked.
His shaft went down her throat. She controlled her gag reflex, fingers digging into him, and looked up.
His eyes were bright and hot, heavy-lidded. She couldn’t breathe.

He shoved deeper and she swallowed around him. The lack of air made her pussy ache and she

deliberately didn’t draw away. She waited for him to pull back, fighting her body’s need for air. She
wanted Suriel’s pleasure more than she wanted to breathe. She stared up, waiting him out.

He fisted her hair, watching her eyes. When stars began to dance through her vision, he pulled

out all at once and she sucked in great heaving lungfuls of air. “Fuck, Ariel. You’re crazy.”

She flushed.
“And perfect,” he added. He dropped down to his knees and kissed her before her lungs were

completely calm, but she let him. She let him wrestle her down on her back. She let him wrap her
halter around her wrists and anchor it to the heavy chair she’d been lounging in a mere few hours
earlier. When he undid her jeans and stripped them off her roughly, she didn’t say a word, not even
when he muscled his way between her legs and bit her mound, hard. The pain made her spine bow.

“Yeah,” he said, laving the tender spot with his tongue. “You like that. You like pain.” He bit

her again, not enough to draw blood, but enough to bruise. “God, you are beautiful.”

Ariel panted, watching him as he gripped her legs. She couldn’t move at all. Beneath her skin,

the power they shared whispered all the different ways she could get free, but she ignored it. She
didn’t want freedom. She wanted him to take her under.

Her bit her again, then nibbled down her labia. When he slapped her ass, she cried out. Heat

spread through her pussy, like fire pulsing through a log.

“Suriel,” she gasped, hands clenched into fists around the chair leg.
“You want me to stop?” he asked, eyes dark.
She shook her head. “No. Never.”
He smiled wickedly and slapped her again. Again, his hand coming closer and closer to her

pussy with every blow. When he finally slapped her most private spot, she convulsed, an unexpected
climax pouring through her. Energy crackled between them and Suriel tightened his grip on her thighs,
watching. She felt him watching her pleasure and it made everything even more intense. When she
finally relaxed, he bent in and kissed her clit, licking her until the heat began its slow climb through
her body all over again. His tongue was cool, but it didn’t matter. She shoved her hips at him until he
clamped down so that she couldn’t move at all.

“Suriel, please,” she begged. He grinned at her and abruptly let go, standing away from her. She

moaned, kicking at him. “Come back.” Her entire body felt electrified. Desperate.

“I’m coming, my sweet,” he said, shoving his jeans off. His erection curved up over his

abdomen. When he dropped back down between her legs, she lifted to meet him, trying to get him
exactly where she wanted.

“Uh-uh,” he admonished, slapping her thigh. “Stay still.”
“Jesus, Suriel.” She fought him.

He pinched her nipples until she groaned. The pain felt like pleasure. Her body couldn’t tell the

difference anymore.

“Hold still,” he commanded.
Ariel gritted her teeth and obeyed. He pinched her nipples again, then pressed his cock against

her clit. She trembled, trying not to move, but it was impossible. Suriel slid a hand under her ass,
lifting her into the air. He was so damn strong. With his other hand, he dipped into her pussy, sliding
her wetness down to her asshole.

“What are you doing?”
“Quiet,” he said.
She writhed and he spanked her, hard. She gasped, going still. His did it again, hitting her so

that she felt the ache in her bones. It felt good. I had no idea, she thought fuzzily. He slapped her until
her ass was hot and then he slid a finger into her anus. She sucked in a breath as the sensitive nerve
endings sent sparks of pleasure up her spine.

“Yeah, look at you,” he murmured, bending down to bite a nipple. “So beautiful.”
He lowered her to the carpet and used his free hand to control his cock as he pushed inside.

Ariel let out a breath. He was huge. She shuddered as he worked his way inside, breath hot against
her breast. The finger in her ass slid in and out in counterpoint to his harsh struggle to fit inside her
body.

