An Archangel's Promise (12 page)

Gabriella squealed when he abruptly lifted her off the wall,
cupping her arse cheeks as he carried her into the bedroom. She moaned at the
loss of him when he dropped her on the mattress, another startled sound
escaping her when he flipped her over onto her knees.

Without any warning, Hunter covered her from behind and
thrust his cock back into her willing body. Her walls spasmed around his hardened
length and her shoulders dropped to the bed. He felt so delicious inside of
her.

His hands came around to cup her mounds, squeezing them
tight before plucking at her nipples. She squirmed beneath him, his
administrations making her soar higher, almost as if she was the one with
wings.

Shivering when he slipped his hand between her legs,
Gabriella hummed in pleasure as he strummed her clit. She tightened around his
cock as she came again, crying out. “Hunter!”

Hunter wasn’t far behind her. He emitted a low, feral groan,
losing his rhythm as he emptied himself deep inside her.

She barely had a chance to catch her breath as he spun her
back around, lowering his mouth to her bud.

Oh God. He couldn’t really want her to come again, could he?

Apparently he did.

The act was so erotic, like she was his favorite flavor of
ice cream and he wanted to make sure he didn’t miss one drop. His tongue moved
up and down her slit, teasing her clit on the upstroke, and pressing in just
slightly to her hole on the downstroke. Unbelievably, it wasn’t long before her
legs shook with the need to come yet again. She was close. Hunter was
torturously slow, bringing her so close to the edge, but making sure not to put
enough pressure to actually bring her over it.

“Please, Hunter. Oh God, please.”

He chuckled. “Do you want to come, Gabby?”

She stared at him, wondering if he had lost his mind. He had
to know she was perilously close. The dark look in his eyes suggested that he
did indeed know, but something feral, almost primal, inside of him wanted her
to beg. Lucky for him, at this point she would have done anything to feel that
crest of pleasure wash over her.

“Please. Please let me come.” The words left her on a whoosh
of air.

Gabriella watched in rapture as he held her flesh apart with
his thumbs and ran his tongue up her center before blessedly returning to her
cleft. When he reached her clit he took the tiny bud into his mouth and sucked
hard. Rhythmic motions had her grinding herself against his mouth. He continued
to suck on her clit, bringing the tiny bundle of nerves over his tongue. Ever
so gently, he ran his teeth along the tiny bud, and Gabriella threw her head
back as her whole body tensed. The orgasm that moved through her was intense
and heady, just like him in that moment. When the tremors started to dissipate,
she breathed out a content sigh.

Levering himself above her, he smiled down at her. “Love
you, Gabby.”

Cupping his cheek with her left hand, she leant up to kiss
him. As her head rested back against the pillow he held onto her wrist, kissing
her mark that matched his. Such a soft, tender gesture from a man who moments
ago had her begging for release made her heart flutter.

“I love you too, Hunter.”

The soft whisper of Hunter’s wings over Gabriella’s skin
stirred her where she lay in his arms. She loved the feeling of being wrapped
up and surrounded by the silken, delicate feathers. After a long night of
making love to her angel, she was in no mood to move, but nature called.

Slipping out from the warm embrace, she padded her way to
the bathroom. When she returned she found Hunter stretched out of his back,
taking up the entire bed. His wings were expanded, the tips hanging off the
bed, gently brushing the floor. Gabriella again lost her breath at the
magnificent sight he made. So peaceful and relaxed, he looked like the angel he
was.

Trailing her gaze across his form, she sighed. His dark hair
fell slightly over his eyelids that hid the most gorgeous set of sapphire gems
that always sparkled with mischief. The strong cut of his jaw was softer in his
sleep, and the smooth expanse of his chest made her want to reach out and
touch. Hunter’s arms lay haphazardly beside him, cushioned by his wings, and
she was a little disappointed to see that the sheet covered his bottom half.

Not that she couldn’t alter that inconvenience.

Her perusal apparently hadn’t gone unnoticed because when
she lifted her eyes back up to his face, she was snared in his beautifully
heated gaze. A small quirk of the lips played at the edges of his delectable
mouth.

“Like what you see?” he asked, his voice hoarse from sleep
and much, much more.

“Hmm, you know I do,” she said as she climbed onto the bed.

He moved his arm to make room for her, and she took
advantage of it, snuggling up to his side. His thick, strong arm came around
her, settling on her waist, drawing lazy circles on her hip. “This is nice.
Just lying in bed with you, no hiding, no running or looking over my shoulder.”
He sighed.

