Page 25 of Revelations

“How could I possibly forget?” He turned to wink.

“I’ll see you there soon,” she called to his retreating back. “And I expect you to tell me how you obtained explosives out here in the middle of the woods.”

A soft grunt and flippant wave of his hand was his only reply as dry leaves crackled under his feet. The only other sound that reached her ears was mumbled French cursing.

Sofia’s apartment had been where the fallen archangel, Olivier, had confronted Greylyn about the prophecy. That moment had changed the course of her existence. No longer was she just a guardian angel; but she was also indebted to discover, unravel, and fulfill some prophecy.

A prophecy that could not be for anything good if Olivier were the only one wanting to see it to fruition. Both Heaven and Hell wanted it stopped, but here she was…trapped into this insane deal…to see it through to save innocent human lives.

She had yet to find clues to the prophecy’s intent. She had no idea what, where, how, why, but she did know who – herself. Somehow, it was her destiny. How had she gotten get so damned lucky?

Now that she was back in DC, the psychic seemed like a logical person to consult for help. It would have been useful if someone had written the damned thing down somewhere, but apparently it was too dangerous to even do that. Maybe it was all some angelic practical joke and this was nothing but a goose-chase to make Olivier appear foolish.

“Shall we?” Kael interrupted her train of thought.

She took one look at his outstretched hand and shook her head. “Maybe we should part ways here; not that I don’t appreciate the help back there, but I have some personal business to attend to.”

“But, actually, it’s my business too, love.”

His eyes took on a softer expression, as he reached out to take her hand again. This time, she did not have the strength to object.

“Besides, there is no way I’m leaving now. Don’t you think we should discuss what just happened with us?”

That was exactly the last thing she wished to discuss.

Reluctantly, she pulled her hand out of his grip before strolling over to a large rock to sit down. Every fiber of her being yearned to rest, to escape all of this; not just the crushing weight of the prophecy, and not just the exhaustion from their recent ordeal with the vampires. She needed an escape from Kael. His very presence complicated…everything.

No, she couldn’t deny that she’d felt something for him back in the vampire’s hideout. An invisible magnet had pulled her closer to him, every molecule had fought to get to him, to touch him, to have him touch her. He’d filled her every thought. Her body had craved to melt into him. And that had been before the staring contest in the garden.

It had all felt so perfect, so right.

Terrifying.

“I’m not sure there’s anything to discuss, Kael.” Greylyn shifted uncomfortably on the rock. She had to weave a convincing lie; something to extract herself from this conversation. “We were in a very severe situation. We did what we had to do to get out of it.”

She reached over and picked up a thin stick off the ground. With the razor-sharp edge of her dagger, Greylyn whittled away at it. “Obviously, what wemayhave felt can’t be real. My guess is that the scent of the flowers from the Tree of Knowledge caused hallucinations. How else would twenty-four hours have passed so quickly?” A poorly attempted laugh died, strangled in her own throat.

A second of silence passed.

His voice thundered through the forest, scattering creatures through the underbrush and overhead in the tree tops. “I don’t believe that for a second, and neither do you.” Kael stalked over to where she sat, kneeling in front of her. “We’ve fought each other, and we’ve fought our innermost desires for each other for centuries. You had to know that at some point it would all come to the surface. It’s undeniable what we feel, and I won’t let you belittle that.” His voice shook.

He reached to caress her face, his hands still covered in soot from the fire. Greylyn steeled herself not to react. Her fingernails dug into the piece of wood in her one hand and the handle of her dagger in the other in a worthless attempt to crush the yearning to succumb to his touch.

Instead, she conjured up a lie. “No. I can’t believe that.”

She stood abruptly, her feet briskly putting as much distance as she could between them before she caved to the truth.

Unable to make eye contact with him, Greylyn gestured wildly with her hands to an invisible audience hidden in the trees above. “There’s no way I can condone my actions back there. What happened…I’m good. You’re evil. It’s that simple.” She paused, searching for the right words. “Yes, we worked well together—odd as that may be—but don’t make it into more than it is.”

She stopped atop a ravine. It overlooked a stream that dwindled down in the direction of where they had just come from. Light cut through the trees in threads of amber. Her feet refused to continue walking away from him. No matter how much her mind screamed at them to run, they were rooted to the very ground. Equally, Greylyn could not turn to glance his way, either. To do so would be her own undoing. She simply stared off into the distance.

Deep down, she knew the truth. In fact, she had known it perhaps for months, years, even centuries. Her draw to Kael was not going to go away. It was not a mistake or misunderstanding. It was not amped-up adrenaline-fueled hormones. What she felt was tangible and real; too real. But Greylyn also knew that she had to fight it with everything she had.

She gulped down the knot in her throat from telling such lies. “Now, if you want to talk business, then let’s do it. Otherwise, I have someplace to be.”

There was no answer. Slowly, she turned back around. Kael was gone.

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