“God, so tight,” he muttered.
Ariel clenched the chair leg so hard her fingers went numb. It was too much. Everything was

too much, and then he slid all the way inside. He looked up, locking eyes with her, and they both froze
as a whisper of power floated up from their skin.

“Dear God,” she said, shocked.
He swallowed and began to move. With every thrust, the power flowed faster, until they began

to glow. She hung on as Suriel moved, hands finally going to her hips to keep her from flying away
from him as he fucked. He groaned, cock hot and heavy, and she locked her legs around him. The
power tingled. As it grew, it began to burn.

“Ariel,” he said, thrusting faster. “God help us—” he broke off, eyes flaring.
She stared into his face, trusting him to keep them safe. Just when she thought she couldn’t stand

it anymore, the power flared one last time and pleasure so deep and intense she felt lost in it crashed
over them. Through them. She stopped breathing, stopped moving, letting it take her closer to Suriel
than she thought possible. She felt his soul touch hers, two bright lights meeting and melding, and then
light and more heat. He groaned, and she cried out, and then dark fell over them both.

****
When Ariel opened her eyes, she realized she wasn’t tied up anymore. Or on the floor. She

licked her lips, desperately thirsty. She rolled over into Suriel’s warm back and froze. Over his
shoulder, the cream-colored walls of her bedroom gleamed soothingly in the moonlight. Her drapes
were drawn wide so that she could see the sky. Under her palms, Suriel stirred.

Ariel rolled the other way, heart beating frantically. What had she done? She remembered the

flight, the choosing, the sex. She didn’t remember how they’d ended up in her room. She sat up,
reaching for the glass of water on her nightstand. Her hands shook so badly she couldn’t drink.

“I carried you,” Suriel said, his voice sleep-slurred. “Come back to bed.” He rolled over and

put a hand on her hip.

Ariel looked down. She was nude. She glanced at Suriel. So was he. His grey eyes blinked

sleepily at her. “I’m thirsty,” she said, willing her heart to stop hammering. She took a sip of the

water, daring him to say something.

He smiled, surprising her. She thought he’d order her to lie down.
“May I have some?” he asked instead.
Ariel blinked. He’d tied her up, spanked her, and dominated her during sex, but now he was

asking her for water? “Sure.” She held out the glass to him, confused.

He laughed. “Just because I like rough sex and you like a little sexual dominance doesn’t mean

we’re anything but equal in life, Ariel.” He drank half the glass and handed it back to her.

She frowned at him. “You drank all my water.” Inside, relief filtered through her body. He

wasn’t going to try and tell her what to do. Thank God.

“I only drank half. Come back to bed. You’re nice and warm,” he said, lounging on her pillows.
She shook her head at him and sipped a little more. “You’re impossible.”
He grinned, boyish and weirdly young looking. He was always so self-possessed and mature,

seeing him like this was a nice surprise. “I’m chilly,” he wheedled, putting out an arm. “See?
Goosebumps.”

She rolled her eyes, letting herself relax. “Fine.” She put the glass down and crawled back in,

snuggling against him.

“Hmm, warm,” he murmured, kissing her head.
She smiled. She felt good. Happy. Which made the bolt of cold evil that shot through them all

the more shocking a moment later.

Suriel sprang out of the bed, hands raised. Ariel wasn’t far behind him. The energy flickered

through them, even as another bolt of cold arrowed through their skin.

“What the hell is that? Another demon?” she asked, squinting through her dark room. Suriel

switched on the bedside lamp. Her room was empty.

“Get dressed,” he said, grabbing his jeans from the floor.
“Demons. There are demons in the castle,” Ariel said, still unmoving. She could taste them.
“Get dressed.”
Her jeans hit her on the shoulder. She glared at him, but Suriel was buckling a sheath and knife

to his forearm and didn’t notice.

“We need to warn my brother,” she said.
He finished tightening the straps. “I’ll go get him. You get dressed.” He glanced at her. “Bring

some knives.”

She nodded sharply. “Be careful.”
He grinned and brought his hands up. Sparks flitted between his fingers. “Careful is for

cowards.”