Gabriella levered herself up to see him better. She tried to
convey everything she felt for him in that one look. “I’m glad you came back.
Things might be new for us, and some things may have changed, but I’ve never
stopped loving you. You’re home now, Hunter, and while we may not know what the
future holds for us, I know we’ll be together through it.”

Hunter’s smile was brilliant. “I am home. Finally.”

She leant forward to kiss him, but he hissed, moving back
and lifting the pendant that still hung from her neck.

“Damn, that’s cold.”

“It is beautiful though,” she said, once again inspecting
the piece of jewelry with a frown. “Why a lily? Does it mean something?”

“Yeah, actually it does.” He smiled. “The lily is my
father’s symbol. It’s a way of blessing our union and offering protection.”

She cocked her head to the side, considering that. “He told
me that the stronger our love was, the more powerful it would become.”

Hunter nodded. “That’s true. Look at how well it worked when
it took Ash down. He is a powerful Fallen who barely lost any of his strength
when he fell, but the pendant laid him out.”

“Then I guess you don’t need any more proof that I love
you,” she sniggered.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m feeling a little insecure
at the moment.” He waggled his brows. “I might need you to prove it to me.”

Gabriella threw her head back and laughed. “Wow. And you
almost said that with a straight face.”

She tackled him playfully, crying out when he began tickling
her. They rolled across the bed, Gabriella struggling for breath as Hunter
continued his onslaught. She swore he must have remembered every ticklish spot
she had.

When they finally lay panting, Gabriella sprawled over his
chest, she sighed. “As happy as all this makes me, I have to admit I’m worried,
Hunter.”

“About what?”

“Everything.” She struggled to put what she felt into words.
“There is a prophecy out there about you, but we don’t know anything about it.
Ash knows where you all are, so how long will it be before this tower isn’t
safe? And what about Landon? The poor thing is going through hell at the
moment. He has lost so much—his mother, his childhood. What will this
transition do to him? It’s so early, and he can’t even see his father after
losing his mother because Raphael might make things worse.” Catching her
breath, she continued. “And somehow we are supposed to help the others find
each of their bonded. How?”

“Oh, Gabby. It’ll be okay. I know it’s hard to believe that
now, but as you said, we may not know what the future holds, but we’ll face it
together.” Hunter smirked. “Have a little faith, huh?”

Gabriella’s eyes bugged, and she slapped a hand over her mouth
to prevent a laugh bubbling out. “Oh, wow. That saying suddenly has a whole new
meaning now.”

“It really does,” he snickered.

The phone ringing beside the bed interrupted them, and Hunter
reached over to pick it up, grunting something that sounded vaguely like
‘what’. There was silence for a few minutes while he listened to whoever was on
the phone speak.

“Yeah, you’re right. It certainly beats sitting around
worrying all the time. When?” He paused for a moment, then said, “Okay, I’ll
see you then.” He hung up, flopping back down onto the bed. “Sebastian wants us
to start doing patrols around the city and outer suburbs. He thinks we should
keep an eye on things and see if we can catch Renatus out.”

“What do you think?” Personally, as much as she disliked the
idea of him going out where he could be in danger, it might be a good idea. The
more they kept an eye on Ash and his men, the less likely it would be for them
to surprise her angel.

“I agree. We need to stay on top of things. It’d just be
nice if our fathers could give us some more answers, and none of that cryptic
shit they’re so fond of,” he bit out in frustration.

She placed a soothing hand on his chest, and he immediately
calmed. “Shhh. It’ll be okay.”

His eyes shifted to hers. “I know. I love you.”

“And I love you.” The love she felt for this angel
practically consumed her. And she knew, no matter what, if they stood together
then everything would be all right.

Hunter looked out at the city lights from his perch on top
of the tower they now called home. It felt strange to have a place he
continuously came home to every night after doing the rounds of the city.
Strange, but pretty awesome too.

The tower wasn’t what made it home though, it was Gabriella.
Her warm smile, her comforting embracing, the way she would whisper words of
unconditional love into his ear every night and each morning. With her, he felt
whole.

He prayed his friends soon found what he had. They each had
a bonded out there somewhere, just waiting to be found.

“They will find theirs.”

Hunter spun to face whoever had joined him, sighing when he
realized it was his father. He hadn’t seen the angel since that first day, and
couldn’t work out why he had turned up now. In fact…

“Isn’t you being here going to harm Landon? He has started
his transition.”

Gabriel chuckled. “I wouldn’t be here if it was harmful for
him. The wards we placed around the tower protect you from everything,
including our power. As long as I stay on the outside and he stays on the
inside, everything will be fine.”

“Then why haven’t you come before now? You turn up,
introduce yourself, and then disappear. Oh, but not before putting my bonded
directly in harm’s way. What the hell was the deal with that?” he demanded to
know.

