An Archangel's Promise (5 page)

Hunter felt Gabriella stiffen beneath him as he lay panting,
careful not to smother her with his weight. He wasn’t sure how she was going to
react. There was a time when all of Gabriella’s responses were as predictable
to him as the sun rising and setting. Now, this new Gabriella, bold and
independent, left him a little startled. And a helluva lot turned on.

Would she try to tell him what they had done was a mistake?
Or was she prepared to accept his answers for what they were, and embrace what
he had always known—they were made for each other.

He really was hoping for the latter. After all, he wasn’t
looking forward to tying her up and forcing her to come with him. He would, but
he wasn’t looking forward to it. Oh, who the hell was he kidding? The only part
that sounded bad about that was the ‘forcing her to come’ part.

Hunter opened his mouth to speak first, unable to stand the
sudden silence, but it came out as a hiss when his wrist began to burn. “Ah,
fuck.”

Below him, Gabriella cried out too, holding her wrist tight
between them.

Oh, shit.

There was only one thing that could mean, but Hunter was
afraid to let himself believe it. He had hoped, prayed even, but never believed
for a second that the creator would see fit to bless him so.

She was his bonded. The one person meant just for him.

Every angel he knew desperately searched for their bonded,
every Nephilim was told the tales and dreamed of reaching the end of their
transition so they could find theirs. And there he was, with his best friend as
his bonded. The only person he had truly ever loved.

Hunter tugged at Gabriella’s wrist, happy when she didn’t
fight him. He could see the confusion and a little fear in her eyes. He brushed
his lips lightly over the mark that matched his own and proclaimed her as his.
The dark lines were intertwined, almost having a celtic appearance to them as
they formed a design similar to a pair of wings, encompassing her entire wrist.

Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits, and the withering glare
she sent him when she caught sight of their matching tattoos was almost enough
to make him cower. “Hunter?”

The tone of her voice suggested he needed to handle this
very carefully. He suddenly felt the need to cover anything vital.

Slipping out of her heat slowly, Hunter hid the grin that
threatened when her breath caught. She craved him as much as he did her. An angel’s
bonded felt the connection just as strongly as the angel. Desire and passion
quaked through him like a fierce, unrelenting storm as the heat in her eyes,
both from lust and anger threatened to consume them. It was so strong, so
commanding, he found it hard to concentrate.

Struggling with his need, Hunter placed a chaste kiss to her
lips before explaining the mark. “It’s an important mark, Gabby. One my kind
takes very seriously.”

Hunter watched, his heart dropping when she pulled away,
using the blanket to cover herself almost as if it were a shield.

“What kind of mark? And if it’s so damned important, then
why wasn’t I asked first?” Her tone was icy, and her expression was one of
stone.

This was not a Gabriella he was familiar with. He remembered
the times she would become angry, the times she was furious, she had never
withheld her emotions though.

“It’s not something that can be asked,” he said carefully.
He felt as if one wrong word would cost him everything. “The mark appears after
we join with our bonded.”

“Bonded?” Her eyes narrowed. “Did you know this would happen
before we slept together? Have you known all along?”

“No, I didn’t. I—”

His words were cut off as she unexpectedly shoved him off
the bed. Had he been expecting the move, Gabriella wouldn’t have been able to
move him even an inch. Taken by surprise as he was, however, Hunter found his
arms flailing before he landed ungracefully on his arse and back. He blinked up
at the roof in shock.

He lifted his head when he heard the rustling of the
bedsheets. Gaining his feet and tucking his wings away, Hunter frowned.
Gabriella rose from the bed, not giving him a second look as she pulled some
clothes on. Her back turned to him, Hunter had no way of knowing what reaction
was coming.

Christ, he hadn’t felt this lost since he turned eighteen.

Unable to take the silence any longer, he broke. “Gabby.
Would you please look at me? Can you talk to me?” When she still didn’t
acknowledge him, Hunter sighed in frustration. “Since when do you ignore a
problem? The Gabriella I knew would never run away from conflict.”

That finally got a response from her. Every muscle in her
body went rigid, tension pouring off of her in waves. She turned her head
slightly, but seemed to refuse facing him directly.

