Rage and Redemption (Rebel Angels) (18 page)

“He bruised your skin with his mouth. It will fade in a few days.” He offered no more information.

“Then he was here. And he did something to muddle my memory of what took place. Where is he now?”

“He is ill. Crispin is with him.”

His short, succinct answers frightened Naomi. If this was what his angelic nature forced him to share, did she really want to know more? “What made him ill?”

“I don’t know.”

“Will he recover?”

“I don’t know.”

Her mouth gaped at his words. “You don’t know?” she cried. “If he is that ill, we must summon a leech.”

“Crispin is tending him and I will return as soon as I have seen to your—”

“Take me to him.”

“Nay! We will tend to Gideon.”

“Where is he?”

“You can do nothing for him. I will see you to the dormitory and—”

“Where is Gideon? I will just keep asking until you tell me the truth so tell me now.”

* * * * *

Naomi nervously clutched at her tunic as she followed Brother Gabriel through the undercrofts of the castle. He held a torch aloft but dense shadows still concealed much of the massive room. Sturdy shelves and covered bins contained supplies of every imaginable variety. Foodstuffs, thick bolts of cloth, bandages and blankets, even basic building materials could all be found in the cavernous chambers.

Brother Gabriel turned down an aisle between the storage shelves and paused at the entrance to another room.

Naomi couldn’t see beyond him. Why had he stopped?

She stepped up beside him and peered into the small chamber. Gideon thrashed about on a pile of furs, moaning and striking out at Crispin. The younger man silently battled Gideon’s flailing limbs, trying to keep him from injuring either of them.

Compassion for Gideon eclipsed her dislike for the other man. She slipped past Gabriel and pushed Crispin out of her way.

“Damsel, he will hurt you,” Crispin protested.

She spared him only a scathing glance.

“Gideon,” she said softly, kneeling beside him. “Gideon, be still.”

He muttered something in a language she didn’t understand. Brother Gabriel stepped into the room, obviously ready to intervene, but she held up her hand, staving him off.

“Gideon. Listen to my voice. You’re not alone. I’m here with you.”

Suddenly his arms closed around her, dragging her down to the furs beside him. She cried out softly at the aggression in his movements but he laid his head against her breast and gradually relaxed.

She couldn’t ignore the intimacy of their position. The heat of his breath penetrated her garments. His arms circled her waist and one of his legs rested possessively over her thighs.

Naomi stroked his tangled hair and continued to murmur into his ear, soothing him, reassuring him.

Brother Gabriel knelt beside them, folding his hands, his lips moving rhythmically in a silent prayer.

Drawn by a weariness she didn’t fully understand, Naomi closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep.

* * * * *

Naomi awoke to darkness. Gideon’s body pressed against hers, his arms firmly wrapped around her waist. Fear tingled along her nerve endings but there was something else as well. This felt…familiar.

Where had Brother Gabriel gone? How long had she slept? It was impossible to tell if it was night or day in this windowless tomb.

Glancing to her right, she was able to discern the outline of the doorway and somewhere in the distance torchlight flickered. If it was day, she needed to change her clothes and make ready for her meeting with Leon of Le Puy. Her uncle.

He expected her decision but she had found very little time to contemplate her choice.

She felt no Divine Calling. Could she really take sacred vows for the express purpose of continuing her work? The possibility seemed dishonest.

Scooting away from Gideon slightly, Naomi managed to sit. Before she could stand he clasped one arm around her leg, the other around her hips and nestled his head intimately against her lap.

Heat and jumbled images swirled through Naomi. She could almost feel his hands and his mouth moving over her body. He held her down, kissing her with consuming passion. Her nipples gathered into tight little buds and tension gathered low in her belly.

His head tossed restlessly, his face rubbing against the juncture of her thighs.

She rested her head against the wall, trying to ignore her pounding heart and the teasing heat of his breath. The images seemed so real, more like memories than dreams. She shivered and pushed her fingers into his hair.

It didn’t make sense. Gideon had kissed her and even touched her breasts, but she would never allow him such intimacies… She squirmed a bit at the thought. What was the point in lying to herself? Her body wanted those things. Part of Gideon still craved the light, but something dark and primitive stirred within her each time they touched.

She was finding it harder and harder to resist.

A soft golden light drew her attention to the doorway. Good, Brother Gabriel had returned. Her hand stilled in Gideon’s hair. What if it was Crispin? She didn’t want to be in the same room with that man, especially while Gideon was unconscious.

The light intensified and Naomi’s breath lodged in her throat.

“Fear not, Naomi,” the entity said, his voice flowing over and around her.

