An Archangel's Promise (7 page)

Gabriel didn’t seem angry, if anything, he looked guilty. “I
never wanted to be away from you. I knew that when you began your transition I
would have to keep my distance, but I had not planned to leave so soon.”

“Why at all?” he asked.

“An archangel can’t be around any Nephilim going through
their transition. Our power is too great, and we risk speeding up the process.
For lack of a better explanation, it would be like using the wrong wall mount
for a charger. It would overload your body to experience your transition too quickly.
Too much power all at once.”

“Damn,” he muttered. “All right. And before that?”

“Ash.” Gabriel sighed. “I had hope for him once, but he
turned out just like his father. When the others and I were left with no choice
but to cast him out, he swore his revenge. I knew then that he had discovered I
had a son, and so did Raphael. He knew our sons were helpless against him. The
only way to keep you safe was to stay away. Until you began your transition, he
could not find you. I wasn’t willing to risk the chance that I would lead him
to you. Both Raphael and I agreed with your mothers that it would be for the
best to stay away.”

He had stayed away to keep Hunter safe? Deep down Hunter had
known that since the moment he had discovered the truth, but it didn’t take
away the loneliness he felt. Only a few years later his mother had died,
leaving him alone.

As if he read Hunter’s mind, Gabriel said, “I’m so sorry
about your mother. She was a good friend. I loved her…at least in my own way.
When a prophecy was foretold that we archangels would have children of our own,
I had never found my bonded and just knew she would make a wonderful mother to
my son.”

Hunter’s heart hurt at the thought of his mother. “Is she
okay?” He hated that he sounded like a lost child, but he needed to know.

“Yes, Hunter. Worried for you as always, but she is happy.”
Gabriel smiled fondly.

Well, that was something.

Gabriella stirred in Hunter’s arms. When he glanced down, it
was to find her eyes open, staring up at him. “So, you really are the son of an
archangel, huh?”

He nodded. “Yes, Gabby. I am.”

She seemed to contemplate that. “And the others…your
cousins
,
are their fathers archangels too? I know you said Sebastian’s was, but…”

“Yes.” He smiled down at her. “They are the sons of the
other archangels. Well, except for Raphael’s son. He hasn’t gone through his
transition yet. Too young.”

“Oh,” she said simply.

He raised a brow, trying not to laugh. “Oh?”

Hunter didn’t think he had done a very good job when she
glared at him. “Yeah,
oh
. Sorry, did you expect something a little more
articulate? If so, come back tomorrow, I think my brain is fried right now,”
she snarked.

Hunter didn’t hide his grin that time. He was both amused
and enthralled by her attitude.

“I’m afraid there isn’t time anyway,” Gabriel interrupted,
concern shining in his eyes. “There is something we need you men to attend to.”

Seriously?

“What is it, Uncle?” Sebastian asked.

Sebastian’s familiarity with Gabriel surprised Hunter, until
he remembered that Sebastian was much older, and as his mother was an angel,
Sebastian had never had to be separated from his father or uncles. Hunter
wondered briefly what it would have been like for him had his mother been an angel.
Sebastian and Dominic were the only sons of the archangels with angelic
mothers, and while they had guarded and protected the others through their
transitions, the two older angels had never had to experience it themselves.

“We received word that Ash and the rest of Renatus are
hunting Raphael’s son, Landon.”

“But the kid would only be sixteen,” Elijah said, outraged.
“Ash can’t go after him. He can’t even track him.”

Gabriel grimaced. “It appears Ash is determined to stop the
prophecy from coming true. He is willing to break any and all laws.”

“What prophecy are you talking about?” Hunter had never
heard of a prophecy.

Sebastian’s brows furrowed, and he crossed his arms over his
wide chest. “I was not told of a prophecy either. Why?”

Gabriel held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Now is
not the time for you to know. When you are all finally together things will be
revealed, but to tell you now could risk everything. Only those high up are
aware of the prophecy.”

“Then how is it Ash knows?” Brock asked the question they
had all been thinking.

Gabriel sighed deeply. “His father knew, and he told Ash.”
Before more questions could be asked, Gabriel held a hand up to silence them.
“As I said, you will know more when it’s time, I promise.”

Hunter gaped at his father. The archangel had just told them
about a prophecy involving them, that Ash had a father high enough to know
about it, and left them with a million questions. And he expected them to focus
on something else?

“Where is Landon?” Dominic asked, bringing the conversation
back to the problem at hand.

“We aren’t sure. We can’t keep tabs on him ourselves because
that would draw attention, so we sent guards like we did for you four.
Yesterday, one of those guards returned without the others. He informed us that
his team was taken out by Ash and his men,” Gabriel explained. “It was all we
got from him. His injuries were too severe.”