“I’m not running. I’m walking away. There is a big
difference. And have you ever stopped to think that maybe you just don’t know
me anymore?” The tension seemed to drain from her body, like she had lost all
of her fight. “You were gone a long time. You can’t just turn up, claim to be
an angel, my
bonded
, and expect me to swoon, jump into your arms, and
say ‘yes’. It doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t take away the anger I feel, the
hurt. Shit, Hunter. None of this even makes fucking sense.”

He flinched at her cursing. One thing he knew would never
change was that Gabriella hated swearing, and only did it herself when she was
reaching the breaking point. Her anger, her words, the pain laced in her voice
all served as a proverbial slap in the face. One that he deserved.

Hunter had done exactly as she had accused. He had come back
expecting things to be as they had been, expecting her to be the person she was
when he left. Gabriella had always accepted who he was and everything about
him. He realized now the unfairness of his actions, how wrong it had been for
him to expect her to still be the same. He certainly didn’t resemble the boy
who had to flee nearly a decade ago. Some days he barely recognized himself
anymore. Hunter needed to remember that she had also grown, and changed.

Without him.

Reaching out, he gently wrapped a hand around her arm. If
she had wanted to, Gabriella could have easily pulled out of his grip, but she
didn’t. Tugging her toward him, Hunter used his other hand to cup her cheek,
the smooth skin rubbing against his rough texture. Her long auburn hair fell
slightly into her face as she shivered in response, and hope flared in his
chest.

“I know I’ve asked a lot, and that’s not fair. I’m sorry.”

At his apology her head shot up, her eyes blinking at him in
shock.

He smiled down at her. “Surprised I said ‘sorry’?”

Gabriella raised a single brow, her expression saying it
all. “Since with you it’s usually like pulling out teeth, yes, you could say
I’m surprised you offered up one so quickly.”

He shrugged, a grin tugging at his lips. “I’ve learnt a lot
over the years.” His mood quickly sobered, and he sighed deeply, pressing his lips
against her forehead. “And I’ve missed a lot too. Just please know it was never
by choice.”

Gabriella nibbled on her bottom lip when he leant back, her gaze
darting from him to the mark on her wrist, only to return to him again. Amazing
how she could look so cold and angry one second and so unsure the next. Maybe
he wasn’t the only one feeling like the rug had been pulled out from under him.

Gabriella let out a heavy sigh. “Hunter, I—”

Whatever she was going to say was cut off by a violent
banging on her front door. Gabriella tugged herself free of his embrace,
growling in frustration. Slipping back into her dress from that evening, she
left the room. Hunter rose from the bed as well. Tugging on his pants, he
reached for his shirt and followed her.

He noticed her covertly checking to make sure everything was
straight on her. Disgruntled that she attempted to hide the fact that they had
been together just moments ago, he watched her open the door to reveal her
brother. Hunter barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes when the other man
stormed in, pointing a finger at him.

“You need to leave. You are completely unwelcomed.”
Directing his next words to his sister, he said, “And as for you—what are you
doing letting him in here? After everything he put you through.” With
disappointment clear in his tone, Nolan gave her a reproachful look.

Fury poured through Hunter at the man speaking to his bonded
that way. Energy crackled around him, his hairs standing on end. He knew the
exact moment Nolan felt his power because the man shuddered, his eyes widening
as he stared at Hunter.

A growl ripped his attention away from Nolan to Gabriella
whose eyes had taken on a fierce glint. When she opened up her mouth, he wasn’t
surprised when she began yelling at both of them.

“Hunter, cut that out or you can take the caveman act
elsewhere.” She whirled around onto her brother, and Hunter hid his grin as
Nolan winced at the force of his sister’s temper. “And as for you, brother…don’t
ever speak to me like I’m a child again. I will remind you that not only am I a
grown woman, I run my own damned business, helped you pick yours back up off
the ground when you and your partners made some bad business decisions, and we
both know that on more than one occasion that I have handed you your arse.
Don’t make me prove it in front of someone.”

Nolan had the decency to blush.

Damn, she was something else.

Hunter grinned. “I’d like to see that.”

