Authors: J. Hali Steele
Repent in Love (14 page)
Osce groaned, “Morta—”
Lightning bolts lit the black sky outside the window as gale
force winds blew the panes out in a loud pop and yanked the curtains from their
rods. Material billowed in slow motion to the floor. A guttural growl filled
the space, shaking the walls and foundation of Michael’s palace. His treasured
books thumped loudly to the floor.
Uriel slammed into the center of the room.
His brows knitted together and his face contorted in
surprise. Both hands palm-down on the floor, he remained on one knee with his
enormous black-edged wings spread wide. “Damn it, Morta.” He twisted his body
to glare at Osce and bellowed, “Why did you help her?”
Osce’s body relaxed and bumped back to the surface. “I
wasn’t given a choice.” He chewed his lips and hissed as he sat up, placing his
back to the chair. He turned to peer at Ram. “Would this be why I got dragged
out of my fucking bed?”
“You got it.” Ramiel smiled. “Told you I’d be there and I
thought your stubborn ass would need a little help. Welcome back.”
“Bastard, you’re lucky we were done. Don’t think Dad would have
taken kindly to me being yanked from his presence.” He spun around to Morta.
“What do you think you were doing?” He unfolded his long, nude angel form from
the floor.
“I was afraid and I thought you’d need me.”
“Will I ever be able to keep you out of my mind or harm’s
way?” Uri flapped his wings down to his side.
Ramiel’s quiet laughter filled the space. “Get used to it.”
A warm gust of air flowed through the windows, carrying the
scent of jasmine.
Marmaroth.
He floated across the room to stand directly in front of
Morta. “I believe these are yours.” Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked at
the violets in his outstretched hand. “He repented for his sins and has been
forgiven. You are free to love him.”
Uri moved to stand behind her. His wings fanned out and
enclosed Morta in a tight embrace. “There are rules and you may not want to
abide by them.”
Gazing over her shoulder at Uri she whispered, “Nothing
matters except being with you.”
Uriel sighed. “Listen to what he has to say, honey.”
Marmaroth glared at her. “Death is a part of life, and now
you must share it with Uriel. He must understand all that you do and he must
endure the pain of taking souls. There is a catch. Unlike you, he will not
receive God’s solace. In turn, you will know what the Nephilim feel. You will
assist the angel of repentance in keeping the world safe from their evil and
indiscretions.” His hands trembled as sadness rimmed his blue eyes leaving dark
shadows beneath them. “That will include my son whom you must recruit without
using magic to work with you.”
Wishing she was hidden from their prying eyes, Morta slumped
against Uriel. The angel responsible for the Fates had to place his son in her
care. “Marmaroth…”
His hand flashed up. “There is one more thing.” He turned to
look at Michael as he spoke. “You will no longer be able to bond mentally with
your sisters.”
“No!” She flinched.
Uri’s wings unfolded, releasing her to spin around and face
him.
“It’s the only way. I can’t be allowed to see their mind
through yours. I’m not equipped to bear all of fate.”
She peered around him at Michael hoping for help. “I
wouldn’t be able to feel Decima and Nona?”
His eyes were glassy. “The Father has spoken. It’s your
choice.”
Morta gazed at Uriel. She needed him to be whole. But not to
ever again feel her sister’s thoughts? Being unable to help alleviate their
pain when spinning life or deciding on how long life would be. What if it
became too much for them? How would they live without knowing her mind?
Uri’s hands stroked down her sides and rested on her hips.
He pulled her close and kissed her eyelids, her cheeks. Moisture from her salty
tears shined on his lips. “I’ll love you no matter what you decide. And know
this—they’ll never be able to erase you from my mind. I will have the memories
of everything we’ve shared.” He lifted her chin up with a finger. “I will give
you whatever you want. Even freedom.” His lips touched hers softly. “I love you
more than my own life.”
Embracing Uriel, Morta rested her head on his chest. It was
Marmaroth she needed to respond to. She included Uri and used their mental bond
to respond.
I will care for your son.
She peered up through her lashes
at her archangel.
We
will care for your son
.
Thank you
. Marmaroth turned to face Michael. “She has
chosen. I will never again have access to the mind of the Fate responsible for
ending life.”
He vanished on a soft breeze, leaving the sweet smell of
desert jasmine behind.
Ramiel prepared to leave but she stopped him. “The child,
can he go home?”