Light emanated from his garments and the waves of his glistening hair created a glowing nimbus.

“Who are you?” she whispered. How many angels were there at the Krak des Chevaliers?

He folded his arms across his chest and Naomi noticed the sword strapped to his side. No soft golden light shone from this blade. The entire length burned like fire.

“My true name is impossible for humans to pronounce. Most just call me Michael.”

He moved a step closer and Naomi shrank back against the wall. The radiance of his face made his features hard to distinguish. Naomi was left with two impressions, beauty and brutality.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“Gabriel told me Gideon is improving. I came to see for myself.”

She stroked Gideon’s hair, averting her gaze from Michael’s brilliance. “Why would you care? Are you not the one who did this to him?”

He chuckled. The warmth in the sound surprised her.

“No wonder Gideon is drawn to you. All I did when I dispersed their little band of rebels was to give each of them
exactly
what they wanted.”

What did he mean? What had he given them? Little band of rebels? “There are more like Gideon? Other angels banished from the Light?”

He tilted his head as if to study her from a different angle. “You need only concern yourself with
that
rebel.” He nodded toward Gideon. “Gabriel is another matter.”

“Gabriel is not a rebel,” she protested. “He is the kindest, most—”

“I find no fault with Gabriel, but I have operated without him long enough. His assignment was to observe Gideon without interfering—which he has failed to do.”

“You said you found no fault with him.”

Again he laughed, his nimbus momentarily brightening. “Are you hoping to become Heaven’s champion? We’re on the same side of this war, Naomi.”

“Then what do you mean to do?” He hadn’t come merely to check on Gideon. Gabriel could speak only truth. Why would Michael doubt his report?

“There comes a point in each person’s life when they must turn a corner and carry on. Often portions of one’s past do not travel on into the future. It is part of the cycle. It is natural and ordained.”

She stared at him silently, seeing only the brutality in his beautiful face.

“It is time,” he said. “You’re stronger than you know, Naomi. Much stronger than Gabriel likes to believe.”

Her mouth trembled and tears gathered in her eyes. “Is he still here? You must at least allow us to say goodbye.”

“I must, must I?” He shook his head.

The golden haze around his face wavered and she could clearly see his smile. Her heart lurched at its beauty and tingling warmth enveloped her being even after Michael had gone.

Naomi stepped away from her drawing table, unable to see through her tears.

He was gone.

Michael had taken Gabriel from her without allowing them to say goodbye. She cursed her rash tongue. Who was she to challenge an archangel?

Her meeting with
Leon
had taken place in the upper bailey. She had been searching for Brother Gabriel when she spotted Leon and some of his men.

She approached him boldly and performed her best curtsy. “I have made my decision,” she said.

He waved his men away before asking, “And what did you decide?”

“I would be honored to accompany you to… Where will we be going?”

A beaming smile parted his lips and he spontaneously pulled her into his arms for a sound hug. “
England
, demoiselle. My parents are anxious to meet you but Roderick must take precedence.”

“Roderick is my grandfather.”

It was not really a question but he nodded. “Aye. There will be plenty of time on the journey for you and I to become better acquainted. How soon can you be ready to depart?”

“Two days hence?” she suggested.

“Perfect.” He kissed her cheek and hurried after his men.

Their impromptu meeting had spared her the irritation of seeing Brother Aaron.

After several fruitless hours of searching for Brother Gabriel, she retreated to the scriptorium, surly and depressed. Unrolling her private scroll she quickly sketched Brother Aaron. To be perfectly fair, his chin did not tilt quite so arrogantly and she had never seen such open scorn in his narrowed gaze, but her interpretation made her smile.

Summoning all of her skill and fueling her creativity with longing, she tried to draw Brother Gabriel. His features appeared on the parchment, the likeness unmistakable, but as always she failed to capture his inner glow—his illumination.

Tears blinded her and she stepped back from the table before flinging the pen at the wall. She wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed her eyes shut.

She didn’t want to “turn a corner and carry on”.

Arms enfolded her and she started violently. She cried out and opened her eyes. Her gaze focused on Gabriel’s smiling face and Naomi fell apart.

She clung to him, mashing the back of his robe in her fists. She wept, releasing her frustration, her anger and her fear. His hand patiently stroked her hair while he spoke softly into her ear.

“We can never be truly parted, Naomi. My love surrounds you. It goes wherever life may take you.”

She eased away from him so she could bask in the warmth of his eyes. “You are so dear to me,” she sobbed. “Have I ever told you how grateful I am for all you have taught me?”