She strode over to him and grabbed his hands. The sparks jumped to her. She yanked his head

down and kissed him fiercely. “Leave some demons for me.”

****
Suriel banged on Gabriel’s door, hoping to God he and Raphael were dressed. He did not want

to see his Alpha and little brother naked in their bed. Some things just can’t be unseen and that was an
image he didn’t need in his head.

The door swung open. Gabriel glared at him, hair sleep-mussed. “What?” Thankfully he was

wearing jeans.

Suriel said one word. “Demons.”
Gabriel face went from irritated to intent. “Where?”
“I’m not sure. We think somewhere in the castle.” He shook his head, frustrated.

“We?”
Suriel knew they didn’t have the time for him to gently break the news of his mating to Gabriel.

“Your sister and I. We—”

“You mated,” Raphael said, opening the door wider. He smiled widely. “It’s about time.”
Suriel looked from Gabriel to Raphael. Honesty was probably the best option at this point. He

took a deep breath. “Yes. But it’s more than that. She shares my power.”

Gabriel frowned. “Shares?”
Raphael’s eyebrows went up. “That’s why your power was always so unstable.”
Suriel nodded. “Exactly.”
“My sister is a sorceress?” Gabriel didn’t sound surprised.
“Yes.”
“Okay, let me get my blades,” Gabriel said, backing into his room. He didn’t bother to shut the

door.

Suriel wondered why he’d thought Gabriel would be shocked. He shook his head, glad the man

was his Alpha and not his enemy.

“I’m ready,” Ariel called, jogging down the hall. She had two blades strapped to her arms and

another on her thigh. “Here.” She shoved a long, leather wrapped scabbard at Suriel. “This is yours.”

He automatically took it from her, though he’d never seen the weapon before in his life.
“It’s yours. I stopped at the vault on the way,” Ariel said.
He frowned. “You shouldn’t have gone there alone.”
She shrugged. “It’s on this floor, between our rooms. I had to hunt for the key in my purse.

That’s what took me so long.”

Suriel let her explanation slide. “How is this my sword?” He lifted it. The weight felt

incredibly balanced.

“It’s the sorcerer’s sword.” She pointed at him. “That’s you.”
“You’re every much the sorcerer I am.”
She laughed. “In power, yes. In size? Not so much. That thing is almost as long as I am.”
Suriel had to smile. She had a point. He began unraveling the leather belt from scabbard. The

leather was old, but still pliable. The scabbard was nothing special, just hardened leather. The hilt of
the blade was wrapped with silver wire. It would make an excellent grip.

“Put it on. Hurry.” Ariel began helping him with it.
He understood her urgency. The cold was no longer a bolt here and there. It was a wind. A

freeze slipping up through the stones of the castle.

“The demon is in the basement,” he said, suddenly sure.
Ariel strapped the belt around his waist and cinched it tightly. “Yeah. I feel it too.” She looked

into the room. “Gabriel, hurry the hell up.”

“I’m here.” Gabriel and Raphael were ready, blades strapped to their arms and legs. They’d all

learned their lesson last time: one can never have too many weapons.

“It’s a pity we can’t just blow it up,” Raphael said as they ran down the hall.
“Yeah, well, heat is a demon’s best friend,” Ariel retorted.
“Then why does the evil feel cold?” Gabriel asked, leading the way.
“It’s the kind of cold that starts out hot, then crosses over into the absence of heat. Heat is life

and energy. Cold is the infinite nothing,” Suriel explained.

“That makes no damn sense,” Raphael said, shoving open the door to the back steps. “Like most

of what you say, brother.”

Suriel cuffed him on the back of the head. “Just because you don’t understand doesn’t make it

any less true.”

Raphael flashed him a grin and then they were running down the stairs. Suriel brought up the

rear, hoping that he and Gabriel would be able to keep their mates safe. When he caught Ariel giving
him a look, he knew she’d read his thoughts. He smiled sheepishly at her and she let it pass. He’d pay
for it later, though.

“Shit!” Gabriel exclaimed drawing up short just before the landing that led to the sub levels of

the castle. Suriel agreed. Black ice barred their way, covering the arched doorway with twisted ropes
of cold evil.