Damn. “So the kid is out there somewhere, all alone?”

His father nodded. “He has his mother, Rebecca, but they are
currently unguarded. We need you to find him and keep him safe.”

“That explains why Isaac wasn’t with Ash tonight.” Sebastian
growled.

Isaac was Ash’s second-in-command, and he could be even more
ruthless than Ash. The man was pure demon. There was nothing left of his once
angelic self. The thought of Isaac hunting down Landon made Hunter feel ill.
The bastard liked to play with his prey, just as he had done when they had
first come for Hunter, and he would do so again before he ended Landon’s life.

Hunter glanced around the room, making eye contact with each
of the men he called brother. They had another brother out there, and they
needed to find him. His stomach clenched at the thought of putting Gabriella in
that sort of danger though.

The soft caress of a hand drew him out of his musings.
Gabriella smiled at him so sweetly he felt his heart stutter in his chest.

“You have to go,” she whispered. Leaning forward, Gabriella
brought their lips closer until they were a hair’s breadth apart. “If this
Isaac is as bad as he sounds, Landon will need you.”

Gabriella brushed their lips together, and Hunter groaned.
God, what this woman did to him.

His breath a little ragged, Hunter leant back. “Gabby. I
can’t leave your side. We’re bonded now, and the honeymoon phase will begin
soon. Not to mention that Ash will return.”

“Honeymoon phase? You need to tell me what all that means.”

There was no anger as she asked, no judgement. Just an
honest need for answers, yet Hunter sighed with resignation, knowing at some
point Gabriella was going to be pushed too far. Chaos and danger were the very
essence of the life he lived. He had been in such need of her that he hadn’t
stopped to fully comprehend what he would be putting her through by coming
back. She now had to deal with the consequences of a decision he hadn’t let her
have a say in.

Caught up in his inner turmoil, their pseudo
second-in-command, Dominic answered her.

“What it means is that if he were to be apart from you, he
would grow careless. He could be seriously harmed while worrying if you were
safe. And even if he were lucky enough to have one of us covering his back,
after a period of separation it wouldn’t matter. Being away from you would
literally be painful. For the both of you. The honeymoon phase acts like a
mating heat. When it kicks in you’ll be insatiable, needing each other
constantly,” Dominic explained. “Where one goes, so does the other. It’s the
whole
bonded
part.”

Gabriella blushed furiously at what she had just been told,
but appeared to be mulling it all over. Hunter waited with bated breath to see
what she would say. They had only just reconnected after ten years apart, and
even though he’d never stopped loving her, a part of him feared that she had.
That the love she once felt for him no longer burned as bright.

Christ! And now he sounded like a sap.

When Gabriella suddenly started nodding, Hunter knew he
would never be able to keep up with this woman and the way her mind worked.

“Then I guess we go.” Before he could get any words out, she
held up her hand. “We need to talk, seriously talk. And I have to make sure my
company is taken care of. I’ve worked too damn hard to have it all fall apart
now. Can you give me that?”

He’d give her anything, but instead of letting her know the power
she had over him, he simply nodded. Directing his gaze to the others, he was
met with looks of concern. Nobody liked the idea of one of them out there
alone. They needed to get their act together.

“Any idea where we start looking?” he asked his father.

“We think they’ve settled somewhere here in the lower half
of the country. Beyond that, I can’t say for sure.” Gabriel’s brows knitted
together and he glanced up at the sky. A look of concentration played over his
features, and he began to nod.
’Cause that’s not weird.
His father
suddenly snapped back to reality, his eyes blinking rapidly. “Zerachiel says to
keep in and around the state of Victoria. It’s the best we can do, and even
then, we may have tipped Renatus off while doing so. I have to go, there is so
much that needs to be done.”

“We understand and appreciate it,” Sebastian told Gabriel.

“I’m so very happy you have found your bonded, son. Now you
can help the others find their own bonded. The time for you to all become whole
has finally arrived, and your destiny can begin,” Gabriel said cryptically.

“I’m supposed to help them find their bonded? How?” Hunter
asked incredulously.

“Yes, you are.” Gabriel smiled fondly. “You’ll see.”

With one last shared look with his father, Hunter watched
Gabriel disappear in the blink of an eye.

“I’ll see…what? Cryptic much?” Hunter grumbled.

He took a deep breath, trying to come to terms with the fact
that he had finally met his father, but he couldn’t. Confusion and so many
other emotions swirled through him until he thought he would lose himself. His
eyes met gaze after gaze until they finally landed on Gabriella’s. Like a
siren’s call, her emerald orbs drew him in, centering him and calming the wild
seas that threatened to pull him under.