“I am sorry, but we were assisting Raphael in making Rebecca
more…comfortable,” his father hesitantly replied.

Hunter frowned. “Is she okay?”

“Yes and no. She is finding it hard that it was her time to
leave her son.” Gabriel let out a tired sigh. He seemed to do that a lot,
Hunter noticed. “For some it is harder, and she holds a very special place in
my brother’s heart.”

“What about Landon? Is he going to be okay? His transition
is too soon.” Hunter was afraid of what that could mean.

“Landon will be fine. It will in no way be easy for him, but
he will be fine,” the angel assured him. “As will the others. They will all
find their bonded, and when they do, you will all become stronger.”

“How do you know?”

Gabriel smirked. “I just do.”

Hunter snorted at the response he got. His father seemed to
have all the answers but was unwilling to share.

“What should we do now? Can you at least tell me that?” he
asked. “We’ve been treading water since last week, no contact with any of you.
Michael hasn’t even contacted Sebastian, which is unusual.”

“You’re on the right track, you must keep up with your
patrols of the city. Ash and the rest of Renatus cannot be left unchecked. Your
job is to keep people safe.”

“But they don’t target ordinary people. How many Nephilim
could possibly live in the city?” he scoffed.

“There is more than you know, son.”

“Can we say understatement?” he muttered, growing
aggravated.

“I meant more Nephilim, however, I know that you are also
frustrated at your lack of knowledge in general. But your main concern right
now is Isaac,” his father said, brushing Hunter’s remark aside.

“Ash’s second. Why? I know he can be worse than Ash, but Ash
keeps him in line. Doesn’t he?”

“Not as much as you may think,” Gabriel grimaced. “There are
things even Ash does not know. Isaac’s absence from last week’s events concerns
your uncles and I greatly. You must teach Landon, as the others taught you, and
you must guard this city. Do you understand me, son?”

“Not usually,” he grumbled. “We’ll keep up patrols. Landon
is in safe hands.”

His father smiled at him. “I never doubted.”

Hunter observed the strange look that came over his father’s
face as he looked to the sky.

“Gotta go?” he asked, although he already knew the answer.

“Yes.”

Hunter heard the tinge of sadness in the other man’s voice.

“It won’t always be like this, Hunter. I promise. Give my
love to Gabriella, I always knew she would be perfect for you.”

He would have responded, but in a blink of an eye his father
was gone.

“So we keep patrolling?”

Hunter jumped. “Jesus, would people stop sneaking up on me?”

“I really shouldn’t be able to, but I guess you were a
little distracted.” Dominic chuckled as he gazed out over the city. He sobered
when he looked back at Hunter. “I know you think things are different for
Sebastian and I. We were never hunted as Nephilim and we never had to keep our
distance from our fathers. But you need to remember that our fathers are archangels
too. The right hand of the creator, and the archangel of justice. At
ninety-seven years old, I still barely know the man. I guess what I’m trying to
say is, I’m here if you wanna talk.”

Hunter nodded, letting the other man’s words sink in.
“Thanks, brother.”

He hadn’t given much thought to what growing up with an archangel
for a father would be like. Hunter admitted he just assumed they were able to
have the sort of childhood he hadn’t. It was foolish and selfish really.
Exactly how many archangels would have time to go play sports with their son,
or hang out and watch movies? The more he thought on it, the more ridiculous he
felt.

“It’s all about a different perspective,” Dominic said,
slapping him on the back. “Let’s head back in. The others should know what you
found out.”

“We’re going to have a hell of a fight on our hands soon,
aren’t we?” he asked, not sure he wanted the answer.

Dominic nodded slowly. “I think so. Which is why we need to
be prepared.”

Hunter let everything sink in as they made their way back
into the tower. He headed straight for his and Gabriella’s apartment, a smile
of his face when he thought of it as ‘theirs’.

They had bondeds to find, a Nephilim to train, and a city of
innocent people to keep safe. He almost missed what life was like before,
except for one thing. The one thing which happened to be walking over to him at
that moment.

“Everything okay?” she asked, tangling her arms around his
neck.

He slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. His
other hand trailed through her auburn locks that were as smooth as silk. He
buried his face in her hair, breathing her in. “Everything is perfect.”

Gabriella leaned back, her bright emerald orbs sparkling
with amusement. “Really? Do tell?”

“Because I have you, of course.”

She laughed. “Good thing I decided you were worth all the
trouble, huh?”

Brat.

“You never had a say in it, Gabby,” he said seriously. “You
were always meant to be mine.”

“Oh yeah?” She kissed him.

“Yeah. You were an archangel’s promise.”