“We can break it,” Ariel said.
Suriel was already moving forward, hands raised. When Ariel put her hands on his shoulders,

the power they carried surged, flickering out to the barrier. He concentrated, secretly thrilled at how
easily the energy flowed now that he’d accepted Ariel. Always before he’d had to fight to make it
work.

“It’s going to come down all at once,” she said, warning her brother and Raphael.
“Do it,” Gabriel commanded her, naked blade out and forward.
Suriel exhaled and felt Ariel breathe with him. The power sparked down his skin and hit the

ice. It exploded as the energy touched it. Shards sharp as broken glass rained over them. They melted
as they struck their skin. Dirty rivulets trickled down Ariel’s face. Suriel wiped her cheeks gently and
she turned her face up to him, eyes luminous as stars.

“No time for kisses. Let’s go,” Gabriel ordered, pushing forward. The stairs leading down

were unlit and slick.

“I don’t like this,” Ariel said.
Suriel agreed. “It feels like a trap.” He paused halfway down the stairs.
Raphael tugged on Gabriel’s shoulder. “Hang on.”
“What?” Gabriel turned, eyes impatient.
Suriel leaped forward, shoving his Alpha aside as the black beyond them suddenly coalesced

into scales.

“Shit!” Ariel slid under his arm, cursing. She stabbed it in the side, but it disappeared like

smoke. Suriel unsheathed his sword, waiting. When the dark moved again, he was ready.

“There!” Ariel cried and he moved, slashing.
The demon screamed, and suddenly there were more. Two, three of them, coming down from

above.

“Damn,” Raphael muttered, crouching beside Gabriel.
“God is with us,” the Alpha said, a determined look on his face.
Suriel nodded, slashing again. Ariel defended his back as he worked. When he felt power rise,

he realized that she was feeding it to him. His sword began to glow.

“Can you share it with your brother and mine?” he asked, slashing again. Fighting the unseeable

was not easy, but he’d die before he gave up.

“Yes, as long as you can hold this place,” she replied, slipping a little on the stairs. “Fighting

here is a bad idea.”

“No choice,” Suriel said, stabbing hard. The demon squealed and he twisted the blade. It didn’t

vanish this time, so he knew he’d done some damage.

Ariel was holding onto his jeans, moving as he moved. He felt her draw on the power.

Suddenly, Gabriel and Raphael’s weapons flared white-hot, and their fight with the other smoke

demons began to turn in their favor.

“Whatever you’re doing, keep it up,” Gabriel yelled, slashing with both hands now. Thick,

black blood splashed the stairwell, making the stones even slipperier. Raphael almost went down, but
Suriel managed to grab him. His brother smiled his thanks and turned back to protecting Gabriel’s
back. The dark was thick enough that it was difficult to maneuver around each other.

“We need light!” Suriel yelled, hoping Ariel could manage something. He was too busy

slashing at the still-dangerous demon to think clearly enough to help.

Ariel lifted her hand and abruptly, light streamed from a ball of sparks stuck to the ceiling.
“Dear God, thank you,” Raphael murmured, lunging forward. Now that they could see, the

demons lost their edge. Within moments, they were dead and melting into a black sludge at their feet.

“There may be more,” Gabriel said, breathing heavily.
“There’s a portal. Down there.” Suriel pointed. “We need to seal it.”
“I can feel it too, like a splinter stuck in the foot of our castle,” Ariel said.
“So poetic,” Gabriel teased.
She flashed him a smile. “Yes, well. I have my moments.”
“Can you bring the light?” Raphael asked.
“Yes.” She looked up and the sparks bobbed down.
“It looks like a sparkler,” Raphael said, grinning at her.
She laughed. “That’s where I got the idea.”
“We need to move,” Suriel said, staring past them. More cold rolled up the stairs. He shivered.

He couldn’t see a damn thing, but the sensation was unmistakable.

“How will we seal it?” Ariel asked as they began to head down once more, Gabriel again in

the lead.