The sound of metal scraping against wood drew everyone’s
attention to the door. “I can answer that.” Sam sank down into the chair by
Michael’s desk and dropped his scythe with a clang. “The kid is allowed to go
home.” He glared at everyone around the room, and burning red dots pinpointed
each person’s face. “I’m not going to play these silly-ass games with any of
you from now on. I have a job to do. “If it involves your mother, your sister
or your brother, I. Will. Take. Their. Souls.” He made sure he had everyone’s
attention. “You’ve all fucked with me long enough and I don’t like losing.”
Glancing at Michael, he added, “You can spell me for a while.” His smile was
weak. “After all, you handle doling out death real well. I’m taking some time
off.”
Standing, he reached for his tool. “Oh, almost forgot,
Morta, this is for you.” Before anyone could move, the Grim Reaper hooked the
tip of the scythe in her right hip. Blood seeped through her clothing.
Uri grunted as he lunged across the room. Osce jumped into
his path and grabbed his shoulder. “Not a fight you want to pick, my friend.”
“Aww, come on, it didn’t hurt that bad did it? Let him go,
Osce. I can use some fun.” A death rattle left Sam’s throat.
They all cringed and reached to cover their ears.
Everyone except Michael. “Samael, don’t you have a new TV
and a football game to watch or something?” The general chuckled, but Mort
couldn’t see anything funny.
“It’s three in the morning, why would a game be on?”
“Go watch a rerun then, get out of my office.”
“You’ll change your tune in less than a week doing my job.
It’s a whole new world out there and everyone in it has gone
absofuckinglutely
nuts.” He turned back to face Morta and Uri. “You got matching Nephilim alarms,
one right, one left. As always, it’s been a pleasure dealing with you assholes.”
A hot shower of orange sparks popped and fizzled out on the floor where Sam had
stood.
Osce said to Uri, “And I thought you were crazy.”
Glaring at him for a long time, Uri pulled his wings in and
fabricated a pair of black slacks. His chest shined with sweat so he didn’t
bother with a shirt. He moved to stand in front of Osce. When he reached for
his face, Osce raised his hand and blocked him.
“Not today, brother. There’s a lady who thinks the scar is
sexy. But let’s leave the invitation open to remove it some other time.” Osce
grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Thanks for wanting to take it away. Just take
care of Morta, she’s a great lady.”
“I know.”
Osce disappeared in his own shower of hot sparks.
“For Chrissakes, could everyone else just walk out? I’ll
need to replace my whole damn floor and every book in my library at this rate.”
Michael’s words were heeded.
Morta exited in front of Uri and Ram. She moved a bit down
the hallway to give the two time to talk. She didn’t need to hear what was
said. They hugged each other as men do when they care. Her hand went to her
heart. It thudded hard against her ribcage.
These two needed each other as much as she needed Uri.
Repent and hope—together again.
After Ram vanished, Uri took her hand. “Come with me.”
They left a trail like a comet as they soared to Earth. They
entered the hospital room where the child lay limply in the bed. His parents
had just had the machines disconnected.
Unseen by the humans in the room, Morta and Uri leaned over
the boy’s bed. She planted a soft kiss on his forehead and Uri touched a finger
to his small chest.
He gasped in a breath of air and cried out, “Daddy!”
Reaching Uri’s earthly domain, he lifted Morta and spun her
around in his arms, holding on so tight she could barely breathe. “Mine,” he
murmured against her lips.
“Forever,” she replied, her legs tight around his waist.
* * * * *
Michael sat quietly behind his desk, lonely for the first
time in a thousand years. He wondered how he’d keep tabs on all of his charges
with things changing so fast. He sensed Decima before she reached his door. Her
smell was so sweet. Using magic, he flung it wide open. “Come, talk to me.”
Dec’s bluish-gray eyes were full of unshed tears and he couldn’t stand the
sight.
“I’m going to miss my sister, Michael.”
“Maybe now you’ll have room for other things in your life.”
Standing, he moved slowly toward her. “Playing the angel of death can’t take up
that much of my time.”
The End
J. Hali Steele wishes she could grow fur, wings or fangs so
she can stay warm, fly or just plain bite the crap out of... Well, since she
can't, she would much rather roam where her fictional big cats live—in the high
desert of California. She enjoys spending time with her sisters and friends who
willingly listen to her ramblings about the paranormal world and anything else
that goes bump in the night. They're a captive audience, but she promises to
untie them soon!
A multi-published author and a member of RWA (PAN), when J.
Hali's not writing, she can be found snuggled in front of the TV with a good
book, a cat in her lap and a cup of coffee.
Hali welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email address on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
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Hali Steele
An Ellora’s Cave Romantica
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Repent in Love
ISBN 9781419930874
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Repent in Love Copyright © 2015 J. Hali Steele
Edited by Susan Edwards
Cover Design by Dar Albert
Electronic book publication May 2015
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