Her delicate hand cupped his jaw and he felt he could
finally take a breath. This was what she did to him. His bonded. His Gabby.

“I need to pack a few things. Will you help me?” she asked
quietly.

“Yeah.” His voice came out croaked.

Not acknowledging the others in the room, Gabriella took Hunter’s
hand and guided him to the exit door. In silence they made their way down the
stairs, and she led them into her place. Hunter glanced around, not really
knowing what to do or say. It had to be a first for him.

“Why don’t we go take a shower, hmm?”

Hunter spun around in shock, certain he had heard her wrong.

Gabriella smiled at his stunned expression. “Come on. We’ve
both had a hell of a night and it will do us some good. Sebastian and the
others are working up a plan as we speak, and we can find them later to see
what the plan of attack is.”

Hunter frowned. “How do you know what they’re doing?”

Gabriella’s face grew more concerned. “Hunter, they were
discussing that right before we left.”

“They were?” Hunter racked his brain, trying to remember the
conversation.

“Yes,” she said softly. “I think, maybe you’re in a little
shock after meeting your father. Please just come and have a shower with me. I
really shouldn’t have to beg.” She smirked.

Now that penetrated the fog.

“I think I like the idea of you begging.” He leered at her.

Gabriella laughed. “Come on, Romeo.”

Hunter obeyed and was right on her heel as she walked to the
bathroom, the honeymoon phase well and truly kicking in. His eyes tracked her
movements as she lowered the zipper of her dress, and it fell to the floor. The
only thing left was her panties, and they were quick to go as well.

Hunter froze at the doorway to the bathroom, his eyes
widening at the room. This wasn’t a bathroom, it was a small apartment. White
marble encompassed the room with a matching vanity that was so long it almost
ran the entire length of the wall. A bathtub, big enough to fit four people in
it, sat free standing in front of a large window, with a breathtaking view of
the city. What caught his eye though was the enormous shower to his left. Hell,
it looked more like multiple showers in a row, all encased in frosted glass.

Gabriella made her way over to the shower door, pulling it
open and stepping inside. He heard the running of water before she poked her
head out and smiled at him, crooking her finger for him to follow.

Damn, she was beautiful.

“Well, are you going to come in here or not?” Gabriella
purred, stepping back under the water. “You don’t want me to get lonely, do
you?”

Hunter watched, transfixed, when she grabbed the soap and
began rubbing it over her body. His heart skipped a beat when she grinned at
him.

“I could do with some help, you know, reaching all those
hard to get places.”

“When you put it that way…” He chuckled, removing his
clothing quickly and stepping up behind her under the stream of the showerheads.
Sliding his hands around, he pulled her back against him and nipped at her
neck. “My Gabby,” Hunter breathed out against her skin.

Leaning into the embrace, Gabriella closed her eyes and
shivered. “My Hunter. I have missed you,” she admitted before turning in his
arms and looking up at him. “Every day, I have missed you.”

“I love you,” he murmured against her lips, kissing them
softly. “I’m so sorry, Gabby. I never wanted to leave you.”

“Hunter, we need to discuss what we did before,” she said,
worry in her eyes. “We didn’t use protection when…you…we…”

“When we made love?”

She huffed. “Yeah. You think I’d be able to say it without
reverting to a fifteen-year-old teenager.”

“It’s adorable.” He chuckled as she slapped him on the
chest. “And you’re right, we didn’t. As an angel I don’t get sick, so I have
nothing to pass on, Gabby.”

“Yeah, okay, as bad as it sounds I hadn’t even been thinking
about that, I just assumed. You’d never hurt me like that.” The certainty in
her words went a long way in soothing his frazzled nerves. “What I meant was…well…oh,
jeez, I meant I could be pregnant.”

Hunter suddenly understood what had her all worked up, and
was quick to ease her worries. “While I would love nothing more than to start a
family with you, I think we need time. Luckily, as an angel it takes more than
the act itself to create life.”

“It does?” Curiosity lightened her face as she began washing
herself. “Like what?”

He followed the movement of her hands, greedily wanting to
trade places with the soap as it ran its way over her body. Trying to focus, he
answered her question. “Like the sharing of blood, and the melding of minds as
we did befo—”

“The sharing of what?” she squeaked, dropping the soap.

He gave her a lopsided grin. “Blood. It’s not as gross as it
sounds. Just a little drop of each other’s blood as we join our minds and our
bodies.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Like I said, it’s something to consider one day, but I
don’t think we’re there yet.” He grimaced. “There is still so much you need to
know. Things that might just push you too far.”