“If Gabriel and Raphael can keep the demons off our backs, you and I can probably seal it.” He

didn’t say that they could just as easily die in the process. He didn’t want her to know. He didn’t want
to lose her. He gripped the sword tighter and forced himself to keep going. God help them.

She frowned. “I really wish I’d had time for a cookie before we fought the minions of darkness.

I’m starving.”

Suriel stared at her, then laughed. How did she do that? Just when death seemed a terrible and

sure thing, she managed to make him smile. “I love you, Ariel.”

She touched his arm. “I love you too.”

Chapter Seven

Ariel followed her brother down into the basement. At the bottom of the steps where they

usually kept old boxes and furniture to once side of the larger space, something blurred the view. She
rubbed her face, wondering if she’d gotten some of the ice in her eyes, but it didn’t help. She detached
some sparks from her light and sent it closer. When it neared the blur, it elongated and disappeared,
like light falling into a black hole.

“What the hell is that?” Raphael asked, moving closer.
Gabriel grabbed him. “No, don’t. That’s the portal.”
“There’s nothing there,” Ariel said, sending another spark over. This time she slowed it down

right where she thought the blur began. It held its form for a moment, and then the portal caught it. She
watched it stretch away from her and disappear into nothing. Losing pieces of the energy felt like
someone shocked her finger. “How are we going to close something we can’t even see?”

Suriel edged closer, brushing off her hand when she grabbed his arm. “I won’t get too close,”

he murmured, sword out in front of him.

She bit her cheek, knowing he wouldn’t appreciate her stopping him. He held the sword at

shoulder height, edge slightly to the left as he turned his body, making as small a target as possible.

It was a good thing he was ready. The blur shimmered, and a demon coalesced right in front of

him, like smoke spitting out of a chimney. Ariel gasped as she stared at it. It was huge. The head
scraped the vaulted ceiling so that it had to crouch over. Its eyes glowed a sick red. Scales dribbled
down its body like hardened lava, irregular and ugly. Horribly, there was something familiar about it.

Not missing a step, Suriel lunged, stabbing it in the right eye. The demon shrieked, claw-tipped

arms rising. A long, serpentine tail lashed around. Gabriel slashed at it, Raphael hitting it a moment
later. The mouth opened, snapping at Suriel. Before it could reach him, Ariel gathered her wits and
shot sparks at it, aiming for the good eye. It groaned and Suriel swept the sword out and back down,
cutting the demon across its chest. Red flesh shone wetly between the scales. The scent of ash filled
the room.

“Dear God, it’s Samael,” Gabriel suddenly said, knife dripping wetly.
“What?” Ariel glanced at her brother. He couldn’t be serious?
As soon as Gabriel said the name, however, the demon went unnaturally still.
Suriel backed up slowly. “His soul was taken when Gabriel defeated him.”
Ariel shuddered. “God help him,” she murmured. Even Samael didn’t deserve this.
“Samael, you have failed your People,” Raphael said. His voice was quiet, but the demon

shivered.

“Kill me,” the creature said in a voice like crushed rocks. It moved restlessly.
Ariel stepped back, wary. Her skin prickled as all her instincts told her to run. Suriel’s arm

muscles bunched as he clutched his sword. Ariel wanted to grab him and run away, but the portal
shimmered behind the demon as if more were trying to get through, but couldn’t.

“Kill me. Hurry,” the demon rumbled.
“Do it,” Ariel said urgently. She watched the blur waver and bow towards them. “Hurry.”
Suriel glanced at her, then pressed his lips together and lunged. His shoved the sword deep into

the creature’s chest. Gabriel was a quick step behind, but his knife went into the remaining eye.
Raphael grabbed Ariel and pushed her back, pulling her with him as he moved away from the

violence.

“Raphael, concentrate,” she said as an idea sprang full-blown into her mind. If they could

somehow combine their powers, maybe Raphael could heal the portal if she fed him enough energy.
“Take my hand.”

He obeyed her without question, thankfully. “Heal the portal,” she said, drawing power. “It’s a

wound in our reality. You can heal it, Omega.”