Nolan glared at him, as Gabriella rolled her eyes. “You’re
not being very helpf—”

A loud crashing sounded above them, the room itself shaking.
Hunter’s eyes shot to the windows lining the furthest wall. Glass sprinkled
down to the streets below, and screams could be heard coming from the roof.

Fuck!

Grabbing Gabriella, he spun her around. “You and your
brother need to get out of here. Use Nolan’s car and leave, don’t look back.”

“What?” she asked in bewilderment, looking at him like he
had lost his mind. “What’s going on? And what about you?”

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “But I need you to be safe.
I’ll find you, I promise.”

Hunter didn’t wait for her response. He fled the apartment,
taking the stairs back up to the tower’s restaurant. He ignored her calls until
they faded, praying like hell that she listened to him. The thought of
Gabriella getting caught up in any kind of danger caused rage to boil in his
blood. The knowledge that he would be placing her at risk hadn’t fully sunk in
until now.

Tension grew in his body as he neared the door. Screams
filtered down the stairway, and as Hunter drew closer he sensed an energy that
belonged to no human.

“Dammit,” he growled.

Slamming through the door, Hunter immediately found himself
in the middle of a frantic crowd. The restaurant was in ruins, tables and
chairs strewn everywhere. Fallen were spread all over the room, just as glass
and debris were. Humans ran, cowering in fear. The Fallen had their swords
drawn, flames licking up the metal as they searched the place, tearing it apart
as they went. When Hunter’s gaze fell on one of the intruders, he suddenly knew
exactly who he was dealing with.

Ash.

And where Ash was, Renatus could be found. The legion of
Fallen hell-bent on the destruction of Nephilim and those who used to be. Like
Hunter had been.

It was as if a full-fledged storm brewed inside the tower itself.
Powerful winds swept through the room, creating more chaos. Ash prowled his way
toward Hunter, a malevolent grin on his face. Hawk-like wings stretched out,
knocking people as he passed them, the brown and white tops of the wings
shimmering off the flickering lights as the deep chocolate of the primaries
shadowed across the floor.

“Nephilim!” Ash shouted. There was cruelty in his eyes, a
cruelty that came from the wanton taking of life. Nephilim life. Human life.
Ash had long ago stopped defining the two, just as he had done the night he had
taken the lives of Hunter’s foster parents and attempted to take Hunter’s.

“Look a little closer, Ash. Am I still Nephilim?” Hunter
taunted.

Ash and his men clearly had no idea Hunter had gone through
his transition. It had been a few months earlier than expected, which explained
why Renatus was unaware. Hunter allowed his wings to unfurl and willed his
sword into existence. Damn, he loved doing that.

Ash’s eyes blazed with an anger like nothing Hunter had ever
seen. Pure hatred filled the Fallen in front of him. “You’ve transitioned.” Ash
growled.

“That’s right.” Hunter chuckled, more confident than he had
ever been when facing off against Ash. “Let’s see how we go with an even
playing field, hmm?”

Taking a step forward, Hunter’s heart slammed into his chest
when out of the corner of his eye he saw Gabriella and her brother race into
the room. Hadn’t he told her to fucking leave? Was the woman so bloody stubborn
that all her self-preservation instincts went out the fucking window?

“Gabriella, tell me what the hell is going on!” he heard her
brother, Nolan demanded. The shouting drew Ash’s attention as well. “Those guys
have fucking wings, and are those swords on fire?”

Hunter desperately wanted the man to just shut up and get his
sister to safety, but his next words condemned Gabriella, and Hunter was
helpless to stop it.

“And since when do you have a tattoo? You hate needles, and
you sure as hell didn’t have it an hour ago.”

Hunter watched as a glimmer of satisfaction crossed Ash’s
features. The Fallen gazed at Gabriella’s wrist and then Hunter’s, a vindictive
smile appearing. “Now, who do we have here?”

Hunter growled as Ash made a move toward Gabriella. Ash
would lose his head if he harmed her. “Don’t even think about it.”

Ash paused, sending a vicious grin in Hunter’s direction. “Gabriella,
is it? How lovely to meet you,” Ash said, voice honeyed as he smiled
seductively at her.