Raphael flashed her a look and nodded. “Right.” He raised his free hand and began to work.

Ariel grabbed more power as she felt him pull it from her. She wasn’t sure she could keep up. He
drew it out as fast as she could gather it. Sweat ran down her face, but she couldn’t stop and wipe it
away. Suriel struggled with the sword, twisting it as the demon roared. Gabriel had to let go of his
knife. The demon’s eye burst terribly, like lava pushing through rock, and it slumped to the ground,
tail twitching. Samael may have wanted them to kill him and free his soul from the demon flesh, but
Ariel was positive he hadn’t realized how much it would hurt.

“Is it working?” she asked, clutching Raphael’s hand like a lifeline. Gabriel was backing away

from the creature.

He nodded shortly, eyes closing as his face twisted. “I need more energy.”
She sucked in a deep breath and gritted her teeth, forcing everything she had towards Raphael.

Her vision went blurry, whether from Raphael’s work on the portal or her own exhaustion, she wasn’t
sure. When Suriel touched her shoulder, she jerked, surprised, then leaned into him gratefully. He’d
slipped the sword out of Samael and held it tip down on the stone floor. The metal was black with the
demon’s heart blood.

“It’s working,” Gabriel said, moving closer to Raphael. “Look at the portal.”
It wavered in the air, pulsing almost invisibly. Ariel held her breath as Suriel fed her more

energy. She cast it into Raphael who clenched the fist of his free hand. When he abruptly pulled back,
light flared so bright she cried out, flinching. When she opened her eyes again, spots impaired her
vision, as if she’d looked at the sun.

“It’s done,” Raphael said, his voice low with exhaustion.
Ariel sagged and would have fallen if Suriel hadn’t been holding her up.
Gabriel steadied Raphael, propping him against the wall. Raphael slid down to sit on the

lowest step. Ariel joined him, completely wiped out. When she could focus again, she stared. The
demon was gone, but the scent of his death lingered. Black stains had sunk into the stone floor, like
some terrible abstract painting.

“Where did the demon go?” she asked.
“I wove Samael’s soul into the portal to glue it closed. It won’t open again.”
She looked at Raphael, shocked.
“It was the only way,” he said.
She swallowed and nodded, feeling faintly ill. “I understand.”
Gabriel walked towards the stains and prodded at them with his toe. “Samael opened this

portal when he was still alive.” He sounded very certain.

Suriel sighed and joined him, holding his hands out over the stained floor. A whisper of power

floated in the air. “It’s sealed. Samael gave his soul to close this rift.”

“He chose this as penance. I felt it.” Raphael rubbed his face, grimacing tiredly. “I’d like to go

to sleep now for about three days.” He stifled a yawn. “Maybe longer.”

“Me too,” Ariel said, leaning against him. The adrenaline from the battle had gone, leaving her

shaky and exhausted.

Raphael put his arm around her and hugged her. “Let’s not do this again any time soon.”
She snorted. “Or ever.”
Raphael chuckled. “Yeah. That too.”
Suriel walked over to them and smiled down at her, then offered her a hand up. She took it and

he hauled her up. “I need a shower before I go to sleep.” She wrinkled her nose as she caught a whiff
of him. “No, strike that. You need a shower more than I do,” she told Suriel. His arms were streaked
with demon blood.

He grinned and lifted his sword. “You don’t like the gore? I think it adds a little character to the

blade.”

She rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Definitely no,” Raphael echoed, standing up with a groan. He grabbed Gabriel’s arm. “Let’s

go home.”

Gabriel nodded and looked up the steps. The faintest light from the main level of the house

shone down. “The smell is rather unpleasant, isn’t it?” he asked, ever the master of understatement.

Ariel shot her brother a disgusted look and began the long slow climb to the light.

Epilogue

Ariel woke slowly, warm and comfortable. Afternoon sunlight streamed across her bed.
“How do you feel?”
She smiled into her pillow and then rolled over. Suriel lounged on the bed, the sun highlighting

his arms and upper body. His legacy marks were very blue in the light. She stretched, taking the time
to work all the kinks out of her back. His eyes traveled down her body as the covers slid away. The
look on his face made her blush.

“I feel good,” she said, smoothing her hair. The sun warmed her muscles, baking some of the

ache out of them.

“You do feel good,” Suriel said, running his fingertips down her arm.
She shivered, thinking about how he’d tied her up last time.
He smiled at her, wicked and hot. “I’d like to touch you all over.”
She laughed, arching her spine. “I bet you would.” Her breasts tingled as his eyes fell on them.
Suriel sat up and the covers slid down. He was nude. The muscles in his chest flexed as he

grabbed her, flipping her onto her stomach.

“Hey!”
“Shh,” he said, spanking her lightly.
She squirmed. “I didn’t say you could do that.”
“I don’t need to ask your permission,” he said, bringing his hand down again.
She scissored her legs, flipping over. Suriel reared back, his erection bobbing as he avoided

her feet. “Bad girl.” His eyes twinkled as he grabbed her ankles, dragging her up into him.

Ariel wrapped her legs around him and ground her pussy into his cock. He grunted, shuddering

as her wetness spread over his shaft. She lifted up, sliding him over her clit. God, he felt good. When
he tried to flip her over again, hands on her hips, she sat up, pushing him down. He smiled up at her,
hips moving and teasing. She narrowed her eyes at him and shifted, wings slowly moving out of her
body until she loomed over him in angel form. The sunlight danced over her feathers, tingling as the
energy she contained rose like sparks from a fire.

His eyes went dark as she leaned down, kissing him harshly. “I don’t want to lose you,” she

said, remembering the demon. “We have no idea how many other demons came through the portal
before we sealed it.”

He used his strength to lift her until he was standing with her in his arms. She wrapped her legs

around him, sliding his cock deep inside her body. He gasped, then abruptly, his wings shifted out
too. “If there are more of them, we will fight them until they are all dead and gone. You won’t lose
me,” he promised, walking to the window. Every step he took pressed him further inside her. She
wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on, trusting him to keep her safe. With their bodies still
connected, he shoved the casement open and leaped outside.

Ariel gasped, wings and energy working even as he lifted them up into blue skies.
“Are you crazy?” she yelled, wind whipping her hair around their faces.
“It feels good,” he replied, hips suddenly moving.
Ariel looked down, shocked when she saw a few people down below them, standing on the

stone courtyard connected to the castle. A few of them were looking up, watching them, and the
knowledge of what they might see sent a thrill through her. She clenched her inner muscles and Suriel

groaned, fucking her harder as they floated higher.

“They can see us,” she whispered in his ear.
He groaned, grabbing her buttocks and grinding into her. The contact pushed on her clit

deliciously. “Let them,” he ground out, wrecked. “They will know we are truly mated.”

Ariel understood. Only a mating pair could ride the winds this closely connected without

plunging to their deaths. In the past, the People’s tradition dictated a mating flight before witnesses to
sanctify a true choosing between lovers. That custom, like so many others, had fallen away in modern
times.

“Perhaps it’s time to return to the old ways,” she murmured, reveling in his heat. His cock

speared her again and again, pressing against her womb. She shuddered, hanging on, and then he
suddenly stiffened. Ariel threw her head back as his orgasm triggered hers. For one blessed moment,
she looked directly into the sun, pleasure coursing through her like electricity. When she finally came
back to herself, Suriel kissed her gently, floating them back down to the window.

“No one can tear us apart. Not now. Not ever,” he said, voice dark with passion. He landed on

the windowsill and stepped into her room.

Ariel smiled at him as she slid down his body. “Even unto death, I will always love you.”
“Even unto death, Ariel,” he replied, eyes bright with love.

The End

www.erinmleaf.com

Other Books by Erin M. Leaf:

www.evernightpublishing.com/erin-m-leaf

If you enjoyed this book, you may also like:

Under the Harvest Moon by Kerri M. Patterson

The Prince of Elantis by Lyn Brittan

Seeing Forever by Vanessa Devereaux

Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

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